Advances in empirically based assessment: Revised cross-informant syndromes and new DSM-oriented scales for the CBCL, YSR, and TRF: Comment on Lengua, Sadowski, Friedrich, and Fisher (2001).

L. Lengua et al. (2001) (see record 2001-18163-010) proposed scoring the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; T. Achenbach, (1991 b) on dimensions that "correspond to current conceptualizations of child symptomatology," (p. 695) embodied in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; 4th ed., American Psychiatric Association, 1994). They concluded that their "results support the use of the new dimensions." Yet, their regressions and diagnostic efficiency statistics showed that DSM diagnoses were predicted less well by their dimensions than by CBCL syndromes that reflect actual patterns of problems. Not only these findings, but also the high correlations of their dimensions with CBCL syndromes and the lack of norms and validated clinical cutoffs for their dimensions, argue against use of their dimensions. To advance assessment and taxonomy, new national samples have been used to construct DSM-oriented scales and to revise cross-informant syndromes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A digitally temperature-compensated crystal oscillator

The base frequency of oscillators used in the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) network or Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver applications needs to be very stable with respect to temperature and supply-voltage variations. One approach to obtain extremely good frequency stability is the use of oven-stabilized crystal oscillators. With this kind of oscillator, a frequency stability versus temperature of a few ppb versus the standard temperature range can be achieved. In this paper, a digitally compensated crystal oscillator is described. The system provides a frequency stability of (Δf)/f<1.5 ppm for a temperature range of -40°C to 90°C compared to about ±20 ppm for a noncompensated crystal. The core of the system is an application-specified integrated circuit (ASIC) fabricated in a standard 0.8-μm CMOS process. The power consumption for the oscillator running at 13 MHz is 100 mW. The final device equipped with the ASIC, crystal blank, and a few external components fits into a 14×9×3 mm³ package     

Newly developed acrylate injection resin gels for structural sealing and active corrosion protection of embedded steel reinforcement

The corrosion potential of waterproofing acrylate injection resins is relevant when these materials are used in reinforced concrete structures. Sika Technology AG has developed a new generation of acrylate resin gels for use as injection material to seal cracks, repair honeycombed areas, and fill voids in concrete structures. This new material shows promising results in electrochemical laboratory tests for the provision of corrosion protection to the embedded reinforcement. These electrochemical analyses have been carried out at Sika Technology AG and in the Institute for Building Research (ibac) at RWTH Aachen University. The results of this investigation and the corresponding conclusions for their use in building, construction, and refurbishment works are presented below.     

Gender differences in depressive symptoms in adolescence: Comparison of national samples of clinically referred and nonreferred youths.

Gender differences in depressed mood, a syndrome of mixed anxiety-depression. and an analogue of major depressive disorder were compared in parents' and adolescents' reports in 2 large, demographically matched national samples of clinically referred and nonreferred adolescents. Referral status accounted for the greatest share of the variance in these problems. Gender differences were moderate in size and consistent in referred youths, with referred girls scoring higher than referred boys on all measures, whereas gender differences in nonreferred adolescents were either nonsignificant or small in magnitude. Gender differences were also larger in magnitude in adolescents' self-reports than in parents' reports. The interaction of age and gender was nonsignificant in all analyses. Implications for understanding the extent of gender differences in adolescents' depressive symptoms are highlighted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Crack detection by resonant frequency measurements

The resonant frequency of 304 stainless steel specimens with a center-drilled hole has been measured as a function of fatigue cycles during crack initiation and propagation. Simultaneous measurements of crack lengths by scanning electron microscopy yield the resonant frequencyvs crack length. The change of resonant frequency is equivalent to the change of an effective elastic modulus. Analytical results for a “spring” model to predict the change in effective modulus due to the presence of cracks have been compared with results derived from resonant tests. In the model, the load transfer across the plane of the crack is represented by a distribution of springs of stiffness that depends on the crack length. Good agreement is observed between theory and experiment for cracks up to 500-μm long. The model may be used to obtain the crack length from resonance measurements. Formerly with the Materials Science and Engineering Department, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208,     

Self-calibrating ultrasonic technique for crack depth measurement

A configuration of transducers together with a self-calibrating measurement technique is proposed to investigate the reflection and transmission of surface waves by a surface-breaking or near surface defect. By means of this technique, the ratio of the reflection and transmission coefficients (R/T and/orT/R) can be obtained in a reliable and accurate manner. The reflection and transmission of surface waves for oblique incidence on a surface breaking crack is investigated in detail. Information onT/R for the latter case can be used to determine the depth of the crack. The experimental measurements ofT/R show excellent agreement with theoretical results.     

Combined screening for autoantibodies to IA-2 and antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase in first degree relatives of patients with IDDM. The DENIS Study Group. Deutsche Nikotinamid Interventions-Studie

To determine the value of antibodies to the intracytoplasmic domain of the tyrosine phosphatase IA-2 (anti-IA-2ic) and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA) for identification of subjects at risk for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) we investigated 1238 first degree relatives of patients with IDDM for the presence of anti-IA-2ic and GADA and compared the results with cytoplasmic islet cell antibodies (ICA). Anti-IA-2ic were observed in 54 (4.4%) first degree relatives, in 51 of 86 (59.3%) ICA positive relatives and in 3 of 4 individuals who developed overt IDDM within a follow-up period of 1 to 28 months. GADA were found in 78 of 1238 (6.3%) first degree relatives. They were detected in 22 of 35 (62.9%) sera with ICA alone and in 1 of 3 subjects with anti-IA-2ic in the absence of ICA. Of the 1238 subjects 37 (3.0%) sera were positive for all three antibodies. Both anti-IA-2ic and GADA were positively correlated with high levels of ICA. Anti-IA-2ic and GADA were detected in 39.1 and 47.8% of subjects with ICA of less than 20 Juvenile Diabetes Foundation units (JDF-U) but in 66.7 and 76.2% of individuals with ICA of 20 JDF-U or more, respectively (p < 0.05). The levels of ICA and GADA in first degree relatives with at least one additional marker were significantly higher than in subjects with ICA alone (p < 0.005) or GADA alone (p < 0.03). The combination of anti-IA-2ic and GADA identified 84.9% of all ICA positive subjects and 93.7% of individuals with high level ICA (> or = 20 IDF-U). All 4 individuals who progressed to IDDM had either IA-2ic or GADA. Our data indicate that primary screening for anti-IA-2ic and GADA provides a powerful approach with which to identify subjects at risk for IDDM in large-scale population studies which may represent the basis for the design of new intervention strategies.     

Acoustic emission from a surface-breaking crack under cyclic loading

Summary An isotropic, homogeneous, elastic half-space is subjected to a uniform stress system composed of a constant tensile stress with a superimposed cyclic tensile stress, both parallel to the free surface. The cyclic stresses are assumed to generate a surface-breaking crack of length l(t) which propagates normal to the surface. The unloading of the crack faces generates acoustic emission, which is primarily composed of surface waves. The elastodynamic reciprocity theorem for time-harmonic waves is used to determine the radiated system of transient and steady state surface waves. Dedicated to Professor Franz Ziegler on the occasion of his 70th birthday     

A Probabilistic Method to Predict Fatigue Crack Initiation

A probabilistic method to predict macrocrack initiation due to fatigue damage is presented in this paper. Acoustic non-linearity is used to quantify pre-macrocrack initiation damage. This data is then used in a probabilistic analysis of fatigue damage. The probabilistic fatigue damage analysis consists of a suitably chosen damage evolution equation to model accumulated damage coupled with a procedure to calculate the probability of macrocrack initiation. The probability of macrocrack initiation is evaluated using the Monte Carlo Method with Importance Sampling. Numerical results for the probabilistic assessment of fatigue damage for a sample problem are presented and compared with experimental results.     

Investigation of Wall Shear Stress in Cardiovascular Research and in Clinical Practice—From Bench to Bedside

In the 1900s, researchers established animal models experimentally to induce atherosclerosis by feeding them with a cholesterol-rich diet. It is now accepted that high circulating cholesterol is one of the main causes of atherosclerosis; however, plaque localization cannot be explained solely by hyperlipidemia. A tremendous amount of studies has demonstrated that hemodynamic forces modify endothelial athero-susceptibility phenotypes. Endothelial cells possess mechanosensors on the apical surface to detect a blood stream-induced force on the vessel wall, known as “wall shear stress (WSS)”, and induce cellular and molecular responses. Investigations to elucidate the mechanisms of this process are on-going: on the one hand, hemodynamics in complex vessel systems have been described in detail, owing to the recent progress in imaging and computational techniques. On the other hand, investigations using unique in vitro chamber systems with various flow applications have enhanced the understanding of WSS-induced changes in endothelial cell function and the involvement of the glycocalyx, the apical surface layer of endothelial cells, in this process. In the clinical setting, attempts have been made to measure WSS and/or glycocalyx degradation non-invasively, for the purpose of their diagnostic utilization. An increasing body of evidence shows that WSS, as well as serum glycocalyx components, can serve as a predicting factor for atherosclerosis development and, most importantly, for the rupture of plaques in patients with high risk of coronary heart disease.