Divergence, convergence, openness, and specificity in training and supervision.

Reviews the books, Supervision and training: Models, dilemmas and challenges edited by F. W. Kaslow (1986); Handbook of family therapy training and supervision edited by H. A. Liddle, D. C. Breunlin, and R. C. Schwartz (see record 1988-98390-000); and Family therapy education and supervision edited by F. P. Piercy (1986). Kaslow's book uniformly addresses the subject of supervision with some comment on training formats as well. The volume succeeds admirably in realizing the editor's intention of presenting a multiplicity of viable models, and her summary chapter draws common threads together into a patchwork of issues and themes. Liddle, Breunlin, and Schwartz's book is thoughtful and concise, with a nice blend of conceptual and practical material. The book offers the most current overview and bibliography available, useful specific recommendations, and thoughtful organization of its articles. It is praiseworthy in its attention to research, theory, and context and stage-of-training factors in relation to supervision and training. Piercy's book contains chapters which are well presented and offer valuable concrete guidelines; however, overall the material is unfocused, scattered across too many areas, and works best in journal form. All three of the volumes considered in this review serve as compendiums, and in some cases updates, of models for the delivery of training and supervision. There is very little overlap of content among the three, and taken together, they offer intra- and interdisciplinary contrasts of training and supervision that may serve as the starting place for program planning, or for hypothesizing data collection, and theorizing about these two important endeavors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Plutonium in fish, algae, and sediments in the Barents, Petshora and Kara Seas

This work contributed to a joint research programme between the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety and the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute in the Arctic. Radioanalyses for plutonium isotopes were performed on more than 50 sediment samples, 12 algae samples and 19 fish samples. Plutonium concentrations in algae and fish samples, including fish meat, bone and liver, were low or in many cases below detection limits. Some differences in plutonium concentrations of sediments were found between different sampling areas. However, the concentrations were low. The Pu isotopic ratios were similar to those found in environmental samples generally when Pu is derived from global fallout or discharges from reprocessing plants. No local enhancement of plutonium contamination was found in the marine areas studied. However, the sampling locations represent only areas of free access; prohibited military areas of North-west Russia with potential pollution sources were not included.     

Hypothalamic and midbrain neural pathways involved in eating, drinking, irritability, aggression, and copulation in rats.

Investigated in 3 experiments with male hooded rats (N = 61) the effects of parasagittal cuts placed at 3 anterior-posterior positions. Cuts that separated portions of the medial from the lateral hypothalamus produced severe hyposexuality if they lay lateral to the medial preoptic-anterior hypothalamic continuum. Hyperphagia, irritability, and modest sexual impairment were produced if the cuts lay lateral to the anterior tips of the ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei and slightly invaded the anterior hypothalamus. Posterior, but not anterior, medial-forebrain-bundle (MFB) cuts disrupted copulation. Central gray cuts resulted in slight hyperphagia, and reticular formation cuts resulted in hyposexuality. It is concluded that the medial hypothalamic nuclei exert their effects on eating, irritability, and copulation through their lateral connections with the lateral hypothalamus and those components of the MFB that descend on (or ascend from) the lower brainstem. (40 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Grommets, tonsillectomies, and deprivation in Scotland

OBJECTIVE: To see whether there is a relation between grommet insertion operation and tonsillectomy rates, otolaryngology services, and deprivation scores in Scotland. DESIGN: Analysis of routine 1990 NHS data on grommet insertions and tonsillectomies in Scottish children aged 0-15 years compared with data on general practitioner and otolaryngology services and Carstairs deprivation scores. SETTING: All 15 Scottish health boards. SUBJECTS: All children aged 0-15 (1,021,933). RESULTS: Tonsillectomy was more common than grommet insertion operations in Scotland (6182:4850). Health boards with high grommet insertion rates were more likely to have low tonsillectomy rates (Spearman's rank correlation -0.59; 95% confidence interval -0.87 to -0.03). Grommet insertion rates varied fourfold (from 2.4/1000 to 9.2/1000) and tonsillectomy rates twofold (from 3.6/1000 to 8.0/1000) across Scottish health boards. Variation between health boards had changed over the 15 years 1975-90. Variation in grommet insertion rates did not reflect variation in the supply of otolaryngology consultants (Spearman's rank correlation -0.25). There was a non-significant tendency for high general practitioner referral rates to be associated with high grommet insertion rates, low tonsillectomy rates, and less deprived areas (Spearman's rank correlation coefficients 0.50, -0.53, and -0.43). Deprivation (measured by Carstairs scoring for each health board) was associated with higher tonsillectomy rates (Spearman's rank correlation 0.41; 95% confidence interval -0.22 to 0.80) and significantly lower grommet insertion rates (-0.73; -0.92 to -0.28). CONCLUSION: Social factors as well as differences in disease prevalence and medical practice need to be considered when studying variation in childhood grommet insertion and tonsillectomy rates.     

Pearls, pitfalls, and updates in toxicology

Pearls and pitfalls learned from our practical experiences caring for poisoned patients are presented. Clinical pearls include the following: using diagnostic tests to detect end-organ toxicity, applying physiologic principles to the management of hemodynamically unstable poisoned patients, and dealing with psychologic injuries from hazardous materials incidents. Recognizing serious complications from poisoning and adverse drug effects, including the serotonin syndrome, are offered as pitfalls. Pharmaceutical companies are rapidly developing and marketing new therapies. Therefore, updates on the evolving role of NAC as an antidote for acetaminophen poisoning, new psychotropic medications, and new antidotes were included in this article. These pearls, pitfalls, and updates are intended to provide practical information that is readily applicable to the clinical practice of emergency medicine.     

Trauma, memory, and suggestibility in children

In this review we examine factors hypothesized to affect children's memory for traumatic events. Theoretical ideas on the processing and remembering of trauma are presented and critiqued. We review research on how psychopathology may generally influence and dissociation and posttraumatic stress disorder may specifically influence children's memory and suggestibility. The special case of child maltreatment is addressed as it relates to interviewing children about traumatic life experiences. Throughout we draw on current developmental, cognitive, social, and clinical theory and research. The review covers a controversial and exciting area of psychological inquiry.     

Work, employment, and unemployment: Values, theories, and approaches in social research.

Argues against the idea that an encompassing theory of work could eliminate the existing shortcomings in empirical research in the field and discusses how specific theories can be exploited by adherents of one or the other dominant value positions: conservative, reformist, and radical. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Literature Survey on Diffusivities of Oxygen,Aluminum, and Vanadium in Alpha Titanium,Beta Titanium,and in Rutile

A survey of diffusion data of interstitial oxygen and of the substitutional elements aluminum and vanadium is presented for alpha and beta titanium. It is based on a survey of literature. Oxygen is an important interstitial element in titanium alloys. Oxygen’s large chemical affinity to titanium is indicated by Ti—O bond energy of 2.12 eV,¹ comparable to the Ti—Ti bond energy of 2.56 eV.² Oxygen is difficult to eliminate completely from titanium, and commercial titanium alloys usually contain from 0.10 to 0.20 wt pct oxygen. Oxygen significantly affects the mechanical properties of titanium alloys^1,3 and is sometimes used as an alloying element. The effects of oxygen on phase transformation ,^4,5,6 Youngs modulus,^7,8 hardness,^9,10 fracture toughness,¹¹ and other mechanical properties¹² have been amply documented. Aluminum and vanadium are the most frequently used substitutional alloying elements. Aluminum is an alpha stabilizer and vanadium is a beta stabilizer. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Resources, confusions, and compatibility in dual-axis tracking: Displays, controls, and dynamics.

Why do people often find that performing two tasks at once is harder than performing one task at a time? Three mechanisms of task interference that might answer that question were investigated: resource competition, confusions, and incompatible task proximity between processing stages. The subjects performed dual-axis compensatory tracking with error displays that were either integrated or separated, with axis controls that either were integrated into one stick or remained separate, and with control dynamics on the two axes that were either the same or different. Tracking error increased and control activity decreased as a function of the combined difficulty of the two control dynamics. Integrated displays and integrated controls both led to increased confusions between tracking axes although error was not reliably affected. Significantly, performance was also affected by whether the integrality of displays matched that of controls. These results suggest that resource competition, confusions, and compatibility of proximity play distinct roles in dual-axis tracking performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acetylator phenotype, aminobiphenyl-hemoglobin adduct levels, and bladder cancer risk in white, black, and Asian men in Los Angeles, California

BACKGROUND: There is a large body of epidemiologic and experimental data that have identified a number of arylamines as human bladder carcinogens. Metabolic activation is required to biotransform these arylamines into their carcinogenic forms, and N-hydroxylation, which is catalyzed by the hepatic cytochrome P4501A2 isoenzyme, is generally viewed as the first critical step. On the other hand, the N-acetylation reaction, catalyzed by the hepatic N-acetyltransferase enzyme, represents a detoxification pathway for such compounds. The N-acetyltransferase enzyme is coded by a single gene displaying two phenotypes, slow and rapid acetylators. In the United States, cigarette smoking is a major cause of bladder cancer in men, and carcinogenic arylamines present in cigarette smoke are believed to be responsible for inducing bladder cancer in smokers. PURPOSE: Our purpose was to test the differences in three ethnic/racial groups for the prevalence of acetylator phenotypes and to ascertain whether slow acetylators actually have higher levels of activated arylamines in comparison with rapid acetylators. METHODS: One hundred thirty-three male residents of Los Angeles County who were either white, black, or Asian (Chinese or Japanese) and over the age of 35 years were assessed for their acetylator phenotype and levels of 3- and 4-aminobiphenyl (ABP) hemoglobin adducts. Subjects were either lifetime nonsmokers (n = 72) or current cigarette smokers of varying intensity (n = 61). RESULTS: The proportion of slow acetylators was highest among whites (54%), intermediate among blacks (34%), and lowest among Asians (14%). Similarly, geometric mean levels of both 3- and 4-ABP-hemoglobin adducts were highest in whites (1.80 and 49.2 pg/g hemoglobin [Hb], respectively), intermediate in blacks (1.54 and 38.5 pg/g Hb), and lowest in Asians (0.73 and 36.0 pg/g Hb). As expected, cigarette smokers had significantly higher mean levels of both 3- and 4-ABP-hemoglobin adducts relative to nonsmokers, and the levels increased with the number of cigarettes smoked per day (P < .0005 for both adducts). Slow acetylators consistently exhibited higher mean levels of ABP-hemoglobin adducts relative to rapid acetylators, independent of race and level of smoking. CONCLUSION: The present cross-sectional survey supports acetylation phenotype as an important determinant of bladder cancer risk and a possible major factor in the varying bladder cancer risk among whites, blacks, and Asians.     

Uncertainty, Sensitivity, Convergence, and Rounding in Performing and Reporting Least-Squares Fits

To elucidate the mechanism of action of various antioxidants, we studied the kinetics of chemiluminescence which accompanies the peroxidation of phospholipid liposomes as induced by divalent iron ions in the presence of C-525, a chemiluminescence activator. EDTA and desferal reduced the chemiluminescence latent period, probably, due to the chelation of Fe2+ ions which, thus, dropped out of chain oxidation reactions in the lipid phase. In contrast, ascorbate increased the chemiluminescence latent period, apparently, as a result of regeneration of divalent iron oxidized during lipid peroxidation. alpha-Tocopherol and rutin reduced the amplitude of the chemiluminescence slow flash and increased the duration of the latent period. beta-Carotene displayed its effect only at rather high concentrations, when the decrease in chemiluminescence intensity could be due (at least partially) to the reabsorption of chemiluminescence by this compound. The latent period remained invariable in this case.     

Localization of laminin, fibronectin, E-cadherin, and integrins in endometrium and endometriosis

Stiffness of the vocal fold is a significant factor in determining mucosal wave propagation and in the control of the fundamental frequency of phonation. We measured pliability of the vocal fold mucosa in an in vivo canine model as an index of stiffness while the histological layer-by-layer structure of the vocal fold was not disrupted. The point 1 mm below the free edge showed a maximal pliability that gradually diminished toward the tracheal side and reached a minimum. When the thyroarytenoid (TA) muscle contracted, pliability of the mucosa was significantly increased (P < 0.001). Mucosal pliability of the excised larynx was significantly increased compared with that in vivo (P < 0.001). The point of minimal pliability in the absence of TA muscle contraction did not shift after excision of the larynx, while TA muscle contraction caused a downward shift of the point of minimal pliability. Mucosal pliability can thus be used to quantitatively assess the effects of TA muscle contraction on stiffness of the vocal fold mucosa.     

Disposition and metabolism of rifapentine, a rifamycin antibiotic, in mice, rats, and monkeys

Mycobacterium avium is an intracellular pathogen that is associated with disseminated infection in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Patients with AIDS appear to acquire M. avium mainly through the gastrointestinal tract. Previous studies have shown that healthy mice given M. avium orally develop disseminated infection after 2-4 weeks. The chief site of M. avium invasion of the intestinal mucosa is the terminal ileum. To learn more about the pathophysiology of M. avium infection of the intestinal mucosa, C57BL/6 bg+ bg+ mice were infected orally with M. avium strain 101 and groups of six mice were killed each week for 8 weeks. The terminal ileum was then prepared for histopathological studies and electron microscopy. A delayed inflammatory response was observed and influx of neutrophils in the Peyer's patches was the only abnormality seen at 1 week. A severe inflammatory response was seen from week 2 to week 5 and necrosis of intestinal villi was observed 6 weeks after infection. These results indicate that invasion and infection of the normal intestine by M. avium results in a severe inflammatory response with segmental necrosis of the intestinal mucosa.     

Contraction, Dilation, and Failure of Sand in Triaxial, Torsional, and Rotational Shear Tests

The response of a saturated fine sand (Nevada sand No. 120) with relative density Dr ≈ 70% in drained and undrained conventional triaxial compression and extension tests and undrained cyclic shear tests in a hollow cylinder apparatus with rotation of the stress directions was studied. It was observed that the peak mobilized friction angle for this dilatant material was different in undrained and drained tests; the difference is attributed to the fact that the rate of dilation is smaller in an undrained test than it is in a drained test. Consistent with the findings of others, the material is more resistant to undrained cyclic loading for triaxial compression than for triaxial extension. In rotational shear tests in which the second invariant of the deviatoric stress tensor is held constant, the shear stress path (after being normalized by the mean normal effective stress) approached an envelope that is comparable but not identical in shape to a Mohr-Coulomb failure surface. As the stress path approached the envelope, the shear end deviatoric strains continued to increase in an unsymmetrical smooth spiral path. During the rotational shear tests, the direction of the deviatoric strain-rate vector (deviatoric strain increment divided by the magnitude of change in Lode angle) was observed to be about midway between the deviatoric stress increment vector and the normal to a Mohr-Coulomb failure surface in the deviatoric plane. The stress ratio at the transition from contractive to dilative behavior (i.e., “phase transformation”) was also observed to depend on the direction of the stress path; therefore this stress ratio is not a fundamental property. Results from torsional hollow cylinder tests with rotation of stress directions are presented in new graphical formats to help understand and interpret the fundamental soil behavior.