Three tests of 'anticipatory responding' as an account for induction produced by upcoming food-pellet reinforcement.

Previous research has demonstrated that rats' rates of lever pressing for low-concentration liquid-sucrose reinforcers are increased when food-pellet, rather than sucrose, reinforcement will be upcoming in the same session (i.e. induction). The present experiments were designed to determine whether this induction was the product of 'anticipatory responses' for the upcoming food pellets being added to the responses being made for the currently available sucrose reinforcement. Experiment 1 tested this idea by summing sucrose-reinforced responding and 'anticipatory responding' from different conditions and comparing the sum to responding from a third condition in which subjects responded for sucrose when food-pellet reinforcement was upcoming. The comparison yielded similar response rates. Experiment 2 employed a blackout, of different durations in different conditions, to delay the upcoming food-pellet reinforcement. Consistent with the anticipatory-responding account, the delay decreased the size of the induction. However, results from the blackouts were not entirely consistent with the anticipatory-responding explanation. Experiment 3 provided, in some conditions, sucrose and food-pellet reinforcement in the first and second halves of the session, respectively, for responding on separate levers. These conditions separated 'anticipatory responses' for the food pellets from responses for the sucrose reinforcers. However, induction in responding for sucrose was still present. Together, these experiments demonstrate that, although anticipatory responses may contribute to induction in some instances, they are not solely responsible for the effect.

The effect of Ginkgo biloba on memory in healthy male volunteers.

The purpose of this study was to investigate possible effects of Ginkgo biloba, a widely used herbal extract, on memory. This study incorporated a double-blind, placebo-controlled design, which used 30 healthy male subjects in each of two groups. The treatment group received two 60-mg tablets of BioGinkgo (27/7) [corrected] daily for 5 days, while the placebo group received a placebo. On the fifth day, after a 2-h waiting period, all subjects were given the Sternberg Memory Scanning Test [Q. J. Exp. Psychol. 27 (1975) 1.], a reaction time control test, the vocabulary and digit span subtests of the WAIS-R [Wechsler D. Manual for the Wechsler adult intelligence scale - revised. New York: Psychological Corporation, 1981.], a reading span test [J. Verbal Learn. Verbal Behav. 19 (1980) 450.] and a prose recall test [Discourse Proc. 13 (1990) 387.]. Blood pressure, heart rate and side effects were also monitored throughout the study. Nonsignificant results were found on all interactions involving treatment group on all tests except the Sternberg Memory Scanning Test. The extract appeared to be safe but largely ineffective in enhancing memory.

The inhibition of flavoproteins by phenoxaiodonium, a new iodonium analogue.

Iodonium compounds, especially diphenylene iodonium and iodonium diphenyl are used extensively as inhibitors of NADH-ubiquinone reductase and NADPH oxidase activity. Here, the use of a new iodonium compound, phenoxaiodonium is reported. The IC(50) of neutrophil superoxide production, measured using the superoxide dismutase inhibitable rate of cytochrome c reduction, was approximately 0.75 microM, while 50% inhibition of mitochondrial respiration, measured by the rate of oxygen uptake using a Clark type oxygen electrode, was at approximately 20 microM. The inhibition of oxidation of xanthine to urate by xanthine oxidase was also studied, giving a K(i) of 0.2 microM. Inhibition of nitric oxidase synthase (NOS: from rat brain) by 0.2 microM phenoxaiodonium was equivalent to 1 mM N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester HCl (L-NAME), that is total abolition of activity. We conclude that phenoxaiodonium is an extremely good inhibitor of flavo-enzymes, but like diphenylene iodonium and iodonium diphenyl, will be of limited use as a pharmacological tool for the elucidation of the involvement of such enzymes in specific cellular functions.

Self-esteem differences as a function of race and weight preoccupation: findings and implications.

The relationship of weight and diet preoccupation and self-esteem among black and white college females is examined.

NADPH oxidase of chondrocytes contains an isoform of the gp91phox subunit.

Previously it has been reported that chondrocytic cells produce oxygen free radicals and express the cytosolic components of NADPH oxidase. Here we report the expression of large subunit of the flavocytochrome of NADPH oxidase in chondrocytes and, further, show that the cDNA sequence contains three single base pair differences compared with the phagocyte gp91phox gene sequence. These base-pair differences may account for the different activity profiles reported between phagocytic and non-phagocytic cells.

In situ detection of superoxide anions within porcine articular cartilage.

Cartilage was isolated from pig articular joints, and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by chondrocytes embedded within the cartilage was assessed by two methods: the reduction of nitro blue tetrazolium and by the use of diaminobenzidine in the presence of manganese ions. Little constitutive generation of ROS was seen, but it could be detected after the addition of the calcium ionophore ionomycin. Further, the response seen was extremely heterogeneous; some cells showed a far greater release of ROS than others. Cells arranged in the columnar arrays of the deep zone were the most active, while those furthest from the cartilage/bone interface (i.e. nearer to the outer face of the cartilage) were unresponsive. Chondrocytes cultured in alginate beads also showed a similar heterogeneity in their response, suggesting that the isolation of these cells and the measurement of ROS production in a population is not representative of the true situation.

High-average-power KTiOAsO4 optical parametric oscillator.

Using noncritically phase-matched 1-cm(2) -aperture KTiOAsO(4) (KTA) crystals in an optical parametric oscillator (OPO), we have demonstrated a sustained average signal power of 33 W at 1534.7 nm. To our knowledge, this is the highest-average-power signal ever generated by an OPO. The pump source was a 100-Hz Q -switched 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser. Compared with that of the similar and more-common material KTiOPO>(4) , idler absorption in KTA is negligible, allowing high-power operation with minimal thermally induced refractive distortion in the OPO crystal.

Detection of protein and mRNA of various components of the NADPH oxidase complex in an immortalized human chondrocyte line.

The immortalized human chondrocyte cell line C-20/A4 has the ability to produce superoxide constitutively at low levels of 5.4 x 10(-2) nmol/min/10(6) cells (S.E.M. = +/-0.5, n = 30) and at raised levels upon stimulation with ionomycin and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. Priming and anti-priming effects of interleukin (IL)-1 beta and IL-4, respectively, are also demonstrated. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification using oligonucleotide primers to components of the NADPH oxidase enzyme complex showed mRNA expression of p22-phox, p40-phox and p47-phox. Western blot analysis using polyclonal antisera indicated the presence of the p47-phox p67-phox polypeptide components. These results show that the C-20/A4 cells contain an NADPH oxidase-like complex, similar to that found in other cell types, which produces superoxide anions.

Implementing clinical pathways: one agency's experience.

The shift to managed care is forcing home health agencies to evaluate their methods of service delivery and documentation. Managed-care organizations are demanding that agencies demonstrate that they can provide cost-effective, quality services within a specified period. The outcomes of care, per visit or per admission, represent the indicators of whether these demands are being met. Many home health agencies are turning to clinical pathways to delineate their services and strengthen their documentation. This article provides a description of one agency's experience in implementing clinical pathways.

Detection of superoxide and NADPH oxidase in porcine articular chondrocytes.

Porcine articular chondrocytes have the capacity to release superoxide in response to the addition of the calcium ionophore ionomycin in a concentration-dependent manner. This activity was not stimulated by the addition of fMetLeuPhe or the kinase activator phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). However, this release of superoxide was inhibited by iodonium diphenyl (IDP), suggesting the involvement of NADPH oxidase. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using oligonucleotides designed against the known sequences for the human phagocyte NADPH oxidase showed the expression of p22-phox, p40-phox, and p47-phox mRNA, while Western blot analysis of chondrocyte extracts using polyclonal antisera raised against the human phagocyte NADPH oxidase suggested the presence of the p67-phox polypeptide. These results suggest that porcine articular chondrocytes can release reactive oxygen species using a NADPH oxidase-like complex.

Inflammatory joint disease: the role of cytokines, cyclooxygenases and reactive oxygen species.

Cytokines are known to have a key role in the onset and development of inflammatory joint disease, including rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. The effects of some cytokines on the cells and tissues involved in inflammation of the joint are well catalogued, but recent discoveries of new cytokines, and interest in intracellular signalling molecules, have thrown new light on the way in which cytokines mediate the cellular responses that lead to inflammation. Here, recent work on the roles of cytokines, cyclooxygenases, nitric oxide and other reactive oxygen species, in the cellular pathways that lead from cytokine receptor to inflammation, are discussed.

Exercise in the treatment of binge eating disorder.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we examined the effects of an exercise intervention in the treatment of obese women with binge eating disorder (BED). METHOD: Subjects were randomized to one of two 6-month treatment programs that included an identical exercise component (n = 44) or to a delayed treatment control condition (n = 33). Exercise level, binge eating frequency, and depressive symptomatology were assessed pre- and posttreatment. RESULTS: Women who received active treatment reported significantly greater increases in their weekly exercise frequency than did control subjects. At posttreatment, 81.4% of subjects who had received treatment were abstinent from binge eating. Compared to women who were not abstinent at posttreatment, abstinent women evidenced significant changes in exercise frequency and caloric expenditure. However, weight loss and improvements in depressive symptomatology were not related to exercise participation. DISCUSSION: These results suggest that exercise may be an important aspect of BED treatment and useful in promoting abstinence from binge eating.

Integrating informatics into the graduate community health nursing curriculum.

Advanced practice of community health nursing is enhanced if the nurse is able to identify, create, and use databases to support nursing assessments of communities and to manage and evaluate community health programs. The College of Nursing, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, has revised its curriculum for community health nursing graduate students to include a strong focus on nursing informatics. This paper summarizes the integration of theoretical content and practice exercises into a pre-course workshop and four-course sequence. A focal point of this effort has been the "Healthy People 2000 Nursing Informatics Project," in which students develop an automated community-assessment tool and database related to the Year 2000 objectives. The use of this database and related national, state, and local databases to document community needs is emphasized. Students also evaluate nursing information systems and use information technologies to design and evaluate community health grant proposals. Curriculum development, evaluation, and modification are detailed in relation to student learning needs, faculty preparation, and equipment and consultation requirements.

High-energy operation of a Co:MgF(2) laser.

We have generated output energies of 900 mJ at 2050 nm from a pulsed, room-temperature, normal-mode Co:MgF(2) laser, with average powers as high as 6.5 W. Over the range 1800 to 2450 nm we have obtained pulse energies of at least 100 mJ.

Tunable optical parametric oscillators pumped by Ti:sapphire lasers.

We report on the application of tunable, pulsed Ti:sapphire lasers as efficient pump sources for optical parametric oscillators. Using a 90-deg phase-matched KTP crystal, we have generated output from 1030 to 1280 nm (signal) and 2180 to 3030 nm (idler) by tuning the pump laser from 700 to 900 nm, with 49 mJ of combined signal and idler output energy at a pump level of 110 mJ. In addition, we have demonstrated degenerate optical parametric oscillator operation with a KNbO(3) crystal over the pump range of 720-818 nm and observed a 44% conversion efficiency.

3-microm cw laser operations in erbium-doped YSGG, GGG, and YAG.

We have demonstrated cw laser operation at wavelengths near 3 microm from monolithic, Er-doped YSGG, GGG, and YAG lasers by direct upper-state pumping in the 0.97-microm wavelength region with either a Ti:sapphire laser or InGaAs diode lasers. We have obtained slope efficiencies as high as 31% and, with diode-laser pumping, output powers of 0.5 W. In addition, we have demonstrated tunable single-frequency operations from Er:YAG.

Changes in cultivar-specificity toward pea can result from transfer of plasmid RP4 and other incompatibility group P1 replicons to Pseudomonas syringae pv. pisi.

Transfer of RP4 and related replicons belonging to the Escherichia coli incompatibility group P (Pseudomonas aeruginosa IncP1) to races 2 and 6 of P. syringae pv. pisi was associated with the creation of two types of transconjugant, one resembling the parental race and the other showing an altered cultivar-specificity towards pea. The latter, irrespective of the parental race, exhibited a novel pattern of interaction with pea that corresponded to race 4; consequently such transconjugants were termed race 4-like. Curing of RP4 did not affect the phenotype, except in relation to the antibiotic resistances specified by RP4. The race 4-like strains were non-fluorescent when cultured on appropriate media (in contrast to the particular isolates of races 2 and 6 from which they were derived), showed an enhanced ability to inherit RP4 subsequently (at frequencies up to 10(-1) per recipient) and differed from their parental race in their pattern of plasmid profile. The plasmid profiles were similar for all race 4-like strains irrespective of origin. There was no evidence that RP4 had recombined with DNA in the recipient and probing failed to detect the retention of any part of RP4 in cured strains. The inheritance of the related cosmid vector, pLAFR3, had similar effects in races 2 and 6. This observation is important since this vector has been widely used to clone avirulence genes in plant pathogenic bacteria. Transfer of the IncW plasmids S-a and R388 did not cause any changes in the fluorescence or cultivar-specificity of races 2 or 6.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Low-threshold, cw, all-solid-state Ti:Al(2)O(3) laser.

A cw Ti:A1(2)O(3) ring laser with a threshold power of 119 mW is demonstrated. It provides a tunable source of single-frequency, diffraction-limited radiation that is suitable for injection seeding. The Ti:A1(2)O(3) laser is operated with a diode-laser-pumped, frequency-doubled, Nd:YAG laser as the sole pump source.

Performance of gain-switched Ti:A12O3 unstable-resonator lasers.

We describe an experimental investigation of Ti:A1(2)O(3) unstable-resonator lasers. A near-diffraction-limited output of 430 mJ in a 10-nsec pulse at 10 Hz has been obtained, which is to our knowledge the highest peak power from a Ti:A1(2)O(3) laser reported. We report results for both standing-wave and traveling-wave oscillators, demonstrating line narrowing by means of prism tuning and injection seeding.