Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

T L Taylor

Publications and source records attributed to T L Taylor.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Parental alcoholism, child abuse, and adult adjustment.

Parallel findings in the adult children of alcoholics (ACOA) and child abuse literatures are integrated and extended by assessing long-term adjustment and childhood histories of parental alcoholism and sexual, physical, and emotional abuse in college students (N = 333). Abuse histories were most strongly related to adult symptom distress and social maladjustment. Parental alcoholism had no independent effects when controlling for abuse history. Parental alcoholism interacted with abuse history in relation to social adjustment, exacerbating the effects of emotional abuse. This study adds to a growing literature calling for more complex models of ACOA development that can account for the diversity of this population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Influence of previous visual stimulus or saccade on saccadic reaction times in monkey.

Influence of previous visual stimulus or saccade on saccadic reaction times in monkey. Saccadic reaction times (SRTs) to suddenly appearing targets are influenced by neural processes that occur before and after target presentation. The majority of previous studies have focused on how posttarget factors, such as target attributes or changes in task complexity, affect SRTs. Studies of pretarget factors have focused on how prior knowledge of the timing or location of the impending target, gathered through cueing or probabilistic information, affects SRTs. Our goal was to investigate additional pretarget factors to determine whether SRTs can also be influenced by the history of saccadic and visual activity even when these factors are spatially unpredictive as to the location of impending saccadic targets. Monkeys were trained on two paradigms. In the saccade-saccade paradigm, monkeys were required to follow a saccadic target that stepped from a central location, to an eccentric location, back to center, and finally to a second eccentric location. The stimulus-saccade paradigm was similar, except the central fixation target remained illuminated during presentation of the first eccentric stimulus; the monkey was required to maintain central fixation and to make a saccade to the second eccentric stimulus only on disappearance of the fixation point. In both paradigms, the first eccentric stimulus was presented at the same, opposite, or orthogonal location with respect to the final target location in a given trial. We measured SRTs to the final target under conditions in which all parameters were identical except for the location of the first eccentric stimulus. In the saccade-saccade paradigm, we found that the SRT to the final target was slowest when it was presented opposite to the initial saccadic target, whereas in the stimulus-saccade paradigm the SRT to the final target was slowest when it was presented at the same location as the initial stimulus. In both paradigms, these increases in SRTs were greatest during the shortest intervals between presentation of successive eccentric stimuli, yet these effects remained present for the longest intervals employed in this study. SRTs became faster as the direction and eccentricity of the two successive stimuli became increasingly misaligned from that which produced the maximal SRT slowing in each paradigm. The results of the stimulus-saccade paradigm are similar to the phenomenon of inhibition of return (IOR) in which human subjects are slower to respond to stimuli that are presented at previously cued locations. We interpret these findings in terms of overlapping representations of visuospatial and oculomotor activity in the same neural structures.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Saccadic performance as a function of the presence and disappearance of auditory and visual fixation stimuli.

Relative to when a fixated stimulus remains visible, saccadic latencies are facilitated when a fixated stimulus is extinguished simultaneously with or prior to the appearance of an eccentric auditory, visual, or combined visual-auditory target. In a study of nine human subjects, we determined whether such facilitation (the "gap effect") occurs equivalently for the disappearance of fixated auditory stimuli and fixated visual stimuli. In the present study, a fixated auditory (noise) stimulus remained present (overlap) or else was extinguished simultaneously with (step) or 200 msec prior to (gap) the appearance of a visual, auditory (tone), or combined visual-auditory target 10 degrees to the left or right of fixation. The results demonstrated equivalent facilitatory effects due to the disappearance of fixated auditory and visual stimuli and are consistent with the presumed role of the superior colliculus in the gap effect.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1999

American Indian and Alaska Native health behavior: findings from the behavioral risk factor surveillance system, 1992-1995.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences between American Indian and white adults in behavioral risk factors for chronic disease and injury. METHODS: Data were drawn from the 1992-1995 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, an ongoing telephone survey of health behaviors of adults. Prevalence estimates by sex were calculated for American Indian and white respondents in 15 states and the significance of their differences evaluated by chi-square tests. RESULTS: American Indians were found to be at significantly higher risk than whites for fair to poor general health status, medical cost difficulties, binge drinking, cigarette smoking, not always using safety belts, being diagnosed as diabetic, and obesity. CONCLUSIONS: To reduce the gap in behavioral risk factors between American Indians and whites, more resources need to be dedicated to American Indian health. Note. The term "American Indian" henceforth refers to those who identify themselves as American Indian or Alaska Native.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

"Central" auditory gap detection: a spatial case.

Normal listeners were tested for their temporal auditory gap detection thresholds using free-field presentation of white-noise stimuli delivered from the left (L) and right (R) poles of the interaural axis. The noise bursts serving as the leading and trailing markers for the silent period were presented in either the same (LL,RR) or different (LR,RL) auditory locations. The duration of the leading marker was a second independent variable. Gap thresholds for stimuli in which the markers had the same location were low, and usually were independent of the duration of the leading marker. Gap thresholds for the LR and RL conditions were longer. These gap thresholds were sensitive to the duration of the leading marker, and increased as the leading marker duration decreased. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that a relative timing operation mediates gap detection when the markers activate different perceptual channels. The present data suggest that this timing process can operate on perceptual channels emerging from central nervous system processing.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Prepartum protein restriction does not alter norepinephrine-induced thermogenesis or brown adipose tissue function in newborn calves.

We examined the effect of prepartum protein restriction on thermogenesis and several aspects of perirenal (brown) adipose tissue (BAT) in newborn calves. Lipid synthesis and morphology also were compared between BAT and sternum (white) adipose tissue. During the last 140 d of gestation, heifers were fed isocaloric diets containing adequate (10.4%) or restricted (average of 6.8%, dry matter basis) levels of protein. Body condition scores and weight gain during gestation were significantly lower in heifers fed the restricted-protein diet. However, newborn calf birth weight, calf BAT weight and composition, and calf thermoneutral metabolic rates were not affected by prepartum protein restriction. Similarly, visceral organ weights, except for lung plus trachea, were not affected (P > 0.10) by prepartum protein treatment. Peak metabolic rates were not affected (P > 0.10) by prepartum protein treatment and on average were twice the thermoneutral metabolic rates. Consistent with this, BAT of calves from heifers fed adequate- or restricted-protein diets did not differ in lipid synthesis, cellularity, or uncoupling protein mRNA:28S rRNA ratios. Although both perirenal and sternum adipocytes were mostly unilocular, perirenal adipocytes contained numerous large mitochondria with well-differentiated cristae; sternum adipocytes contained a small number of mitochondria with poorly developed cristae. Fatty acid biosynthesis from acetate was high in BAT (55-57 nmol acetate incorporated.100 mg-1.h-1) but barely detectable in sternum adipose tissue. Conversely, fatty acid biosynthesis from glucose was 80-110% higher in sternum adipose tissue than in BAT (4.5 vs 2.1-2.5 nmol glucose incorporated.100 mg-1.h-1). Thus maternal protein restriction severely affected heifers but had no effect on neonatal calf thermogenesis or BAT function.

Adipose Tissue, Brown↗
PubMed1997

Storage pool disease in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: abnormal aggregation and secretion without bleeding.

Although bleeding complications are relatively common in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, they tend to be related to thrombocytopenia or an acquired clotting factor inhibitor. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia-associated thrombocytopenia, which may also contribute to the hemorrhagic risk, is generally caused by decreased production and immune-mediated destruction. This is the case of a 56-year-old man with longstanding chronic lymphocytic leukemia who developed thrombocytopenia (platelet counts of approximately 50,000/microL) with an associated abnormal platelet morphology. Although the patient did not suffer clinically significant bleeding, several tests of platelet function were grossly abnormal. Electron microscopic examination of the platelets revealed virtually complete absence of dense granules. Platelet aggregation did not occur with adenosine diphosphate (10 microM), collagen (2 micrograms/mL), or ristocetin (1 mg/mL). Doubling the agonist concentrations produced only minimal agglutination with ristocetin. The bleeding time was mildly prolonged at 9.0 and 10.5 minutes. Von Willebrand antigen and ristocetin cofactor levels were normal. Collagen-induced adenosine triphosphate secretion was less than 10% that of a matched normal control. In contrast, platelet force development was virtually normal, reaching 4,800 dynes at 1,200 seconds compared with 5,800 dynes for the healthy control. The patient's clots demonstrated enhanced clot modulus 44,000 dynes/cm2 versus 22,400 dynes/cm2 for the healthy control. The latter finding was primarily because of high fibrinogen concentration. This third report of storage pool disease in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia demonstrates that dense granule release is not required for normal platelet-mediated force development.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1997

Detection of silent intervals between noises activating different perceptual channels: some properties of "central" auditory gap detection.

This article describes four experiments on gap detection by normal listeners, with the general goal being to examine the consequences of using noises in different perceptual channels to delimit a silent temporal gap to be detected. In experiment 1, subjects were presented with pairs of narrow-band noise sequences. The leading element in each pair had a center frequency of 2 kHz and the trailing element's center frequency was parametrically varied. Gap detection thresholds became increasingly poor, sometimes by up to an order of magnitude, as the spectral disparity was increased between the noise bursts that marked the gap. These data suggested that gap-detection performance is impoverished when the underlying perceptual timing operation requires a comparison of activity in different perceptual channels rather than a discontinuity detection within a given channel. In experiment 2, we assessed the effect of leading-element duration in within-channel and between-channel gap detection tasks. Gap detection thresholds rose when the duration of the leading element was less than about 30 ms, but only in the between-channel case. In experiment 3, the gap-detection stimulus was redesigned so that we could probe the perceptual mechanisms that might be involved in stop consonant discrimination. The leading element was a wideband noise burst, and the trailing element was a 300-ms bandpassed noise centered on 1.0 kHz. The independent variable was the duration of the leading element, and the dependent variable was the smallest detectable gap between the elements. When the leading element was short in duration (5-10 ms), gap thresholds were close to 30 ms, which is close to the voice onset time that parses some voiced from unvoiced stop consonants. In experiment 4, the generality of the leading-element duration effect in between-channel gap detection was examined. Spectrally identical noises defining the leading and trailing edges of the gap were presented to the same or to different ears. There was a leading-element duration effect only for the between channel case. The mean gap threshold was again close to 30 ms for short leading-element durations. Taken together, the data suggest that gap detection requiring a temporal correlation of activity in different perceptual channels is a fundamentally different task to the discontinuity detection used to execute gap detection performance in the traditional, within-channel paradigm.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Nystatin prophylaxis in immunocompromised children.

In conclusion, the use of nystatin for fungal prophylaxis in hematology/oncology/bone marrow transplantation patients appears to convey little or no benefit over no therapy. Nystatin treatment significantly reduced the frequency of multiple-site colonization and of persistently positive oropharyngeal cultures, but was not able to prevent the occurrence of disseminated fungal infections. Other antifungal agents (e.g., ketoconazole, fluconazole, itraconazole, oral or intravenous amphotericin B) may be of benefit. Studies comparing nystatin with other agents are available in the literature but are beyond the scope of this review.

Agranulocytosis↗
PubMed1995

Against a role for attentional disengagement in the gap effect: a friendly amendment to Tam and Stelmach (1993).

Saccadic reaction time (RT) is reduced when the fixation point is removed shortly before target onset. Although Tam and Stelmach (1993) argued that this gap effect could not be explained solely by the idea that fixation offset disengaged visual attention and preferred an explanation based on disengagement of the oculomotor system, they felt that they could not rule out a hybrid model in which both oculomotor and attentional disengagement contribute to the gap effect. Our analysis of the dual response experiment (Experiment 4), upon which this hybrid model was based, shows that manual and saccadic responses were likely compromised by a grouping or delay strategy and that subjects may not have been attending as instructed. On these grounds, we argue that Tam and Stelmach (1993), like Kingstone and Klein (1990; 1993a) provide no evidence that attentional disengagement contributes to the gap effect. An alternative proposal (Klein & Kingstone, 1993), that motor preparation and oculomotor disengagement combine additively to produce the gap effect, is consistent with the data from Tam and Stelmach's Experiments 1-3, is similar to the explanation that they prefer, and has been strongly supported when directly tested (Kingstone, Klein, & Taylor, 1994).

Fixation, Ocular↗
PubMed1992

Management preparedness criteria: a study of nursing home administrators.

The observations from this study seem to suggest that there are some correlations between education, experience, age, and sex on the level of preparedness in the practice domains identified. Specifically, this study finds that years of experience have a significant negative correlation with the practice domains of physical plant/building management, fiscal reimbursement, financial management, and overall preparedness in both Oklahoma and Connecticut respondents. Experience level further correlates negatively with all other practice domains (except licensing standards) in Oklahoma respondents. Education level, on the other hand, did not correlate with any practice domain (except licensing standards among Oklahoma respondents). Age correlated positively with financial management activities but only with Oklahoma respondents, while sex correlated positively with physical plant/building management (Oklahoma and Connecticut) and with financial management in Connecticut only. Sex, however, had a negative correlation with basic nursing activities among Connecticut respondents. This study suggests that the nursing home administrators from Connecticut in our study felt that they were more prepared in the practice domains identified as compared to those responding from Oklahoma. This can be attributed to the fact that Connecticut respondents had almost a 13 percent higher average of experience years. This was also demonstrated in the correlation table. Other factors such as sex, age at onset of administrator career, and educational level had no or very limited effect on the practice domains identified in the study (p greater than 0.05). This holds true for both Oklahoma and Connecticut respondents. Therefore, the hypothesis stating that education has a direct effect on job performance and preparedness of nursing home administrators does not hold true with this study. It is the years of experience that has a direct effect on performance and preparedness of nursing home administrators.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Managerial burnout.

It is well to understand that the consequences of burnout due to work-related stress are usually quite serious. Yet, this kind of burnout can and should be prevented; if detected early, it is manageable. Organizations should take steps to identify their executives who are most susceptible to burnout and offer them a broad range of assistance. There are, after all, no more important resources than human resources, and this, of course, includes an organization's executive-level employees.

Burnout, Professional↗
PubMed1991

Evaluation of environmental support in group homes for persons with mental retardation.

Types of environmental support provided to adults with mental retardation in group homes after transfer from a large state institution were compared. Substantial differences in the functioning of the group homes were found even though the service structure was held constant. Community adjustment was compared for matched groups of residents of the group homes. Differences in community adjustment occurred for residents in group homes with significantly different functional features. The findings indicate that resident outcome was generated by the interaction of several factors in combination. Both structural and functional features of facilities must be considered in any evaluation of the effectiveness of community programs.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

A practice profile of native American physicians.

Native American physicians constitute less than 0.5% of the overall U.S. physician supply. Little is known about their professional practices in terms of location, specialty, practice setting, and amount of time allocated to professional activities. The Association of American Indian Physicians, AAIP, is a professional organization of physicians, each of whom is at least one-eighth American Indian. A survey of its 109 members in 1987 elicited 84 responses. The findings indicate that most respondents were American Indians to less than one-quarter degree, and although they were practicing in locations where large numbers of Indian people reside, 65% reported that less than 25% of their direct patient care activity involved Indian patients. In regard to Native American physicians, the survey findings and other published information contradict the view that minority medical practitioners are more likely than their white counterparts to practice in areas where large numbers of their respective minority populations reside and will, therefore, provide medical care to significant numbers of their respective minority populations.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Idiopathic flexible flatfoot in the adolescent.

In summary, factors to consider in treatment are (1) the patient's age; (2) the flexibility of the condition; (3) the severity of deformity; (4) the presence of equinus; (5) abnormal shoe wear; and (6) the symptoms. When a child presents with severe flexible flatfoot one should rule out an underlying neuromuscular disorder and perform a complete biomechanical evaluation to ascertain any rotational or angular conditions of the legs that might influence the treatment. If a child is in group 1 (ages 4 to 7), a Helfet heel seat with a medial plantar wedge is usually adequate treatment. In the group II (ages 8 to 12) adolescent with flexible flatfoot, more control of the calcaneal eversion is needed. This is obtained by using a device constructed from a plaster mold taken while the foot is in neutral position. This UCBL type of device must usually extend to the metatarsal heads and be elevated on the medial and lateral sides. The group III (ages 13 to 17) adolescent usually has the additional problem of a forefoot varus, which must be controlled using a forefoot post. It is also not unusual to have to add additional wedging inside the heel of the shoe to invert the heel.

Adolescent↗