With a Little Help from Our Friends: Social Support as a Source of Well-being and of Coping with Stress

The relationship between one\u27s psycho-emotional and physiological health has long been of interest to social scientists. While many factors have been examined for their impact on causation and prevention, over the past two decades the concepts of social support, stress and well-being have undergone much scrutiny. In this article the authors provide empirical data to enhance our understanding of the interrelatedness of these three concepts. Based on the findings from a study of stress and health in organizations, a model is proposed which elucidates some of the conditions under which social support networks mediate the impact of stress on psychological well-being

Understanding and mitigating thiaminase activity in silver carp

A deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1), an essential cofactor for enzymes involved in metabolic processes, can be caused by the enzyme thiaminase. Thiaminase in food stocks has been linked to morbidity and mortality due to thiamine depletion in many ecologically and economically important species. Thiaminase activity has been detected in certain bacteria, plants, and fish species, including carp. The invasive silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) presents an enormous burden to ecosystems throughout the Mississippi River watershed. Its large biomass and nutritional content offer an attractive possibility as a food source for humans, wild animals, or pets. Additionally, harvesting this fish could alleviate some of the effects of this species on waterways. However, the presence of thiaminase would detract from its value for dietary consumption. Here we confirm the presence of thiaminase in several tissues from silver carp, most notably the viscera, and systematically examine the effects of microwaving, baking, dehydrating, and freeze-drying on thiaminase activity. Certain temperatures and durations of baking and microwaving reduced thiaminase activity to undetectable levels. However, caution should be taken when carp tissue is concentrated by processes without sufficient heat treatment, such as freeze-drying or dehydration, which results in concentration, but not inactivation of the enzyme. The effects of such treatments on the ease of extracting proteins, including thiaminase, and the impact on data interpretation using the 4-nitrothiophenol (4-NTP) thiaminase assay were considered

Magnetic White Dwarfs from the SDSS II. The Second and Third Data Releases

Fifty-two magnetic white dwarfs have been identified in spectroscopic observations from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) obtained between mid-2002 and the end of 2004, including Data Releases 2 and 3. Though not as numerous nor as diverse as the discoveries from the first Data Release, the collection exhibits polar field strengths ranging from 1.5MG to ~1000MG, and includes two new unusual atomic DQA examples, a molecular DQ, and five stars that show hydrogen in fields above 500MG. The highest-field example, SDSSJ2346+3853, may be the most strongly magnetic white dwarf yet discovered. Analysis of the photometric data indicates that the magnetic sample spans the same temperature range as for nonmagnetic white dwarfs from the SDSS, and support is found for previous claims that magnetic white dwarfs tend to have larger masses than their nonmagnetic counterparts. A glaring exception to this trend is the apparently low-gravity object SDSSJ0933+1022, which may have a history involving a close binary companion.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journa

Masked Bobwhite Recovery: The Need for a Multifaceted Approach

Masked bobwhite (Colinus virginianus ridgwayi) is a critically endangered quail historically found in the Sonoran grasslands of southern Arizona, USA and Sonora, Mexico. Native populations of masked bobwhite may already be extinct in the wild, but captive populations exist in the United States at G. M. Sutton Avian Research Center (Oklahoma, USA), Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge (Arizona, USA), and various zoos. The 47,000-hectare Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, located in south-central Arizona, was established primarily for reintroduction of this bird. Recovery efforts within the refuge boundary in the 1980s and 1990s were initially successful but suffered debilitating setbacks that ultimately resulted in failure. Substantial releases were suspended in 2005. Improved habitat restoration efforts and promising conditioning and release techniques led to the belief that reintroductions could again be attempted and successful. In 2016–2017 plans were developed to increase captive propagation and reinitiate release efforts. Releases began in 2018. Over-winter survival of birds released in 2018–2019 was encouraging, and reproduction of wild birds was documented in 2019. An existing base of wild birds established from these releases could help masked bobwhite populations recover in the state. Habitat restoration, better methods of rearing, release, and conditioning, and improved production from captive facilities also inspire hope that a full recovery of the species in Arizona is possible

ISCEV guidelines for clinical multifocal electroretinography (2007 edition)

The clinical multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) is an electrophysiological test of local retinal function. With this technique, many local ERG responses, typically 61 or 103, are recorded from the cone-driven retina under light-adapted conditions. This document specifies guidelines for performance of the test. It also provides detailed guidance on technical and practical issues, as well as on reporting test results. The main objective of the guidelines is to promote consistent quality of mfERG testing and reporting within and among centers. These 2007 guidelines, from the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV: http://www.iscev.org), replace the ISCEV guidelines for the mfERG published in 2003

Central African Hunters Exposed to Simian Immunodeficiency Virus

HIV-seronegative Cameroonians with exposure to nonhuman primates were tested for simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection. Seroreactivity was correlated with exposure risk (p<0.001). One person had strong humoral and weak cellular immune reactivity to SIVcol peptides. Humans are exposed to and possibly infected with SIV, which has major public health implications

Recommendations for myasthenia gravis clinical trials

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Cataclysmic Variables from Sloan Digital Sky Survey. IV. The Fourth Year (2003)

This paper continues the series presenting cataclysmic variables identified during the fourth year (2003) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We describe 44 close binary systems, of which 12 are the previously known systems EN Cet, EG Cnc, V844 Her, GG Leo, Leo 7, CY UMa, DV UMa, EK UMa, EV UMa, UMa 8, EUVE J0854+390, and RX J0859.1+0537 and 32 are new cataclysmic variables. As in the previous papers, the positions, colors, and spectra of all 44 systems are shown, along with follow-up spectroscopic, photometric, and/or polarimetric observations of 15 of the new systems. The new objects include one eclipsing system, eight with prominent He II emission (of which two are confirmed new polars), and 12 systems showing features of the underlying stars. Our spectropolarimetry also confirms EUVE J0854+390 as a polar