Implicit associations with social status: the effects of relationship involvement

The study tested the proposition that relationship involvement influences the implicit responses of women to high- and low-status professions. It was hypothesized that when a high-involvement context was primed, women would have more positive implicit associations with high-status occupations than when a low-involvement context was primed. In contrast, when a high-involvement context was primed, women would have more negative associations with low-status occupations than when a low-involvement context was primed. To test the hypothesis, 123 female participants received a high or low relationship involvement prime. Then the participants completed a single category implicit associations test designed to measure the participants' associations with either high- or low-status occupations. As predicted, the relationship involvement prime influenced the positivity of associations made with high- and low-status occupations. The study pointed to the possibility that persons possess evolutionary-based implicit associations.     

Successful disinfection of trumpet mouthpieces using domestic steam disinfection

There have been numerous reports in the literature describing the diversity of microbial flora isolated from woodwind and brass instruments, with potential infection risks for players, especially when such instruments are shared. Steam disinfection has become established as a trusted method of decontamination; however, there have been no reports on the employment of this technology to disinfect parts of musical instruments, hence it was the aim of this study to examine the fate of bacterial and yeast pathogens on artificially contaminated trumpet mouthpieces and to evaluate whether such disinfection is an effective method of disinfection for such instrument parts. Trumpet mouthpieces were artificially contaminated with 18 microbial strains (17 bacteria from four genera (Enterococcus, Escherichia, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus) and one yeast (Candida)), each at an inoculum density of approximately 1·5 × 10⁷ colony forming units and subjected to a disinfection cycle. The experiment was repeated including 50% (v/v) sterile sputum as soil. No bacteria or yeast organisms were recovered post disinfection, including following recovery and with nonselective cultural enrichment techniques.     

Exogenous GnRH overrides the endogenous annual reproductive rhythm in green iguanas, Iguana iguana

Female green iguanas, Iguana iguana, were caught in Belize, Central America (17 degrees N), in December, at the onset of seasonal gonadal activity. The animals were immediately transferred to San Diego (32 degrees N). Ovarian follicular development continued, with peak plasma hormone levels measured in January and February; 200 pg/ml for progesterone (P) and 800 pg/ml for total estrogens (Et = estradiol [E2] + estrone [E1]). E2 was the predominant estrogen throughout the cycle. Follicular atrophy was indicated in April with circulating progesterone and estrogen levels decreasing to baseline (refractory phase) levels (P = 20 pg/ml; Et = 50 pg/ml). Approximately midway through the refractory phase of their annual reproductive cycle (late May), either the D-Arg6 analog of Chicken II or mammalian GnRH was administered via intraperitoneal osmotic pumps for 14 days to nine females. The analog of chicken II induced a fivefold increase in total circulating estrogens within 3-4 days after implantation. Both continuous and pulsatile delivery of the chicken II analog produced a similar pattern of steroidogenic response. A radical sham control animal showed no increase in steroidogenesis. Mammalian GnRH produced a pattern of similar duration, although the magnitude of the steroidogenic response was only half that produced by the chicken II analog. Estrogen titers approached baseline levels in all treatment groups two days after treatment ceased. Progesterone levels increased in all treatment groups during the delivery of exogenous GnRH, although the increases were not consistent. Untreated male cagemates housed with treated females exhibited increased territoriality, courtship behavior, and mating, which began on day 4 or 5 of the treatment period. The control female was not courted by its male cagemate.     

Cytogenetic studies using Q-band polymorphisms in patients with AML receiving marrow from like-sex donors

Summary After bone marrow transplantation (BMT), it is important to monitor the bone marrow and lymphoid cell populations of the recipient to document engraftment. When donor and recipient are of unlike sex, the sex chromosomes serve as a useful marker to determine cellular origin. When donor and recipient are of like sex, autosomal heteromorphisms can be used to identify the origin of cells in metaphase. Using Q-banding, we found that 17 of 20 patient/donor pairs (85%) examined showed at least one chromosome heteromorphism that distinguished between recipient and donor cells with certainty. Five of the patients were followed up after BMT in order to document engraftment. Donor metaphases could be detected in the marrow within two weeks of BMT when the graft was successful. Chimaerism was detected in the lymphocyte population even when the graft persisted. In a case of graft failure, donor cells did not persist in the marrow, and the lymphocyte population did not convert to donor type. These studies demonstrate that autosomal heteromorphisms are useful in the study of myeloid and lymphoid chimaeric states after BMT.