University of Massachusetts Boston

About: University of Massachusetts Boston is a education organization based out in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 6541 authors who have published 12918 publications receiving 411731 citations. The organization is also known as: UMass Boston.

Urinary Estrone Conjugate and Pregnanediol 3-Glucuronide Enzyme Immunoassays for Population Research

Abstract: Background: Monitoring of reproductive steroid hormones at the population level requires frequent measurements, hormones or metabolites that remain stable under less than ideal collection and storage conditions, a long-term supply of antibodies, and assays useful for a range of populations. We developed enzyme immunoassays for urinary pregnanediol 3-glucuronide (PDG) and estrone conjugates (E1Cs) that meet these criteria. Methods: Enzyme immunoassays based on monoclonal antibodies were evaluated for specificity, detection limit, parallelism, recovery, and imprecision. Paired urine and serum specimens were analyzed throughout menstrual cycles of 30 US women. Assay application in different populations was examined with 23 US and 42 Bangladeshi specimens. Metabolite stability in urine was evaluated for 0–8 days at room temperature and for 0–10 freeze-thaw cycles. Results: Recoveries were 108% for the PDG assay and 105% for the E1C assay. Serially diluted specimens exhibited parallelism with calibration curves in both assays. Inter- and intraassay CVs were <11%. Urinary and serum concentrations were highly correlated: r = 0.93 for E1C–estradiol; r = 0.98 for PDG–progesterone. All Bangladeshi and US specimens were above detection limits (PDG, 21 nmol/L; E1C, 0.27 nmol/L). Bangladeshi women had lower follicular phase PDG and lower luteal phase PDG and E1Cs than US women. Stability experiments showed a maximum decrease in concentration for each metabolite of <4% per day at room temperature and no significant decrease associated with number of freeze-thaw cycles. Conclusions: These enzyme immunoassays can be used for the field conditions and population variation in hormone metabolite concentrations encountered in cross-cultural research.

Variation in maternal care and individual differences in play, exploration, and grooming of juvenile Norway rat offspring.

Abstract: Individual differences in two different forms of maternal licking, time in nest and nursing, were measured during the first 2 weeks after birth. Two treatments were imposed to reduce maternal anogenital licking (AGL): peripheral zinc sulfate to interfere with reception of pup chemosignals, and dietary saline to reduce appetite for pup urine. Both treatments reduced AGL but did not affect other maternal licking. Zinc sulfate was more effective than saline during the first week, but was somewhat less selective as it also increased time in nest. Selected behavioral patterns were measured in male and female juveniles and related by multiple regression to the behavior of their mothers. Independent of the method of manipulation, maternal AGL was a significant predictor of play and open-field defecation males and of some forms of activity in the open field in both sexes. The relationships between other maternal variables and juvenile behavior were more modest. These data demonstrate that intervening in the sensory regulation of maternal behavior can produce predictable changes in stimulation provided by the dam, thereby providing a useful means for investigating the effects of protracted differences in early stimulation in otherwise normal developmental contexts. © 1992 Wiley & sons. Inc.

Estimation of chromophoric dissolved organic matter in the Mississippi and Atchafalaya river plume regions using above‐surface hyperspectral remote sensing

Abstract: [1] A method for the inversion of hyperspectral remote sensing was developed to determine the absorption coefficient for chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in the Mississippi and Atchafalaya river plume regions and the northern Gulf of Mexico, where water types vary from Case 1 to turbid Case 2. Above‐surface hyperspectral remote sensing data were measured by a ship‐mounted spectroradiometer and then used to estimate CDOM. Simultaneously, water absorption and attenuation coefficients, CDOM and chlorophyll fluorescence, turbidities, and other related water properties were also measured at very high resolution (0.5–2 m) using in situ, underwater, and flow‐through (shipboard, pumped) optical sensors. We separate ag, the absorption coefficient a of CDOM, from adg (a of CDOM and nonalgal particles) based on two absorption‐ backscattering relationships. The first is between ad (a of nonalgal particles) and bbp (total particulate backscattering coefficient), and the second is between ap (a of total particles) and bbp. These two relationships are referred as ad‐based and ap‐based methods, respectively. Consequently, based on Lee’s quasi‐analytical algorithm (QAA), we developed the so‐called Extended Quasi‐Analytical Algorithm (QAA‐E) to decompose adg, using both ad‐based and ap‐based methods. The absorption‐backscattering relationships and the QAA‐E were tested using synthetic and in situ data from the International Ocean‐Colour Coordinating Group (IOCCG) as well as our own field data. The results indicate the ad‐based method is relatively better than the ap‐based method. The accuracy of CDOM estimation is significantly improved by separating ag from adg (R 2 = 0.81 and 0.65 for synthetic and in situ data, respectively). The sensitivities of the newly introduced coefficients were also analyzed to ensure QAA‐E is robust.

Effects of cognitive-behavioral strategies on pain in cancer patients.

Abstract: The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the effects of a combination of cognitive and behavioral nursing interventions on pain perception, pain control, and mood in metastatic breast cancer patients who were experiencing physical pain. A pretest-posttest experimental research design was utilized in this pilot study. Twenty-four patients with metastatic breast cancer who were experiencing physical pain were randomly assigned to a control group, to a treatment group who received relaxation and visualization training, or to a treatment group who received relaxation, visualization, and cognitive coping skills training. Measures of the subjects' pain intensity, pain distress, pain control, ability to decrease pain, and mood were taken pre- and posttreatment. Significant differences were found between the treatment groups and the control group in ability to decrease pain. There were no significant differences found in pain intensity or distress or mood. The results indicate that these cognitive-behavioral interventions could be useful clinical nursing interventions for selected cancer patients experiencing physical pain.

Si-Based GeSn Photodetectors toward Mid-Infrared Imaging Applications

Abstract: The GeSn detector offers high-performance Si-based infrared photodetectors with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technique compatibility. In this work, we report a comprehensive study...