Search

Pharmacogenetic investigations into the opioid crisis suggest genetic variation could be a significant cause of opioid- related morbidity and mortality. Variability in opioid system genes, including single nucleotide polymorphisms, manifest after pharmacogenetic testing, as previously invisible risk factors for addiction and overdose. Pharmacodynamic genes regulate opioid-sensitive brain networks and neural reward circuitry. Pharmacokinetic genes expressed in drug metabolic pathways regulate blood levels of active versus inactive opioid metabolites. Elucidating the complex interplay of genetic variations in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic pathways will shed new light on the addictive and toxic properties of opioids. This narrative review serves to promote understanding of key genetic mechanisms affecting the metabolism and actions of opioids, and to explore causes of the recent surge in opioid-related mortality associated with COVID-19. Personalized treatment plans centred around an individual's genetic makeup could make opioid-based pain management and opioid use disorder (OUD) treatments safer and more effective at both the individual and system levels.

Hot springs bathing is a $56 billion commercial industry worldwide, and systematic reviews suggest hot springs bathing (balneotherapy – BT) has a positive impact on chronic pain and musculoskeletal...

Background: Sleep disturbances are a common symptom of major depressive disorder (MDD). Sleep is highly regulated by circadian rhythms, controlled by circadian genes, that act through a series of f...

Background Verbal memory impairment is a core feature in schizophrenia even at early stages of the disease, but its etiopathogenesis is not fully understood. The APOE-e4 is the main genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Our primary goal was to ascertain whether APOE-e4 status had a pleiotropic effect in early stages of the illness. Participants and methods A total of 86 first-episode psychosis (FEP) outpatients and 39 healthy volunteers were recruited. Demographic and clinical data, APOE genotyping, and a neuropsychological test battery including the California Verbal Learning Test – second edition (CVLT-II) were administered and assessed at study entry and at 1-year follow-up. Data were analyzed using mixed-model repeated measures, where the dependent variable was verbal memory indexed by California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) Trials 1–5 total recall score. Results FEP-APOE-e4 carriers and FEP-APOE-e4 noncarriers had similar symptom severity, clinical outcomes, premorbid and current intelligence quotient, and exposure to antipsychotics. There was a main effect of group on CVLT 1–5 (FEP =43.30 vs control =58.25; F[1, 119.7]=42.97; P

OBJECTIVES: Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disease affecting about 1% of the general population. The relative contribution of genetic factors has been estimated to be up to 80%. The mode of inheritance is complex, non-Mendelian, and in most cases involving the combined action of large numbers of genes.METHODS: This review summarises recent efforts to identify genetic variants associated with schizophrenia detected, e.g., through genome-wide association studies, studies on copy-number variants or next-generation sequencing.RESULTS: A large, new body of evidence on genetics of schizophrenia has accumulated over recent years. Many new robustly associated genetic loci have been detected. Furthermore, there is consensus that at least a dozen microdeletions and microduplications contribute to the disease. Genetic overlap between schizophrenia, other psychiatric disorders, and neurodevelopmental syndromes raised new questions regarding the current classification of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental diseases.CONCLUSIONS: Future studies will address especially the functional characterisation of genetic variants. This will hopefully open the doors to our understanding of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and other related diseases. Complementary, integrated systems biology approaches to genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics may also play crucial roles in enabling a precision medicine approach to the treatment of individual patients.

Hot springs are a $50 billion global industry and a growing segment of the wellness tourism sector, yet no previous research has focused on the views of hot spring users and the drivers for hot spring visitation in Australia are unclear. We performed a cross-sectional observational study through an online Qualtrics survey to assess the characteristics, motivations and experiences of visitors to Australia’s largest commercial hot spring. Primary analysis of data from 4265 mostly female respondents involved descriptive statistics, which aimed to describe trends around respondents’ characteristics, motivations and experiences. The data on respondents’ medical conditions was further analysed to determine the perceived benefit/harm for each condition. Analysis revealed that “relaxation,” “peace and tranquility,” “indulgence” and “escape” were the most important motivators for bathing. Most respondents reported general health benefits (98%) and better sleep (82%) from bathing, one third experienced fain...

A positive correlation between antipsychotic-induced weight gain (AIWG) and the antagonist effect of antipsychotic drugs at the histamine H1 receptor (HRH1) as well as the agonist effect at the histamine H3 receptor (HRH3) in the brain has been consistently demonstrated. We investigated the potential impact of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in HRH1 and HRH3 genes on AIWG.We analysed 40 tagSNPs in HRH1 (n = 34) and HRH3 (n = 6) in schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder patients (n = 193) primarily treated with clozapine or olanzapine for up to 14 weeks. Linear regression was used to evaluate the association between SNPs and AIWG, with baseline weight and treatment duration as covariates.In HRH1, a nominal association of rs7639145 with AIWG was observed in patients of European ancestry treated with either clozapine or olanzapine (PThe current study suggests that SNPs in HRH1 and HRH3 may not have a major role in AIWG.

Physician certification boards are an intrinsic part of medical professionalism, and the public is their key stakeholder. A decade ago, the 24 boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties committed to moving beyond the summative evaluation of physicians to a process of continuously evaluating and improving the care they deliver. The American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) has been a leader in this change and is making strategic investments in the next major evolution of continuous certification. Physicians are frustrated with the pace of change, inability to reliably assess and change their practices, and the perceived risk to both income and professional autonomy. Certifying boards are natural targets for that frustration. Certifying boards have an opportunity to support physicians in improving the quality and safety of healthcare and appeal to physicians' intrinsic motivation for doing so. The ABFM is not retreating from that challenge but is instead listening carefully to family physici...

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a heritable disease with a heavy personal and socio-economic burden. Antidepressants of different classes are prescribed to treat MDD, but reliable and reproducible markers of efficacy are not available for clinical use. Further complicating treatment, the diagnosis of MDD is not guided by objective criteria, resulting in the risk of under- or overtreatment. A number of markers of MDD and antidepressant response have been investigated at the genetic, epigenetic, gene expression and protein levels. Polymorphisms in genes involved in antidepressant metabolism (cytochrome P450 isoenzymes), antidepressant transport (ABCB1), glucocorticoid signalling (FKBP5) and serotonin neurotransmission (SLC6A4 and HTR2A) were among those included in the first pharmacogenetic assays that have been tested for clinical applicability. The results of these investigations were encouraging when examining patient-outcome improvement. Furthermore, a nine-serum biomarker panel (including BDNF, cortisol and soluble TNF-α receptor type II) showed good sensitivity and specificity in differentiating between MDD and healthy controls. These first diagnostic and response-predictive tests for MDD provided a source of optimism for future clinical applications. However, such findings should be considered very carefully because their benefit/cost ratio and clinical indications were not clearly demonstrated. Future tests may include combinations of different types of biomarkers and be specific for MDD subtypes or pathological dimensions.

Secondary production and seasonal development of the damselfly Enallagma civile Hagen, 1861 were determined as part of an epiphytic macroinvertebrate study in the Dallas Floodway Extension Trinity River Project Lower Chain of Wetlands, Dallas, TX, USA. These wetlands were constructed to mitigate flooding of the Trinity River, but also provided quality wildlife habitat and removal of wastewater effluent contaminants. Variations in life history were observed between two macrophytes and three different wetlands of varying age, effluent source, and vegetation establishment. Mean annual production of E. civile was 1393 mg/m2/year, standing stock biomass was 1376 mg/m2/year, cohort production/biomass (P/B) ratio was 4.30/year, and annual P/B was 10.18/year. These values are in the upper range of known Odonata production values from a lentic system. Enallagma civile biomass growth rates were observed to be higher from populations on the better established macrophyte (Potamogeton nodosus Poiret, 1816) and...

The life histories of Meridialaris chiloeensis (Demoulin, 1955) (Leptophlebiidae: Ephemeroptera) and Gigantodax rufescens (Edwards, 1931) (Simuliidae: Diptera) were studied in a Magellanic sub-Antarctic river in Navarino Island (55°S). Both species are distributed along the whole length of the watershed. Phenology was studied in the field for a period of 12 months between August 2009 and September 2010, at a site near the river's mouth (sea level). Cumulative degree-days were calculated along the gradient at five representative altitudinal locations, starting at the river's headwaters. Samples were obtained during January of 2010 at all the remaining altitudinal locations to assess possible changes in voltinism during the austral summer season through the watershed. Results show that M. chiloeensis and G. rufescens have a bivoltine and multivoltine life cycle, respectively, at sea level. Based on degree-days obtained and field observations at the remaining stations, possible voltinism patterns are...

Antipsychotics with high weight gain-inducing propensities influence the expression of immune and neurotrophin genes, which have been independently related to obesity indices. Thus, we investigated whether variants in the genes encoding interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, and IL-6 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met are associated with antipsychotic-induced weight gain (AIWG).Nineteen polymorphisms were genotyped using Taqman(®) assays in 188 schizophrenia patients on antipsychotic treatment for up to 14 weeks. Mean weight change (%) from baseline was compared across genotypic groups using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Epistatic effects between cytokine polymorphisms and BDNF Val66Met were tested using Model-Based Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction.In European patients, IL-1β rs16944*GA (P = 0.013, Pcorrected = 0.182), IL-1β rs1143634*G (P = 0.001, Pcorrected = 0.014), and BDNF Val66Met (Val/Val, P = 0.004, Pcorrected = 0.056) were associated with greater AIWG, as were IL-1β rs4849127*A (P = 0.049, Pcorrected = 0.784), and IL-1β rs16944*GA (P = 0.012, Pcorrected = 0.192) in African Americans. BDNF Val66Met interacted with both IL-1β rs13032029 (Val/Met+ TT, PPerm = 0.029), and IL-6 rs2069837 (Val/Val+ AA, PPerm = 0.021) in Europeans, in addition to IL-1β rs16944 (Val/Val+ GA, PPerm = 0.006) in African Americans.SNPs across IL-1β and BDNF Val66Met may influence AIWG. Replication of these findings in larger, independent samples is warranted.

A pooled database from diverse community samples was used to examine the associations of hair cortisol concentration (HCC) with self-reported stress and stress-linked mental health measures, including depression, anxiety, alcohol and drug use, disability and experiences with aggression. As part of innovative research using a mobile laboratory to study community mental health, data were pooled from five sub-studies: a random sample of the general population (n = 70), people who had received treatment for a mental health and/or substance use problem (n = 78), family members of people treated for mental health and/or substance use problems (n = 49), community volunteers who sometimes felt sad or blue or thought they drank too much (n = 83) and young adults in intimate partner relationships (n = 44). All participants completed a computerized questionnaire including standard measures of perceived stress, chronic stress, depression, anxiety, hazardous drinking, tobacco use, prescription drug use, illicit drug use, disability and intimate partner aggression. HCC was significantly associated with use of antidepressants, hazardous drinking, smoking and disability after adjusting for sub-study and potential confounders (sex, body-mass index, use of glucocorticoids and hair dyed). In addition, preliminary analyses suggest a significant curvilinear relationship between HCC and perceived stress; specifically, HCC increased with higher perceived stress but decreased at the highest level of stress. Overall, HCC was associated with mental health-related variables mainly reflecting substance use or experiencing a disability. The relationship between HCC and self-reported stress is unclear and needs further research.

Studies have reported an association between serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) and accelerated bone loss. Genetic variation in the serotonin system might modulate bone metabolism changes during SRI treatment. In a clinical trial we examined functional genetic polymorphisms of serotonin transporter and receptors involved in bone metabolism to determine whether they predict changes in bone metabolism during SRI treatment.In 69 adults (age ≥ 60) participating in a 12-week, open-label trial of the SRI venlafaxine for major depression, serum markers of bone formation (P1NP) and resorption (β-CTX) were assayed before and after treatment. Participants were genotyped for putative high- versus low-expressing polymorphisms in the serotonin transporter (5HTTLPR) and 1B receptor (HTR1B) genes.Bone formation was significantly reduced with administration of venlafaxine in participants with the high-expressing 5HTTLPR genotype and those with the low-expressing HTR1B genotype. This primarily occurred in individuals with the combination of the high-expressing 5HTTLPR genotype and the low-expressing HTR1B genotype.These preliminary findings indicate that genetic variation in the serotonin receptors predicts changes in bone metabolism during SRI use. If these results are replicated and clinically confirmed, we will have identified a genetic subgroup at high risk for deleterious bone outcomes with the use of SRIs.

Extreme disturbances eliminate aquatic biota and alter community structure and function. During a supraseasonal drought in north-central Texas in the summer and fall 2006, macroinvertebrate communities from persistent groundwater-dependent macrohabitats of varying hydrology and riparian shading were investigated to study their role as invertebrate refugia, and to characterize the taxonomic and functional community structure of benthic assemblages. Ash Creek was the only stream with surface flow within a 35-km radius during the drought. Two perennial and three intermittent stream sites were studied that included perennial riffles, a perennial pool, shaded disconnected pools, and disconnected pools in full sun. Riffles had significantly higher taxa richness, EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera) richness, proportion of lotic taxa, and diversity than other macrohabitats. Macrohabitats were refugia for 106 benthic macroinvertebrate taxa, and perennially flowing habitats contained 19 taxa (17.9% of ...

Objectives. Alcohol use disorders (AUD) act as a risk factor for smoking relapse, and tobacco dependent (TD) subjects with comorbid AUD experience more withdrawal symptoms compared to TD subjects without AUD or other psychiatric comorbidities. Our aim was to investigate whether drinking behaviour in the past 12 months and smoking relapse due to alcohol use in TD subjects was associated with polymorphisms flanking the TTC12/ANKK1/DRD2 region since associations have been found between these genes and AUD and TD as separate disorders. Methods. 380 TD subjects were assessed for alcohol use and relapse to smoking. Subjects were genotyped for polymorphisms located in the TTC12/ANKK1/DRD2 region. Results. Associations were found between ANKK1 haplotype rs4938015C_rs11604671A and age of onset of daily smoking, as well as with hazardous drinking. No genetic association was found with smoking relapse due to alcohol consumption. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that TD subjects who present earlier age at on...

Little is known about medication errors which occur with the antidotes ethanol and fomepizole, used for treatment of methanol and ethylene glycol poisoning. Study objectives were to describe and compare the frequency, type, outcome and underlying causes of medication errors associated with ethanol and fomepizole.Patients aged ≥13 years were included if they were hospitalized in 1996-2005 for methanol or ethylene glycol poisoning and treated with ethanol or fomepizole. Charts from 10 hospitals were separately reviewed by two abstracters who recorded case details. A consensus panel of clinicians used the abstracted data to identify medication errors and classify error outcome. Fisher's exact test determined significant differences in the proportion of ethanol and fomepizole-treated cases with medication error and univariate logistic regression identified risk factors associated with harmful dosage errors.There were 145 ethanol- and 44 fomepizole-treated cases. There was ≥1 medication error in 113/145 (78%) ethanol- and 20/44 (45%) fomepizole-treated cases (p = 0.0001) with more ethanol-related errors involving excessive dose, inadequate monitoring and inappropriate antidote duration. Harmful errors occurred in 19% of ethanol- and 7% of fomepizole-treated cases (p = 0.06) and were largely due to excessive antidote dose or delayed antidote initiation. Occurrence of harmful dosage error was reduced in cases with Poison Control Centre consultation, odds ratio (95% confidence interval) 0.39 (0.17, 0.91), hemodialysis 0.37 (0.16, 0.88), or fomepizole versus ethanol 0.24 (0.06, 1.04).Fomepizole was less prone to medication error than ethanol. Error-related harm was most commonly due to excessive antidote dose or delayed antidote initiation.

We examined insect herbivores associated with Heteranthera dubia from surveys conducted from 2006 to 2009. Plants were collected, invertebrates were removed, and signs of feeding damage were noted. Herbivores were quantified, and geographic regions were compared based on herbivore density, taxa richness, evenness, and diversity. The greatest density of herbivores occurred at Parker Pond, Washington, which was largely influenced by an abundance of aphids (Rhopalosiphum spp.). Density, richness, and evenness were not significantly different among regions. At least 23 potential insect herbivores were recorded from 15 sites in Texas, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Vermont, and New York. Of these, five taxa were collected from the order Lepidoptera, one from Coleoptera, six from Diptera, and at least 11 from Trichoptera. The majority of the herbivores were generalists; several had unknown diets. Damage observed to H. dubia included extensive tunneling in the stems of the plant and, in some cases, substantia...

Schizophrenia is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder with diverse characterization of symptoms. Extensive research has been performed to elucidate the etiology of schizophrenia. One of the most convincing hypotheses comes from the dopaminergic system although none of the core genes has been consistently positive in association studies.In this investigation, we explored the possibility that the genes for platelet-derived growth factor beta (PDGFB) and its receptor (PDGFRB) might play an important role in the development of schizophrenia based on previous reports pointing to their ability to interact with the dopamine D(2)/D(4) and NMDA receptors as well as their role in neurite outgrowth.We investigated the association of variants around these genes with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder in 104 small nuclear families using the Sib-Transmission Disequilibrium Test (TDT-STDT). Furthermore, quantitative trait analysis using family-based association test was applied to determine possible association of age at onset (AAO).Allele G in PDGFRB(rs758588) was associated with AAO (P=0.019). An over-transmission of allele T in PDGFB(rs130650) polymorphism (P=0.043) and an over-transmission of allele A in PDGFRB(rs6865659) polymorphism (P=0.046) were observed. Furthermore, the combined TDT-STDT yielded consistent results.Overall, PDGFB and PDGFRB genes might play a role in the etiology of schizophrenia.

Understanding the genetic basis of schizophrenia continues to be major challenge. The research done during the last two decades has provided several candidate genes which unfortunately have not been consistently replicated across or within a population. The recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and copy number variation (CNV) studies have provided important evidence suggesting a role of both common and rare large CNVs in schizophrenia genesis. The burden of rare copy number variations appears to be increased in schizophrenia patients. A consistent observation among the GWAS studies is the association with schizophrenia of genetic markers in the major histocompatibility complex (6p22.1)-containing genes including NOTCH4 and histone protein loci. Molecular genetic studies are also demonstrating that there is more overlap between the susceptibility genes for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder than previously suspected. In this review we summarize the major findings of the past decade and suggest areas of future research.

To determine which serotonergic system-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) predicted variation in treatment response to citalopram in depression following a traumatic brain injury (TBI).Ninety (50 M/40 F, aged 39.9, SD = 18.0 years) post-TBI patients with a major depressive episode (MDE) were recruited into a 6-week open-label study of citalopram (20 mg/day). Six functional SNPs in genes related to the serotonergic system were examined: serotonin transporter (5HTTLPR including rs25531), 5HT1A C-(1019)G and 5HT2A T-(102)C, methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C-(677)T, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) val66met and tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH2) G-(703)T. Regression analyses were performed using the six SNPs as independent variables: Model 1 with response (percentage Hamilton Depression (HAMD) change from baseline to endpoint) as the dependent variable and Model 2 with adverse event index as the dependent variable (Bonferroni corrected p-value0.025).MTHFR and BDNF SNPs predicted greater treatment response (R(2)= 0.098, F = 4.65, p = 0.013). The 5HTTLPR predicted greater occurrence of adverse events (R(2)= 0.069, F = 5.72, p = 0.020).Results suggest that polymorphisms in genes related to the serotonergic system may help predict short-term response to citalopram and tolerability to the medication in patients with MDE following a TBI.

Whole genome scan studies have recently identified the NRXN1 and NRXN3 genes as potential contributing factors in the risk for nicotine addiction. We have genotyped 15 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning the NRXN1 and NRXN3 genes in 195 unrelated patients with schizophrenia for whom information about their smoking status and number of cigarettes smoked per day (CPD) was obtained. The NRXN3 marker rs1004212 was significantly associated with quantity of tobacco smoked. Individuals homozygous for the C allele of rs1004212 smoked more cigarettes per day than heterozygous individuals. We found no significant association of markers within the NRXN1 gene with the risk of smoking or the quantity of tobacco smoked. Because of the relatively small sample size, this is a preliminary study. However, this candidate gene study supports the observations of molecular studies implicating the NRXN genes in drug addiction and suggests that variants in the NRXN3 gene could contribute to the degree of nicotine dependence in patients with schizophrenia.

The colonization patterns of benthic macroinvertebrates were compared on artificial substrates between a best available strcarn reference site and an urban stream site, and then the colonized artificial substrates from the reference site were transferred to the urban site. Statistical comparisons for non-transferred samplers indicated a significant difference (p < 0.05) in taxa abundance of colonized benthic samplers between the reference and urban sites. Significantly (p < 0.05) higher numbers of Nais spp., Ablabesmyia spp., Tanytarsus spp., Parakiefferiella spp., and Ceratopogonidae occurred at the reference site. At the urban site, colonization was characterized by significantly (p < 0.01) higher numbers of Aphanonerua spp., Dero spp., Ancylidae, Larsia spp., Chironomus spp., Dicrotendipes spp., and Polypedilum spp. Caenis spp. were common to both sites. Identification of chironomids to the subfamily level had enough statistical power (except for Tanypodinae) to detect differences between site...

We report a case of hypotension and bradycardia associated with intravenous fomepizole infusion.A 59-year-old man presented to hospital 10 hours after ethylene glycol ingestion with ataxia, slurred speech, metabolic acidosis, heart rate 70/min, blood pressure 160/100 mmHg. Treatment with hemodialysis and fomepizole began 7.5 hours after admission. Severe bradycardia (29/min) and hypotension (69 mmHg systolic) occurred immediately following a 30 minute intravenous infusion of the first (19 mg/kg) fomepizole dose, but rapidly corrected with 1 mg atropine. Transient bradycardia (48/min) and hypotension (89/57 mmHg) recurred immediately after the second (10 mg/kg) fomepizole dose, also given during dialysis.Hemodialysis may cause a drop in blood pressure and heart rate; however, the close temporal relationship with fomepizole infusions, dose-related symptom intensity and recurrence with rechallenge suggest a causal relationship with fomepizole. Hemodialysis, acidosis and high initial fomepizole dose may have enhanced patient susceptibility, as a post-dialysis fomepizole dose was well tolerated.Fomepizole may precipitate bradycardia and/or hypotension during hemodialysis. Monitor vital signs closely during and immediately after infusion.

Salicylate poisoning inhibits Krebs cycle enzymes and uncouples oxidative phosphorylation. Under these circumstances, we hypothesize that CNS glucose supply is sometimes unable to keep up with demand resulting in hypoglycorrhacia and delirium even in the face of serum euglycemia. Supporting this conjecture, we report two euglycemic patients with salicylate-induced delirium who responded to boluses of concentrated dextrose with a prompt improvement in mental status.

Recently a gene, termed EKN1, has been identified because of a chromosomal breakpoint that occurred in this gene. This chromosomal breakpoint was found in 4 family members that had specific reading disabilities (RDs), indicating that disruption of this gene may be contributing to the risk of developing RDs. This gene was further supported as contributing to RD by association studies. Because of the evidence from twin studies for shared genetic factors contributing to RD and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), particularly inattention symptoms, we investigated the relationship of DNA markers in this gene to ADHD and ADHD symptoms in a sample of 186 nuclear families (probands, their parents, and affected siblings) collected through a proband with ADHD. We used 6 polymorphic DNA markers located across the gene, including the 2 markers previously reported to be associated with RD in a Finnish sample and a marker associated with RD in a sample of families collected in Toronto. We found a trend for...

We studied the taxonomic composition and spatial and temporal variability of macroinvertebrates inhabiting coarse woody debris in an 8 km segment of the Elm Fork, a low gradient prairie river in Texas. Seventy-seven macroinvertebrate taxa were collected from submerged wood habitats compared with 38 taxa collected from soft benthic substrata. Assemblages were highly variable spatially and temporally, particularly among seasons. An ordination of species and environmental variables indicated some trends in the longitudinal distribution of flow-dependent species but overall did not find coarse woody debris-inhabiting taxa to have strong associations with many of the selected environmental variables. Significant seasonal differences occurred in the abundances of the Chironomidae (Diptera) with Orthocladiini dominating in the winter and Chironomini and Tanytarsini in the summer and autumn. Data gathered after an extended high flow period in the spring indicated a greater resilience of snag habitats tha...

Macroinvertebrate communities inhabiting exotic Eurasian milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum L.) and native water stargrass (Heteranthera dubia (Jacq.) MacM.) macrophytes were studied from March 1999 to June 2000 in experimental ponds constructed to simulate reservoir wetlands. Although macrophyte architecture explained some variation in macroinvertebrate abundance between the two macrophytes, most variation was explained by the sampling months. Total number of macroinvertebrates was positively correlated with epiphyton biomass, and epiphyton biomass was significantly different between the two plant species and among sampling months. Taxa richness did not vary between the two plant types. Chironomid larvae were the most abundant organisms and were dominated by Apedilum elachistum on both plant species. Annual production of five chironomid species was estimated by the size-frequency method. Apedilum elachistum exhibited the highest productivity- 9.9 g dry wt m−2 y−1 of plant surface area on M spicatum ...

A novel method has been achieved for the preparation of 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB) from TCTNB in toluene by animation with ammonium hydroxide solution under the influence of ultrasonic irradiation. Samples of this sonochemically-aminated TATB (FP-TATB) were studied for its powder characteristics. It was found that the arithmetic median diameter (vol%) and BET surface area of FP-TATB are 15 micrometers and 1.2 m2/g, respectively. To evaluate shock initiation, samples of FP-TATB were pressed to high density (1.8g/cc) and subjected to initiation spot-size testing, and the results were compared with those from micronized TATB (UF-TATB), an IHE booster material. Data from this test indicated that the FP-TATB is slightly more sensitive to shock initiation than the UF-TATB as measured by the dent depth of the witness plate.

A real time, minimally invasive method to observe valve movement of bivalves using proximity sensors and a personal computer has been developed. The method is being evaluated as a tool to assess both episodic toxicity events and ambient toxicity. The method described minimizes contact with the animal to the anchoring of one valve and the placement of a small aluminum foil disk on the other valve, and allows the measurement of the distance that a clam's valves are open. Using proximity sensors and an aluminum foil target, valve movements of the Asiatic clam, Corbicula fluminea were measured and digitally recorded using a data acquisition board and a personal computer. One advantage of this method is its use of readily available stock electronics. In its final form, we envision an in situ biological monitoring system using C. fluminea deployed in aquatic systems in association with automated physical/chemical monitoring systems like those found at USGS gauging stations. A tool such as this could be used as ...

Revisions to percentage changes in the total index of industrial production (IP) contain systematic components and are correlated with other information available at the time the provisional estimates are prepared, indicating that the preliminary estimates are inefficient. In particular, revisions to percentage changes in IP (i) tend to be upward, (ii) contain substantial seasonality, (iii) generally increasse during periods in which IP is accelerating, and (iv) revisions to the same month tend to be in the same direction. Filters for the provisional estimates that exploit these inefficiencies are estimated, and the estimates generated from these filters pass the efficiencies are estimated, and the estimates generated from these filters pass the efficiency test.

In compliance with environmental legislation and affirmative action policies of the 1970s, a generation of interdisciplinary and gender diverse professionals have been hired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture‐Forest Service. Two studies examine the first wave of these new employees (half of whom were women), finding most committed to their profession, involved with mentors, and integrating into the agency culture. When career development difficulties did occur, they were usually associated with type of profession rather than gender. Wildlife and fisheries biologists, new to the Forest Service, had more difficulty accepting and becoming committed to the agency than their forester or range manager colleagues. There were several important gender differences, with women usually the more satisfied about their current status and future Forest Service career prospects.

Ce reseau de bibliotheques dessert le sud-ouest des Etats-Unis et s'adresse egalement aux bibliotheques d'Amerique latine. Le travail bibliographique accompli reprend les normes de catalogage AACR2 et s'integre a l'OCLC. Les instances dirigeantes du reseau sont presentees et les perspectives d'avenir definies

Symbolism is usually associated with religion or primitive cultures, and its pervasiveness is easily overlooked by natural resource professionals. This paper argues that natural resource issues such as herbicide use, wild horse management, or forest die‐back (Waldsterben) are rich in symbolic meaning that must be understood by competent professionals. Theories of symbolism, developed in other fields, are applied to natural resources management in the Western world. Examples are presented illustrating the magnitude, variety, and changing meaning of important natural resource symbols. These examples focus on forest management, foresters, and the USDA‐Forest Service.

(1981). Arithmetic with Roman Numerals. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 88, No. 1, pp. 29-32.

Cluster analysis is the term used to describe a variety of procedures for grouping items with similar characteristics. The purpose of this paper is to outline some of the algorithms used in cluster analysis and to show how these methods can be used in industrial management. Examples of applications to organizational problems, classification of employee work groups and work planning problems are discussed.

The homogeneous group has been the most common form of group therapy for chronically physically ill children and adolescents. The goals of these groups have included the provision of peer support, adaptation to the realities of physical illness, and acceptance of and cooperation with the medical management of the disease. The refinement of the theory of developmental ego psychology suggests that the heterogeneous group has potential for aiding the emotional maturation of the chronically physically ill. This paper presents examples of groups of latency-age children, early adolescents, and middle adolescents that included chronically physically ill with physically healthy peers. The groups were planned under the assumption that despite external differences, children and adolescents of a similar age identify with peers in terms of normal age-specific developmental needs and conflicts.

A comparative field study was conducted at an ammunition plant to evaluate the use of several sampling techniques for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX). The objective was to compare the currently recommended combination Tenax-plus-filter tubes with the older, colorimetric diethylaminoethanol bubbler method which was in use in July 1950 when the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) published their first Threshold Limit Values (TLVs). These values included a TLV of 1.5 mg/m3 for TNT. Regular Tenax tubes and 37-mm glass fiber filters also were tested since they also had been used by the United States Army for a number of years. The survey results showed fair agreement between the bubbler and tube methods in those instances where sufficient TNT was present to produce a measurable color in the diethylaminoethanol (DEAE). The glass fiber filters were not satisfactory for TNT retention, but the two types of tubes both were effective. The combination tubes were superior for RDX and appeared to be the best overall sampling medium.

The Afro-American Slide Project came about as a result of the establishment of a Minor Program of Afro-American Studies in the spring of 1969 at the University of South Alabama. The Minor Program of Afro-American Studies was established for two reasons: 1. To provide all of the students at a predominantly white institution with the opportunity to study, in a systematic way, the experiences, conditions, accomplishments and contributions of people of African ancestry in the United States. 2. To provide the faculty with the opportunity to focus on these experiences, conditions, accomplishments and contributions in order to determine how this information might best be incorporated into coursework which would fairly and adequately treat the participation of this ethnic group in the development of American culture. Consequently, the Minor Program of Afro-American Studies, at the University of South Alabama, will in all probability, have served its primary purpose within the next three years. At that time it wil...