Understanding the role of impulsivity and externalizing psychopathology in alcohol abuse: Application of the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale.

The present study explores the relation among 4 personality traits associated with impulsive behavior and alcohol abuse. Personality traits were measured using the 4 subscales of the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS: S. P. Whiteside & D. R. Lynam. 2001). The UPPS and measures of psychopathology were administered to clinical samples of alcohol abusers high in antisocial personality traits (AAPD), alcohol abusers low in antisocial personality traits (AA), and a control group (total N = 60). Separate analyses of variance indicated that AAPDs had significant elevations on all 4 UPPS scales, whereas the AAs and controls differed only on the Urgency subscale. However, when controlling for psychopathology, group differences on the UPPS scales disappeared. The results suggest that personality traits related to impulsive behavior are not directly related to alcohol abuse but rather are associated with the elevated levels of psychopathology found in a subtype of alcohol abusers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new computer-assisted three-dimensional reconstruction method provides accurate measurement of glomerular mesangial volume

Many glomerulopathies are characterized by progressive mesangial (interstitial) expansion which can be quantitated by morphometric analysis. The purpose of this study was to analyze mesangial and glomerular volumes using a new computer-assisted reconstruction (CAR) method. CAR was compared to two standard planar methods, point-counting and linear integration, for accuracy and time efficiency. In Phase I of the study, a computer-based model of the mesangial space was created by placing spherical and ellipsoidal objects of known volume into an enclosing volume mimicking the glomerulus. The simulated mesangium occupied approximately 10 percent of the glomerular volume. The model glomerulus was sectioned serially into ten sections of equal thickness and the three morphometric methods applied to determine the mesangial/glomerular volume. The complexity of the mesangial model was varied by increasing the number of mesangial regions from one to ten to 100. The CAR method estimated the model mesangial volume more accurately (1–9 percent error) through each level of complexity compared to point-counting (3–17 percent error) and linear integration (3–18 percent error). The point-counting method consistently overestimated (P < 0.05) the fractional mesangial volume for the ten- and 100-region mesangium models. In Phase II of the study, a normal rat glomerulus was sectioned serially (215 sections) and a transmission electron micrograph (TEM) of every fifth section (n = 43) was obtained. Each TEM image (2% of glomerular surface) was digitized for analysis by CAR. Point-counting and linear integration were also performed on the whole glomerular TEMs (n = 10, randomly chosen). The estimated relative mesangial/glomerular volume was 6.6 ± 0.1 percent by CAR (x? ± SD), 9.7 ± 1.5 by linear integration, and 14.9 ± 3.4 by point-counting. The point-counting method was most efficient, requiring 40 ± 8 sec/section, followed by CAR at 85 ± 24 sec/section. Linear integration was least efficient (93 ± 23 sec/section). We conclude that CAR is the most accurate morphometric method of the three compared for estimating mesangial and glomerular methods, although it is more time consuming than the point-counting method and requires more complex instrumentation. CAR is the only method that will analyze the shape and three-dimensional complexity of glomerular structures using TEMs.     

The Visual Resources Association,its role and its future

The Visual Resources Association is an international organization for those involved in image information management. Membership includes image specialists of all types, librarians, museum curators, gallery representatives, system vendors, historians, artists, and those involved in intellectual property. The Association has a publications program, and has been working on several initiatives over the last ten years in the areas of intellectual property, the development of image cataloguing standards, and professional status standards. As the image information profession changes, the Association is moving in new directions to continually serve its membership.     

The use and nature of present-focused interventions in cognitive and behavioral therapies for depression.

To improve cognitive and behavioral therapies (CBT) for depression, several approaches recommend an increased focus on the occurrence of problems as they occur in the therapeutic relationship or in relation to the live therapy process, referred to as present-focused. A lingering question has been the degree to which CBT therapists already engage in present-focused work. This study utilized sessions from recent trials of CBT for depression and, in Phase I, raters identified present-focused interventions on a turn-by-turn basis. Phase II raters used a qualitative analysis to determine categories of present-focused interventions. Results indicated that therapists rarely focused on the therapeutic relationship; when they did, it was often transient and lacking in the elaborations suggested by newer approaches. Therapists more often performed therapy process and emotion focused interventions, but these also tended to lack elaboration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of clay content, homogenization RPM, pH, and ultrasonication on mechanical and barrier properties of fish gelatin/montmorillonite nanocomposite films

The effect of clay content, homogenization RPM, and pH on the mechanical and barrier properties of fish gelatin/nanoclay composite films was investigated. The addition of 5% nanoclay (w/w) increased the tensile strength from 30.31 ± 2.37 MPa to 40.71 ± 3.30 MPa. The 9 g clay/100 g gelatin film exhibited the largest improvements in oxygen and water barrier properties. Oxygen permeability decreased from 402.8 × 10⁻⁶ ± 0.7 × 10⁻⁶ g m/m² day atm to 114.4 × 10⁻⁶ ± 16.2 × 10⁻⁶ g m/m² day atm and the water vapor permeability decreased from 31.2 × 10⁻³ ± 1.6 × 10⁻³ ng m/m² s Pa to 8.1 × 10⁻³ ± 0.1 × 10⁻³ ng m/m² s Pa. The XRD and TEM observation suggested that the ultrasonication treatment (30 min at 40% output) resulted in exfoliation of the silicates.     

Suppression of phonon‐mediated hot carrier relaxation in type‐II InAs/AlAsxSb1 − x quantum wells: a practical route to hot carrier solar cells

InAs/AlAs_xSb_{1 − x} quantum wells are investigated for their potential as hot carrier solar cells. Continuous wave power and temperature‐dependent photoluminescence indicate a transition in the dominant hot carrier relaxation process from conventional phonon‐mediated carrier relaxation below 90 K to a regime where inhibited radiative recombination dominates the hot carrier relaxation at elevated temperatures. At temperatures below 90 K, photoluminescence measurements are consistent with type‐I quantum wells that exhibit hole localization associated with alloy/interface fluctuations. At elevated temperatures, hole delocalization reveals the true type‐II band alignment, where it is observed that inhibited radiative recombination due to the spatial separation of the charge carriers dominates hot carrier relaxation. This decoupling of phonon‐mediated relaxation results in robust hot carriers at higher temperatures, even at lower excitation powers. These results indicate type‐II quantum wells offer potential as practical hot carrier systems. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Potentiation of lysis of leukaemia cells by a bispecific antibody to CD33 and CD16 (Fc gamma RIII) expressed by human natural killer (NK) cells

Bispecific antibodies recognizing tumour-associated antigens and trigger molecules expressed on immune effector cells have been shown to redirect cytotoxicity of several types of peripheral blood cells against relevant tumour targets. Among various effector cells, natural killer (NK) cells appear to play a role in defence against leukaemia. Here we report the successful chemical conjugation of monoclonal antibodies to CD33 and CD16 to create a bispecific antibody (BsAb 251 x 3G8). This bispecific antibody is capable of augmenting the killing of otherwise resistant leukaemia cells by peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), purified resting NK (R-NK) cells, and activated NK (A-NK) cells. BsAb 251 x 3G8 may play a role in the therapy of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) through redirecting the cytotoxic activity of endogenous or adoptively transferred NK cells.     

Security of capsular fixation: small-versus large-hole plate-hepatic lenses

PURPOSE: To assess the effect of relatively large positioning holes on the security of capsular bag fixation of plate-haptic silicone intraocular lenses (IOLs). SETTING: Center for Research on Ocular Therapeutics and Biodevices, Department of Ophthalmology, Storm Eye Institute, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA. METHODS: This study tested the hypothesis that larger holes allow ingrowth of lens material, fibrous tissue, or both through them, which helps fixate the lens more firmly in the capsular bag. Five rabbits had bilateral continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis, phacoemulsification, and implantation of a plate-haptic silicone IOL. An IOL with a small, round positioning hole (Staar AA-4203V) was implanted in the right eye in each rabbit, and a large-hole IOL (Staar AA-4203VF) was implanted in the left eye. After 2 months, all rabbits were killed. The force required to extract one haptic from the capsular bag was measured with a digital force meter. All eyes had histopathological analysis. RESULTS: It was slightly more difficult to extract a large-hole IOL from the capsular bag, although this trend was not statistically significant. However, histopathological analysis consistently showed 360 degree synechia formation through the holes, showing that the IOL could be securely fixed in position. CONCLUSIONS: Proliferation of lens epithelial cells through a large positioning hole in a plate-haptic silicone IOL may improve the long-term security of capsular bag fixation. This will help reduce the incidence of IOL decentration and dislocation.     

Autologous lymphokine-activated killer cell therapy of Epstein-Barr virus-positive and -negative lymphoproliferative disorders arising in organ transplant recipients

Lymphoreticular malignancies, collectively called posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD), eventually develop in 2-5% of organ transplant recipients. They frequently undergo regression when immunosuppression is reduced or stopped. This feature has been associated with a previous or de novo Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. We herein describe immunotherapy with autologous lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells in seven patients with PTLD (four EBV-positive patients and three EBV-negative patients). Autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells were obtained by leukapheresis, depleted of monocytes, and cultured in the presence of interleukin 2 for 10 to 11 days. A single dose of 5.2 x 10(9) to 5.6 x 10(10) LAK cells was given intravenously. Systemic interleukin 2 was not administered. The four patients with EBV+ PTLD had complete tumor regression; two of them developed controllable rejection. Three patients are well 13-16 months after treatment; the fourth patient died of pneumonia 41 days after infusion. Three patients with EBV- lymphomas had no response despite prior evidence that their tumors also were subject to immune surveillance. Two of these three patients died after being given other treatment, and the third patient has persistent tumor. In conclusion, autologous LAK cell infusion was effective for treatment of four EBV+ organ transplant recipients. LAK cell efficacy for three patients with EBV- PTLD was not evaluable under the management circumstances in which this treatment was utilized.