Measuring skill acquisition and retention with an ATM simulator: the need for age-specific training

The high-effective polysynaptic transcallosal connections were revealed in the motor cortex of anesthetized rats. Polysynaptic connections were manifested in crosscorrelation histograms as high narrow peaks of width 1-2 ms and latencies up to the end of the analyzed interval in 50 ms. In most cases the polysynaptic transcallosal connections were reciprocal. The incidence of transcallosal polysynaptic connections was twice as high as of the ipsilateral. Gamma oscillations were observed in the same neural assemblies. Interhemispheric oscillations were 1.5-fold more frequent than the ipsilateral ones. The peak latencies were multiples of gamma-oscillation periods. The distribution of peak latencies was similar to the distribution of gamma oscillations. It was suggested that synchronous discharges in neurons in a polysynaptic interhemispheric pathway in consequence of gamma oscillations cause potentiation in efficacy of neural connections, which promotes the high-effective transmission of a signal from one hemisphere to another.     

Biofeedback/relaxation training and exercise interventions for fibromyalgia: a prospective trial

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of biofeedback/relaxation, exercise, and a combined program for the treatment of fibromyalgia. METHODS: Subjects (n = 119) were randomly assigned to one of 4 groups: 1) biofeedback/relaxation training, 2) exercise training, 3) a combination treatment, or 4) an educational/attention control program. RESULTS: All 3 treatment groups produced improvements in self-efficacy for function relative to the control condition. In addition, all treatment groups were significantly different from the control group on tender point index scores, reflecting a modest deterioration by the attention control group rather than improvements by the treatment groups. The exercise and combination groups also resulted in modest improvements on a physical activity measure. The combination group best maintained benefits across the 2-year period. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that these 3 treatment interventions result in improved self-efficacy for physical function which was best maintained by the combination group.     

Endovascular interventions training and credentialing for vascular surgeons

This article reviews issues concerning the training and credentialing of vascular surgeons in the use of endovascular techniques in the peripheral vascular system. These guidelines update a prior document that was published in 1993. They have been rewritten to accommodate the rapid evolution that has occurred in the field and to provide the appropriate requirements that a vascular surgeon should fulfill to be competent in the basic skills needed to safely and effectively perform all presently accepted diagnostic and therapeutic endovascular procedures.     

Supervised relaxation training: A model for greater accessibility of behavioral interventions.

Developed a method of relaxation training—supervised relaxation training—to address (1) problems of cost and availability, which limit the applicability of such training to relatively few individuals, and (2) the inherent limitations of self-help programs. Although this training method required less professional involvement than other methods, it was not intended as a self-help approach to relaxation. Using 55 volunteers (aged 19–67 yrs), 2 treatment groups and 1 control group were formed: One treatment group consisted of self-selected Ss from the community at large; the other represented Ss from a specific work site in the community. The procedure consisted of the use of a self-study manual in conjunction with professional training. Outcome was determined on the basis of changes in blood pressure, scores on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and emotional indicators on human figure drawings. MANOVA indicated a positive effect for both treatment groups. Potential applications of the program are discussed, with recommendations for the use of this procedure as a model for other skill-developing interventions. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychosocial interventions for patients with coronary artery disease: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Narrative review strategies and meta-analyses have shown that drug treatment and exercise rehabilitation regimens can reduce psychological distress and postmyocardial infarction mortality and recurrence. OBJECTIVE: To question whether the addition of psychosocial interventions improves the outcome of a standard rehabilitation regimen for patients with coronary artery disease. METHODS: We performed a statistical meta-analysis of 23 randomized controlled trials that evaluated the additional impact of psychosocial treatment of rehabilitation from documented coronary artery disease. Anxiety, depression, biological risk factors, mortality, and recurrence of cardiac events were the clinical end points that were studied. Mortality data were available from 12 studies, and recurrence data were available from 10 of the 23 studies. RESULTS: The studies had evaluated 2024 patients who received psychosocial treatment vs 1156 control subjects. The psychosocially treated patients showed greater reductions in psychological distress, systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol level (with effect size differences of -0.34 [corrected], -0.24, -0.38, and -1.54, respectively). Patients who did not receive psychosocial treatment showed greater mortality and cardiac recurrence rates during the first 2 years of follow-up with log-adjusted odds ratios of 1.70 for mortality (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09 to 2.64) and 1.84 for recurrence (CI, 1.12 to 2.99). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of psychosocial treatments to standard cardiac rehabilitation regimens reduces mortality and morbidity, psychological distress, and some biological risk factors. The benefits were clearly evident during the first 2 years and were weaker thereafter. At the clinical level, it is recommended to include routinely psychosocial treatment components in cardiac rehabilitation. The findings also suggest an urgent need to identify the specific, most effective types of psychosocial interventions via controlled research.     

Psychology graduate school training on interventions for child maltreatment.

This current study surveyed psychology programs' use of empirically supported treatments (ESTs) for children and their families with a history of child maltreatment. In May 2009, there were 599 graduate school programs listed by the Graduate Study in Psychology Online of the American Psychological Association (APA). Psychology graduate school department heads or directors of training were asked to complete an online survey about training offered in treatments for this population. Of the 599 psychology graduate school programs contacted, 201 (34%) responded. Of the 201 programs that responded, 140 provided training in treatments for children and their families with a history of child maltreatment. Results indicated that training in at least 1 EST was provided by 89% of the programs that provided training in treatments for this population. However, training in the treatment rated as meeting the highest standard of evidence, Trauma-focused cognitive–behavioral therapy, was provided in only 45% of the programs. Training in treatments that have been rated as not yet having sufficient research evidence to be labeled as supported were more likely to occur in non-APA accredited and non-PhD programs (i.e., terminal Master's, EdS, PsyD). As an important vehicle for the dissemination of ESTs in child maltreatment, considerable progress is needed to improve the training provided by psychology graduate programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based parent training and family interventions for school behavior change.

In this article the guidelines of the Evidence-Based Interventions in School Psychology Task Force were used to evaluate the efficacy of parent training and family intervention for changing children's school behavior. Nineteen parent training and five family intervention studies that were conducted in schools, had a school treatment component, or included measurement of school change were identified and coded. Results found one parent training program and one family intervention to be proven efficacious across two randomized clinical trials. Several family interventions were probably efficacious or promising. Despite the established link between the family environment and school behavior, parent training and family interventions are uncommon in schools, and clinic-based treatment studies infrequently measure generalization of parent and family interventions to the school setting. Future researchers are encouraged to address these limitations and to include samples representative of the diversity of the public schools in family-focused intervention studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Performance appraisal decisions as a function of rater training and purpose of the appraisal.

130 undergraduates rated 33 paragraphs describing the performance of supermarket checkers for one of the following purposes: merit raise, development, or retention. The paragraphs were assembled using previously scaled behavioral anchors describing 5 dimensions of performance. The authors conclude that (a) purpose of the rating was a more important variable in explaining the overall variability in ratings than was rater training; (b) training raters to evaluate for some purposes led to more accurate evaluations than training for other purposes; and (c) rater strategy varied with purpose of the rating (i.e., identical dimensions were weighed, combined, and integrated differently as a function of purpose). (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A mold simulator for the continuous casting of steel: Part I. The development of a simulator

Surface defects, such as oscillation marks, ripples, and cracks that can be found on the surface of continuously cast steel, originate in the continuous casting mold. Therefore, a detailed knowledge of initial solidification behavior of steel in a continuous casting mold is necessary because it determines the surface quality of continuously cast slabs. In order to develop an understanding of the initial solidification of continuous cast steels, a “mold simulator” was designed and constructed to investigate heat-transfer phenomena during the initial phase of strand solidification. The mold simulator was used to obtain solidified steel shells of different grades of steel under conditions similar to those found in industrial casting operations. The resulting cast surface morphologies were compared with industrial slabs and were found to be in good agreement, indicating that it is possible to simulate the continuous casting process by a laboratory scale simulator.     

Treating children with early-onset conduct problems: A comparison of child and parent training interventions.

Families of 97 children with early-onset conduct problems, 4–8 yrs old, were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 conditions: a parent training treatment group (PT), a child training group (CT), a combined child and parent training group (CT?+?PT), or a waiting-list control group (CON). Posttreatment assessments indicated that all 3 conditions had resulted in significant improvements in comparison with controls. Comparisons of the 3 treatment conditions indicated that CT and CT?+?PT children showed significant improvements in problem solving as well as conflict management skills, as measured by observations of their interactions with a best friend; differences among treatments on these measures consistently favored the CT over the PT condition. As for parent and child behavior at home, PT and CT?+?PT parents and children had significantly more positive interactions, compared with CT parents and children. One-yr follow-up assessments indicated that all the significant changes noted immediately posttreatment had been maintained over time. Moreover, child conduct problems at home had lessened over time. Analyses of the clinical significance of the results suggested that the combined CT?+?PT condition produced the most significant improvements in child behavior at 1-yr follow-up. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Task and training requirements analysis methodology (TTRAM): an analytic methodology for identifying potential training uses of simulator networks in teamwork-intensive task environments

A methodology designed to identify potential application areas for use of networked simulations is presented. The technique, known as task and training requirements analysis methodology (TTRAM), has been independently applied to the analysis of numerous US military aircraft simulator networking requirements, and appears to effectively discriminate tasks that are prone to skill decay, that are critical to mission success, that require high levels of internal and external teamwork, and that require additional training support.     

Suicide prevention: An integrated training model using affective and action-based interventions.

Almost all of us will encounter a suicidal client at some point in our clinical practice, and we trust that our training and knowledge of how to assess and intervene with suicidal clients is adequate. This article describes a complex but straightforward suicide assessment and intervention training model, sequenced with respect to expertise and cognitive psychology principles. The initial interview, assessment of depression and suicidal ideation, and identification of relevant risk factors and interventions are all considered. Affectively based interventions, although rarely discussed in the literature, are emphasized here; these intervention strategies complement more commonly used action-based strategies for preventing suicide. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Battlemind debriefing and battlemind training as early interventions with soldiers returning from iraq: Randomization by platoon.

Researchers have found that there is an increase in mental heath problems as a result of military-related traumatic events, and such problems increase in the months following return from combat. Nevertheless, researchers have not assessed the impact of early intervention efforts with this at-risk population. In the present study, the authors compared different early interventions with 2,297 U.S. soldiers following a year-long deployment to Iraq. Platoons were randomly assigned to standard postdeployment stress education, Battlemind debriefing, and small and large group Battlemind training. Results from a 4-month follow-up with 1,060 participants showed those with high levels of combat exposure who received Battlemind debriefing reported fewer posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression symptoms, and sleep problems than those in stress education. Small group Battlemind training participants with high combat exposure reported fewer posttraumatic stress symptoms and sleep problems than stress education participants. Compared to stress education participants, large group Battlemind training participants with high combat exposure reported fewer posttraumatic stress symptoms and lower levels of stigma and, regardless of combat exposure, reported fewer depression symptoms. Findings demonstrate that brief early interventions have the potential to be effective with at-risk occupational groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

低压电、汽两用节能加热锅炉的结构特点

通过对电、汽两用节能加热锅炉的描述,指出该设备具有投资少,无污染,能源转化率高,起停速度快,负荷调节范围大,结构简单,安全性能好并可充分利用电能等特点.     

Angiogenesis: possibilities for therapeutic interventions

Vascular proliferation normally occurs only during embryonic development, the female reproductive cycle and wound healing. Various pathological conditions such as diabetic retinopathy are characterized by persistent, uncontrolled angiogenesis. At the other hand, impaired development of new blood vessels has been found to be related with myocardial infarction. A series of anti-angiogenic drugs are currently included in experimental cancer treatment, whereas the failure of ulcers to heal may be limited by increased angiogenesis upon administration of growth factors. In the present review control mechanisms of the vasculature are summarized and therapeutic approaches discussed.     

Review of Leadership for older adults: Aging with purpose and passion.

Reviews the book, Leadership for older adults: Aging with purpose and passion by Sandra A. Cusack and Wendy J. A. Thompson (see record 1999-02171-000). While this is an interesting book, holding promise and providing suggestions for those who wish to take on leadership roles, or for those who work with others who might be encouraged to seek such roles, it also raises many questions about the process of who gets to be leaders of whom and how we can empower those traditionally seen as not worthy of such positions in organizations. The authors state that their book is intended to be used by "dedicated professionals and voluntary leaders" and for anyone who "shares the belief in the infinite possibilities of old age and wants to make a difference" (p.xvii). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)