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We have explored the chemiluminescence response of amino acids and related compounds (including the tripeptide glutathione, and disulfides: cystine, homocystine and glutathione disulfide) with several new adaptations of the permanganate and tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(III) ([Ru(bipy)(3)](3+)) reagents and a recently developed colloidal manganese(IV) system. The selectivity of the permanganate reagent can be directed towards tyrosine or thiol compounds like cysteine, homocysteine and glutathione by manipulating reaction conditions (providing limits of detection of 4 nM tyrosine and 5 nM glutathione). Colloidal Mn(IV) produced measureable responses with all analytes, but was most suitable for tryptophan, tyrosine, thiols and disulfides, including α-lipoic acid and dihydrolipoic acid, for which the limits of detection were 30 nM and 20 nM, respectively. A stabilised form of [Ru(bipy)(3)](3+), prepared by oxidising [Ru(bipy)(3)](ClO(4))(2) in acetonitrile, exhibited similar selectivity to that of the conventional aqueous reagent. The [Ru(bipy)(3)](3+) reagent was effective for the detection of secondary amino acids such as proline and hydroxyproline, as well as the disulfide, homocystine.

BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis of HIV infection reduces morbidity and mortality associated with late presentation. Despite UK guidelines, the HIV testing rate has not increased. We have introduced universal HIV screening in an open-access returning traveller clinic. METHODS: Data were prospectively recorded for all patients attending the open-access returning traveller clinic between August 2008 and December 2010. HIV testing was offered to all patients from May 2009; initially testing with laboratory samples (phase 1) and subsequently a point-of-care test (POCT) (phase 2). RESULTS: A total of 4965 patients attended the clinic; 1342 in phase 0, 792 in phase 1 and 2831 in phase 2. Testing rates for HIV increased significantly from 2% (38 of 1342) in phase 0 to 23.1% (183 of 792) in phase 1 and further increased to 44.5% (1261 of 2831) during phase 2 (P

Early diagnosis of HIV infection reduces morbidity and mortality associated with late presentation. Despite UK guidelines, the HIV testing rate has not increased. We have introduced universal HIV screening in an open-access returning traveller clinic.Data were prospectively recorded for all patients attending the open-access returning traveller clinic between August 2008 and December 2010. HIV testing was offered to all patients from May 2009; initially testing with laboratory samples (phase 1) and subsequently a point-of-care test (POCT) (phase 2).A total of 4965 patients attended the clinic; 1342 in phase 0, 792 in phase 1 and 2831 in phase 2. Testing rates for HIV increased significantly from 2% (38 of 1342) in phase 0 to 23.1% (183 of 792) in phase 1 and further increased to 44.5% (1261 of 2831) during phase 2 (P 0.0001). Two new diagnoses of HIV-1 were identified in phase 1 (1.1% of tested); seven patients had a reactive POCT test in phase 2, of whom five (0.4% of those tested) were confirmed in a 4th generation assay. The patients with false reactive tests had a concurrent Plasmodium falciparum infection. Patients travelling to the Middle East and Europe were less likely to accept an HIV test with POCT.A nurse-delivered universal point-of-care HIV testing service has been successfully introduced and sustained in an acute medical clinic in a low-prevalence country. Caution is required in communicating reactive results in low-prevalence settings where there may be alternative diagnoses or a low population prevalence of HIV infection.

Combined lesions in the medial septum/diagonal band and nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM) in rats were produced using three excitotoxins, ibotenate (Ibo), quisqualate (Quis), and AMPA. Reductions in choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity differed in the cortical regions for the three toxins (AMPA > Quis > Ibo), but were fairly similar in the hippocampus. ChAT activities were not reduced in the globus pallidus, but AMPA reduced ChAT in the amygdala. Lesions with all three toxins produced similar decrements in hippocampal and posterior cortical serotonin levels. A small reduction in posterior cortical norepinephrine was detected for Quis and Ibo lesions. Spatial memory impairments were found for all three toxin groups compared with controls in acquisition, platform reversal, and a spatial probe in the water maze. The learning deficit was greatest with the Quis lesion and equivalent for the Ibo and AMPA lesions. There was no deficit in single trial passive avoidance retention for the Ibo and AMPA groups. The AMPA group was slower than controls on both training and retention trials to enter the dark compartment. This group also showed a tendency to hypoactivity as measured in an open-field test. Excitotoxic infusions into medial septum/diagonal band and NBM produced spatial mnemonic deficits which do not parallel reductions in overall ChAT activity and do not resemble the profile of behavioral changes previously reported for NBM lesions alone using these toxins.

Prostaglandins are known to enhance the inflammatory and nociceptive actions of other chemical mediators of inflammation such as bradykinin. One possible mechanism for this sensitizing action is that prostanoids augment the release of neuroactive substances from sensory neurons. To initially test this hypothesis, we examined whether selected prostaglandins could enhance the resting or bradykinin-evoked release of immunoreactive substance P (iSP) and/or immunoreactive calcitonin gene-related peptide (iCGRP) from sensory neurons in culture. Bradykinin alone causes a concentration-dependent increase in the release of iSP and iCGRP from isolated sensory neurons, and this action is abolished in the absence of extracellular calcium. Pretreating the neurons with PGE2 (10 nM to 1 microM) potentiates the bradykinin-evoked release of both iSP and iCGRP by approximately two-to fourfold. At these concentrations, PGE2 alone did not significantly alter peptide release. Exposing the cultures to 1 microM PGF2 alpha is ineffective in altering either resting or bradykinin-evoked peptide release. Sensory neurons in culture contain cyclooxygenase-like immunoreactivity suggesting that the enzyme that converts arachidonic acid to prostaglandins is present. In addition, pretreating cultures with 14C- arachidonic acid yields radiolabeled eicosanoids that cochromatograph with known prostaglandin standards. Preexposing cultures to indomethacin abolishes the production of prostaglandins and attenuates the bradykinin-stimulated release of iSP and iCGRP. This implies that the synthesis of prostaglandins contributes to the bradykinin-evoked release of peptides. The augmentation of bradykinin-induced release of iSP and iCGRP by PGE2 may be one mechanism to account for the inflammatory and hyperalgesic actions of this eicosanoid.

Some dithiolene derivatives of Pd with very large second hyperpolarizabilities are presented and these values are compared with the corresponding properties of nickel derivatives. The reported property values have been computed by using the CHF-PT-EB-CNDO method.

A cohort of 66 patients on maintenance haemodialysis was examined for serological (anti-HCV) and virological (HCV-RNA) evidence of infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Nine (13.6%) were anti-HCV positive, all of whom had detectable HCV-RNA in their serum. Statistical analysis of various risk factors (including length of time on haemodialysis, history of blood transfusion, history of renal transplantation and of previous hepatitis B infection) showed that only the length of time on haemodialysis was significantly associated with the acquisition of HCV infection. Genotypic analysis showed that five patients were infected with genotype 1 and a further two were infected with genotype 4. The latter finding is of significance because strains of genotype 4 are extremely uncommon in Western Europe. These results demonstrate that intra-unit transmission of HCV-infection took place in a group of patients on maintenance haemodialysis.

Longitudinal day-to-day recordings of symptoms in the siblings of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) infant show a wide variety of symptoms varying with season and days of years. Implications are discussed.

Folsomia candida Willem (Isotomidae: Collembola) is an edaphic parthenogenetic species commonly used in ecotoxicity studies. We exposed F. candida to a high dose of three antibiotics, tylosin, ampicillin, and oxytetracycline, that target different bacterial groups. Possible toxic effects were assessed through egg production, hatching, and body size. All three antibiotics caused toxic effects. Treatment with oxytetracycline proved the most toxic. This group showed the smallest body size and lowest number of eggs laid, likely the result of a combination of antibiotic toxicity and avoidance of the antibiotic spiked food. Active toxin avoidance by F. candida in toxicological assays may play a role in minimizing their exposure to toxic compounds. Despite the administration of high doses of oxytetracycline, F. candida individuals remained infected with the intracellular bacteria Wolbachia indicating that this strain is resistant to this antibiotic or that the host or its gut flora had detoxified the compound. An increase in percent egg hatch with time was seen in the ampicillin and oxytetracycline treatments, indicating a possible accommodation of the host and/or gut-flora to these antibiotics.

Mutations in the maternally imprinted epsilon-sarcoglycan gene occur in 30%-50% of myoclonus-dystonia cases. Psychiatric symptoms, particularly obsessive-compulsive disorder, have been described in some patients.We systematically reviewed 22 reports of psychiatric symptoms in myoclonus-dystonia, dividing individuals according to clinical and mutation status.Clinically manifesting mutation carriers demonstrated an excess of psychiatric disorders compared with nonmutation carriers (P.001). No differences were seen between non-motor-manifesting carriers and nonmutation carriers with the exception of alcohol excess/dependence, higher in non-motor-manifesting carriers.The results confirm the association of epsilon-sarcoglycan gene mutations with psychiatric disease and suggest a possible separation of the motor and psychiatric effects.

This study examined the relationship between loneliness, health, and mortality using a U.S. nationally representative sample of 2,101 adults aged 50 years and over from the 2002 to 2008 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. We estimated the effect of loneliness at one point on mortality over the subsequent six years, and investigated social relationships, health behaviors, and health outcomes as potential mechanisms through which loneliness affects mortality risk among older Americans. We operationalized health outcomes as depressive symptoms, self-rated health, and functional limitations, and we conceptualized the relationships between loneliness and each health outcome as reciprocal and dynamic. We found that feelings of loneliness were associated with increased mortality risk over a 6-year period, and that this effect was not explained by social relationships or health behaviors but was modestly explained by health outcomes. In cross-lagged panel models that tested the reciprocal prospective effects of loneliness and health, loneliness both affected and was affected by depressive symptoms and functional limitations over time, and had marginal effects on later self-rated health. These population-based data contribute to a growing literature indicating that loneliness is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality and point to potential mechanisms through which this process works.

Summary. Patients undergoing therapy for haematological malignancies, who received blood products from United Kingdom (U.K.) donors who were unscreened for hepatitis C antibodies (anti-HCV), have previously been shown to be at risk of acquiring HCV (Brink et al., 1993). Screening for anti-HCV has recently been introduced into the U.K. and, in order to determine the efficacy of this in preventing transfusion-acquired HCV infection, we monitored a group of patients for possible acute HCV infection for 1 year after the introduction of donor screening in the U.K. We identified no new cases of HCV infection that were acquired in the U.K. during this period, thus demonstrating the efficacy of the currently available anti-HCV assays in preventing the majority of transfusion-acquired HCV infections.

RT6 is a rat maturational lymphocyte alloantigen that appears to subserve important immunoregulatory functions. The lymphopenic diabetes-prone BioBreeding (BB)/Worcester rat is severely deficient in RT6+ T cells and develops spontaneous autoimmune diabetes mellitus. Transfusion of RT6+ T cells prevents the disease. Conversely, in vivo immune elimination of RT6+ T cells from the diabetes-resistant line of BB rats induces diabetes and thyroiditis. RT6 protein is expressed in two allotypic forms, each linked to the cell surface by a phosphatidylinositol (PI) anchor. The mechanism by which RT6+ T cells exert their regulatory function is not known, nor is the function of the RT6 protein defined. In this study, we investigated the possibility that, like other PI-linked proteins, RT6 also exists in a soluble form in the circulation. Using standard biochemical procedures we observed: (i) Soluble RT6 circulates in readily detectable amounts in all rat strains studied. (ii) The diabetes-prone BB rat circulates less RT6.1 than does any other strain, including the coisogenic diabetes-resistant line. (iii) Injections of monoclonal anti-RT6.1 antibody rapidly eliminate soluble RT6 from the circulation of diabetes resistant BB rats. The existence of a soluble form of a protein associated with immunoregulatory T cells suggests the possibility that soluble RT6 itself might possess immunomodulatory properties.

Married couples with children appear to be less likely to end their marriages than childless couples, especially when the children are young. Although this suggests that children affect the chances that their parents will divorce, the process may not be so simple: the chances that the marriage will last also may affect couples’ willingness to make the commitment to the marriage implied by having children. This paper uses data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to test the hypothesis that the risk of disruption faced by a married woman affects the chances that she will conceive and bear a child. The model used takes into account the simultaneous relationships between marital dissolution and marital fertility by including the hazard of disruption as a predictor of timing and likelihood of marital conception, and by including the results of previous fertility decisions as predictors of disruption of the marriage. We find that the hazard of disruption has strong negative effects on the hazard of marital childbearing, lengthening the intervals between births and decreasing the chances that a child will be born. This effect appears to be strongest for women who have had at least one child, either before or during the current marriage, although it is also large for childless women. Explicitly including the hazard of disruption in models of marital childbearing has sizable and important effects on many predictors of fertility.

The second hyperpolarizability, γ, of Ni(S 2 C 2 H 2 ) 2 (NiBDT) and some of its methyl derivatives has been computed using a well-tested semiempirical approach. The necessity of 3d functions for sulfur on the computation of γ has been documented. The factors which affect the large hyperpolarizability of NiBDT are discussed, and the contributions of the metal on the nonlinearities are commented on by considering some fragments of NiBDT and the nonlinearity of tetrathiafulvalene. The trans-dimethyl derivative ofNiBDT is shown to have a very large γ value

The development of zinc finger nucleases for targeted gene modification can benefit from rapid functional assays that directly quantify activity at the endogenous target. Here we describe a simple procedure for quantifying mutations that result from DNA double-strand break repair via non-homologous end joining. The assay is based on the ability of the Surveyor nuclease to selectively cleave distorted duplex DNA formed via cross-annealing of mutated and wild-type sequence.

[1] New δ 13 C data are presented from 10 coral skeletons collected from Florida and elsewhere in the Caribbean (Dominica, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Belize). These corals range from 96 to 200 years in age and were collected between 1976 and 2002. The change in the δ 13 C of the skeletons from these corals between 1900 and 1990 has been compared with 27 other published coral records from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. The new data presented here make possible, for the first time, a global comparison of rates of change in the δ 13 C value of coral skeletons. Of these records, 64% show a statistically significant (p < 0.05) decrease in δ 13 C towards the modem day (23 out of 37). This decrease is attributable to the addition of anthropogenically derived CO 2 ( 13 C Suess effect) to the atmosphere. Between 1900 and 1990, the average rate of change of the δ 13 C in all the coral skeletons living under open oceanic conditions is approximately - 0.01%o yr ―1 . In the Atlantic Ocean the magnitude of the decrease since 1960,―0.019 yr ―1 ±0.015‰, is essentially the same as the decrease in the δ 13 C of atmospheric CO 2 and the δ 13 C of the oceanic dissolved inorganic carbon (-0.023 to -0.029‰ yr ―1 ), while in the Pacific and Indian Oceans the rate is more variable and significantly reduced (-0.007‰ yr ―1 ±0.013). These data strongly support the notion that (i) the δ 13 C of the atmosphere controls ambient δ 13 C of the dissolved inorganic carbon which in turn is reflected in the coral skeletons, (ii) the rate of decline in the coral skeletons is higher in oceans with a greater anthropogenic CO 2 inventory in the surface oceans, (iii) the rate of δ 13 C decline is accelerating. Superimposed on these secular variations are controls on the δ 13 C in the skeleton governed by growth rate, insolation, and local water masses.

Human beta (1–40) and rat beta (1–42) were dissolved in three different solvents and stereotaxically injected into rat hippocampus with the contralateral side injected with control reverse sequence peptide or vehicle alone. Results at 1 week showed gross toxicity of the 35% acetonitrile solvent which was markedly enhanced by 3 nmol of beta protein but not by reverse sequence peptide. Beta peptide in water also appeared more toxic than reverse sequence, but the results were less clear cut. In contrast, 3 nmol of beta peptide in a cyclodextrin/PBS solution produced no marked short-term toxic effects. Peripheral injection of substance P failed to prevent toxicity. We conclude that solvent effects play a major role in acute beta protein neurotoxicity.

The local lymph node assay (LLNA) assesses the sensitizing activity of chemicals by measurement of primary lymphocyte proliferation in lymph nodes draining the site of application. In this final inter-laboratory study the consistency of LLNA results between laboratories and with guinea pig maximization test (GPMT) data was examined under 'field' conditions. Nine chemicals were evaluated independently by each laboratory according to guidelines for test concentration and vehicle selection developed during previous validation studies to ensure assay optimization. Equivalent predictions of sensitization potential were obtained by all laboratories for eight chemicals. Five of seven chemicals identified as sensitizers in the GPMT were correctly identified in the LLNA--four by all laboratories and 1 (4-chloroaniline) by one laboratory only--although in this latter case, two other laboratories obtained clear dose responses, suggestive of sensitization. The LLNA identified correctly those chemicals predicted to be extreme or strong sensitizers in the GPMT. The remaining two chemicals were non-sensitizers in the guinea pig and failed to elicit positive proliferative responses in the LLNA. These data demonstrate that sensitivity and reliability of the LLNA is retained when chemicals are evaluated independently, and that it provides a reliable pre-screen for the identification of chemicals with significant sensitization potential.

This article develops a series of hypotheses about the long-term effects of one's history of marriage, divorce, and widowhood on health, and it tests those hypotheses using data from the Health and Retirement Study. We examine four dimensions of health at mid-life: chronic conditions, mobility limitations, self-rated health, and depressive symptoms. We find that the experience of marital disruption damages health, with the effects still evident years later; among the currently married, those who have ever been divorced show worse health on all dimensions. Both the divorced and widowed who do not remarry show worse health than the currently married on all dimensions. Dimensions of health that seem to develop slowly, such as chronic conditions and mobility limitations, show strong effects of past marital disruption, whereas others, such as depressive symptoms, seem more sensitive to current marital status. Those who spent more years divorced or widowed show more chronic conditions and mobility limitations.

Previous research has identified a wide range of indicators of social isolation that pose health risks, including living alone, having a small social network, infrequent participation in social activities, and feelings of loneliness. However, multiple forms of isolation are rarely studied together, making it difficult to determine which aspects of isolation are most deleterious for health. Using population-based data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, we combine multiple indicators of social isolation into scales assessing social disconnectedness (e.g., small social network, infrequent participation in social activities) and perceived isolation (e.g., loneliness, perceived lack of social support). We examine the extent to which social disconnectedness and perceived isolation have distinct associations with physical and mental health among older adults. Results indicate that social disconnectedness and perceived isolation are independently associated with lower levels of self-rated physical health. However, the association between disconnectedness and mental health may operate through the strong relationship between perceived isolation and mental health. We conclude that health researchers need to consider social disconnectedness and perceived isolation simultaneously.

Much of the world is aging rapidly. Both the number and proportion of people aged 65 years and older are increasing, although at different rates in different parts of the world. The number of older adults has risen more than threefold since 1950, from approximately 130 million to 419 million in 2000, with the elderly share of the population increasing from 4 percent to 7 percent during that period. In the United States, those aged 65 and older currently make up about 13 percent of the population. The US Census Bureau (2004) projects that in 25 years this proportion will exceed 20 percent. Over the next 50 years the United States will undergo a profound transformation, becoming a mature nation in which one citizen in five is 65 or older. (Now, one person in eight is that old.) The dramatic increases to come in the older population will exert powerful pressures on health care delivery systems, on programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Supplemental Security Income that provide financial support, and on social institutions such as the family that provide instrumental, financial, and emotional support for the elderly.

The polarizability and second hyperpolarizability of water were determined by using the coupled Hartree-Fock perturbation theory of McWeeny et al. and the Moller-Plesset perturbation theory of second, third and fourth order for the study of correlation effects. The contribution to the properties of single, double, triple and quadruple substitutions is also discussed. In addition, the effect of the basis-set variation on the polarizability and second hyperpolarizability is analyzed.

Although most children whose mothers work receive some nonparental care, this “child care” varies tremendously in its characteristics, especially quality. Child development researchers and practitioners have explored in detail the characteristics of child care that provide the best environment for children. However, we know virtually nothing about which parents select “high-quality” care for their children, or which arrangements most often have the features associated with the best outcomes for children. This paper explores these issues, using parents' reports of characteristics of their child's care arrangement from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Results show that on several dimensions care in a home—the child's own, a nonrelative's, or a relative's—provides features linked to quality care. However, in general, parents do not pay more for the features of child care associated with high quality in the child development literature. The implications of these results are discussed.

(1991). Stream Habitat Assessment Programs in States of the AFS North Central Division. Fisheries: Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 28-35.

Children constitute the prime example of "marital-specific capital," a resource worth substantially more inside a marriage than outside it. This article examines the effect of children on marital stability, using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, and tests the propositions that (1)children enhance marital stability, (2) younger children increase stability more than older children, and (3) under some circumstances children have no stabilizing effect or even increase chances that their parents' marriage will end. A proportional hazards model in continuous time is estimated and the modified to accommodate key features of the data. The results indicate that fistborn children increase the stability of marriage through their preschool years. Other children increase marital stability only when they are very young. Older children and children born before marriage significantly increase chances of disruption. The initially stabilizing and later destabilizing effects of children combine over the course ...

Summary: The murine local lymph node assay (LLNA) has been developed as an alternative method for the identification of skin sensitizing chemicals. Measurement is made of the proliferation of lymphocytes within lymph nodes draining the site of exposure to the test chemical. This report describes a collaborative study in which 25 test chemicals were evaluated in each of four participating laboratories and the results compared with existing data from guinea pig predictive tests. Nineteen chemicals were predicted to be sensitizers in the guinea pig. Of these, 14 were correctly identified in the LLNA (9 by all laboratories and 5 by two or three laboratories). Five chemicals predicted to be contact allergens by guinea pig tests failed to elicit positive LLNA responses. With adoption of a 5 day rather than a 4 day exposure period to the test chemical and administration of maximum soluble test concentrations, positive reactions could be obtained with each of the chemicals initially negative in the LLNA. ...

Despite increasing demand for clinical interventions into sexual problems in an aging population, epidemiological data on the subject are scarce.To examine the prevalence of sexual problems across different sociodemographic groups, and risk factors for these problems in multiple domains of life.Statistical analysis of data from the 2005-2006 National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), a nationally representative U.S. probability sample of 1,550 women and 1,455 men aged 57-85 at the time of interview.Likelihood of experiencing sexual dysfunction in the preceding 12 months.Sexual problems among the elderly are not an inevitable consequence of aging, but instead are responses to the presence of stressors in multiple life domains. This impact may partly be gender differentiated, with older women's sexual health more sensitive to their physical health than is true for men. The mechanism linking life stress with sexual problems is likely to be poor mental health and relationship dissatisfaction. The NSHAP results demonstrate the consistent impact of poor mental health on women's reports of sexual problems and the less consistent association with men's problems.The results point to a need for physicians who are treating older adults experiencing sexual problems to take into account not simply their physical health, but also their psychosocial health and satisfaction with their intimate relationship.

Objectives Researchers sought to determine the difference in health behaviors between women who receive prenatal care via the Centering Pregnancy approach and those involved in traditional prenatal care. Methods Using a cross-sectional design, adult pregnant women (n = 125) were surveyed from at least 28 weeks gestation to delivery. The sample was comprised of primarily white low income women. Results Using multiple linear regression it was determined that women in Centering Pregnancy had significantly lower index health behavior scores compared with the traditional care group showing that those in Centering Pregnancy reported engaging in fewer health promoting behaviors. Furthermore, no differences were observed for smoking or weight gain behaviors between groups. Additionally, those in Centering Pregnancy reported a lower perceived value of prenatal care. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that Centering Pregnancy is not adequately aiding its patients in adopting healthy behaviors during pregnancy.

We investigate whether a relationship exists between organic matter production at the sea surface, recorded by nannofossil carbonate Sr/Ca, and its consumption on the seafloor, measured by benthic foraminiferal accumulation rates (BFAR). A mid-Pliocene (3.67-3.90 Ma) section of Ocean Drilling Program Site 926 in the northwestern tropical Atlantic was sampled, where previous work established that the calcareous nannoplankton assemblages vary with insolation linked changes in surface water productivity. Our results reveal that coarse fraction nannofossil Sr/Ca varies with changes in assemblage composition and may be predominantly controlled by the geochemistry of the warm water oligotrophic genus Discoaster. BFAR also have a positive relationship with Sr/Ca and Discoaster abundances, implying times of relatively low surface water nutrients coincide with enhanced BFAR. This result is opposite of what one would expect given the assumption of a direct relationship between primary and export production. We speculate that the BFAR are stimulated by enhanced organic carbon export associated with ballasting by nannofossil assemblages dominated volumetrically by large, robust taxa such as Discoaster species. These results highlight the complexity of interpretations of bulk nannofossil Sr/Ca ratios, as well as BFAR data, with respect to paleoproductivity.

Solid-state voltammetric (micro)electrodes have been used in a variety of environments to study biogeochemical processes. Here we show the wealth of information that has been obtained in the study of sediments, microbial mats, cultures and the water column including hydrothermal vents. Voltammetric analyzers have been developed to function with operator guidance and in unattended mode for temporal studies with an in situ electrochemical analyzer (ISEA). The electrodes can detect the presence (or absence) of a host of redox species and trace metals simultaneously. The multi-species capacity of the voltammetric electrode can be used to examine complex heterogeneous environments such as the root zone of salt marsh sediments. The data obtained with these systems clearly show that O2 and Mn2+ profiles in marine sedimentary porewaters and in microbial biofilms on metal surfaces rarely overlap indicating that O2 is not a direct oxidant for Mn2+. This lack of overlap was suggested originally by Joris Gieskes' group. In waters emanating from hydrothermal vents, Fe2+, H2S and soluble molecular FeS clusters (FeSaq) are detected indicating that the reactants for the pyrite formation reaction are H2S and soluble molecular FeS clusters. Using the ISEA with electrodes at fixed positions, data collected continuously over three days near a Riftia pachyptila tubeworm field generally show that O2 and H2S anti-correlate and that H2S and temperature generally correlate. Unlike sedimentary environments, the data clearly show that Riftia live in areas where both O2 and H2S co-exist so that its endosymbiont bacteria can perform chemosynthesis. However, physical mixing of diffuse flow vent waters with oceanic bottom waters above or to the side of the tubeworm field can dampen these correlations or even reverse them. Voltammetry is a powerful technique because it provides chemical speciation data (e.g.; oxidation state and different elemental compounds/ions) as well as quantitative data. Because (micro)organisms occupy environmental niches due to the system's chemistry, it is necessary to know chemical speciation. Voltammetric methods allow us to study how chemistry drives biology and how biology can affect chemistry for its own benefit.

Brown algae of the Laminariales (kelps) are the strongest accumulators of iodine among living organisms. They represent a major pump in the global biogeochemical cycle of iodine and, in particular, the major source of iodocarbons in the coastal atmosphere. Nevertheless, the chemical state and biological significance of accumulated iodine have remained unknown to this date. Using x-ray absorption spectroscopy, we show that the accumulated form is iodide, which readily scavenges a variety of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We propose here that its biological role is that of an inorganic antioxidant, the first to be described in a living system. Upon oxidative stress, iodide is effluxed. On the thallus surface and in the apoplast, iodide detoxifies both aqueous oxidants and ozone, the latter resulting in the release of high levels of molecular iodine and the consequent formation of hygroscopic iodine oxides leading to particles, which are precursors to cloud condensation nuclei. In a complementary set of experiments using a heterologous system, iodide was found to effectively scavenge ROS in human blood cells.

Delayed-type hypersensitivity responses to Mycobacterium paratuberculosis purified protein de- rivative (PPD) were decreased in cows experimentally exposed to M. paratuberculosis 7 days after exposure to a modified-live bovine viral diarrhea virus (ML-BVDV) vaccine. In vitro lymphocyte blastogenic responses to phytohemagglutinin were decreased in each of 3 cows 7 days after exposure to ML-BVDV vaccine. Also, decreased lymphocyte blastogenic responses to M. paratuberculosis PPD were observed in cultures of 2 of 3 cows 7 days after exposure to ML-BVDV vaccine. No significant differences in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay reactions were detected in sera of M. paratuberculosis-infected cattle collected before and at 4 and 12 weeks after exposure to ML-BVDV vaccine. Johne's disease (paratuberculosis) continues to cause important economic losses to dairy and beef producers in Iowa and in widespread areas of the United States 11,17,19 Production losses are mainly related to premature culling of animals with clinical and sub- clinical Johne's disease. In some high-producing dairy herds, reports indicate milk production may decrease ≥ 20% in animals with clinical disease. 1,3,4 Progress has been made toward minimizing losses due to Johne's disease in some individual herds in Iowa in which control measures have been employed for ≥6 years. 19 Information from field investigations indicate that an increased number of clinical cases of Johne's disease is observed in herds in which Mycobacterium para- tuberculosis infection persists following outbreaks of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) or after vaccina- tion with modified-live BVDV (ML-BVDV) (Dr. Larry Moore, personal communication). Alterations in poly- morphonuclear leukocyte function have been reported in cattle exposed to virulent BVDV. 14 Also, it has been reported that an ML-BVDV caused a depression of lymphocyte blastogenic response to selected mitogens as well as a significant suppression of neutrophil io- dination and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cyto- toxicity. 12,13 However, no definitive information is available on cell-mediated responses to specific my- cobacterial antigens or mononuclear cell function in cattle with Johne's disease after exposure to ML-BVDV vaccine.

The parietal pleura bordering pleural space collections was analyzed with computed tomography (CT) in 35 patients with thoracic empyema, 30 patients with malignant effusion, and 20 patients with transudatory effusion. Enhancement of the parietal pleura was present in 96% of the 25 patients with empyema who underwent contrast material-enhanced examinations. Of the 35 patients with empyema, 86% showed thickening of the parietal pleura, 60% showed thickening of the extrapleural subcostal tissues, and 35% showed increased attenuation of the extrapleural fat. None of the 20 patients with transudatory effusion showed these findings. Of the 30 patients with malignant effusion, eight patients (27%) showed chest wall changes similar to those of the patients with empyema. However, two-thirds of these patients had a recognized superimposed complication (ie, sclerotherapy). Contrast-enhanced CT appears to be sensitive to chest wall changes in patients with empyema. CT study of the parietal pleura may help suggest occult pleural space infections and may influence therapeutic decisions that vary with the stage of empyema.

A set of heterocyclic molecules has been collected to study the effect of structural isomerism and substitution of some carbon atoms by nitrogen heteroatoms on the polarizability, {alpha}, and hyperpolarizabilities, {beta} and {gamma}. Quantitative expressions for the structure-polarization relationship have been discussed. Further, a simple functional form has been used for the correlation of {gamma} with {alpha}, which may be used for the prediction of approximate values of {gamma}. The results have been computed by the CHF-PT-EB-CNDO method. There is good agreement between the theoretical and experimental values in the three cases where the latter were available (polarizability values for pyrrole, pyridine, and quinoline).

Tracheostomy is associated with increased aspiration rates, and swallowing disorders have not been well-studied in trauma patients with tracheostomy. Swallowing evaluations were conducted in 224 patients (102 trauma and 122 nontrauma patients). Half of the patients in each group had tracheostomies. Bedside swallow studies were conducted in 40 patients, videofluoroscopy swallow studies in 100 patients, and both studies in 84 patients. chi2, Fisher's exact test, Cramer's V, and descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Aspiration occurred in 35 per cent (36 of 102) of trauma patients with or without tracheostomy and in 36 per cent (22 of 61) of nontrauma patients with tracheostomy. Aspiration with and without penetration was observed in 54 per cent of trauma patients (55% with tracheostomy) compared with 67 per cent of all nontrauma patients (61% with tracheostomy). Trauma patients with head injuries exhibited 41 per cent (26 of 63) aspiration and 68 per cent (43 of 63) dysphagia compared with 26 per cent (10 of 39) and 59 per cent (23 of 39) in trauma patients with other injuries. There was a lower incidence of dysphagia in trauma patients (65% versus 81% in nontrauma) and in patients with tracheostomy (71% versus 77% without tracheostomy). Tracheostomy was not associated with increased dysphagia or aspiration.

BACKGROUND Despite the aging of the population, little is known about the sexual behaviors and sexual function of older people. METHODS We report the prevalence of sexual activity, behaviors, and problems in a national probability sample of 3005 U.S. adults (1550 women and 1455 men) 57 to 85 years of age, and we describe the association of these variables with age and health status. RESULTS The unweighted survey response rate for this probability sample was 74.8%, and the weighted response rate was 75.5%. The prevalence of sexual activity declined with age (73% among respondents who were 57 to 64 years of age, 53% among respondents who were 65 to 74 years of age, and 26% among respondents who were 75 to 85 years of age); women were significantly less likely than men at all ages to report sexual activity. Among respondents who were sexually active, about half of both men and women reported at least one bothersome sexual problem. The most prevalent sexual problems among women were low desire (43%), difficulty with vaginal lubrication (39%), and inability to climax (34%). Among men, the most prevalent sexual problems were erectile difficulties (37%). Fourteen percent of all men reported using medication or supplements to improve sexual function. Men and women who rated their health as being poor were less likely to be sexually active and, among respondents who were sexually active, were more likely to report sexual problems. A total of 38% of men and 22% of women reported having discussed sex with a physician since the age of 50 years. CONCLUSIONS Many older adults are sexually active. Women are less likely than men to have a spousal or other intimate relationship and to be sexually active. Sexual problems are frequent among older adults, but these problems are infrequently discussed with physicians.

The extent to which loneliness is a unique risk factor for depressive symptoms was determined in 2 population-based studies of middle-aged to older adults, and the possible causal influences between loneliness and depressive symptoms were examined longitudinally in the 2nd study. In Study 1, a nationally representative sample of persons aged 54 and older completed a telephone interview as part of a study of health and aging. Higher levels of loneliness were associated with more depressive symptoms, net of the effects of age, gender, ethnicity, education, income, marital status, social support, and perceived stress. In Study 2, detailed measures of loneliness, social support, perceived stress, hostility, and demographic characteristics were collected over a 3-year period from a population-based sample of adults ages 50-67 years from Cook County, Illinois. Loneliness was again associated with more depressive symptoms, net of demographic covariates, marital status, social support, hostility, and perceived stress. Latent variable growth models revealed reciprocal influences over time between loneliness and depressive symptomatology. These data suggest that loneliness and depressive symptomatology can act in a synergistic effect to diminish well-being in middle-aged and older adults.

Aggression, agitation or psychosis occur in the majority of people with dementia at some point in the illness. There have been a number of trials of atypical antipsychotics to treat these symptoms over the last five years, and a systematic review is needed to evaluate the evidence in a balanced way.To determine whether evidence supports the use of atypical antipsychotics for the treatment of aggression, agitation and psychosis in people with Alzheimer's disease.The trials were identified from a last updated search of the Specialized Register of the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group on 7 December 2004 using the terms olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, clozapine, amisulpride, sertindole, zotepine, aripiprazole, ziprasidone. This Register contains articles from all major healthcare databases and many ongoing trials databases and is updated regularly.Randomised, placebo-controlled trials, with concealed allocation, where dementia and psychosis and/or aggression were assessed.1. Two reviewers extracted data from included trials2. Data were pooled where possible, and analysed using appropriate statistical methods3. Analysis included patients treated with an atypical antipsychotic, compared with placeboSixteen placebo controlled trials have been completed with atypical antipsychotics although only nine had sufficient data to contribute to a meta-analysis and only five have been published in full in peer reviewed journals. No trials of amisulpiride, sertindole or zotepine were identified which met the criteria for inclusion. The included trials led to the following results:1. There was a significant improvement in aggression with risperidone and olanzapine treatment compared to placebo.2. There was a significant improvement in psychosis amongst risperidone treated patients.3. Risperidone and olanzpaine treated patients had a significantly higher incidence of serious adverse cerebrovascular events (including stroke), extra-pyramidal side effects and other important adverse outcomes.4. There was a significant increase in drop-outs in risperidone (2 mg) and olanzapine (5-10 mg) treated patients.5. The data were insufficient to examine impact upon cognitive function.Evidence suggests that risperidone and olanzapine are useful in reducing aggression and risperidone reduces psychosis, but both are associated with serious adverse cerebrovascular events and extra-pyramidal symptoms. Despite the modest efficacy, the significant increase in adverse events confirms that neither risperidone nor olanzapine should be used routinely to treat dementia patients with aggression or psychosis unless there is marked risk or severe distress. Although insufficient data were available from the considered trials, a meta-analysis of seventeen placebo controlled trials of atypical neuroleptics for the treatment of behavioural symptoms in people with dementia conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (using data not in the public domain) suggested a significant increase in mortality (OR 1.7).

L'etude vise a estimer les niveaux de residus d'oxytetracycline (OTC) dans le miel jusqu'a 12 semaines apres le traitement des colonies d'abeilles (Apis mellifera L.) en fonction de deux methodes de traitement (essaim artificiel et nourrissement speculatif post traitement) et deux methodes d'administration (sous forme liquide dans du saccharose ou pulverulente dans du sucre glace). Dans un premier groupe, six essaims artificiels ont ete constitues et traites avec 1 g d'OTC sous forme de poudre, puis nourris avec 4 L de sirop de sucre. Les six essaims artificiels du second groupe ont recu 1 g d'OTC dissout dans 4 L de sirop de sucre (50 % poids/vol.). Comme en Grande-Bretagne la methode de l'essaim artificiel est limitee aux periodes ou les colonies ont suffisamment de temps pour se reconstruire avant la fin de la saison, le traitement de l'un des groupes a consiste en une suspension d'1 g d'OTC dans 200-250 mL de solution aqueuse de saccharose (64 % poids/vol) versee dans les cadres de couvain vides dans la partie haute de la chambre a couvain. Le traitement de l'autre groupe a consiste en 1 g d'OTC (formulation mixte 1/2 dans du sucre glace pulverulent) vaporise sur les tetes des cadres de couvain. Toutes les colonies ont ensuite recu 4 L de sirop de sucre en nourrissement. Des echantillons de miel/nectar ont ete preleves dans ces cadres une, trois, six, sept/huit et dix/douze semaines apres le traitement. L'analyse chimique a ete faite selon une procedure HPLC accreditee ISO 17025 et couramment employee pour suivre les taux d'oxytetracycline dans les miels de Grande Bretagne et les miels importes dans le cadre du Programme VMD de Surveillance Non-Reglementaire (VMD, 2003). La limite de dosage (LOQ) etait de 0,05 mg kg -1 (i.e. la moitie de la plus petite limite maximum de residu de l'UE pour l'oxytetracycline). Les residus dans le miel recolte 56 j apres le traitement depassaient la LOQ 0.05 mg (Figs. 1 et 2, Tab. I) et les courbes de degradation des residus sont presentees dans la figure 3 et comparees avec celles de la methode de traitement standard precedemment utilisee (Thompson et al., 2005). Comme la baisse des residus a vraisemblablement une cinetique de premier ordre, les equations de la baisse des residus d'OTC ont ete determinees pour chaque mode d'administration a l'aide des courbes du logarithme de la concentration moyenne en fonction du temps (j). Les donnees obtenues ont donne une estimation des demi-vies et des durees necessaires pour passer sous la LOQ de 0,05 mg kg -1 (Tab. II). Bien que les residus initiaux soient inferieurs quand l'OTC est administre sous forme de poudre plutot que sous forme liquide, la demi-vie dans la colonie est plus longue. Ceci confirme une observation faite au cours de l'experimentation: la poudre est restee visible sur les tetes des cadres de couvain durant toute l'etude, ce qui suggere qu'elle ne constitue pas pour les abeilles une source de nourriture attractive. En se basant la-dessus et sur les donnees de l'etude precedente faite avec le traitement standard (OTC dans 200-250 mL de saccharose ou dans du sucre en poudre), la periode de retrait necessaire pour que les residus tombent en-dessous de la LOQ de 0,05 mg kg-1 est de 15 semaines suivant le traitement par essaim artificiel et de 16 semaines si l'on utilise la methode standard sans nourrissement speculatif (Tab. II). Le nourrissement speculatif repousse la periode de retrait necessaire a 22 semaines.

We now live in a digital society where day-to-day operations are optimized by complex real-time control systems. Our surface transportation infrastructure has evolved to a level of complexity where intelligent transportation systems (ITS) are essential for large urban environments. Our surface transportation infrastructure is a highly complex system subject to day-to-day operations with different levels of recurring congestion, stresses from special events, and damage from natural disasters, accidents, sabotage, and nuisance attacks. Under normal traffic conditions, ITS operation is optimized for system-wide objective functions (i.e., minimize network-wide delay or maximize throughput), and travelers modify their behavior accordingly by alternating their departure time, travel route, or mode of travel. This work presents a security and survivability analysis of the City of Moscow, Idaho ITS project, which is now under development.