Is there a role for continuation phase cognitive therapy for depressed outpatients?

Two pilot studies evaluated the rate of relapse or recurrence (i.e., major depressive disorder) after cognitive therapy (CT). Two sequential cohorts included outpatients who responded to acute phase CT (A-CT) and who agreed to monthly, treatment-free follow-up. In Study 1, the Kaplan-Meier technique estimated relapse and recurrence rates of 40% at 6 months, 45% at 8 months, 50% at 12 months, 67% at 18 months, and 74% at 24 months. In Study 2, responders to A-CT received 8 months (10 sessions) of continuation phase CT (C-CT). In Study 2, relapse or recurrence was 20% at 6 and 8 months, 27% at 12 months, and 36% at 18 and 24 months after A-CT. An exploratory log-rank test showed that relapse or recurrence-free survival was greater in Study 2 than in Study 1. If replicated, this result suggests that C-CT can reduce depressive relapse or recurrence. Alternative explanations are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

GMM based language identification system using robust features

In this work, we have proposed new feature vectors for spoken language identification (LID) system. The Mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) and formant frequencies derived using short-time window speech signal. Formant frequencies are extracted from linear prediction (LP) analysis of speech signal. Using these two kind of features of speech signal, new feature vectors are derived using cluster based computation. A GMM based classifier has been designed using these new feature vectors. The language specific apriori knowledge is applied on the recognition output. The experiments are carried out on OGI database and LID recognition performance is improved.     

Water quality prediction capabilities of WASP model for a tropical lake system

Water quality modelling facilitates our better understanding of the processes taking place in a lake system, and conservation plans to address them. The water quality analysis simulation programme (WASP) was used in this study to predict daily variations in water quality parameters, namely dissolved oxygen, nitrate, phosphate and chlorophyll‐a and biochemical oxygen demand concentrations in a tropical lake system. The lake was divided into eight segments with the respective morphological, environmental and flow details being model inputs. The monthly concentration of each water quality parameter also comprised model input. The model output was daily spatiotemporal variation in these parameters over a period of 476 days. This study also indicated that the occurrence of precipitation plays a major role in defining the water quality of a tropical lake. The heavy precipitation after a long gap, especially during the summer season, results in a large quantity of organic matter entering the lake through drains, thereby increasing the organic matter and phosphate in the water body, and subsequently resulting in high chlorophyll‐a concentrations in the lake. A reduced chlorophyll‐a concentration was observed during the heavy rains. The water quality fluctuations are more pronounced with precipitation, especially where polluted drains enter the lake. An improved water quality can be observed downstream, including increased dissolved oxygen and nitrate concentrations. Improved water quality was observed during the postmonsoon period, with increased salinity and dissolved oxygen concentrations, a finding that confirms generalized and specific conclusions can be achieved with the use of the WASP model.     

Removal of Cr(VI) using co-immobilized activated carbon and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus subtilis</Emphasis>: fixed-bed column study

Fixed-bed column studies were conducted to evaluate the potential of co-immobilized (activated carbon and Bacillus subtilis) (CI) beads for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. The impact of various parameters such as initial Cr(VI) concentrations (100, 150, and 200 mg/L), flow rate (3, 9, and 15 mL/min), and bed depth (10, 15, and 20 cm) on Cr(VI) adsorption onto CI beads were investigated. The breakthrough time increased with a decrease in initial Cr(VI) concentration and flow rate, and an increase in bed height. The breakthrough data obtained for Cr(VI) removal was more adequately described by the Thomas model with high correlation coefficients (R ² = 0.982). The eluent, 0.1 M NaOH, provided high elution efficiencies (~90 %) in all the six cycles. Obtained results pointed out that CI beads could potentially be used for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution.     

A new additive manufacturing process based on friction deposition

Additive manufacturing involves layer-by-layer fabrication of three-dimensional parts under computer control. The current study demonstrates a novel concept for additive manufacturing, in which material addition is achieved in solid-state through a process that can be termed as “friction deposition.” The present work reports preliminary results on the proposed new approach. Individual layers up to a thickness of 1 to 2 mm can be added up successively by friction deposition. A solid cylinder of 20 mm dia and 50 mm height was successfully produced with austenitic stainless steel AISI 304. Microstructural studies and tensile tests were conducted to ascertain the quality of bonding between the layers. The results show that the proposed approach is indeed quite amenable for additive manufacturing and can lead to a viable commercial process.     

Bond formation and fiber embedment during ultrasonic consolidation

The quality of ultrasonically consolidated parts critically depends on the bond quality between individual metal foils. This necessitates a detailed understanding of interface microstructures and ultrasonic bond formation mechanisms. In this work, the interface microstructures of a variety of ultrasonically consolidated similar and dissimilar metal samples were investigated. Samples with embedded SiC fibers were also investigated. Based on detailed microstructural studies, the mechanisms of foil bonding and fiber embedment in ultrasonic consolidation have been discussed.     

Physical,mechanical, and water absorption behavior of coir/glass fiber reinforced epoxy based hybrid composites

Fiber reinforced polymer composites has been used in a variety of application because of their many advantages such as relatively low cost of production, easy to fabricate, and superior strength compare to neat polymer resins. Reinforcement in polymer is either synthetic or natural. Synthetic fiber such as glass, carbon, etc. has high specific strength but their fields of application are limited due to higher cost of production. Recently there is an increase interest in natural composites which are made by reinforcement of natural fiber. In this connection, an investigation has been carried out to make better utilization of coconut coir fiber for making value added products. The objective of the present research work is to study the physical, mechanical, and water absorption behavior of coir/glass fiber reinforced epoxy based hybrid composites. The effect of fiber loading and length on mechanical properties like tensile strength, flexural strength, and hardness of composites is studied. The experimental results reveal that the maximum strength properties is observed for the composite with 10 wt% fiber loading at 15 mm length. The maximum flexural strength of 63 MPa is observed for composites with 10 wt% fiber loading at 15 mm fiber length. Similarly, the maximum hardness value of 21.3 Hv is obtained for composites with 10 wt% fiber loading at 20 mm fiber length. Also, the surface morphology of fractured surfaces after tensile testing is examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM). POLYM. COMPOS., 35:925–930, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Friction Buttering: A New Technique for Dissimilar Welding

This work offers a fresh perspective on buttering, a technique often considered for fusion welding of dissimilar metals. For the first time, buttering was attempted in solid state using friction deposition. Using this new “friction buttering” technique, fusion welding of two different dissimilar metal pairs (austenitic stainless steel/borated stainless steel and Al-Cu-Mg/Al-Zn-Mg-Cu) was successfully demonstrated. The results show that friction buttering can simplify a tough dissimilar welding problem into a routine fusion welding task.     

Microstructural evolution during friction surfacing of tool steel H13

Coatings of AISI H13 tool steel were made on low carbon steel by friction surfacing. Detailed microstructural studies and microhardness tests were carried out on the coatings. Studies revealed defect-free coatings and sound metallurgical bonding between the coating and the substrate. In addition, mechanical interlocking on a very fine scale was observed to occur between the coating and the substrate. Coatings exhibited martensitic microstructure with fine grain size and with no carbide particles. Coatings in as-deposited condition showed very high hardness (58 HRC) compared to the mechtrode material in annealed condition (20 HRC). Based on these findings, microstructural evolution during friction surfacing of H13 tool steel is discussed. The current work shows that friction surfaced tool steel coatings are suitable for use in as-deposited condition. Further improvements in coating microstructure and properties are possible with appropriate post-surfacing heat treatment.     

Scenario of chronic dermatophytosis: an Indian study

It is widely accepted that tumor invasion and metastasis are the primary causes for the lethal clinical outcome of cancers. In recent years, attention has been drawn to PCNA (Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen) to predict the prognosis of some cancers. In the present paper, we have studied anti-PCNA antibody PC10 in supraglottic cancer by means of immunohistochemistry using paraffin-embedded sections, to demonstrate its clinical significance in this type of malignancy. Twenty-two patients with supraglottic cancer, including T1 (5 cases), T2 (13 cases) and T4 (4 cases) with N- (14 cases) and N+ (8 cases), were investigated for the PCNA expression. The percentages of PCNA positive cells were divided into three groups: < 25%, 25-75%, > 75%, with the range from 10.6 to 95.2%. Results showed that PCNA was well correlated with lymph node metastasis, and appeared to have an inverse correlation with histopathological grades. In this small group, we did not find that PCNA was correlated with T stages and tumor size. However, compared with other T-stages and tumor sizes, the correlation between lymph node metastasis and PCNA seemed to have more clinical significance in T2-stage and in tumors larger than 2 cm. PCNA could be used as a marker in predicting the clinical outcome in supraglottic cancers. An analysis on a large scale is anticipated.