Increases in Future AR Count and Size: Overview of the ARTMIP Tier 2 CMIP5/6 Experiment.

The Atmospheric River (AR) Tracking Method Intercomparison Project (ARTMIP) is a community effort to systematically assess how the uncertainties from AR detectors (ARDTs) impact our scientific understanding of ARs. This study describes the ARTMIP Tier 2 experimental design and initial results using the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) Phases 5 and 6 multi-model ensembles. We show that AR statistics from a given ARDT in CMIP5/6 historical simulations compare remarkably well with the MERRA-2 reanalysis. In CMIP5/6 future simulations, most ARDTs project a global increase in AR frequency, counts, and sizes, especially along the western coastlines of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. We find that the choice of ARDT is the dominant contributor to the uncertainty in projected AR frequency when compared with model choice. These results imply that new projects investigating future changes in ARs should explicitly consider ARDT uncertainty as a core part of the experimental design.

Where perception and reality differ: dropping out is not the same as failure.

The present study examined whether exercise adherers and dropouts differ in their perceptions of success and, in turn, whether their social cognitions and behavior correspondingly differ. Using a prospective, observational design, exercise class participants were followed over 12 weeks of attendance. Social-cognitive measures were assessed at both early and late program while attendance was tracked for each half of the program. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) using a 2 (Success/Failure) x 2 (Adherer/Dropout) factorial design revealed significant interactions for self-efficacy, affect, causal attributions, as well as rate of perceived exertion. Multiple main effects for perceived success and adherence were also found. The results suggest that "successful" dropouts possess social-cognitive characteristics that may enable them to resume their exercise participation at some later date. These findings provide evidence that the examination of perceived success allows for valuable insight into the differences among and between exercise adherers and dropouts, which may have implications regarding long-term exercise participation.

Respiratory failure following oral administration of metoclopramide.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of respiratory failure, possibly due to anaphylaxis or asthma exacerbation, following the administration of metoclopramide. CASE SUMMARY: A 32-year-old white woman with a history of severe asthma and short-bowel syndrome was admitted for Hickman catheter line sepsis. Two doses of oral metoclopramide 10 mg in solution were administered for nausea and vomiting. Transient dyspnea followed the first dose of metoclopramide, but respiratory failure requiring intubation followed the second dose. DISCUSSION: Respiratory failure has been reported with metoclopramide-induced movement disorders. Three other cases of respiratory failure from anaphylaxis or asthma exacerbation following metoclopramide administration have been reported. Respiratory failure in our patient may be due to anaphylaxis or bronchoconstriction from metoclopramide-induced cholinergic activity of the vagus nerve, possibly through inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. CONCLUSIONS: The use of metoclopramide in patients with pulmonary dysfunction may warrant caution.

The Canadian Hospital Executive Simulation System (CHESS).

The Canadian Hospital Executive Simulation System (CHESS) is a computer-based management decision-making game designed specifically for Canadian hospital managers. The paper begins with an introduction on the development of business and health services industry-specific simulation games. An overview of CHESS is provided, along with a description of its development and a discussion of its educational benefits.

Thyroxine 5'-monodeiodinase activity in hepatocytes of rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri: distribution, effects of starvation, and exogenous inhibitors.

L-Thyroxine (T4) 5'-monodeiodinase activity (MDA) of hepatocyte cell fractions of rainbow trout was evaluated by 125I- generation following incubation with [125I-3' or 125I-5']T4 at 12 degrees. Produced in approximately equal proportions, 3,5,[125I-3'] triiodo-L-thyronine and 125I- were the sole labeled products detected by gel permeation on G-25 Sephadex columns, confirming restriction of T4 deiodination in trout to removal of a single outer-ring iodine atom. T3 underwent no significant outer-ring deiodination. MDA activity, located mainly in the microsome fraction, was optimal at a pH of approximately 7.0 and was enhanced by dithiothreitol but not by reduced glutathione. Azide, thiocyanate, thiourea, and KCl exerted no significant influence on MDA, but MDA was inhibited by: 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonic acid greater than N-ethyl maleimide greater than propylthiouracil greater than sodium salicylate greater than KI. Starvation for 2 weeks depressed MDA to 46% of the level of trout fed 1% of body wt once per day. This was due to a decreased Vmax of MDA. In conclusion, trout hepatic microsomal MDA is acutely and chronically susceptible to both exogenous and endogenous factors; as an enzyme responsible for extrathyroidal T3 generation, it may exert a key role in regulating peripheral thyroidal status under both natural and experimental conditions.

Morphologic and biochemical effects of intratracheally administered oil shale in rats.

Young adult rats were given three weekly intratracheal instillations of 30 mg of raw oil shale or spent oil shale suspended in 1.0 ml sterile physiological saline. Positive control groups received similar instillations of 30 mg or 5 mg of quartz. Animals were sacrificed and tissue samples taken for histopathology and biochemical analyses at 3 weeks, 7 weeks, 4 months, and 8 months following the first instillation. Rats exposed to raw shale, spent shale or quartz had increased lung weights compared with controls. Microscopically, all exposed groups developed granulomatous pneumonia and alveolar lipoproteinosis; pulmonary fibrosis was most severe in the quartz-exposed groups and progressed with time in these groups. Total amounts of pulmonary hydroxyproline, prolyl hydroxylase, total protein, and lipid phosphate were increased in shale or quartz-exposed groups; however, concentration of these substances on a per gram of lung tissue basis was not different from control groups.