Advancements in Microfluidic Systems for the Study of Female Reproductive Biology.

The female reproductive tract is a highly complex physiological system that consists of the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix, and vagina. An enhanced understanding of the molecular, cellular, and genetic mechanisms of the tract will allow for the development of more effective assisted reproductive technologies, therapeutics, and screening strategies for female specific disorders. Traditional 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional static culture systems may not always reflect the cellular and physical contexts or physicochemical microenvironment necessary to understand the dynamic exchange that is crucial for the functioning of the reproductive system.

Women's experiences of male-perpetrated sexual assault by sexual orientation.

This study examined differences in male-perpetrated adult sexual assault experiences among women of various sexual orientations using a large urban convenience sample (N = 1,022). Results showed many similarities in disclosure to others, perceived helpfulness, and attributions of blame, but there were also differences by sexual orientation. Heterosexual women were more likely to experience completed sexual assault than lesbian or bisexual women.

Regulation of synaptic transmission by ambient extracellular glutamate.

Many neuroscientists assume that ambient extracellular glutamate concentrations in the nervous system are biologically negligible under nonpathological conditions. This assumption is false. Hundreds of studies over several decades suggest that ambient extracellular glutamate levels in the intact mammalian brain are approximately 0.

Identification of the highly reactive cysteine 151 in the chemopreventive agent-sensor Keap1 protein is method-dependent.

Upregulation of cytoprotective and detoxifying enzyme expression by small molecules is emerging as an important means of preventing carcinogenesis as well as other diseases. A proposed target of these agents is the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1). The vast majority of these agents contain electrophilic moieties, which react with a subset of the 27 cysteines of human Keap1.

Conformational change of erythroid alpha-spectrin at the tetramerization site upon binding beta-spectrin.

We previously determined the solution structures of the first 156 residues of human erythroid alpha-spectrin (SpalphaI-1-156, or simply Spalpha). Spalpha consists of the tetramerization site of alpha-spectrin and associates with a model beta-spectrin protein (Spbeta) with an affinity similar to that of native alpha- and beta-spectrin. Upon alphabeta-complex formation, our previous results indicate that there is an increase in helicity in the complex, suggesting conformational change in either Spalpha or Spbeta or in both.

Accuracy of ventriculostomy catheter placement using a head- and hand-tracked high-resolution virtual reality simulator with haptic feedback.

Object: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of ventriculostomy catheter placement on a head- and hand-tracked high-resolution and high-performance virtual reality and haptic technology workstation.

Methods: Seventy-eight fellows and residents performed simulated ventriculostomy catheter placement on an ImmersiveTouch system. The virtual catheter was placed into a virtual patient's head derived from a computed tomography data set.

Cerebrospinal fluid flow in the normal and hydrocephalic human brain.

Advances in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging techniques enable the accurate measurements of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow in the human brain. In addition, image reconstruction tools facilitate the collection of patient-specific brain geometry data such as the exact dimensions of the ventricular and subarachnoidal spaces (SAS) as well as the computer-aided reconstruction of the CSF-filled spaces. The solution of the conservation of CSF mass and momentum balances over a finite computational mesh obtained from the MR images predict the patients' CSF flow and pressure field.

Novel transcription factors in human CD34 antigen-positive hematopoietic cells.

Transcription factors (TFs) and the regulatory proteins that control them play key roles in hematopoiesis, controlling basic processes of cell growth and differentiation; disruption of these processes may lead to leukemogenesis. Here we attempt to identify functionally novel and partially characterized TFs/regulatory proteins that are expressed in undifferentiated hematopoietic tissue. We surveyed our database of 15 970 genes/expressed sequence tags (ESTs) representing the normal human CD34(+) cells transcriptosome (http://westsun.

Maintenance of a smoking cessation program in public health clinics beyond the experimental evaluation period.

Objectives: As phase 3 of a study to evaluate a smoking cessation program in public health practice, the authors assess the maintenance and impact of the It's Time smoking cessation program in seven public maternal and child health clinics in Chicago.

Methods: The authors interviewed 404 clinic patients in the study's baseline phase (prior to introduction of the It's Time intervention program), and 610 in the program maintenance phase (in the year after experimental evaluation had ended) to assess exposure to smoking cessation interventions offered at the clinic, and smoking cessation outcomes (quit, actions toward quitting, scores on action, motivation, readiness, and confidence scales). The authors controlled for clustering of smokers within clinics, smokers' characteristics prior to clinic visit, and type of clinic service.

Evaluation of remediation performance and cost for field-scale single-phase microemulsion (SPME) flushing.

Pump-and-treat strategies employed to contain contaminant plumes have been demonstrated to be inefficient, and often ineffective, for remediation of aquifers contaminated by nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs). This has prompted the development of alternative technologies to provide enhanced remediation of NAPL source zones. The results reported here are from a solubilization study wherein the objective was to achieve high NAPL remediation efficiencies using a low concentration of chemical additives in the flushing solution.

Construction of a physical model of the human carotid artery based upon in vivo magnetic resonance images.

A method is described for construction of an in vitro flow model based on in vivo measurements of the lumen geometry of the human carotid bifurcation. A large-scale physical model of the vessel lumen was constructed using fused deposition modeling (a rapid prototyping technique) based on magnetic resonance (MR) images of the carotid bifurcation acquired in a healthy volunteer. The lumen negative was then used to construct a flow model for experimental studies that examined the hemodynamic environment of subject-specific geometry and flow conditions.

Sedimentology and geochemistry of a perennially ice-covered epishelf lake in Bunger Hills Oasis, East Antarctica.

A process-oriented study was carried out in White Smoke lake, Bunger Hills, East Antarctica, a perennially ice-covered (1.8 to 2.8 m thick) epishelf (tidally-forced) lake.

Effects of the Positive Action program on achievement and discipline: two matched-control comparisons.

This paper reports on the effectiveness of an integrated comprehensive school model for character development, problem behavior prevention, and academic achievement enhancement. The Positive Action program consists of a school curriculum, together with schoolwide climate, family, and community components. As evaluated here, the yearly K-6 curriculum consists of over 140 fifteen-to-twenty-minute lessons per year delivered in school classrooms on an almost daily basis.

Feminist approaches to social science: epistemological and methodological tenets.

This paper is a primer for community psychologists on feminist research. Much like the field of community psychology, feminist scholarship is defined by its values and process. Informed by the political ideologies of the 1970s women's movement (liberal, radical, socialist feminism, and womanism), feminist scholars reinterpreted classic concepts in philosophy of science to create feminist epistemologies and methodologies.

Macro-social influences: the effects of prices and tobacco-control policies on the demand for tobacco products.

For almost three decades, numerous econometric studies have researched the impact of prices and tobacco-control policies on cigarette smoking and other tobacco use. This paper reviews some of the difficulties inherent in that research, including the problems associated with available data, and methodological problems that arise in estimation. This is followed by a brief summary of the key findings from econometric studies of tobacco use.

Psychosocial risk and protective factors for adolescent tobacco use.

Knowledge of risk and protective factors for adolescent tobacco use will lead to the development of improved intervention strategies to reduce/prevent tobacco use. Theory and empirical findings demonstrate the multivariate complexity of the etiology of tobacco use. Sociocultural, social/interpersonal, and intrapersonal factors act through mediated chains of ultimate, distal, and proximal influences.

The impact of welfare reform on men's violence against women.

Welfare reform is likely to have a profound effect on the lives of poor women who are being abused. This article proposes exchange theory and the feminist "backlash hypothesis" as frameworks with which to assess the impact of welfare reform on violence levels in abusive relationships. Exchange theory suggests that if a woman leaves welfare and obtains employment that increases her economic resources, violence against her will decrease.

The development of human exposure standards for radio-frequency fields.

Biological effects and health implications of radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields have been a subject of scientific investigation for more than 50 years. It has become a focus of attention because of the expanded use of RF radiation in the frequency range between 300 MHz and 6 GHz for wireless communication over the past decade. Another cause for the attention is the uncertainty of some observed responses and lack of understanding of the mechanism of interaction of RF electromagnetic fields with biological systems.

Mutations in helix 27 of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae 18S rRNA affect the function of the decoding center of the ribosome.

A dynamic structural rearrangement in the phylogenetically conserved helix 27 of Escherichia coli 16S rRNA has been proposed to directly affect the accuracy of translational decoding by switching between "accurate" and "error-prone" conformations. To examine the function of helix 27 in eukaryotes, random and site-specific mutations in helix 27 of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae 18S rRNA have been characterized. Mutations at positions of yeast 18S rRNA corresponding to E.

A combination of genetic suppressor elements produces resistance to drugs inhibiting DNA replication.

Many anticancer drugs inhibit DNA replication. To investigate the mechanism of permanent growth inhibition after transient arrest of DNA replication, we selected genetic suppressor elements (GSEs) conferring resistance to replication inhibitor Aphidicolin. Starting from a retroviral expression library carrying normalized fragments of human cell cDNA, we isolated four GSEs which, when introduced as a combination, produced resistance to Aphidicolin, doxorubicin and hydroxyurea in HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells.

An exploratory survey of the applications of telemedicine in Ghana.

We examined the use of telemedicine at two major medical institutions in Ghana. Doctors and administrators were surveyed to assess their knowledge of computers and familiarity with telemedicine. The use of modern telecommunications and information technology products within the health service was also examined.

An examination of the mediating role of psychological empowerment on the relations between the job, interpersonal relationships, and work outcomes.

A field investigation of 337 employees and their immediate superiors tested the mediating role of empowerment in relations between job characteristics, leader-member exchange (LMX), team-member exchange (TMX), and work outcomes. The meaning and competence dimensions of empowerment mediated the relation between job characteristics and work satisfaction. The meaning dimension also mediated the relation between job characteristics and organizational commitment.

Social and emotional learning: a framework for promoting mental health and reducing risk behavior in children and youth.

Many programs have been developed to help schools enhance students' health and reduce the prevalence of drug use, violence, and high-risk sexual behaviors. How should educators choose among these? This article describes selection criteria based on theory, research, and best educational practice that identify key social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies and program features. The SEL competencies for students include 17 skills and attitudes organized into four groups: awareness of self and others; positive attitudes and values; responsible decision making; and social interaction skills.