BACKGROUND There is a well-recognized need for greater use of theory to address research translational gaps. Normalization Process Theory (NPT) provides a set of sociological tools to understand and explain the social processes through which new or modified practices of thinking, enacting, and organizing work are implemented, embedded, and integrated in healthcare and other organizational setti...

BACKGROUND Asymptomatic sensitization is a frequent condition that must be considered before the indication of allergic-specific immunotherapy. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to appreciate and correlate the local and spirometric changes elicited by the allergen-specific nasal provocation test (NPT) to define practical and feasible guidelines for the allergist/immunologist to demonstrate ...

Although nuclear non-proliferation is an almost universal human desire, in practice, the negotiated treaties appear unable to prevent the steady growth of the number of states that have nuclear weapons. We propose a computational model for understanding the complex issues behind nuclear arms negotiations, the motivations of various states to enter a nuclear weapons program and the ways to diffu...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To compare polysomnography (PSG) data after nasopharyngeal tube (NPT) insertion and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), and explore the possibility of predicting UPPP outcomes with NPT-PSG. STUDY DESIGN Prospective nonrandomized study. METHODS PSG was performed after NPT insertion in 73 inpatients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). All patients accep...

Objective: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a complex disorder caused by multiple etiologies. It has been categorized into psychogenic, organic and mixed. Nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) is critical to differentiate the organic or psychogenic and to evaluate penile erectile function. This report reviews all NPT measurements published, and presents the characteristics of each method. Methods: We r...

Objective: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a complex disorder caused by multiple etiologies. It has been categorized into psychogenic, organic and mixed. Nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) is critical to differentiate the organic or psychogenic and to evaluate penile erectile function. This report reviews all NPT measurements published, and presents the characteristics of each method. Methods: We r...

George Bunn, the first general counsel of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, served on the U.S. delegation that negotiated the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and later became a U.S. ambassador to the Geneva disarmament conference. He is now working on nuclear nonproliferation problems as a consulting professor at the Stanford University Center for International Se...

Negative pressure therapy (NPT) is the controlled application of subatmospheric pressure to wounds. It has been shown to stimulate healing across a broad spectrum of soft-tissue wounds, at least in part from the application of mechanical stress on cells and tissues in the wound environment. This study tests the hypothesis that application of NPT to cranial critical-size defects (CSD) in skeleta...