Problem solving in the treatment of childhood obesity.

This study randomized obese children from 67 families to groups that received a 6-month family-based behavioral weight-control program plus parent and child problem solving, child problem solving, or standard treatment with no additional problem solving. The standard group showed larger body mass index (BMI) decreases than the parent?+?child group through 2 years, with significant differences in the percentage of children who showed large BMI changes. Significant statistical and clinical improvements were observed over time in child behavior problems and parental distress. Parent problem solving increased in the parent?+?child condition relative to the other conditions, whereas child problem solving increased equally in all conditions. The bulk of evidence suggests that problem solving did not add to treatment effectiveness beyond the standard family-based treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patient‐reported cognitive functioning and daily functioning in chronic dialysis patients

Subjective cognitive impairment negatively affects daily functioning, health‐related quality of life, and health care consumption, and is predictive of future cognitive decline in many patient populations. However, no subjective measures of multidimensional cognitive functioning have been evaluated for dialysis patients. Our purposes were to examine (1) the association between patient‐reported (subjective) cognitive functioning and objective cognitive functioning and (2) the relationships between subjective and objective cognitive functioning and everyday functioning of dialysis patients. We used baseline data from an ongoing longitudinal observational study of trajectories in dialysis patients' multidimensional quality of life. One hundred thirty‐five patients completed a telephone‐based neuropsychological battery (Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone, a measure of objective cognitive functioning), a measure of subjective cognitive functioning (Patient's Assessment of Own Functioning Inventory), and measures of everyday functioning (Activities of Daily Living [ADL] and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living [IADL] scales). After controlling for age and education, there was a modest correlation (r = 0.33, P > 0.001) between subjective and objective cognitive functioning. Multivariate logistic regression models showed subjective, but not objective, cognitive functioning was a significant predictor of both ADLs and IADLs. The findings suggest the potential clinical value of subjective measures of cognitive functioning, not to replace objective measures or diagnostic tests, but rather to optimize the meaningfulness of clinical assessment and management.     

The Cytotoxic Activity of Macromolecular Ferrocene Conjugates Against the Colo 320 DM Human Colon Cancer Line

Water-soluble and biocompatible polymers containing bioreversibly attached ferrocene units as side chain terminals have in recent years attracted interest in drug research. In preliminary screens, polymers of this type have shown high antiproliferative activity against selected human carcinoma cell lines, paired with low in vivo toxicity. They may thus lend themselves as efficacious prodrugs in cancer chemotherapy. Cancers of the intestinal system are known to resist chemotherapeutic treatment. This general lack of sensitivity of the colorectal malignancies prompted us to investigate the in vitro behavior of selected carrier-bound ferrocene prodrugs against the Colo 320 DM cell line, a representative human adenocarcinoma of the colon. The findings of this investigation are reported in the present communication. The carriers 1 to 10 used for conjugation with the metallocene are water-soluble aliphatic polyamides featuring primary or secondary amine functionality as side chain terminals or main chain constituents. By previously developed methodology these amino groups are coupled with the ferrocenylation agent, 4-ferrocenylbutanoic acid, generating the target conjugates 1-Fc to 10-Fc, in which the metallocene is bound through amide or hydrazone links. Cell culture tests are performed by established protocol against the Colo line and, for comparison, also against the HeLa cells. Significantly, while outstanding performance is observed for most of the conjugates against both cell lines, the results indicate activities in the Colo screens to be higher on average than determined in the sensitive HeLa tests.     

Alfalfa Leaf Saponins and Insect Resistance

Dried alfalfa (Medicago sativa) leaf tissue incorporated in artificial diet to give a final concentration of 0.5 or 1.6 mg/g fresh weight of saponins significantly inhibited growth and development of larvae of the European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis). Saponin fractions isolated from root or shoot tissues of alfalfa also inhibited growth when incorporated at equivalent concentrations but had little effect on development. Root saponins were somewhat more harmful than shoot saponins.     

Topics and signs: Defensive control of emotional expression.

This single-case study examined frank disclosure of important topics in a brief exploratory psychotherapy, including topics closely related to a recent, unintegrated stressor life event. Quantitative measures of emotion and control variables showed heightened levels of both emotionality and defensive control during discourse on the topic of the stressor event. In future studies, such measures of verbal and nonverbal signs of emotional expression and defensive control might be used to identify topics in an unresolved state. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal depression, paternal psychopathology, and adolescent diagnostic outcomes.

The authors examined the relationship between maternal depression, paternal psychopathology, and adolescent diagnostic outcomes in a community sample of 522 Australian families. They also examined whether chronic family stress, father's expressed emotion, and parents' marital satisfaction mediated the relationship between parental psychopathology and adolescent outcomes. Mother's education, child's gender, and family income were covaried in all analyses. Results revealed that maternal depression and paternal depression had an additive effect on youth externalizing disorders. In addition, maternal depression interacted with both paternal depression and paternal substance abuse in predicting youth depression but not youth nondepressive disorders. Chronic family stress and father's expressed emotion appeared to mediate the relationship between parental psychopathology and youth depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measurement of mothers' confidence to care for children assisted with tracheostomy technology in family homes

The purpose of this research was to develop an objective, linear measure of mothers' confidence to care for children assisted with tracheostomy medical technology in their homes. Caregiver confidence is addressed in this research for three technologies, namely, a) trachesotomy, b) tracheostomy and ventilator, and c) BiPAP/CPAP although detailed measurement results are only reported for tracheostomy, and its co-calibration with tracheostomy and ventilator caregiving items. The sample consisted of 53 mothers responding to several caregiver questionnaires based on a caregiving task matrix after content and clinical validation. A major challenge was integrating this construct with overarching principles already established by Functional Caregiving, a multi-level humanistic caregiving model for children with intellectual disabilities. Empirical analyses included principal components analysis, and then linear transformation of Tracheostomy item ratings to an objective, equal-interval scale with a Rasch model. Results show caregiver separation on the Tracheostomy caregiving scale was 2.66 and reliability, .88. In general, co-calibration improved measurement properties without affecting mothers' caregiving confidence measures. Although sample size was small, measuring mothers' confidence to care for a child supported by complex medical technologies appears very promising.     

Alpha: From the International Style to the International Space Station

How has a Modernist predilection for the modular contributed to the design of Space Architecture? Leading space architects Constance Adams and Rod Jones highlight how by embracing a diligent modularity in the early 1980s, NASA initiated a design approach that has enabled replicability, flexibility and technological transparency, and has proved the International Space Station resilient in the face of multiple logistical, financial and political challenges.     

Applying infinite state model checking and other analysis techniques to tabular requirements specifications of safety-critical systems

Although it is most often applied to finite state models, in recent years, symbolic model checking has been extended to infinite state models using symbolic representations that encode infinite sets. This paper investigates the application of an infinite state symbolic model checker called Action Language Verifier (ALV) to formal requirements specifications of safety-critical systems represented in the SCR (Software Cost Reduction) tabular notation. After reviewing the SCR method and tools, the Action Language for representing state machine models, and the ALV infinite state model checker, the paper presents experimental results of formally analyzing two SCR specifications using ALV. The application of ALV to verify or falsify (by generating counterexample behaviors) the state and transition invariants of SCR specifications and to check Disjointness and Coverage properties is described. The results of formal analysis with ALV are then compared with the results of formal analysis using techniques that have been integrated into the SCR toolset. Based on the experimental results, strengths and weaknesses of infinite state model checking with respect to other formal analysis approaches such as explicit and finite state model checking and theorem proving are discussed.