Smoking and blood pressure patterns in normotensive pregnant women

The cardinal clinical manifestations of major depression with melancholic features include sustained anxiety and dread for the future as well as evidence of physiological hyperarousal (e.g., sustained hyperactivity of the two principal effectors of the stress response, the corticotropin-releasing-hormone, or CRH, system, and the locus ceruleus-norepinephrine, or LC-NE, system). Sustained stress system activation in melancholic depression is thought to confer both behavioral arousal as well as the hypercortisolism, sympathetic nervous system activation, and inhibition of programs for growth and reproduction that consistently occur in this disorder. Data also suggest that activation of the CRH and LC systems in melancholia are involved in the long-term medical consequences of depression such as premature coronary artery disease and osteoporosis, the two-three-fold preponderance of females in the incidence of major depression, and the mechanism of action of antidepressant drugs. In addition, recent data reveal important bidirectional interactions between stress-system hormonal factors in depression and neural substrates implicated in many discrete behavioral alterations in depression (e.g., the medial prefrontal cortex, important in shifting affect based on internal and external cues, the mesolimbic dopaminergic reward system, and the amygdala fear system). We have also advanced data indicating that the hypersomnia, hyperphagia, lethargy, fatigue, and relative apathy of the syndrome of atypical depression are associated with concomitant hypofunctioning of the CRH and LC-NE systems. These data indicate the need for an entirely different therapeutic strategy than that used in melancholia for the treatment of atypical depression, and they suggest that this subtype of major depression will be associated with its own unique repertoire of long-term medical consequences.     

Developing Criteria for an On‐Line Learning Environment: From the Student and Faculty Perspectives*

The research literature abounds with articles about distance learning from the perspectives of students, faculty, and administrators. Most of these articles discuss the details of transitioning to on‐line learning environments. Research is beginning to pay attention to quality issues in distance learning. This article discusses a three‐phase developmental study conducted in a graduate school. Students were asked to brainstorm and develop a set of quality indicators. These indicators were ranked by a second group of students. Then the indicators were given to a group of faculty for another ranking. In this study it was shown that there was a very great agreement on the relative importance of the various potential indicators of quality in courses delivered via an on‐line medium.     

Biomimetic design of chelating interfaces

Siderophores are naturally occurring small molecules with metal binding constants greater than many synthetic chelators. Herein, we report a two‐step process to graft a siderophore‐mimetic metal chelating polymer from a polypropylene (PP) surface. Poly(methyl acrylate) was first grafted from the PP surface by photoinitiated graft polymerization, followed by the conversion into poly(hydroxamic acid) (PHA) to obtain PP‐g‐PHA films. ATR/FTIR, contact angle, SEM, and AFM were performed to characterize surface properties of films. Iron binding kinetics and the influence of pH (3.0–5.0) on the chelating ability of films were determined. PP‐g‐PHA exhibited significant iron chelating activity (～80 nmol/cm²) with an equilibration time of 24 h. The materials retained 50% chelating ability at pH 3.0 compared with pH 5.0, almost double the retention of previously reported polycarboxylate chelating interfaces. By using siderophore‐mimetic surface chemistry, such effective metal chelating interfaces can extend the applications of metal chelating polymers in environmental remediation, water purification, and active packaging areas. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41231.     

A developmental sequence in the comprehension of emotions: Intensity, multiple emotions, and valence.

In individual interviews, 80 children from ages 4 to 8 yrs predicted which of 5 emotions they would feel, and how intensely, to 15 affect-laden situations. The results indicate that responses involve 3 dimensions of emotion cognition (intensity, multiplicity, and valence) that emerge in a developmental sequence. Four-year-olds predict experiencing 1 emotion of varying intensity to a situation (Level A). They also predict experiencing multiple emotions, but at maximum intensity and the same valence (Level B). By age 6, children predict experiencing multiple emotions of varying intensity but the same valence (Level C). Children around age 8 predict multiple emotions of varying intensity and opposite valence (Level D). The number of emotions experienced at one time and accuracy also increased with development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Facing chronic illness: the family support model and its benefits

With the aging of the population and the evolving health care system, it is more important than ever before that individuals be actively involved in selfcare activities and that individuals and families receive education and support to help them cope with chronic illness. This article describes a model family support program which operates within a hospital setting to provide information, education, support, and respite services. This model is based on an extensive research base which underscores the value of this model both for the individuals and families involved and for the health care system.     

The history of psychology revisited: Or, up with our foremothers.

Discusses the lack of general awareness of women who have made major contributions to psychology. It is suggested that this lack of recognition is partially caused by the practice of appending initials only to the surnames of authors of tests and journal articles. Numerous examples are presented of women who developed tests (e.g., the Taylor Manifest Anxiety scale and the Bender Gestalt Test), wrote textbooks, and made major theoretical contributions to the study of human behavior. (59 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contingency management in cocaine abusers: A dose-effect comparison of goods-based versus cash-based incentives.

Goods-based contingency management interventions (e.g., those using vouchers or prizes as incentives) have demonstrated efficacy in reducing cocaine use, but cost has limited dissemination to community clinics. Recent research suggests that development of a cash-based contingency management approach may improve treatment outcomes while reducing operational costs of the intervention. However, the clinical safety of providing cash-based incentives to substance abusers has been a concern. The present 16-week study compared the effects of goods-based versus cash-based incentives worth $0, $25, $50, and $100 on short-term cocaine abstinence in a small sample of cocaine-dependent methadone patients (N = 12). A within-subject design was used; a 9-day washout period separated each of 8 incentive conditions. Higher magnitude ($50 and $100) cash-based incentives (checks) produced greater cocaine abstinence compared with the control ($0) condition, but a magnitude effect was not seen for goods-based incentives (vouchers). A trend was observed for greater rates of abstinence in the cash-based versus goods-based incentives at the $50 and $100 magnitudes. Receipt of $100 checks did not increase subsequent rates of cocaine use above those seen in control conditions. The efficacy and safety data provided in this and other recent studies suggest that use of cash-based incentives deserves consideration for clinical applications of contingency management, but additional confirmation in research using larger samples and more prolonged periods of incentive delivery is needed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Collecting and Sharing Location-based Content on Mobile Phones in a Zoo Visitor Experience

The augmentation of visitor experiences with location-based technologies has been available for some time. Through in-depth studies of users during these experiences the field is building a rich picture of user behaviour in relation to certain location-based technologies. However, little work has explored the use of mobile camera phones and 2D barcodes on situated signs and their properties as a way of delivering such augmented visitor experiences. In this paper we present a study of people engaged in such a location-based experience at London zoo in which they use mobile camera phones to read 2D barcodes on signs at the animal enclosures in order to access related content. Through the fieldwork we highlight the social and collaborative aspects of the experience and how particular characteristics of the mobile phone and barcode technology shape these behaviours. The paper also highlights some of the non-instrumental aspects of the location-based experience, in particular in relation to the importance of collecting location-based content. We explore the social aspects of collecting as well as certain competitive elements it introduces into people’s behaviour. This creates an interesting tension in that aspects of the application encourage cooperation and sharing among the visitors whereas others encourage competition. In the course of presenting the fieldwork, we explore this tension further.     

Merging models and biomonitoring data to characterize sources and pathways of human exposure to organophosphorus pesticides in the Salinas Valley of California

We characterize cumulative intakes of organophosphorus (OP) pesticides in an agricultural region of California by drawing on human biomonitoring data, California pesticide use reporting (PUR) data, and limited environmental samples together with outputs from the CalTOX multimedia, multipathway, source-to-dose model. The study population is the CHAMACOS cohort of almost 600 pregnant Latina women in the Salinas Valley region. We use model estimates of OP intake and urinary dialkylphosphate (DAP) metabolite excretion to develop premises about relative contributions from different exposure sources and pathways. We evaluate these premises by comparing the magnitude and variation of DAPs in the CHAMACOS cohort with those of the whole U.S. population using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). This comparison supports the premise that diet is the common and dominant exposure pathway in both populations. Biomarker comparisons and model results support the observation that, relative to NHANES, the CHAMACOS population has a statistically significant (p < 0.001) added intake of OP pesticides with low inter-individual variability. We attribute the magnitude and small variance of this intake to residential nondietary exposures from local agricultural OP uses. These results show that mass-balance models can estimate exposures for OP pesticides within the range measured by biological monitoring.     

Aminolevulinic Acid-Mediated Photodynamic Therapy of Human Meningioma: An in Vitro Study on Primary Cell Lines

Objective: Five-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA)-induced porphyrins in malignant gliomas are potent photosensitizers. Promising results of ALA-PDT (photodynamic therapy) in recurrent glioblastomas have been published. Recently, 5-ALA-induced fluorescence was studied in meningioma surgery. Here, we present an experimental study of ALA-PDT in an in vitro model of primary meningioma cell lines. Methods: We processed native tumor material obtained intra-operatively within 24 h for cell culture. Epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) immunohistochemistry was performed after the first passage to confirm that cells were meningioma cells. For 5-ALA-PDT treatment, about 5000 cells per well were seeded in 20 wells of a blank 96-well plate. Each block of 4 wells was inoculated with 150 µL of 0, 25, 50 and 100 µg/mL 5-ALA solutions; one block was used as negative control without 5-ALA and without PDT. Following incubation for 3 h PDT was performed using a laser (635 nm, 18.75 J/cm²). The therapeutic response was analyzed by the water soluble tetrazolium salt (WST-1) cell viability assay 90 min after PDT. Results: 5-ALA-PDT was performed in 14 primary meningioma cell lines. EMA expression was verified in 10 primary cell cultures. The remaining 4 were EMA negative and PDT was without any effect in these cultures. All 10 EMA-positive cell lines showed a significant and dose-dependent decrease in viability rate (p < 0.001). Cell survival at 5-ALA concentrations of 12.5, 25, 50 and 100 μg/mL was 96.5% ± 7.6%, 67.9% ± 29.9%, 24.0% ± 16.7% and 13.8% ± 7.5%, respectively. For the negative controls (no 5-ALA/PDT and ALA/no PDT), the viability rates were 101.72% ± 3.5% and 100.17% ± 3.6%, respectively. The LD₅₀ for 5-ALA was estimated between 25 and 50 µg/mL. Conclusion: This study reveals dose-dependent cytotoxic effects of 5-ALA-PDT on primary cell lines of meningiomas. Either 5-ALA or PDT alone did not affect cell survival. Further efforts are necessary to study the potential therapeutic effects of 5-ALA-PDT in vivo.