Treating traumatized OEF/OIF veterans: How does trauma treatment affect the clinician?

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 42(3) of Professional Psychology: Research and Practice (see record 2011-11548-008). The word “While” was erroneously inserted in the first sentence of the “Clinician Factors” section. The correct sentence is stated in the correction.] The authors of this article describe the rewards and challenges for clinicians treating veterans who have served in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Issues of vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout are defined and reviewed, as are compassion satisfaction and posttraumatic growth. Patient, clinician, and organizational characteristics that are likely to affect clinicians working with this clinical population are discussed. Patient factors that may increase strain on clinicians are discussed such as age, likelihood of redeployment, comorbid conditions, attendance issues, and elevated risk for suicide and aggression. Clinician factors, such as theoretical orientation, training, supervision, military affiliation, personal trauma history, spirituality, social support, and self-care, are also discussed as possible risk and protective factors for vicarious trauma and burnout. Organizational influences, such as caseload size and diversity, clinician control and autonomy, use of evidence-based practices, availability of resources, rural isolation, and the philosophy of the clinic, are further discussed. Recommendations for ameliorating risks are discussed relative to each area and include allowing clinicians to plan their own appointments so as to balance their caseload of OEF/OIF veterans, attending to self-care practices, and having a supportive team with thorough training in evidence-based practices. Future empirical research is needed on risk and resiliency factors for clinicians working with traumatized OEF/OIF veterans given that this population is likely to grow. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

News in the soldering of different materials

The thermal and mechanical properties of a diffusion-hardening solder intended for flux-free soldering of different materials with the additions that decrease the thermal expansion coefficient are considered.     

The use of Kachkanar raw materials in the smelting of conversion pig iron

The Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Combine has periodically used Kachkanar agglomerate to make conversion pig iron since 1972. Use of this material reached a peak in 1998, when it comprised an average of 27.1% of the charge. In some months, the amount of this material charged into the furnace reached highs of 45.6 and 74.1% on certain furnaces. The coolers on the iron notches of furnaces 4 and 5 burned during that year, the quality of the smelting products and the condition of the ladles rapidly deteriorated, and the smelting rate declined. No Kachkanar agglomerate was used in 2000–2001, but it was again added to the charge in February 2002. The amount used was smaller than previously, averaging 10.7% for the shop as a whole. It was determined that using a charge with 15% Kachkanar agglomerate has both positive and negative consequences. N. N. Gorshkov, A. V. Denisov, and V. Kh. Barinov also participated in this study. __________ Translated from Metallurg, No. 3, pp. 43–45, March, 2006.     

In vitro aging of dental composites in water--effect of degree of conversion, filler volume, and filler/matrix coupling

We report here the role of the CXC chemokine, epithelial neutrophil activating peptide (ENA-78), as an angiogenic factor in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In freshly isolated human specimens of NSCLC, elevated levels of ENA-78 were found that strongly correlated with the vascularity of the tumors. In a SCID mouse model of human NSCLC tumorigenesis, expression of ENA-78 in developing tumors correlated with tumor growth in two different NSCLC cell lines. Furthermore, passive immunization of NSCLC tumor-bearing mice with neutralizing anti-ENA-78 antibodies reduced tumor growth, tumor vascularity, and spontaneous metastases, while having no effect on the proliferation of NSCLC cells either in vitro or in vivo. These findings suggest that ENA-78 is an important angiogenic factor in human NSCLC.     

Study on the curing properties of SBR/La-GDTC/SiO_2 composites

A lanthanum glutamic dithiocarbamate(La-GDTC) was synthesized. The vulcanization kinetic and crosslinking structure of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR)/La-GDTC/silica(SiO2) composites were studied via vulcanization kinetic simulation,swelling equilibrium and differential scanning calorimeter. Simulated curing parameters showed that the curing rate k2 of the SBR/La-GDTC/SiO2 composite was significantly higher than that of the SBR/La-GDTC composite. Also,swelling equilibrium test turned out that crosslinking density of SBR/LaGDTC/SiO2 composite evolved to higher level,compared to that of the SBR/La-GDTC composite. Ammonia modified swelling equilibrium interpreted both lanthanum ions and carboxyl groups could react with silanol groups of silica particles. Finally,vulcanization activation energies of SBR/La-GDTC/SiO2 composite were lower than that of SBR/La-GDTC composite,without respect to different approaches of the DSC measurement or Oscillated Disc Rheometer test. All the results showed that the lanthanum ions of La-GDTC could act as the metal ion catalyzer of sulfur vulcanization during the crosslinking process,which could be attributed to the unoccupied orbital of lanthanum ions. Therefore,a La-GDTC bridged structure between SBR and silica particles for the SBR/La-GDTC/SiO2 composite was suggested according to the experimental results.     

How can usability measurement affect the re-engineering process of clinical software procedures?

As a consequence of the dramatic improvements achieved in information technology standards in terms of single hardware and software components, efforts in the evaluation processes have been focused on the assessment of critical human factors, such as work-flow organisation, man-machine interaction and, in general, quality of use, or usability. This trend is particularly valid when applied to medical informatics, since the human component is the basis of the information processing system in health care context. With the aim to establish an action-research project on the evaluation and assessment of clinical software procedures which constitute an integrated hospital information system, the authors adopted this strategy and considered the measurement of perceived usability as one of the main goals of the project itself: the paper reports the results of this experience.     

How inclines affect the escape behaviour of a dune-dwelling lizard, Uma scoparia

Although previous laboratory studies have commonly determined sprinting speeds of lizards on horizontal surfaces, the speeds and slopes used during the escapes of lizards in natural habitats with variable inclines are virtually unstudied. To quantify performance and the use of inclined surfaces during escape, we took advantage of the footprints left in soft substrate and the simple surface topography of the natural dune habitat of the Mojave fringe-toed lizard, U. scoparia. The lengths of 52 escape paths ranged from 1.7-34 m, and the inclines of 1-m portions of escape paths ranged from -25 degrees to 28 degrees, which effectively encompassed the entire range of inclines in the habitat. The cumulative frequencies (N=550) of inclines along 1-m intervals of the escape paths were not a simple random sample of the habitat. Less than 10% of the cumulative distance travelled during escape was bipedal, and the escape paths were relatively straight. Trajectories of the first metre of escapes were oriented significantly away from the presumed threat (observer) but were random with respect to the orientation of both the nearest cover and steepest incline. Eleven per cent of the cumulative number (N=1382) of strides measured were within 90% of the maximum stride length within each path. Multiple regressions revealed that stride lengths (and hence speed) during escapes in the field were maximized on level surfaces with no turning. For lizards tested on a level racetrack in the laboratory, maximum speeds averaged 2.8 m/s (range=2.1-3.9) and approximated 75% of the maximum performance attained in the field.Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.     

How does the congruity of brand names affect evaluations of brand name extensions?

In 2 studies, with a total of 56 women and 11 men, the authors examined whether or not G. Mandler's (1982) schema congruity theory would explain students' evaluations of new products purportedly introduced by companies with established brand names that were congruent, moderately incongruent, or extremely incongruent in relationship to the product. Consistent with this theory, results showed that products associated with moderately incongruent brand names were preferred over ones that were associated with either congruent or extremely incongruent brand names. Results suggest that this finding may be mediated by students' greater elaboration of the incongruent brand name and related information and by the process of resolving incongruity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of acoustic methods to control the quality of layered materials

Problems in the non-destructive acoustic testing of layered materials are formulated. The characteristic features of elastic wave propagation in such materials are considered. Acoustical models of layered materials are proposed. Changes in elastic wave parameters connected with layer adhesion are analyzed. Experimental data for chromium-coated cast iron and directed-porosity material prepared from aluminum foil are given. Institute for Problems of Materials Science, Ukraine National Academy of Sciences, Kiev. Translated from Poroshkovaya Metallurgiya, Nos. 5–6(407), pp. 24–29, May–June, 1999.     

常量金标准物质标准值的不确定度评定方法

标准物质标准值的不确定度可以用扩展的合成不确定度估算,但如何选取不确定度分量,目前还没有统一的评定方法。该文系统分析了以多家实验室联合定值为基础的常量金标准物质定值的不确定度来源,确定了样品均匀性、定值测试方法的适用性和分析过程产生的不确定度为主要分量,提出了以多个实验室测试结果平均值的测量不确定度作为第1部分不确定度,以定值分析方法之间的不确定度作为第2部分不确定度,以样品均匀性对不确定度的贡献作为第3部分不确定度,以上三者合成值作为合成不确定度,以95%置信度下的t检验参数为扩展系数,以扩展的合成不确定度作为常量金标准物质标准值不确定度评定值。该方法应用于甘肃省文县阳山金矿常量金标准物质标准值不确定度的计算,取得了令人满意的结果。     

Automatic for the people: How representations of significant others implicitly affect goal pursuit.

Five studies are presented that explore how representations of significant others may automatically affect goal pursuit. Specifically, evidence is presented that suggests goals may be primed by one's representation of a significant other and that this priming may be moderated by one's closeness to this other individual. It is also shown to be affected by the number of different goals associated with this person. The greater the number of goals associated with a significant other, the less likely this individual will invoke any 1 goal very strongly. Such goal priming is shown to have implications for the extent to which goals are pursued (as seen through task persistence and performance) as well as the extent to which they are inhibited or ignored (especially when an individual is associated with a goal unrelated to a current pursuit). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)