The altered rationale for the choice of a standard animal in experimental psychology: Henry H. Donaldson, Adolf Meyer, and "the" albino rat.

The mid-20th-century dominance of albino rats in nonhuman experimental psychology research often presumed that the animal embodied fundamental psychological processes that could generalize to a wide range of vertebrates. The author describes the conceptual basis for the original choice of white rats by the 2 individuals most responsible for establishing rats as a prominent animal model in the life sciences at the turn of the century: Henry H. Donaldson and Adolf Meyer. The author stresses the comparative rationale that justified their choice and argues that they sought generality through attention to diversity and species differences. Their approach contrasts sharply with the later view of the rat as a generic animal model that could represent similarities shared by all vertebrates. It is suggested that the change resulted from an emphasis on standardization produced by the growing industrialization of the life sciences in America. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Quality of couples' relationship and adjustment to metastatic breast cancer.

This study examined mood disturbance among women with metastatic breast cancer in relationship to partnership status, relationship quality, and partner's coping and mood disturbance. These associations were examined within a total sample of 125 metastatic breast cancer patients and a subsample of 48 of these patients and their partners. Partnered and single women were indistinguishable in mood disturbance when household income was statistically controlled. Results also showed that patients were less distressed when they rated the relationship higher in Cohesion-Expression and in Conflict and when their partners reported lower mood disturbance. One possible implication of these results is that in relationships in which a woman has metastatic cancer, she may benefit from open engagement of difficulties and conflict. Furthermore, alleviating her distress may be better achieved by focus on the couple relationship rather than her individual coping. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of low cost water purification systems for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR)

Following a natural disaster, access to safe drinking water by the affected population is a high priority. Low cost water purification systems, which can be used for both short-term (immediate) and long-term (sustainable) response to serve the needs of the affected communities, are ideal for these scenarios. The University of Hawaii has developed three low cost water purification technologies for use during humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) missions. A UH team participated in joint USA and partner nation training exercises, such as Crimson Viper 2010 and 2011, organized by the Marine Corps Forces Pacific Experimentation Center (MEC) in Sattahip, Thailand, to demonstrate the effectiveness of these technologies to purify water from local sources. Three technologies were selected for Crimson Viper 2010: (1) a backpack filter unit, (2) a bicycle pump powered reverse osmosis (RO) unit, and (3) a model slow sand filtration unit. For Crimson Viper 2011, improved versions of the backpack and RO units were deployed. This article discusses and evaluates the results obtained during the demonstration of the three technologies at these exercises.     

A Public Library for Evanston,Illinois

The competition entry for a new library in Evanston, Illinois, addresses two important themes of the American city— ideality of form in civic buildings and representation of values associated with a public institution. Of primary concern was the desire for the building to be understood as an important part of the public realm of the city of Evanston, that it present itself as a library and a civic institution, and that it be seen, by association with other well-known public libraries, to represent the broader cultural values associated with knowledge and learning.     

Viscosity as related to dietary fiber: a review

Viscosity is a physicochemical property associated with dietary fibers, particularly soluble dietary fibers. Viscous dietary fibers thicken when mixed with fluids and include polysaccharides such as gums, pectins, psyllium, and beta-glucans. Although insoluble fiber particles may affect viscosity measurement, viscosity is not an issue regards insoluble dietary fibers. Viscous fibers have been credited for beneficial physiological responses in human, animal, and animal-alternative in vitro models. The following article provides a review of viscosity as related to dietary fiber including definitions and instrumentation, factors affecting viscosity of solutions, and effects of viscous polysaccharides on glycemic response, blood lipid attenuation, intestinal enzymatic activity, digestibility, and laxation.     

Analysis for perfluorocarboxylic acids/anions in surface waters and precipitation using GC--MS and analysis of PFOA from large-volume samples

The presence of perfluorocarboxylates (PFCAs) in the environment is of increasing concern, following the discovery of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAs) in wildlife and human samples. Here we report a method forthe determination of (C2-C9) PFCAs by preparing the 2,4-difluoroanilides of the acids and analyzing by using GC-MS. Detector response was linear over the range 0.1 -1000 pg of each perfluoroalkyl anilide. A complete suite of PFCAs can be analyzed in an individual sample with the PFCAs detected at levels similar to or lower than those determined by other methods. For a comparison between the present method and the more common LC-MS/MS method, 10 replicates of a sewage treatment plant discharge were analyzed for perfluoro-octanoic acid (PFOA) using both methods. Results were nearly identical with low standard deviation (GC-MS 30.9 +/- 1.88 ng/L; while the LC-MS/MS 34.7 +/- 3.05 ng/L). PFCA concentrations for water samples collected from depth profiles in mid-Lake Ontario were analyzed by GC-MS with most PFCAs (C2-C8) present above the detection limit (0.5 ng/L). Major PFCAs were trifluoroacetate (TFA) (100 ng/L) and perfluorobutanoate (PFBA) (> 5 ng/L). Results for PFOA (2.5 ng/L) were in good agreement with recent analyses by LC-MS/MS. PFCAs were also detected in the precipitation samples at concentrations lower than those of the samples from the lake profiles or sewage treatment plants (STPs) effluent. Since PFOA levels may be less than the lower detection limit (<0.5 ng/L) in 1 L samples, a method for large volumes using XAD-7 resin was developed that allows detection to 0.01 ng/L. This method was applied to Lake Superior samples which produced good agreement for C6-C9 PFCAs between regular analysis (GC-MS) and the XAD-7 followed by GC-MS analysis.     

Econutrition: implementation models from the Millennium Villages Project in Africa

Econutrition integrates environmental health and human health, with a particular focus on the interactions among the fields of agriculture, ecology, and human nutrition. Soil loss and degradation and human undernutrition are major barriers to economic development in Africa. A primary aim of the Millennium Villages Project in Africa is to meet the Millennium Development Goals by integrated multisectoral interventions in health and nutrition, agriculture, and environmental sustainability in hunger and poverty hot spots in Africa. Econutrition is only one example of how interdisciplinary approaches are not only critical to alleviating extreme poverty but also fundamental to linking basic science understanding in multiple areas. Human health and agricultural productivity gain, and the costs of the gains are lowered, when we take the opportunity to apply different disciplines through cross-sectoral, thematically linked interventions.