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Pelvic floor muscle exercises (PFME) are recommended for treatment of urinary incontinence with less evidence available about the effect on female sexual function (FSF) and childbirth.To investigate the effect of antenatal PFME on FSF during pregnancy and the first three months following birth as a primary outcome, and on labour and birth outcomes as a secondary outcome.200 nulliparous women were randomised to control (n = 100) and intervention (n = 100) groups. The women in the intervention group (IG) undertook PFME from 20 weeks gestation until birth and had routine antenatal care, while those in the control group (CG) received routine antenatal care only. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was used to measure FSF at 36 weeks gestation and three months postnatal. Baseline characteristics and childbirth data were also collected and analysed using SPSS.There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of FSF scores during pregnancy and on childbirth outcomes. Sexual satisfaction was slightly higher in the CG [Mean ± SD, CG: 4.35 ± 1.45 vs. IG: 3.70 ± 1.50, (P = 0.03)] at three months after birth. However, 50% of women adhered to the PFME, and 40% of women did not resume sex by three months after the birth.Though some trends were observed, the results showed no effect of PFME on sexual function or labour and birth outcomes. This needs to be interpreted considering the 50% adherence to PFME. More research is recommended.

Decreases in social behavior are a hallmark aspect of acute “sickness behavior” in response to infection. However, immune insults that occur during the perinatal period may have long-lasting consequences for adult social behavior by impacting the developmental organization of underlying neural circuits. Microglia, the resident immune cells of the central nervous system, are sensitive to immune stimulation and play a critical role in the developmental sculpting of neural circuits, making them likely mediators of this process. Here, we investigated the impact of a postnatal day (PND) 4 lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge on social behavior in adult mice. Somewhat surprisingly, neonatal LPS treatment decreased sociability in adult female, but not male mice. LPS-treated females also displayed reduced social interaction and social memory in a social discrimination task as compared to saline-treated females. Somatostatin (SST) interneurons within the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) have recently been suggested to modulate a variety of social behaviors. Interestingly, the female-specific changes in social behavior observed here were accompanied by an increase in SST interneuron number in the ACC. Finally, these changes in social behavior and SST cell number do not appear to depend on microglial inflammatory signaling, because microglia-specific genetic knock-down of myeloid differentiation response protein 88 (MyD88; the removal of which prevents LPS from increasing proinflammatory cytokines such as TNFα and IL-1β) did not prevent these LPS-induced changes. This study provides novel evidence for enduring effects of neonatal immune activation on social behavior and SST interneurons in females, largely independent of microglial inflammatory signaling.

Workers performing cleaning duties experience higher injury rates, especially in the form of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), than other industries. It is essential to understand the inherent risks associated with the nature of this occupation. Based on the Balance Theory (SmithCarayon-Sainfort, 1989), this review surveys the current literature, especially those published since the previous review paper (KumarKumar, 2008), and identifies which elements contributing to MSD risks were examined: task, technology, organization, environment, individual, and their interactions. Thirty-nine research papers published between 2005 and 2021 are identified and summarized. Among these papers, task and individual elements received the most attention, at 42 and 34 occurrences, respectively. The interaction elements of technology-organization, technology-environment, and organization-environment received less than three mentions. The goal of this literature review is to update the knowledge base and identify current trends for the cleaning occupation. Possible interventions for risk reduction and future research directions are suggested.

This study tests the influence of acoustic cues and non-acoustic contextual factors on listeners’ perception of prominence in three languages whose prominence systems differ in the phonological patterning of prominence and in the association of prominence with information structure—English, French and Spanish. Native speakers of each language performed an auditory rating task to mark prominent words in samples of conversational speech under two instructions: with prominence defined in terms of acoustic or meaning-related criteria. Logistic regression models tested the role of task instruction, acoustic cues and non-acoustic contextual factors in predicting binary prominence ratings of individual listeners. In all three languages we find similar effects of prosodic phrase structure and acoustic cues (F0, intensity, phone-rate) on prominence ratings, and differences in the effect of word frequency and instruction. In English, where phrasal prominence is used to convey meaning related to information structure, acoustic and meaning criteria converge on very similar prominence ratings. In French and Spanish, where prominence plays a lesser role in signaling information structure, phrasal prominence is perceived more narrowly on structural and acoustic grounds. Prominence ratings from untrained listeners correspond with ToBI pitch accent labels for each language. Distinctions in ToBI pitch accent status (nuclear, prenuclear, unaccented) are reflected in empirical and model-predicted prominence ratings. In addition, words with a ToBI pitch accent type that is typically associated with contrastive focus are more likely to be rated as prominent in Spanish and English, but no such effect is found for French. These findings are discussed in relation to probabilistic models of prominence production and perception.

Gestational exposure to environmental toxins and socioeconomic stressors is epidemiologically linked to neurodevelopmental disorders with strong male bias, such as autism. We model these prenatal risk factors in mice by co-exposing pregnant dams to an environmental pollutant and limited-resource stress, which robustly activates the maternal immune system. Only male offspring display long-lasting behavioral abnormalities and alterations in the activity of brain networks encoding social interactions. Cellularly, prenatal stressors diminish microglial function within the anterior cingulate cortex, a central node of the social coding network, in males during early postnatal development. Precise inhibition of microglial phagocytosis within the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of wild-type (WT) mice during the same critical period mimics the impact of prenatal stressors on a male-specific behavior, indicating that environmental stressors alter neural circuit formation in males via impairing microglia function during development.

The μ opioid receptor (MOR) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is involved in assigning pleasurable, or hedonic value to rewarding stimuli. Importantly, the hedonic value of a given rewarding stimulus likely depends on an individual's current motivational state. Here, we examined the involvement of MORs in the motivation to interact with a novel or a familiar (cage mate) conspecific in juvenile rats. First, we demonstrated that the selective MOR antagonist CTAP administered into the NAc reduces social novelty preference of juvenile males, by decreasing the interaction time with the novel conspecific and increasing the interaction time with the cage mate. Next, we found that a 3-h separation period from the cage mate reduces social novelty preference in both juvenile males and females, which was primarily driven by an increase in interaction time with the cage mate. Last, we showed that MOR agonism (intracerebroventricularly or in the NAc) restored social novelty preference in juvenile males that did not show social novelty preference following social isolation. Taken together, these data support a model in which endogenous MOR activation in the NAc facilitates the relative hedonic value of novel over familiar social stimuli. Our results may implicate the MOR in neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by altered social motivation, such as major depression and autism spectrum disorder.

Microglia are increasingly recognized as developmental sculptors of neural circuits. In this issue of Neuron, VanRyzin et al. (2019) demonstrate a novel mechanism by which endocannabinoids drive microglia to phagocytose newborn astrocytes in the medial amygdala of male rats, promoting sex differences in social play behavior.

Introduction We analyzed workers' compensation (WC) data to identify characteristics related to workers' compensation claim outcomes among janitorial service workers in Washington State. Method We analyzed WC data from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) State Fund (SF) from January 1, 2003 through December 31, 2013, for janitorial service workers employed in the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Services Sector. We constructed multivariable models to identify factors associated with higher medical costs and increased time lost from work. Results There were 2,390 janitorial service compensable claims available for analysis. There were significant differences in injury type and other factors by gender, age, and language preference. Linguistic minority status was associated with longer time loss and higher median medical costs. Women were estimated to account for 35% of janitorial service workers but made up 55% of the compensable claims in this study. Conclusions Janitorial service workers comprise a large vulnerable occupational group in the U.S. workforce. Identifying differences by injury type and potential inequitable outcomes by gender and language is important to ensuring equal treatment in the workers' compensation process. Practical applications There were significant differences in injury and individual characteristics between men and women in this study. Women had twice the estimated rate of injury to men, and were more likely to require Spanish language materials. Improving communication for training and knowledge about the workers' compensation system appear to be high priorities in this population of injured janitorial service workers.

Exploration of novel environments, stimuli, and conspecifics is highly adaptive during the juvenile period, as individuals transition from immaturity to adulthood. We recently showed that juvenile rats prefer to interact with a novel individual over a familiar cage mate. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this juvenile social novelty-seeking behavior remain largely unknown. One potential candidate is the oxytocin (OXT) system, given its involvement in various motivated social behaviors. Here, we show that administration of the specific oxytocin receptor antagonist desGly-NH2,d(CH2)5-[Tyr(Me)2,Thr4]OVT reduces social novelty seeking-behavior in juvenile male rats when injected into the nucleus accumbens (10ng/0.5μl/side). The same drug dose was ineffective at altering social novelty-seeking behavior when administered into the lateral septum or basolateral amygdala. These results are the first to suggest the involvement of the OXT system in the nucleus accumbens in the regulation of juvenile social novelty-seeking behavior.

Introduction Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is curative therapy for a variety of primary immunodeficiency disorders (PIDs). Patients with PID have high rates of pulmonary disease from infections and immune-mediated lung damage, and post-HSCT pulmonary complications account for considerable morbidity and mortality. It is unknown whether pre-HSCT pulmonary disease places PID patients at higher risk for post-HSCT complications. We hypothesize that PID patients with pre-HSCT pulmonary disease have higher risk of transplant-related mortality (TRM), more pulmonary complications, and lower overall survival (OS) compared to PID patients without pre-HSCT pulmonary disease. Objectives The primary aim of this study is to compare TRM in PID patients with and without pre-HSCT pulmonary disease. Secondary aims of the study are to compare OS, incidence of non-infectious and infectious pulmonary disease post-HSCT, ICU transfer for any cause, incidence of acute or chronic GVHD, and immune reconstitution. Methods This is a single center, retrospective, chart review. All pediatric patients (ages 0-18 years) who underwent allogeneic HSCT for a diagnosis of a PID at Boston Children's Hospital from January 2007-June 2018 (n=115) were included in the analysis. We defined non-infectious pulmonary disease as either functional lung impairment based on pulmonary function tests (PFTs), radiographic evidence of pulmonary disease, or documentation of a specific pulmonary diagnosis. We defined infectious pulmonary disease as either viral, bacterial, fungal or other infection in conjunction with positive radiographic and/or bronch/BAL findings. Results Within our cohort, the most common PIDs were SCID (n=28), DOCK8 deficiency (n=16), Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (n=15), and chronic granulomatous disease (n=9). Of the 115 patients, 54 (47%) had a pre-HSCT diagnosis of pulmonary disease. Pulmonary infection (n=30) and bronchiectasis (n=11) were the most common diagnoses (Fig. 1A). Compared to patients without pre-HSCT lung disease, patients with pre-HSCT lung disease had higher numbers of pulmonary complications after HSCT, such as the need for non-invasive or mechanical ventilation (23 of 54 patients [43%] vs. 12 of 61 patients [20%]) (Fig. 1B). Amongst patients with pre-HSCT lung disease, 1-year survival was 81% compared with 92% in patients without pre-HSCT lung disease. Overall survival was 76% at a median follow up time of 1.6 years versus 89% at a median follow up of 2.7 years in patients with and without pre-HSCT lung disease, respectively (censored logrank p = 0.05) (Fig. 2). Conclusion Within our single center study, PID patients with pre-HSCT lung disease had a trend towards more post-HSCT lung complications and lower OS compared to PID patients without pre-HSCT lung disease. Pulmonary risk factors should be carefully considered in PID patients prior to HSCT.

BACKGROUND: The trucking industry continues to have some of the highest work-related injury and illness rates and costs of any industry in the United States. Until recently, little focus has been placed on addressing non-motor vehicle collision related injuries within the trucking industry. Drivers are exposed to multiple physical risk factors that contribute to occupational injuries in order to complete their job duties, such as loading/unloading freight, decoupling trailers, strapping down loads and ingress and egress from the cab and trailer. About one-fourth of all truck driver injuries in the United States are related to slips, trips, and falls near the truck. PURPOSE: The purpose of this descriptive study is to report on recent injuries in the trucking industry in Washington State. Data are presented by occupation and industry sector, in order to better understand the magnitude of specific injuries in terms of time-loss days and workers' compensation costs. METHODS: All accepted, compensable (time-loss) claims from 2005 to 2010 within the trucking industry in Washington State were reviewed. Counts, rates, median and quartile data are presented. Logistic regression models are presented to identify factors associated with more severe claims. RESULTS: Non-traumatic musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, back and upper extremities are the most frequent injuries across all industry sectors and occupations in the trucking industry. Vehicle related claims had the highest median costs and time loss days and Courier and Messenger claims had the highest risk for higher time loss claims. Injuries varied substantially by sector and within sectors by occupation. CONCLUSION: It is important to review work-related injuries within the trucking industry by sector and occupation in order to maximize limited resources for injury prevention within this important sector. Language: en

This study investigates how L1 and L2 speakers of French produce phonetic correlates of French prosodic structure, specifically the properties of Accentual Phrases that are evidenced in dimensions other than f0. The L2 speakers had English L1, with varying levels of proficiency in French. We also examined the same individuals’ productions of sentences in English. Differences in prosodic structure between English and French lead us to expect differences between the two groups of speakers. Our study measured jaw displacement in electromagnetic articulography, as well as acoustic duration and vowel formant values. Patterns of variation across the syllables of the stimulus sentences were evaluated by comparing normalized values for individual syllables; significance testing was not used as it could not capture the relatively small syllable-to-syllable differences. In French, we found that despite substantial individual variation, the L1 speakers generally show a tendency for expanded articulation (greater jaw displacement, and F1 values corresponding to this), and longer durations on syllables that are final in an Accentual Phrase (identified using f0 cues). The most obvious differences in the L2 speakers’ productions were seen in polysyllabic words, particularly cognates, where less advanced speakers tended to produce expanded articulations on syllables that would receive lexical stress in English but no accentuation in French. For English, limited data show greater consistency among the L2 (native French) speakers, possibly due to them feeling less able to exploit the variability in prominence placement that English allows.

Vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXT) regulate social behavior by binding to their canonical receptors, the vasopressin V1a receptor (V1aR) and oxytocin receptor (OTR), respectively. Recent studies suggest that these neuropeptides may also signal via each other's receptors. The extent to which such cross-system signaling occurs likely depends on anatomical overlap between AVP/OXT fibers and V1aR/OTR expression. By comparing AVP/OXT fiber densities with V1aR/OTR binding densities throughout the rat social behavior neural network (SBNN), we propose the potential for cross-system signaling in four regions: the medial amygdala (MeA), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTp), medial preoptic area, and periaqueductal grey. We also discuss possible implications of corresponding sex (higher in males versus females) and age (higher in adults versus juveniles) differences in AVP fiber and OTR binding densities in the MeA and BNSTp. Overall, this review reveals the need to unravel the consequences of potential cross-system signaling between AVP and OXT systems in the SBNN for the regulation of social behavior.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are a collection of complex neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by repetitive behavior and alterations in social interaction/communication. ASD occurs in 1 in 68 children in the US, with a strong sex bias in prevalence ( ∼ 4 males affected to every 1 female). Multiple reports have revealed pervasive immune and mitochondrial abnormalities in ASD patients. Increasing evidence suggests that mitochondrial function is inhibited during proinflammatory microglial activation, although no sex differences remain underexplored. Postmortem analyses of brains from children with ASD revealed significant decreases in expression of mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) subunits; however, analyses did not distinguish between cell type or sex. In an early-life immune activation (lipopolysaccharide;LPS) model of ASD, we isolated microglia from prefrontal cortex of PN30 mice. By PCR array, we found that ∼ 96% of mitochondrial ETC genes were strongly diminished by LPS in male microglia, while only ∼ 6% were similarly decreased in females, suggesting that reduced mitochondrial function may be implicated in microglial activation, particularly in males. We show that early-life LPS results in decreased social exploration in both males and females at PN15, but only increased latency to enter stranger bedding in male mice. By PN60, early-life LPS treatment resulted in decreased sociability and social novelty seeking in males only. These data indicate sex-biased deficits in social interaction and anxiety that are related to clinical manifestations of ASD.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, engagement in repetitive behaviors, and a sex bias in prevalence (higher in males). Importantly, recent epidemiological studies suggest that maternal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy may increase ASD risk. Furthermore, studies have shown that maternal stress during pregnancy increases the severity of ASD symptoms. Our lab has developed a novel mouse model of combined diesel exhaust particle (DEP) and maternal stress (MS) exposure. We hypothesized that this DEP/MS exposure would induce ASD-like behavioral deficits in male offspring only. In males only, we observed a significantly lower preference for social vs. non-social stimuli in DEP/MS-exposed mice as compared to controls. Moreover, while control males preferred to interact with a novel peer over their cage mate, DEP/MS-exposed males showed the opposite preference. DEP/MS exposure had no effect on repetitive behavior (marble-burying) or on anxiety-like behavior (as measured in an open field) in either sex. Finally, given the high comorbidity of ASD with gastrointestinal issues, we asked whether DEP/MS exposure would alter the composition of the gut microbiome. Our results suggest that DEP/MS exposure alters both alpha and beta diversity in the gut microbiome of male but not female offspring. We are currently using this model to investigating the neuro-immune mechanisms by which DEP/MS exposure induces sex-specific deficits in social behavior.

Novel Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)/Poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate) blends were developed with varying amounts of Poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate), P(3HO) and Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), P(3HB) for their potential use in various medical applications. These blend films exhibited higher tensile strength and Young’s modulus values compared to neat P(3HO). The overall protein adsorption and % cell viability was also found to be significantly higher in the blend films than the neat P(3HO) film. Hydrolytic degradation was faster in the blend films and the degradation rate could potentially be tailored to achieve the optimum rate required for a particular medical application. Hence, these novel blends were found to be highly biocompatible with surface, mechanical and thermal properties suitable for a range of potential medical applications, a great step forward in the area of medical materials.

Recent advancements in natural gas extraction (e.g. hydraulic fracturing) have significantly increased natural gas reserves in the United States. Estimates of the technically recoverable natural gas (TRR) in the Marcellus range between 141 trillion cubic feet (TCF) and 489 TCF. However, TRR estimation does not incorporate existing policies, regulations, or land use. We find that approximately 48% of the Marcellus in New York and Pennsylvania is inaccessible given land use patterns and current policy. In New York, approximately 83% of the Marcellus is inaccessible; while in Pennsylvania about 32% of the Marcellus is off limits to drilling. The New York portion of the Marcellus is estimated to have a TRR of between 19.9 TCF and 68.9 TCF. We estimate that 79% of the resource is inaccessible, which results in an accessible resource estimate of between 4.2 TCF and 14.4 TCF. In Pennsylvania, the shale gas TRR is estimated at 86.6–300 TCF. However, we estimate that 31% of the resource is inaccessible, which results in an accessible resource estimate of between 60.0 TCF and 208 TCF.

When circulating estrogen levels decline as a natural consequence of menopause and aging in women, there is an increased incidence of deficits in working memory. In many cases, these deficits are rescued by estrogen replacement therapy. These clinical data therefore highlight the importance of defining the biological pathways linking estrogen to the cellular substrates of learning and memory. It has been known for nearly two decades that estrogen enhances dendritic spine density on apical dendrites of CA1 pyramidal cells in hippocampus, a brain region required for learning. Interestingly, at synapses between CA3-CA1 pyramidal cells, estrogen has also been shown to enhance synaptic NMDA receptor current and the magnitude of long term potentiation, a cellular correlate of learning and memory. Given that synapse density, NMDAR function, and long term potentiation at CA3-CA1 synapses in hippocampus are associated with normal learning, it is likely that modulation of these parameters by estrogen facilitates the improvement in learning observed in rats, primates and humans following estrogen replacement. To facilitate the design of clinical strategies to potentially prevent or reverse the age-related decline in learning and memory during menopause, the relationship between the estrogen-induced morphological and functional changes in hippocampus must be defined and the role these changes play in facilitating learning must be elucidated. The aim of this report is to provide a summary of the proposed mechanisms by which this hormone increases synaptic function and in doing so, it briefly addresses potential mechanisms contributing to the estrogen-induced increase in synaptic morphology and plasticity, as well as important future directions.

The purpose of this article was to assess validity of the regional Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (QuickDASH) and Short-Form 12 (SF-12) for surveillance purpose. We compared the predictive, discriminate, and concurrent validity of the QuickDASH and SF-12 among 231 workers with specific clinical diagnoses of neck or upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders (UEMSDs) and 175 workers with symptoms only. Compared to those with symptoms only, the odds of being any neck or UEMSD case were 1.45 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.24-1.70) and 0.66 (95% CI: 0.48-0.91) with every 10-point increase in QuickDASH disability and physical component scale (PCS-12) scores, respectively. The clinical cases had significantly higher QuickDASH disability (23.0 vs. 14.3, p

PROBLEM: The trucking industry experiences one of the highest work-related injury rates. Little work has been conducted previously in the United States to assess the hazards, needs, and injury prevention priorities in trucking. Method: Two separate industry-wide surveys of 359 trucking companies and 397 commercial truck drivers were conducted in Washington State. Results: Trucking companies and drivers both ranked musculoskeletal and slip, trip, fall injuries as the top two priorities. Controlling heavy lifting, using appropriate equipment, and addressing slippery surfaces were frequently listed as solutions. There appears to be a gap in safety climate perception between workers and employers. However, driver and company priorities agreed with industry workers' compensation claims. There is room for safety program management improvement in the industry. The study findings detail opportunities for prioritizing and reducing injuries. Impact on Industry: This information can be used to focus and design interventions for the prevention of work-related injuries while improving industry competitiveness. Language: en

The linguistic structure of an utterance is known to affect the durational prosody of sounds, words and phrases. There has been increasing interest in how discourse-level organization affects prosody, in part because modeling discourse-level effects could improve the comprehensibility of longer passages of synthesized text. The approach taken here is to look at how topics are sequenced in a text, and how this affects durational prosody when that text is read aloud. Two speakers of American English were recorded reading a set of text materials on 10 separate occasions. Measurements of these recordings indicated that the type of transition in topic between two successive sentences had a significant effect on the amount of sentence-final lengthening, the duration of the pause between sentences, and the speech rate at the end of a sentence and the beginning of the following sentence. These measurements were then used to create a mathematical model of one speaker, and to generate several versions of one of this speaker's original recordings, with each version incorporating different manipulations of the durational patterns and their variability. These versions were played to listeners, who preferred those where the manipulations included durational patterns reflecting the organization of topics in the text.

Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase and is metabolised by dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH). Elevated levels of circulating ADMA correlate with various cardiovascular pathologies less is known about the cellular effects of altered DDAH activity. We modified DDAH activity in cells and measured the changes in ADMA levels, morphological phenotypes on Matrigel, and expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). DDAH over-expressing ECV304 cells secreted less ADMA and when grown on Matrigel had enhanced tube formation compared to untransfected cells. VEGF mRNA levels were 2.1-fold higher in both ECV304 and murine endothelial cells (sEnd.1) over-expressing DDAH. In addition the DDAH inhibitor, S-2-amino-4(3-methylguanidino)butanoic acid (4124W 1mM), markedly reduced human umbilical vein endothelial cell tube formation in vitro. We have found that upregulating DDAH activity lowers ADMA levels, increases the levels of VEGF mRNA in endothelial cells, and enhances tube formation in an in vitro model, whilst blockade of DDAH reduces tube formation.

Background: The role of nutritional influences on bone health remains largely undefined because most studies have focused attention on calcium intake. Objective: We reported previously that intakes of nutrients found in abundance in fruit and vegetables are positively associated with bone health. We examined this finding further by considering axial and peripheral bone mass and markers of bone metabolism. Design: This was a cross-sectional study of 62 healthy women aged 45-55 y. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at the lumbar spine and femoral neck and by peripheral quantitative computed tomography at the ultradistal radial total, trabecular, and cortical sites. Bone resorption was calculated by measuring urinary excretion of pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline and bone formation by measuring serum osteocalcin. Nutrient intakes were assessed by using a validated food-frequency questionnaire; other lifestyle factors were assessed by additional questions. Results: After present energy intake was controlled for, higher intakes of magnesium, potassium, and alcohol were associated with higher total bone mass by Pearson correlation (P < 0.05 to P < 0.005). Femoral neck BMD was higher in women who had consumed high amounts of fruit in their childhood than in women who had consumed medium or low amounts (P < 0.01). In a regression analysis with age, weight, height, menstrual status, and dietary intake entered into the model, magnesium intake accounted for 12.3% of the variation in pyridinoline excretion and 12% of the variation in deoxypyridinoline excretion. Alcohol and potassium intakes accounted for 18.1% of the variation in total forearm bone mass. Conclusion: The BMD results confirm our previous work (but at peripheral bone mass sites), and our findings associating bone resorption with dietary factors provide further evidence of a positive link between fruit and vegetable consumption and bone health.

Voiced fricatives are often taken as an example of sound that is ‘difficult’ to produce. It might therefore be expected that speakers would choose to simplify them. In English, the most common simplification is devoicing, especially for voiced sibilants. The nature of this process was examined in productions of /z/ and /s/ by four speakers of American English. These were recorded in matched word and phrase positions using acoustic, airflow, and electroglottographic (EGG) data. Although many tokens of /z/ showed little or no vocal fold vibration in the EGG signal, durational and aerodynamic differences maintained the distinction between /z/ and /s/. The speakers varied in overall frequency of devoicing, but showed similar rank orderings for frequency of devoicing in different contexts. Devoicing was most frequent in two kinds of environments: those where it could be viewed as assimilation to an adjacent voiceless context, and those where articulatory and aerodynamic effort tends to be reduced. These contexts (unstressed syllables, and ends of words or phrases) have been shown to favor other kinds of prosodically-structured lenition.

The cyclic tetradentate ligand 1,4,7,11-tetra-azacyclotetradecane (isocyclam, = L) has been prepared by the Richman-Atkins procedure. The nickel(II) complexes of the ligand have been studied in detail. The complex [NiL](ClO4)2 undergoes a square planar ⇋ octahedral equilibrium in aqueous solution: [NiL]2+ + 2H2O ⇋K [NiL(OH2)2]2+; the equilibrium constant K has been determined as a function of temperature and ΔH° = −22.6 ± 1 kJ mol−1 and ΔS° = −74.9 ± 2 J K−1 mol−1. Reaction of ethylenediamine with [NiL](ClO4)2 leads to folding of the macrocyle and formation of the blue octahedral cis-[NiL(en)](ClO4)2. The complex [NiL]2+ displays a reversible one-electron reduction at −1.45 V versus SCE in aqueous solution and a reversible oxidation to the nickel(III) complex at +0.85 V versus SCE. [Ni(isocyclam)]2+ was found to be a good electrocatalyst for the two-electron reduction of CO2 to CO but is not as efficient as [Ni(cyclam)]2+.

1. 1. Bolivian squirrel monkeys (BoSM),unlike Brazilian squirrel monkeys (BrSM), exhibit a marked fasting hyperbilirubinemia (FH) and serve as animal models for Gilbert's syndrome type I. 2. 2. Compared to BrSM, BoSM possess a higher apparent udpgakm (0.51 vs 0.29 mM) and lower Vm (0.36 vs 0.48 nmol BR conjugated/min per mg microsomal protein) for hepatic bilirubin (BR) UDP-glucuronyltransferase (BR UDPG-T). 3. 3. Lineweaver-Burk plots are linear and obey Michaelis-Menten kinetics when UDP-acetylglucosamine is used as activator and UDPGA substrate concentrations are within the physiologic range present in the liver during the fed and fasted state (0.10-0.71 mM); above these concentrations, there is a discontinuity of kinetic plots as noted in other species. 4. 4. There is no effect of fasting on the Km of BR conjugation (i.e. sum of mono- and diglucuronides) in either monkey; however, fasting is associated with lower Vm, values (15–20%) in each subspecies. 5. 5. By calculating the potential BR flux (nmol BR conjugated/min per kg) using known hepatic UDPGA concentrations, liver weights and in vitroKm and Vm, a markedly lower BR flux is observed in BoSM (58.4 nmol/min per kg) than in BrSM (91.6nmol/min per kg). 6. 6. Significantly higher apparentUDPGAKm and lower Vm of BR UDPG-T for conjugation of BR to BR monoglucuronide appears responsible in part for the four- to five-fold elevations in unconjugated BR in the liver and plasma in the fasted BoSM.

Requirements for scheduling techniques for educational systems involving large-scale, computer managed, individualized instruction systems differ significantly from scheduling techniques for similar systems involving traditional educational technologies. This paper reports on the development and testing of a scheduling system for the Advanced Instructional System of the U.S. Air Force. The scheduling system was tested using computer simulation. Simulation results showed how the system would perform with various resource levels, student loads, and entrance frequencies. Results of the simulation suggested a number of recommendations for program management.

The effect of dietary fish oil (rich in n − 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)), corn oil (rich in n − 6 PUFA) and coconut oil (low in n − 3 and n − 6 PUFA) on the induction of atherosclerosis by serum sickness in rabbits was investigated over a 12-month period. Dietary fish oil led to a significant increase in the level of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in all platelet phospholipid fractions and to a significant reduction in the level of platelet phosphatidylethanolamine arachidonic acid (AA). In aortic total phospholipids, rabbits given fish oil showed a significant reduction in AA and a significant increase in EPA. Rabbits given fish oil showed significantly lower collagen-induced platelet thromboxane A 2 release and aortic production of 6-keto-PGF 1α . Serum total immune complex levels and anti-horse serum IgG levels were not influenced by diet. There was a significant reduction in total aortic atherosclerosis in fish oil-fed animals compared with coconut oil fed animals.

The total sialic acid content of blood platelets from rats raised for 8 weeks or 12 months on a diet containing 1% linoleic acid (1LA) was significantly lower (by over 30%) than that from those raised on an isocalorific diet containing 6% linoleic acid (6LA). The transfer of sialic acid to endogenous glycoprotein acceptor was also significantly lower (up to almost 4-fold) in 1LA platelet and megakaryocyte-rich preparations but the transfer to exogenous glycoprotein acceptor was similar in both 1LA and 6LA platelets. The megakaryocyte-rich fraction of 1LA animals showed a reduced phosphodolichol-sensitive N-acetylglucosaminyl (but not mannosyl) transfer to endogenous glycoprotein compared with 6LA animals. No significant difference was found between the megakaryocytes of 1LA and 6LA animals in the incorporation of radioactive mannose and glucosamine into the glycoprotein of the whole cells. It was concluded that the decreased transfer of sialic acid to glycoproteins of platelets and megakaryocyte of animals on the 1LA diet was due to the decreased availability of sialyl acceptor. The formation of N-linked oligosaccharide was the same in both 1LA and 6LA megakaryocytes, and thus any differences in phosphodolichol-mediated N-glycosylation did not account for this decreased availability of sialyl acceptor.

Fragments of ducts and terminal lobuloalveolar units have been prepared by the digestion of normal human breasts with collagenase. Immediately following preparation, the fragments comprise luminal epithelial cells and myoepithelial cells. The cells retain their normal, in vivo topological organisation but are devoid of basement membranes and stromal contaminants. The epithelial structures (organoids) have been embedded within the three-dimensional matrix of rattail collagen and cultured in vitro. The events reported herein are limited to the first 9 days of such cultures because the most dramatic morphological changes were observed to occur during this period. Initially, the organoids undergo a distinct phase of cellular reorganisation which is completed during the first 36 hr following embedding. In the presence of hydrocortisone, insulin and epidermal growth factor, proliferative activity (identified by [3H]thymidine pulse labelling) is stimulated. The numbers of cells incorporating [3H]thymidine within each organoid sharply increased during the second 24 hr in culture. On Day 5 of the cultures, the proportion of cells within the original organoids labelling with [3H]thymidine is 8.3 ± 0.8%, whereas the proportion of cells labelling within the proliferating outgrowths is 11.5 ± 2.3%. Subsequent morphogenesis of the cultures depends exclusively upon the physical state of the collagen gel matrix. Epithelial organoids cultured within floating (released) collagen gels give rise to branched cylindrical structures. In contrast, similar organoids obtained from identical preparations and cultured in the presence of the same humoral additives but within nonreleased collagen gels do not demonstrate this type of morphogenesis. These organoids do not proliferate as large branched tubular structures. Instead they penetrate the collagen as irregular, multilayered sheets of cells. The directions in which the proliferating branched tubular structures extend into the surrounding gel, and the sites of subsequent branching appear to be dictated by the mechanical forces set up within the gel. Thus, following attachment of the epithelial cells to collagen fibrils, proliferative activity within an organoid gives rise to traction forces which result in a local mechanical distortion of the gel matrix. Wherever two or more organoids are plated in sufficient proximity to allow transmission of the distorting forces from one organoid to another, then subsequent outgrowths from the two organoids tend to converge along these lines of distortion. Subsequent to proliferation, the outgrowths undergo partial internal differentiation. The cells in the core of the cylinders separate from one another and simultaneously begin to express some of the differentiation features of luminal breast epithelium which are identified using ultrastructural criteria and by monoclonal antibodies raised to the human milk fat globule membrane. Our findings indicate that the culture of normal human breast epithelial cells within the three-dimensional matrix of a collagen gel gives rise to structures which are morphologically homologous with the ducts of the intact tissue. This is a useful model with which to study in vitro human breast epithelial cytodifferentiation and duct morphogenesis.

A literature survey in the field of solidification and casting is available on request. The sources used and the limitations set by the reviewers are given here along with a general list of pertinent books, handbooks, conferences, review articles and journals. Any topic may be followed in greater depth through currently available systems, both by feeding forward from key references and by feeding backward to earlier sources.