The role of life satisfaction and depressive symptoms in all-cause mortality.

The objective of this study was to investigate whether life satisfaction and depressive symptoms are independent predictors of mortality in a non-Western sample of adults. The sample included 5,131 adults (ages 50–95 at baseline) in Taiwan who participated in the Survey of Health and Living Status of the Near Elderly and Elderly. There were 1,815 deaths recorded over a 10-year period. Higher life satisfaction significantly predicted lower risk of mortality after controlling for age, sex, education, marital status, and health status. Depressive symptoms significantly predicted higher risk of mortality. A significant interaction with age revealed that the protective effect of life satisfaction weakened with age. The results suggest that life satisfaction and depressive symptoms independently predict mortality risk in adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fourier transform infrared micro spectroscopy mapping studies of weathered PVC capstock type formulations. II: Outdoor weathering in pennsylvania

FTIR micro spectroscopy coupled with mapping techniques is a powerful methodology to evaluate dimensionally dependent changes such as those encountered in PVC weathering processes. It is based on the complexity and specificity of the infrared spctrum and the dimensional resolution of the microscope. This paper will outline a systematic FTIR study of changes observed during outdoor photo degradation of PVC siding capstock formulations, as a function of exposure time and TiO₂ level. The results are compared with previously obtained accelerated QUV data. Profiles through the thickness dimension were analyzed to identify degradation species and depth distribution.     

A modified methylene blue assay for accurate cell counting

Cell counting is a common technique in cellular and molecular biology research applications, such as cell culture maintenance, cell plating, cell growth and cell doubling time determinations, as well as cell proliferation and cytotoxicity measurements. Many commonly employed cell counting methods exhibit limitations that influence resulting accuracy or versatility. For example, the trypan blue method typically underestimates cell numbers in culture, and the Lowry protein assay can be influenced by cell cycle. An urgent need exists for a method of cell counting that is both accurate and versatile. This work intended to explore an adaptation of the methylene blue assay to overcome the existing limitations of the procedure, enabling application to a broader range of cell densities and various cell culture plates. This new methylene blue assay was found to be more efficient, accurate and sensitive. A linear relationship (r² > 0.99) was established between cell number and absorbance at 570 nm wavelength when the new methylene blue assay was applied to three cell lines (HepG2, Caco-2, and MCF-7) plated in a broad range of cell densities (5 × 10⁴ to 2.5 × 10⁶) in four different types of culture plates (6-, 12-, 24-, and 96-well plates). Growth curves were determined using both the trypan blue and methylene blue methods. At each time point in the HepG2 growth curve, the cell count obtained using the trypan blue assay was statistically significantly lower than that obtained using the methylene blue assay (p < 0.05). The same was true for the Caco-2 growth curve at all time points (p < 0.05) except at the 0 h. The methylene blue method proposed in this paper may serve as a direct, automated counting method for cells grown in any type of culture plates. This assay has clear advantages over traditional methods and is a powerful tool for any application requiring a versatile, efficient, and accurate method of cell counting, such as bioavailability and cytotoxicity assays, and more basic experiments such as cell growth curve or doubling time determination, especially in the research of natural products, bioactive compounds, phytochemicals, functional foods and nutraceuticals.     

Mathematics, vocabulary, and reading development in Chinese American and European American children over the primary school years.

Forty European American (EA; 20 girls, 20 boys) and 40 second-generation Chinese American (CA; 20 girls, 20 boys) preschool and kindergarten children (mean age at Time 1?=?5.7 years) and their mothers, fathers, and teachers participated in 3 data collections (1993, 1995, and 1997) to investigate sociocultural and family factors that contribute to children's academic achievement. CA children outscored EA children in mathematics at all 3 times. Initially, EA children outscored CA children in receptive English vocabulary, but CA children caught up to EA children at Time 3. CA children were better readers than EA children at Time 3. According to parental self-reports, CA parents structured their children's time to a greater degree, used more formal teaching methods, and assigned their children more homework. Parents' work-oriented methods and child-specific beliefs at Time 1 influenced children's mathematics performance at Time 3. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Tyramine production of technological important strains of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactobacillus</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactococcus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptococcus</Emphasis>

The aim of this paper was to study the biogenic amines (histamine, tyramine, putrescine, cadaverine, agmatine, spermine and spermidine) production of selected technological important lactic acid bacteria (strains of the genera Lactococcus, Lactobacillus and Streptococcus). Three methods (ion-exchange chromatography (IEC), PCR and cultivation method with pH indicator) were used. Within the 39 strains of lactic acid bacteria tested, the production of tyramine (formed by tyrosine decarboxylase) was detected in eight strains (3 strains of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, three strains of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, 1 strain of Streptococcus thermophilus and 1 strain of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus). The other tested biogenic amines were not detected. Cultivation in decarboxylation broth seems to be the least accurate method for the detection of biogenic amines due to enhanced risk of false-positive reactions. Therefore, in order to detect bacteria producing biogenic amines, the combination of PCR and chromatographic methods (e.g. IEC) can be recommended.     

Risk management with the suicidal patient: Lessons from case law.

Suicide continues to account for a comparatively large proportion of all lawsuits filed against mental health professionals. However, despite the prominence of suicide in mental health malpractice litigation, clinicians must resist resorting to defensive clinical practices in an attempt to shield themselves from potential lawsuits. By using accepted tenets of suicide management as a starting point, the author aims in this article to inform and educate practitioners about clinical malpractice from a legal, as well as a clinical, point of view. Hence, this article aims to demystify relevant case law for practitioners by offering informative, real life examples of how therapeutic practice is interpreted in the courtroom, as well as examples of how juries and judges typically view the treatment decisions clinicians routinely make regarding their suicidal patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Simulation of the creep expansion of porous sandwich structures

Recently developed sandwich structures consist of a porous metal core sandwiched between two fully dense face sheets. These structures are produced by pressurizing a metal powder compact with an inert gas prior to consolidation by hot isostatic pressing (“hipping”). After consolidating and hot rolling the compact to a sheet form, a high-temperature annealing step is used to expand the internally pressurized gas-filled micropores. This expansion results in a porous core sandwich structure with integrally bonded face sheets. Recent experimental studies^[1] with a Ti-6Al-4V porous core sandwich have indicated that the expansion rate exhibits a maximum during thermal ramping to 920 °C but then continued to expand over many hours at a constant temperature. Significant grain growth also accompanied the expansion. A microstructure-dependent creep model has been developed for a body containing a distribution of spheroidal pores. The body’s constitutive behavior is described by microstructure-dependent creep potentials for dislocation (power law) and diffusion-accommodated grain-boundary sliding (DAGS). It has been used to simulate the expansion of Ti-6Al-4V sandwich structures subjected to thermal cycles similar to those studied experimentally. The simulated response compared well with experimental results. The model was then used to identify an attainable core porosity as a function of the initial gas pressure and initial core relative density at the completion of the expansion process step.     

Wine cluster formation in New Zealand: operation,evolution and impact

This paper analyses the Waipara wine cluster, located in the South Island of New Zealand, in relation to formation, operation, evolution and impact. The unique methodological approach of this research is that it analyses the current and desired future state of the cluster and secondly examines the cluster in relation to both the domestic and international markets. Key findings from the research include a greater understanding of the relationships between cluster members, the operation of cluster, problems within the cluster and how the cluster operates for both domestic and international markets. The research lends itself to a new definition of internationalisation –‘direct and indirect methods of increasing the likelihood of international sales’– and also provides new insights for cluster theory, wine clusters and the wine industry in general. Some of the practices detailed have use in the wider wine community of the world, making the paper of interest to a wide audience.     

The disassociation of visual and acoustic conspecific cues decreases discrimination by female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata).

Female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) use visual and acoustic traits for accurate recognition of male conspecifics. Evidence from video playbacks confirms that both sensory modalities are important for conspecific and species discrimination, but experimental evidence of the individual roles of these cue types affecting live conspecific recognition is limited. In a spatial paradigm to test discrimination, the authors used live male zebra finch stimuli of 2 color morphs, wild-type (conspecific) and white with a painted black beak (foreign), producing 1 of 2 vocalization types: songs and calls learned from zebra finch parents (conspecific) or cross-fostered songs and calls learned from Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata vars. domestica) foster parents (foreign). The authors found that female zebra finches consistently preferred males with conspecific visual and acoustic cues over males with foreign cues, but did not discriminate when the conspecific and foreign visual and acoustic cues were mismatched. These results indicate the importance of both visual and acoustic features for female zebra finches when discriminating between live conspecific males. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Urban contributions of glyphosate and its degradate AMPA to streams in the United States

Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world, being routinely applied to control weeds in both agricultural and urban settings. Microbial degradation of glyphosate produces aminomethyl phosphonic acid (AMPA). The high polarity and water-solubility of glyphosate and AMPA has, until recently, made their analysis in water samples problematic. Thus, compared to other herbicides (e.g. atrazine) there are relatively few studies on the environmental occurrence of glyphosate and AMPA. In 2002, treated effluent samples were collected from 10 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to study the occurrence of glyphosate and AMPA. Stream samples were collected upstream and downstream of the 10 WWTPs. Two reference streams were also sampled. The results document the apparent contribution of WWTP effluent to stream concentrations of glyphosate and AMPA, with roughly a two-fold increase in their frequencies of detection between stream samples collected upstream and those collected downstream of the WWTPs. Thus, urban use of glyphosate contributes to glyphosate and AMPA concentrations in streams in the United States. Overall, AMPA was detected much more frequently (67.5%) compared to glyphosate (17.5%).