Skin in the Game: A Policy Implementation Study of How School-Level Bureaucrats Set and Rationalize Advanced Placement Exam Fees for Low-Income Students.

As part of their strategies to increase college readiness and reduce educational inequalities, at least 29 states subsidize Advanced Placement (AP) exam fees for low-income students. However, while Michigan's state-level policy subsidized low-income student exams to $5 per exam, we found wide-ranging fee structures at high schools-from $0 to $50. Through a lens of policy implementation theory and using an embedded case study approach, this study examined this disjuncture between the state and school policies using interview data from 33 school personnel-counselors, AP Coordinators, administrators-in 31 high schools and state personnel in Michigan; state policy artifacts; and publicly available school data.

General and Genetic Toxicology of Guayusa Concentrate (Ilex guayusa).

Tea from the leaves of guayusa (Ilex guayusa) has a long history of consumption by Ecuadorian natives in regions where the plant is indigenous. The tea contains the methylxanthines caffeine and theobromine as well as chlorogenic acids, flavonoids, and sugars. Various studies were performed to evaluate the general and genetic toxicology of a standardized liquid concentrate of guayusa (GC).

Motor activity effects in female Fischer 344 rats exposed to isopropanol for 90 days.

In a previous subchronic neurotoxicity study, increases in motor activity were observed for female rats after 9 and 13 weeks of exposure to 5000 ppm of isopropanol vapor. The present study was conducted to evaluate the reproducibility of these effects and, if reproducible, to assess the potential for reversibility following cessation of exposure. Two groups, each containing 30 female Fischer 344 rats, were exposed to concentrations of zero (control) and 5000 ppm of isopropanol vapor for 6 h per day, 5 days per week.

Sleep Deprivation in social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder.

Background: Sleep deprivation has been shown to improve depressive symptoms in some patients with major depressive disorder, but it has not been tested in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or social phobia (SP).

Methods: To determine if sleep deprivation altered anxiety or depressive symptoms in patients with GAD (n = 7) or SP (n = 8), we sleep deprived patients and normal controls (n = 18) for one night.

Results: On one measure of anxiety, GAD patients improved compared with controls, but there were otherwise no significant change differences between controls and SP or GAD patients.

Dermal absorption and pharmacokinetics of isopropanol in the male and female F-344 rat.

Isopropanol (IPA), as a 70% aqueous solution, was applied under occluded conditions to the shaved backs of male and female Fischer F-344 rats for a period of 4 hr. Maximum analyzed blood concentrations of IPA were attained at 4 hr and decreased steadily following removal of the test material. Blood concentrations were below the limit of quantification at 8 hr.

Estrogen modulation: tiered testing for human hazard evaluation. American Industrial Health Council, Reproductive and Developmental Effects Subcommittee.

Recent concerns about the potential of certain chemicals to modulate estrogen-regulated processes have led to questions as to how chemicals should be tested for such effects. Therefore, AIHC has developed a comprehensive, resource-efficient, and flexible tiered strategy for estrogen modulation (EM) testing. Levels of evaluation include Tier 0, in which exposure, along with alerts based on structure-activity, persistence, bioaccumulation, and other data, are assessed to prioritize chemicals for preliminary testing.

Isopropanol vapor inhalation oncogenicity study in Fischer 344 rats and CD-1 mice.

The potential oncogenic effects of isopropanol, a widely used solvent, were investigated. Four groups of animals, each consisting of 75 CD-1 mice/sex and 75 Fischer 344 rats/sex, were exposed to isopropanol vapor (CAS No. 67-63-0) at target concentrations of 0 (filtered air control), 500, 2500, or 5000 ppm.

Isopropanol: summary of TSCA test rule studies and relevance to hazard identification.

The toxicity of isopropanol (IPA) has been extensively studied as a result of a Test Rule under Section 4 of the Toxic Substances Control Act. In general, the data showed that IPA has a low order of acute and chronic toxicity; does not produce adverse effects on reproduction; is neither a teratogen, a selective developmental toxicant, nor a developmental neurotoxicant; and is not genotoxic or an animal carcinogen. IPA is, however, a potential hazard for transient central nervous system depression at high exposure levels.

Two-generation reproduction toxicity study with isopropanol in rats.

A two-generation reproduction toxicity study was conducted in rats with isopropanol. Thirty rats of each sex per group (P1) were dosed once daily by oral gavage with 0, 100, 500 or 1000 mg isopropanol kg-1 for at least 10 weeks prior to mating. Parental animals were mated within groups for up to 3 weeks.

Charles H. Best, the Canadian Red Cross Society, and Canada's first national blood donation program.

This article examines how Canada's first national blood donation program originated during World War II. It focuses on the genesis of Charles H. Best's serum project at the University of Toronto, and the federal government's decision in 1940 to sponsor it as the nation's most viable blood banking option.

In vitro and in vivo assays of isopropanol for mutagenicity.

To assess the mutagenic potential of isopropanol, an in vitro Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell/HGPRT gene mutation assay and a bone marrow micronucleus study in mice were conducted. In the CHO/HGPRT assay, concentration levels ranged from 0.5 to 5.

An evaluation of the acute toxic properties of liquids derived from oil sands.

The acute toxicity of three materials derived from Athabasca Oil Sands--(1) bitumen plus naphtha, (2) untreated naphtha (0-250 degrees C) and (3) synthetic crude oil (0-500 degrees C)--was assessed in a battery of tests. In acute oral studies, all three test materials exhibited a low order of toxicity (LD50 greater than 5.0 g kg-1).

Evaluation of the systemic toxicity of coal liquefaction-derived materials following repeated dermal exposure in the rabbit.

The subchronic toxicity of two materials produced by the EDS direct coal liquefaction process was investigated using adult New Zealand white rabbits as the test species. Recycle solvent (RS: 204-427 degrees C) and fuel oil (FO: 204-538 degrees C) were applied to the intact dorsal surface of rabbits, 5 days per week for 4 weeks. Materials were applied as suspensions (2.

Current status of bioassays in genetic toxicology--the dominant lethal assay. A report of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Gene-Tox Program.

The term dominant lethal may be defined as death of the heterozygote arising through multiple chromosomal breaks. The assay is generally conducted by treating male animals, usually mice or rats, acutely (1 dose), subacutely (5 doses), or over the entire period of spermatogenesis. Animals treated acutely or subacutely are mated at weekly intervals to females for a sufficient number of weeks to cover the period of spermatogenesis.

The acute toxicity of coal liquefaction-derived materials.

The acute toxicity of a series of potential streams from the EDS coal liquefaction process have been assessed in animal bioassays. In general, the materials present minimal acute toxic hazards. However, there was some evidence of ocular and dermal irritation.

Preclinical toxicology studies with acyclovir: teratologic, reproductive and neonatal tests.

Five studies were done to define the potential of Acyclovir (ACV), a new nucleoside analog for antiviral chemotherapy, to produce adverse effects on reproduction and development in laboratory animals. ACV produced no adverse effects when given by gavage to F0 generation mice at 50, 150 and 450 mg/kg/day in a two generation reproduction/fertility study. Some mice were evaluated for teratologic effects and others for postnatal development, including behavior, with negative results.

Correlations between laboratory testing and distance running performance in marathoners of similar performance ability.

Correlations between distance running performance and laboratory testing were examined in 11 marathoners of similar fitness (VO2max 66.4 +/- 1.7 ml/kg X min).

An evaluation of human sperm as indicators of chemically induced alterations of spermatogenic function. A report of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Gene-Tox Program.

To evaluate the utility of sperm tests as indicators of chemical effects on human spermatogenesis, the literature on 4 sperm tests used to assess chemically induced testicular dysfunction was reviewed. The tests surveyed included sperm count, motility, morphology (seminal cytology), and double Y-body (a fluorescence-based test thought to detect Y-chromosomal nondisjunction). There were 132 papers that provided sufficient data for evaluation.

An evaluation of the mouse sperm morphology test and other sperm tests in nonhuman mammals. A report of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Gene-Tox Program.

The literature on the mouse sperm morphology test and on other sperm tests in nonhuman mammals was reviewed (a) to evaluate the relationship of these tests to chemically induced spermatogenic dysfunction, germ-cell mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity, and (b) to make an interspecies comparison to chemicals. A total of 71 papers were reviewed. The mouse sperm morphology test was used to assess the effects of 154 of the 182 chemical agents covered.