1,244 research outputs found
A call for the review of public biodiversity databases
No full textEversole, Cord B., Powell, Randy L. (2023): A call for the review of public biodiversity databases. Zootaxa 5277 (1): 193-194, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5277.1.10, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5277.1.1
Seeding Ethnomathematics with Oware: Sankofa
No full textOware is an African board game that provides rich opportunities for all children to build and extend arithmetical ideas and strategic thinking, and explore important social behaviors. Introducing oware can help children understand that humans encode their mathematical ideas in diverse cultural products, including architecture, art, games, music, written texts, and so on. Children who play oware not only build mathematical ideas but also interact with aspects of African culture
Lake Powell 1971–1983
No full textAbstract
This work catalogs the author’s experiences collecting plants and surveying the area around Lake Powell as part of a long-term environmental study of the Navajo-Kaiparowits region, which was approved through BYU and funded by a consortium of power companies. Data collected included plant and animal inventories, population demographics of small mammals, and weather. The account details several incidents of the type bound to occur in field research and mentions by name many students involved in the project. Numerous photographs are included. Seventeen new plant species are listed, which were named from specimens acquired in the area. The appendix lists collection localities along with collection numbers of the plants taken.
Table of Contents
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Field Trip
Navajo–Kaiparowits
Lake Powell
Overview of Biological Studies and Weather
Modeling and the Modelers
Lake Powell and Kaiparowits Appendix
After-thought
Summationhttps://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/mlbm/1022/thumbnail.jp
The case of Adam Clayton Powell, 1971
No full textThe purpose of this study is to examine the facts surrounding the exclusion of Adam C, Powell Jr. from the 90th Congress and to determine why the House of Representatives adopted that particular course of action. Before he was excluded by the House of Representatives, Powell occupied a very important post in the Congress. He was able to exert influence on much of the social legislation considered by that body. In examining the case of Powell (l) Powell's personality is examined, (2) the charges against Powell are examined (3) a comparison of Powell's conduct and that of his contemporaries is made (ij.) the possibility that Powell was a victim of discrimination is examined and the legality of Powell's punishment is examined. Information about Powell's conduct can be found in the reports of the committees that investigated him. With the exception of Dodd it is difficult to secure official information concerning the misconduct of Powell's contemporaries consequently most of the information relating to their activities must be drawn from newsnaner articles and the book written by newsmen Drew Pearson and Jack Anderson. The study concludes that Powell was a victim of discrimination. His race was the largest factor in the House action against him. Other factors were an unfavorable press, his party affiliation, is unpopularity with white liberals and some black leaders and his personal habits
Morphological and distributional changes in the eosinophilic granule cell (EGC) population of the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss walbaum) intestine following systemic administration of capsaicin and substance P
No full textIntestinal eosinophilic granule cells (EGCs) of the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) have been likened to mammalian mast cells and degranulate in response to stimulation by capsaicin and substance P. This investigation was conducted to examine the effects of capsaicin and substance P on the trout intestinal EGC population and to quantify the different morphologies following systemic administration. Rainbow trout were injected intraperitoneally with capsaicin, substance P, serotonin, or vehicle controls (0.5 mug/g body weight). Fish were killed at timed intervals and the mid intestine was processed for light and electron microscopy. The number of EGCs which could be observed in the stratum compactum was quantified for each treatment over the time course of the experiment. EGCs could be classified ultrastructurally into 1 of 5 categories based on their granule morphology. The cell frequencies and relative proportion of each cell class were analyzed statistically. The frequency of EGCs in the stratum compactum of fish injected with capsaicin or substance P significantly decreased post-injection (P < 0.05) compared to controls (saline- and BSA-injected fish). Serotonin had no effect on EGC frequency, morphology, or distribution as compared with saline. Stimulation with capsaicin and substance P resulted in time-dependent changes in both EGC granule morphology and distribution within the intestinal mucosa. Following an apparent migration of EGCs to the lamina propria and degranulation, small granuled EGC-like cells appeared first in the lamina propria and then later in the stratum compactum. The significance of the stratum compactum as a depot for intestinal EGCs and the site for EGC maturation is discussed.PT: J; CR: ANDERSON C, 1983, CELL TISSUE RES, V230, P377 ANDERSON CR, 1990, CELL TISSUE RES, V259, P379 AVTALION RR, 1980, PHYLOGENY IMMUNOLOGI, P113 BEFUS AD, 1982, J IMMUNOL, V128, P2475 BERGERON T, 1982, THESIS U GUELPH CANA BERGERON T, 1983, CAN J ZOOL, V61, P133 BIENENSTOCK J, 1987, INT ARCH ALLER A IMM, V82, P238 BIENENSTOCK J, 1989, MAST CELL BASOPHIL D, P275 BJENNING C, 1988, HISTOCHEMISTRY, V88, P155 BUCK SH, 1986, PHARMACOL REV, V38, P179 DAVIDSON S, 1980, IMMUNOLOGY, V48, P439 ELLIS AE, 1977, J FISH BIOL, V11, P453 ELLIS AE, 1985, DEV COMP IMMUNOL, V9, P251 ELLIS AE, 1988, FISH VACCINATION, P32 EZEASOR DN, 1980, J FISH BIOL, V17, P619 FINN JP, 1971, J FISH BIOL, V3, P463 GLANTZ SA, 1987, PRIMER BIOSTATISTICS GULLAND GL, 1898, ANAT ANZEIGER, V14, P441 HODGINS HO, 1967, J IMMUNOL, V99, P534 HOLMGREN S, 1985, NEUROSCIENCE, V14, P683 IRANI AMA, 1989, CLIN EXP ALLERGY, V19, P143 JAMUR MC, 1988, CELL MOL BIOL, V34, P231 JOHNSON AR, 1973, P SOC EXP BIOL MED, V142, P1252 KITAZAWA T, 1989, BRIT J PHARMACOL, V98, P781 LAMAS J, 1991, FISH SHELLFISH IMMUN, V1, P187 MARZELLA L, 1987, LYSOSOMES THEIR ROLE, P319 MOUSLI M, 1989, J PHARMACOL EXP THER, V250, P329 NILSSON G, 1989, THESIS UPPSALA NILSSON G, 1990, CELL TISSUE RES, V262, P125 NOVIKOFF AB, 1976, CELL ORGANELLES, P27 PERNOW B, 1983, PHARMACOL REV, V35, P85 POWELL MD, 1990, J FISH BIOL, V37, P495 POWELL MD, 1991, CELL TISSUE RES, V266, P469 POWELL MD, 1992, AQUACULTURE, V100, P328 POWELL MD, 1992, HISTOL HISTOPATHOL, V7, P301 REIMSCHUESSEL R, 1987, J FISH DIS, V10, P319 ROBERTS RJ, 1971, J FISH BIOL, V4, P87 SHANAHAN F, 1985, J IMMUNOL, V135, P1331 SHARP GJE, 1989, J FISH BIOL, V35, P781 SMITH HE, 1975, THESIS U STIRLING ST STEAD RH, 1987, P NATL ACAD SCI USA, V84, P2975 STEAD RH, 1989, GASTROENTEROLOGY, V97, P575 SWEENEY MI, 1989, J PHARMACOL EXP THER, V248, P447 VALLEJO AN, 1989, DEV COMP IMMUNOL, V13, P133 WATSON AHD, 1979, CELL TISSUE RES, V197, P155 YASUTAKE WT, 1983, 150 US DEP INT FISH; NR: 46; TC: 10; J9: J EXP ZOOL; PG: 12; GA: LC103Source type: Electronic(1
Reconciling the disconnect between information technology and information systems using an organizational epistemology: A framework to improve success with technology
No full textAbstract
There is a disconnect between information technology (IT) and information systems (IS)
that lies at the foundation of frequent failure in cost, schedule, and/or performance of IT/IS. This
disconnect can perhaps be reconciled through a focus on the socially constructed and emergent
nature of IT as it enters and is used by an organization. The argument is that IT investment is not
working with the right knowledge for evaluation and justification and does not reflect human
nature in decision-making. The hypothesis is that a structured dialog technique, by focusing on
properly perceiving human felt needs rather than exclusively technological aims, improves the
process of IT project evaluation and justification. This breaks the requirements development
process into multiple, time-efficient steps in order to properly acquire and convert tacit
knowledge into explicit and then embedded knowledge. The research questions include: What
are the foundations of IT/IS failure, and how do they relate to the absence or presence of
structured dialog? What are the dimensions of structured dialog that help fulfill the gap between
users’ felt needs and IT specifications? Finally, what are the aspects of tools and methods
applied in early investment lifecycle activities that can, or seem to, fulfill these dimensions?
This study posits a conceptual decision framework using structured dialog to perhaps prevent IT
failure. The research starts with an analysis of IT/IS failure factors using a metaevaluation
approach tailored for qualitative, interpretive analysis as a metainterpretation with respect to IT
case studies and a synthesis of those factors. Then, a pilot of a survey approach is performed to
profile and test elements of structured dialog and associated early lifecycle tools with the
Dissertation - POWELL ii
business/mission process community and technologists. This is then made practical by creating a
conceptual decision framework for management to use in framing complex investment decisions
such as IT investment. The framework includes obtaining early clarification of the purpose of
the new IT/IS system, improving team dynamics to enable better collaboration, making a
specific, shared decision as the basis of collaboration, and focusing on structured dialog. The
elements of structured dialog found to underlie this decision framework are the production and
use of shared meaning, creation and use of common language, repetition and continuation of
dialog, and facilitation of shared experience. These elements achieve an organizational
epistemology, or knowledge framework, that can potentially facilitate more accurate acquisition
and development of IT (that is, the system-as-created), and perhaps lay the foundation for
subsequent transition into IS (that is, the system-as-used) that an organization should use in the
manner needed and intended. In addition, this epistemology underlies the process, and products,
of successful IT/IS architecture.Dissertation POWELL i
Title: Reconciling the Disconnect between Information Technology and Information Systems
using an Organizational Epistemology: A Framework to Improve Success with Technology
Author: Chris R. Powell
Abstract
There is a disconnect between information technology (IT) and information systems (IS)
that lies at the foundation of frequent failure in cost, schedule, and/or performance of IT/IS. This
disconnect can perhaps be reconciled through a focus on the socially constructed and emergent
nature of IT as it enters and is used by an organization. The argument is that IT investment is not
working with the right knowledge for evaluation and justification and does not reflect human
nature in decision-making. The hypothesis is that a structured dialog technique, by focusing on
properly perceiving human felt needs rather than exclusively technological aims, improves the
process of IT project evaluation and justification. This breaks the requirements development
process into multiple, time-efficient steps in order to properly acquire and convert tacit
knowledge into explicit and then embedded knowledge. The research questions include: What
are the foundations of IT/IS failure, and how do they relate to the absence or presence of
structured dialog? What are the dimensions of structured dialog that help fulfill the gap between
users’ felt needs and IT specifications? Finally, what are the aspects of tools and methods
applied in early investment lifecycle activities that can, or seem to, fulfill these dimensions?
This study posits a conceptual decision framework using structured dialog to perhaps prevent IT
failure. The research starts with an analysis of IT/IS failure factors using a metaevaluation
approach tailored for qualitative, interpretive analysis as a metainterpretation with respect to IT
case studies and a synthesis of those factors. Then, a pilot of a survey approach is performed to
profile and test elements of structured dialog and associated early lifecycle tools with the
Dissertation - POWELL ii
business/mission process community and technologists. This is then made practical by creating a
conceptual decision framework for management to use in framing complex investment decisions
such as IT investment. The framework includes obtaining early clarification of the purpose of
the new IT/IS system, improving team dynamics to enable better collaboration, making a
specific, shared decision as the basis of collaboration, and focusing on structured dialog. The
elements of structured dialog found to underlie this decision framework are the production and
use of shared meaning, creation and use of common language, repetition and continuation of
dialog, and facilitation of shared experience. These elements achieve an organizational
epistemology, or knowledge framework, that can potentially facilitate more accurate acquisition
and development of IT (that is, the system-as-created), and perhaps lay the foundation for
subsequent transition into IS (that is, the system-as-used) that an organization should use in the
manner needed and intended. In addition, this epistemology underlies the process, and products,
of successful IT/IS architecture.
Dissertation - POWELL iii
Reconciling the Disconnect between Information Technology and Information Systems using an
Organizational Epistemology: A Framework to Improve Success with Technology
Doctor of Management Dissertation
Christopher R. Powell
UMUC
November 15, 2009
Committee
Dr. Hasan Sayani, Chair
Dr. Husein Abdul-Hamid, Member
Dr. Claudine SchWeber, Member
Dissertation - POWELL iv
Dissertation - POWELL v
Dedication and Acknowledgements
This is dedicated to my wife, Bonnie Jean, and my daughter, Emilie Alyson Grace, who provided
ongoing support and encouragement throughout my pursuit of a Doctorate while working full
time. Without their love and strength, this effort would not have been possible.
I acknowledge the following people, who provided key support throughout this endeavor:
Tim Keenan – President & CEO, High Performance Technologies, Inc.
Kristen Baldwin – Deputy Director, OUSD(AT&L) DDRE/SE/System Analysis
Dissertation POWELL vi
Dissertation - POWELL vii
Table of Contents
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... i!
Dedication and Acknowledgements ............................................................................................... v!
List of Tables & Figures ................................................................................................................ ix!
List of Abbreviations ..................................................................................................................... xi!
CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND, PURPOSE, RESEARCH QUESTIONS, SIGNIFICANCE ...... 1!
Introduction and Relevance ..................................................................................................... 1!
Purpose and Research Questions ............................................................................................ 6!
Purpose .................................................................................................................................. 6!
Research Questions ............................................................................................................. 10!
Theoretical Background ......................................................................................................... 11!
Thesis, Focus, and Argument ............................................................................................. 17!
Significance .......................................................................................................................... 22!
Limitations and Constraints .............................................................................................. 23!
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................... 29!
Concept Map ........................................................................................................................... 29!
Literature Review and Analysis ............................................................................................ 32!
IT Research – A Review ......................................................................................................... 63!
Knowledge Framework – A Foundation ............................................................................... 67!
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 71!
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH APPROACH AND METHOD ........................................................ 74!
Research Approach ................................................................................................................. 76!
Phase I: Case Study Metaevaluation ................................................................................. 78!
Phase II: Reviewing Customer Experiences Using a Survey .......................................... 84!
Scope .................................................................................................................................. 95!
Validity ................................................................................................................................ 96!
Data sources ....................................................................................................................... 101!
Detailed Research Plan ..................................................................................................... 102!
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 115!
CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH DATA AND DISCUSSION .......................................................... 118!
Phase I – Data from the Case Study Metaevaluation ........................................................ 119!
Phase I Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 139!
Phase II – Data from the Survey Pilots ............................................................................... 140!
Step 1: Survey Development and Pre-Pilot (Eight BPA Professionals) ........................... 140!
Step 2: Survey Pilot (24 BPA Users) ................................................................................... 140!
Phase II Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 145!
CHAPTER 5: ANALYSIS, FUTURE APPLICATIONS, AND EXTENSIONS ...................... 148!
Analysis ................................................................................................................................. 148!
Research Activity Summary ............................................................................................ 154!
Summary of Phase I - Metaevaluation ............................................................................ 155!
Summary of Phase II – Survey ........................................................................................ 157!
Definition of Decision Framework .................................................................................. 160!
Future Applications .............................................................................................................. 172!
Potential Future Research ................................................................................................ 178!
Extensions .............................................................................................................................. 179!
Dissertation - POWELL viii
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 183!
Glossary ..................................................................................................................................... 188!
References .................................................................................................................................. 190!
Appendix A. Institutional Review Board Form .......................................................................... 212!
Appendix B. Survey Instrument ................................................................................................ 218!
Appendix C. Case Study Metaevaluation Data – Research Question 1 .................................... 240!
Appendix D. Linkage of Case Study Metaevaluation to the Survey Instrument and Research
Questions .................................................................................................................................... 256!
Appendix E. Survey Data – Research Question 2 ..................................................................... 258!
Appendix F. Survey Data – Research Question 3 ...................................................................... 282!
Index .......................................................................................................................................... 292!
Dissertation - POWELL ix
List of Tables & Figures
Figure 1 - Concept Map ................................................................................................................ 30!
Figure 2 - Summary of appraisal techniques, approaches, and references (Irani, et al., 1997) .... 42!
Figure 3 - The matrix of benefits and their impact (Farbey et al., 1993) ...................................... 47!
Figure 4 - Synthesizing Requirements Development ................................................................... 61!
Figure 5 - Process of Metainterpretation (Weed, 2005) ............................................................... 80!
Table 1 - IT Failure Factors from Jones (1996) .......................................................................... 120!
Table 2 - Root Causes for Failure Factors from Jones (1996) .................................................... 124!
Table 3 - IT Failure and Risk Factors from Ewusi-Mensah (2003, p.43) ................................... 132!
Figure 6 - Crosstab of Survey Questions .................................................................................... 142!
Figure 7 - Hierarchy of IT Failure Factors .................................................................................. 175!
Figure 8 - Concept Map of IT Success Factors ........................................................................... 181!
Dissertation - POWELL x
Dissertation - POWELL xi
List of Abbreviations
AHP Analytic Hierarchy Process
CBA Cost-Benefit Analysis
CEO Chief Executive Officer
CLIN Contract Line Item
CST Critical Social Theory
DCF Discounted Cash Flow
DoD U.S. Department of Defense
DoDAF Department of Defense Architecture Framework
FAP Financial Appraisal Profile
FMS Flexible Manufacturing System(s)
GAO General Accountability Office
GB Gigabyte (1 billion bytes)
HPC High Performance Computing
ICT Information and Communication Technologies
ID Identification
IEC International Electrotechnical Commission
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
IPT Integrated Program Team
IRB Institutional Review Board
IRR Internal Rate of Return
ISO not an acronym, but commonly used for International Organization for
Standardization
IS Information System
IT Information Technology
Km Kilometer (1000 meters)
KM Knowledge Management
MB Megabyte (1 million bytes)
MIS Management Information System(s)
NPV Net Present Value
OE Organizational Epistemology
OUSD Office of the Undersecretary of Defense
PADR Prospector-Analyzer-Defender-Reactor
PB Petabyte (1 quadrillion bytes)
PC Personal Computer
PMO Program Management Office
PPBS Programming-Planning-Budgeting System
R&D Research & Development
ROI Return on Investment
SOS System of Systems
TB Terabyte (1 trillion bytes)
U.S. United States
Dissertation POWELL 1
CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND, PURPOSE, RESEARCH QUESTIONS, SIGNIFICANCE
Introduction and Relevance
Evaluation and justification of IT are both complex and difficult (Serafeimidis, 2001, p. 99;
Wang, 2007; Mondragon et al., 2001), particularly given the high rate of failure in IT projects
(upwards of 40-95%, depending on methodology and definition of failure [Dalcher & Drevin,
2003; Charette, 2005; Reel, 1999; Verner et al., 2007; Whiting, 1998; Ewusi-Mensah, 2003;
Flowers, 1996; Jones, 1996]). The financial measures typically used by firms to evaluate any
project (such as ROI [Return on Investment], NPV [Net Present Value], IRR [Internal Rate of
Return, etc.]), when applied to technology projects, attempt to be quantitative, precise, and
certain. However, as an innovation project applied to a social group (organization), an IT project
has benefits that are frequently intangible and uncertain (Lefley, 1996). This clash between the
need for discrete performance measurement and the intangibility of innovation in social groups
caused a long period of research (from about 1976 through 2001; see Ch. 2) that attempted to
bring these financial and intangible poles together. Many techniques were brought to the table,
but few could be empirically tested because of many factors including political, cultural, and
accounting tradition. The need for insightful evaluation has, if anything, become greater as IT
becomes more complex and touches more parts of an organization’s value proposition,
foundation, and partners, particularly leading to the “death of geography”; as the enterprise
model becomes extended, strategic alliances become more important, and the organization
begins its shift to more of a “virtual” model (Irani et al., 1997). So, there is a need for a new
look and new tools to be applied to this area, to arrive at something practical for management to
apply and for technologists to support. A key part of this problem is defined as a lack of balance
Dissertation - POWELL 2
between episteme (knowledge or science, of the organization and of IT) and techne (craft or art,
of implementing IT and other business/mission systems) in the organization—based on a lack of
shared meaning and a lack of a basis for that shared meaning—which reinforces the existence of
only tangential touch points between these frequently opposing forces and which concomitantly
and continually reduces IT project success. An enterprise-wide approach that enables IT to take
a strategic view of the organization is required (Irani et al., 1997, p. 697).
We know from management literature (particularly Simon, 1997, and related, such as
Horkheimer, 1954; Farbey, Land, & Targett, 1992; and Dörner, 1996) that we humans, making
microeconomic and many other decisions, are subject to our own bounded rationality. As a
result, we satisfice decisions, using information we believe is salient to the decision, almost
regardless of whether that information is the most microeconomically optimal. This is
particularly applicable in executive decision-making and in decision-making related to IT, which
Farbey et al. (1992) found is subject to four main heuristics: act of faith, obeying orders, step-by-step,
and got-to-do all more deeply explained in Chapter 2). This research will show that many
IT evaluation and justification methods attempt to get around human satisficing through many
objective and subjective decision methods, including financial (objective) and heuristic
(subjective) methods, among others. In executive teams, financial metrics have particular
weight, and so we may expect to find that the heuristic methods at that level may favor financial
metrics. In fact, Farbey et al. (1992) found that while executives seem to favor such metrics, that
does not mean that they are truly making their decisions based on the objective financial analysis
at hand.
This leaves us with a question about whether management information used in satisficing
decisions can be “set” to some degree, submerging less relevant information and maximizing the
Dissertation - POWELL 3
prominence of information with the most utility to the decision at hand. It could be said that
many aids to management decision-making attempt to do just that, as they “load the deck” with
report after report that contain much interesting and relevant information. Yet, we know that
many decisions fail to attain their objectives, particularly in IT, where project failure can occur
as high as 40-95% (Dalcher & Drevin, 2003), depending on the definition of failure. The types
of dysfunctional executive behavior that drive this failure include acting without prior analysis of
the situation and failing to anticipate side effects and long-term repercussions, among others
(Dörner, 1996). So, the present “deck-loading” does
Single- and Multi-carrier Quadrature Amplitude Modulation: Principles and Applications for Personal Communications, WATM and Broadcasting: 2nd
No full textSingle- and Multi-carrier Quadrature Amplitude Modulation Principles and Applications for Personal Communications, WLANs and Broadcasting L. Hanzo Department of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, UK W. Webb Motorola, Arlington Heights, USA formerly at Multiple Access Communications Ltd, Southampton, UK T. Keller Ubinetics, Cambridge Technology Centre, Melbourn, UK formerly at Department of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, UK Motivated by the rapid evolution of wireless communication systems, this expanded second edition provides an overview of most major single- and multi-carrier Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) techniques commencing with simple QAM schemes for the uninitiated through to complex, rapidly-evolving areas, such as arrangements for wide-band mobile channels. Targeted at the more advanced reader, the multi-carrier modulation based second half of the book presents a research-orientated outlook using a variety of novel QAM-based arrangements. * Features six new chapters dealing with the complexities of multi-carrier modulation which has found applications ranging from Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) to Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) * Provides a rudimentary introduction for readers requiring a background in the field of modulation and radio wave propagation * Discusses classic QAM transmission issues relevant to Gaussian channels * Examines QAM-based transmissions over mobile radio channels * Incorporates QAM-related orthogonal techniques, considers the spectral efficiency of QAM in cellular frequency re-use structures and presents a QAM-based speech communications system design study * Introduces Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) over both Gaussian and wideband fading channels By providing an all-encompassing self-contained treatment of single- and multi- carrier QAM based communications, a wide range of readers including senior undergraduate and postgraduate students, practising engineers and researchers alike will all find the coverage of this book attractive
An intensive study of the personal and social adjustment of four pupils of the sixth and seventh grades, Atlanta University Laboratory School, Atlanta, Georgia, 1948
No full textQuality of life and wellbeing among HIV outpatients in East Africa: a multicentre observational study.
No full textBACKGROUND: Global health investment has reduced HIV mortality and transmission. However, little is known of patient-reported outcomes alongside ART rollout. This study aimed to measure wellbeing using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMS) among outpatients at PEPFAR-funded facilities. METHODS: In a multicentre 2 country cross-sectional study, adults attending 12 facilities in Kenya and Uganda gave self-reported data on quality of life (physical and mental wellbeing dimensions), functional and a measure of multidimensional problems (physical, psychological, social and spiritual). RESULTS: Among the 1,337 participants, multidimensional problems were more common in psychological, spiritual and social domains than in physical. In multivariable analysis using GEE to adjust for facility effect, the mental health subscale of quality of life was lower for people with limited functional status (B = -5.27, 95% CI -5.99, 1. -4.56 p < 0.001) and higher for wealthier people (B = 0.91, 95% CI 0.48, 1.33, p < 0.001). The physical health subscale of quality of life was lower for those with limited functional status (B = -8.58, 95% CI -9.46 to -7.70, p < 0.001) and those who had a caregiver present (B = -1.97, 95% CI -3.72 to -0.23, p = 0.027), higher for wealthier people (B = 1.14, 95% CI 0.65, 1.64, p < 0.001), and positively associated with CD4 count (B = 1.61, 95% CI 1.08-2.14, p < 0.001). Multidimensional problems were more burdensome for people with limited functional status (B = -2.06, 95% CI -2.46 to -1.66, p < 0.001), and less burdensome with more education (B = 0.63, 95% CI 0.25-1.00, p = 0.001) or ART use (B = 0.94, 95% CI 0.34-1.53, p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Multidimensional problems are highly prevalent, and worse with declining function. Importantly, ART use does not appear to be protective for self-reported physical and mental dimensions of quality of life. Assessment and management of self-reported wellbeing must form part of HIV care and treatment services to ensure maximum benefit from ART investment
Evolutionary genetics of Mojave toxin among selected rattlesnake species (Squamata: Crotalinae)
No full textMojave toxin is a powerful neurotoxin found in the venom of various crotalids in the United States and Mexico. The toxin is composed of two peptides, an acidic subunit and a phospholipase A2 (PLA2) basic subunit. Both sequences must be present to effect this toxin, which makes the venom much more toxic if present than if absent. One hundred thirty-five specimens representing ten species were tested for the presence of the Mojave toxin subunit A and subunit B using PCR and DNA sequencing. The Mojave toxin subunit A and subunit B primer pairs using temperature stringent PCR parameters produced successful amplifications corresponding to the second and fourth exons of their respective subunits. When compared to the published Mojave toxin A and B subunits, all of the amplifications in the various Crotalus species tested produced greater than 86% sequence identity for both the A and B subunits. The results of the venom testing for Mojave toxin using the anti-Mojave toxin antibody (CSS12) produced results in accord with the PCR analysis. Venom was available from 66 of 135 (48%) individuals and was tested for CSS12 antibody reactivity. The two methods (PCR and CSS12 antibodies) produced results that were 100% congruent in all individuals that were tested by both methods. Outside the scutulatus/viridis/oreganus and mitchellii/tigris clades the Mojave toxin subunits were considerably less common and infrequent. However, both subunits were present either as the B alone independent of the A subunit or A in conjunction with the B subunit, in more than one species within the remaining Crotalus species (i.e., C. adamanteus, C. horridus, and C. lepidus ). The results indicate that the Mojave toxin B subunit is widespread and occurs in populations at high and low frequencies in various rattlesnake species (C. adamanteus, C. mitchellii, C. oreganus, C. scutulatus, and C. viridis) independent of the A subunit. In contrast the Mojave toxin A subunit is limited to individuals in populations that are also positive for the B subunit. It was found only in conjunction with subunit B in individuals, thereby producing snakes with active Mojave toxin. The results suggest that high toxicity in Crotalus and numerous other viperid snakes will be transitory in population\u27s dependant on historical biogeography and related ecological adaptations. Hypotheses on those factors are discussed. (Abstract shortened by UMI.
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