The Politics of Emotion in Everyday Life: "Appropriate" Emotion and Claims on Identity.

Emotions have a political dimension in that judgments regarding when and how emotion should be felt and shown are interpreted in the interests of regulating the organization and functioning of social groups. This article argues that claims to authenticity and legitimacy of one's self-identity or group identity are at stake in the everyday politics of emotion. A brief discussion of the study of sex differences in the 19th century illustrates how emotion politics can saturate even scientific inquiry. Three ways in which there is a political dimension to socially appropriate emotion in contemporary life are then discussed: (a) Is the emotion the "wrong" emotion for the situation? (b) How are competing standards for emotional experience and expression managed? and (c) What constitutes the boundary between "too much" and "too little" emotion? The author concludes by considering the relevance of emotion politics to research on emotion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Application of top seeding in the melt processing of Nd<Subscript>123</Subscript> thick films on YSZ substrates: I buffer layer optimization

A new concept of a buffer layer in superconducting thick film technology was tested. The idea is based on increasing the NdBa₂Cu₃O_x melt viscosity at the processing temperature near the substrate by using higher ratios of Nd₄Ba₂Cu₂O_z solid phase in the first screen printed pass which is considered as a buffer layer. Different compositions, thicknesses and thermal schedules were used to optimise the buffer layer. The optimised buffer layer was employed in the fabrication of NdBa₂Cu₃O_y thick films on yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates using the top seeding melt growth (TSMG) technique. Using the buffer layer was effective in preventing a large amount of liquid (BaCuO₂-CuO) from severe interaction with the substrate during the prolonged time in the TSMG technique. Consequently, a large superconducting single domain was obtained. Thick films were melt processed in 0.1% O₂ in Ar atmosphere to suppress the Nd_{1 + x}Ba_{2 − x}Cu₃O_y (Nd_123SS) solid solution formation. The produced thick films have high transition temperature (T_C) and improved microstructures.     

Ultrastructural distribution of the M form of creatine phosphokinase in human muscle by immunogold labeling.

Creatine phosphokinase regenerates ATP from ADP using creatine phosphate. Isoenzymes of creatine phosphokinase are bound to certain cellular structures or are compartmentalized in areas of the cell, and this has been used as a basis for defining the role of these isoenzymes in energy metabolism. The M isoenzyme of creatine phosphokinase has been morphologically associated with the M-line of striated muscle in many species. In this present study the ultrastructural distribution and the relative concentration of the M form of creatine phosphokinase in human muscle tissue was determined using immunogold and electron microscopy. The M-line of the sarcomere, comprising only 3-4% of the sarcomere area, was found to contain over 20% of the total M isoenzyme signal of the entire sarcomere. This technique represents a quantitative, ultrastructural method to study the subcellular distribution of this isoenzyme. These data suggest that localized concentrations of M-CPK may be important for normal energy metabolism, and may also serve as a foundation for a better understanding of the relationship between abnormal creatine metabolism and the pathogenesis of neuromuscular disease.     

Cardiac autonomic nerve function and insulin sensitivity in obese subjects

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether obesity influences cardiac autonomic nerve function. DESIGN: Comparing two groups of subjects with different degrees of obesity to normal weight controls. SUBJECTS: 19 healthy controls (mean age 33 y, BMI 21.7 +/- 0.2 kg/m2) and 17 obese non-diabetic subjects (mean age 39 y, BMI 33.7 +/- 1.8 kg/m2). MEASUREMENTS: Insulin sensitivity was calculated by an oral glucose tolerance test. Autonomic nerve function was evaluated by analysing the variation of the heart frequency at rest (coefficient variation of R-R intervals, REST 1), during deep respiration, at a Valsalva maneuver (longest/shortest R-R interval during inspiration hold) and by the Ewing test (ratio between the 30th and 15th R-R interval after reaching up-right position). RESULTS: The obese showed a lower insulin sensitivity than healthy controls (3.09 vs 4.60 mg x l2/mmol x mU x min, P < 0.001). Their variation in heart frequency was reduced (REST 1: 1.95 vs 2.9, P < 0.01, Valsalva: 1.30 vs 1.52 and Ewing test: 1.03 vs 1.14, P < 0.05). However, patients with moderate (BMI 31.7 kg/m2) or severe obesity (39.0 kg/m2) with identical insulin sensitivity had no significant difference in autonomic nerve function. Except for the Ewing test all measured parameters for the evaluation of cardiac autonomic nerve function correlated with the degree of diminished insulin sensitivity (REST 1: r = 0.475, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Moderate obesity with significantly decreased insulin sensitivity is associated with impaired cardiac autonomic nerve function.     

Telomerase activity and telomere lengths in various cell lines: changes of telomerase activity can be another method for chemosensitivity evaluation

For the cancer cells which have overcome the second mitotic clock (M2), activated telomerase is essential and used as another marker of immortality. Many trials had been initiated to target telomerase, which is known to be specific to tumors. To determine the best in vitro cell system for testing the efficacy of telomerase inhibitors, we evaluated the telomerase activity of various cancer cell lines and measured their telomere lengths. We also treated some cancer cell lines with adriamycin and measured the changes of telomerase activity. Telomerase activity was evaluated in various cell lines with the TRAP (telomeric repeat amplification protocol) assay. Telomerase activity was calculated and translated into arbitrary units by computer-assisted densitometry with the control of telomerase activity in the 293 control cell line. Also, terminal restriction fragment lengths were measured using Southern blotting. We also measured telomerase activity and telomere lengths in 11 benign breast tumor tissues and 19 paired stomach cancer and normal tissues. Cancer cell lines treated with adriamycin we evaluated for changes of telomerase activity and the cell proliferation by MTT assay and dye exclusion test. Telomerase activity of cell lines was 95.3 24.1 unit with a range of 27.6-129.6 unit, while the telomere lengths of those cell lines were variable from 5.0 to 10.4 kbp with a median of 6 kbp. In 11 cancer cell lines which were not yet firmly established, we could not detect any telomerase activity. Low telomerase activity was detected in only 2 benign tumor tissues of breast with a median telomere length of 8.8 (7-10.5) kbp. Among paired 19 gastric cancer and normal tissues, only 7 cancer tissues showed weak telomerase activity. After adriamycin treatment, telomerase activity in YCC-S-1, YCC-S-3, MCF-7 and MCF-7/ADR was decreased in accordance with the changes of the cell numbers. Telomerase is specific to cancer tissues and is expressed differently from organ to organ. Telomerase activity by TRAP assay could be used as a chemosensitivity assay.     

Amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein determination at the time of genetic amniocentesis: has it outlived its usefulness?

The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the utility of routine measurement of amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein levels at the time of second trimester genetic amniocentesis (mean gestational age, 17.3 weeks +/- 2.5 weeks standard deviation; median, 16.8 weeks; range, 15 to 22 weeks). During the study period 7174 patients underwent second trimester genetic amniocentesis. Outcome data were available in all cases. In 79 (1.1%) cases the amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein level was > or = 2.0 multiples of the median. Thirty-three of the 79 (42%) patients had normal ultrasonograms, and in 31 of 33 (94%) the amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein level was between 2.0 and 3.0 multiples of the median. Forty-six of the 79 (58%) patients had abnormal ultrasonographic findings, and of these, 82% were neural tube defects, abdominal wall defects, or cystic hygromas. Acetylcholinesterase was positive in 37 cases, all of which had abnormal ultrasonographic findings. None of the fetuses with negative findings on sonographic screening had detectable abnormalities at birth. In this study, with over 7000 patients, amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein and acetylcholinesterase levels did not increase the detection of fetal abnormalities. On the basis of these results, routine measurement of amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein level at the time of routine genetic amniocentesis (15 to 22 weeks) does not appear justified.     

Bovine leukocyte adhesion deficiency--clinical course and laboratory findings in eight affected animals

To compare multiple and singleton pregnancies in the treatment of threatened preterm delivery with prolonged intravenous ritodrine, 32 women with multiple pregnancy (26 twins, 6 triplets, 70 fetuses, 30.3 +/- 3.5 weeks) and 51 women with singleton pregnancy (31.3 +/- 2.6 weeks) admitted for threatened preterm delivery without rupture of the membranes were the subjects of a retrospective study of obstetric data, perinatal outcome and maternal adverse effects. Significance was assessed by chi 2 test and Student's t test. Multiple pregnancies were associated with a marked increase in the duration of tocolysis (17.2 +/- 17.3 vs. 7.6 +/- 8.1 days, P < 0.01), incidence of delivery before 37 weeks (87.5 vs. 35.3%, P < 0.01) and incidence of maternal cardiovascular complications (34.4 vs. 4.0%, P < 0.01), including three cases of pulmonary edema. The incidences of delivery before 32 weeks (12.5 vs. 7.8%) and of neonatal death (2.9 vs. 0%) were not significantly different in the two groups. Multiple pregnancies dramatically increased the incidence of maternal adverse effects of prolonged intravenous ritodrine therapy. Neonatal benefit is questionable and was difficult to establish since it was not a randomized study.