Multifactorial assessment of bulimia nervosa.

Investigated a multifactorial approach to the assessment of bulimia nervosa by means of hierarchical factor analysis. 245 bulimia nervosa patients and 68 patients with either anorexia nervosa or eating disorders not otherwise specified were administered a self-report battery that was organized into 21 dimensions relevant to eating disorder patients. When dimensions from this battery were subjected to hierarchical factor analysis, support for bulimia nervosa as a unique diagnostic category was obtained. However, the emergence of 3 secondary factors and 6 primary factors suggests that bulimia nervosa can also be described more complexly. The emergence of a multifactorial model of bulimia nervosa that incorporates several existing unidimensional models suggests the potential for both divergent and complicated clinical presentation in bulimia nervosa patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychopathology in inpatients dependent on cocaine or alcohol and cocaine.

Assessed the differences between cocaine- and cocaine-plus-alcohol-dependent inpatients along several psychological variables. Of the 144 men that served as Ss, 113 were cocaine dependent and 31 were dependent on both cocaine and alcohol (CD-AD). CD-AD Ss showed significantly more symptoms of depression and anxiety and were more likely to have antisocial and avoidant personality disorders. The CD-AD group scored higher overall on the MMPI clinical scales. Results suggest that patients dependent on both cocaine and alcohol require increased attention to psychopathology during treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modelling the kinetics of antigen-antibody reactions at particle enhanced optical immunoassays

Functionalized latexes coated by antibodies are used in diagnostic tests for the detection of antigens in biological fluids. A simple kinetic model is presented which is related to the optical monitoring of the formation of specific complexes between antigen and antibody amplified by latex beads. The antibodies are chemically coupled onto chloromethylstyrene (CMST) particles. The kinetic model is able to describe the immunoprecipitin curves of immunolatex beads. The number of fitting parameters is relatively reduced (only three), and the meaning of these parameters can be interpreted in terms of the chemical equilibrium constant, the percentage of active IgG on the latex beads, and optical response. The model explains very well the optical response of immunolatex prepared by covalent coupling of antibodies on polymer carriers.     

Gaussian,Lobatto and Radau positive quadrature rules with a prescribed abscissa

For a given $\theta \in (a,b)$ , we investigate the question whether there exists a positive quadrature formula with maximal degree of precision which has the prescribed abscissa $\theta $ plus possibly $a$ and/or $b$ , the endpoints of the interval of integration. This study relies on recent results on the location of roots of quasi-orthogonal polynomials. The above positive quadrature formulae are useful in studying problems in one-sided polynomial $L_1$ approximation.     

Performance studies on a high temperature thermal regenerator with radial flow geometry

This paper describes the design, construction and performance of a high temperature thermal regenerator of annular geometry with radial air flow present. This regenerator has possible application to the efficient exploitation of high temperature gas reactions and in particular to the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen for which this investigation was made. A mathematical model is formulated for the transient heat transfer between a fluid and an annular solid matrix with reversing flows and is solved numerically. The model is used to predict and analyse the operating performance of the regenerator over a range of flow rates (650 Kg/hr maximum), flow reversal periods (100 seconds maximum) and core temperatures (1431°C maximum). The model is tested by comparison of the theoretical and observed regenerator effectiveness, internal bed temperature profiles and the bed pressure drop under conditions of cyclic equilibrium. Apparent effective heat transfer coefficients for the regenerator packing are obtained and compared with an empirical correlation based on independant measurements.     

Pressure waves in the aorta during isolated abdominal belt loading: the magnitude, phasing, and attenuation

While rupture of the aorta is a leading cause of sudden death following motor vehicle crashes, the specific mechanism that causes this injury is not currently well understood. Aortic ruptures occurring in the field are likely due to a complex combination of contributing factors such as acceleration, compression of the chest, and increased pressure within the aorta. The objective of the current study was to investigate one of these factors in more detail than has been done previously; specifically, to investigate the in situ intra-aortic pressure generated during isolated belt loading to the abdomen. Ten juvenile swine were subjected to dynamic belt loads applied to the abdomen. Intraaortic pressure was measured at multiple locations to assess the magnitude and propagation of the resulting blood pressure wave. The greatest average peak pressure (113.6 +/- 43.5 kPa) was measured in the abdominal aorta. Pressures measured in the thoracic aorta and aortic arch were 70 per cent and 50 per cent, respectively, that measured in the abdominal aorta. No macroscopic aortic trauma was observed. To the authors' knowledge the present study is the first one to document the presence, propagation, and attenuation of a transient pressure wave in the aorta generated by abdominal belt loading. The superiorly moving wave is sufficient to generate hydrostatic and intimal shear stress in the aorta, possibly contributing to the hypothesized mechanisms of traumatic aortic rupture.     

Investigating teamwork and taskwork in single- and multi-display groupware systems

Multi-display groupware (MDG) systems, which typically comprise both public and personal displays, promise to enhance collaboration, yet little is understood about how they differ in use from single-display groupware (SDG) systems. While research has established the technical feasibility of MDG systems, evaluations have not addressed the question of how users’ behave in such environments, how their interface design can impact group behavior, or what advantages they offer for collaboration. This paper presents a user study that investigates the impact of display configuration and software interface design on taskwork and teamwork. Groups of three completed a collaborative optimization task in single- and multi-display environments, under different task interface constraints. Our results suggest that MDG configurations offer advantages for performing individual task duties, whereas SDG conditions offer advantages for coordinating access to shared resources. The results also reveal the importance of ergonomic design considerations when designing co-located groupware systems.     

Trends in psychotherapy process research: Samples, measures, researchers, and classic publications.

Psychotherapy studies published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology (JCP) and the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (JCCP) between 1978 and 1992 were examined. Differences were found between the 2 journals. JCP published mostly process, outcome, and analog research, whereas JCCP published mostly outcome research. Most process and process-outcome studies across journals were of individual, brief therapy. Across the years, more diversity was evident in samples used in process research in terms of student status, gender, and race of clients and therapists. Three content areas were prominent in the process measures and classic studies: therapist techniques, therapist influence, and facilitative conditions. Lists are provided of the frequently used measures, most productive authors, and classic studies in process research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

High Figure of Merit (FOM) of Bragg Modes in Au‐Coated Nanodisk Arrays for Plasmonic Sensing

Gold‐coated nanodisk arrays of nearly micron periodicity are reported that have high figure of merit (FOM) and sensitivity necessary for plasmonic refractometric sensing, with the added benefit of suitability for surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), large‐scale microfabrication using standard photolithographic techniques and a simple instrumental setup. Gold nanodisk arrays are covered with a gold layer to excite the Bragg modes (BM), which are the propagative surface plasmons localized by the diffraction from the disk array. This generates surface‐guided modes, localized as standing waves, leading to highly confined fields confirmed by a mapping of the SERS intensity and numerical simulations with 3D finite element method. The optimal gold‐coated nanodisk arrays are applied for refractometric sensing in transmission spectroscopy with better performance than nanohole arrays and they are integrated to a 96‐well plate reader for detection of IgY proteins in the nanometer range in PBS. The potential for sensing in biofluids is assessed with IgG detection in 1:1 diluted urine. The structure exhibits a high FOM of up to 46, exceeding the FOM of structures supporting surface plasmon polaritons and comparable to more complex nanostructures, demonstrating that subwavelength features are not necessary for high‐performance plasmonic sensing.