Synthesis and characterization of thermoresponsive N-isopropylacrylamide/methacrylated pullulan hydrogels

Thermosensitive hydrogels were prepared by free radical polymerization starting from a methacrylated pullulan derivative (acting as the cross-linker) and using N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAM) as the monomer. Several hydrogels were obtained by changing the monomer to cross-linker ratio. A significant thermosensitivity was observed only when the molar amount of NIPAAM incorporated in the network was at least eight times higher that of methacrylate groups on pullulan. The hydrogel with high amount of NIPAAM deswells more than 80% after the T-jump. The lower critical solution temperature of thermosensitive hydrogels decreases with increasing amount of NIPAAM. The mechanical properties of the hydrogels are strongly affected by the percentage of incorporated NIPAAM and by the temperature.     

Assessing elementary school children's social skills: Evaluation of the parent version of the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters.

This study examined J. L. Matson's (1990) assertion that the Teacher Version of the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY) can also be used with parents. Parents and teachers of 179 children completed the MESSY. Parent- and teacher-completed MESSYs were compared on factor structure, score convergence, and relationship to conceptually relevant cognitive and behavioral variables. Additionally, the factor structure and correlates of the parent-teacher composite scores were examined. Results suggested that the parent-reported MESSY does not show a particularly stable factor structure and is not highly related to teacher reports. However, the composite score, which integrated parent and teacher reports, may be a reasonable means of involving parents in reports of children's social skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Low Cost Optimization Techniques for Solving the Nonlinear Seismic Reflection Tomography Problem

The nonlinear seismic reflection tomography problem consists on minimizing the function g(p) = T – f(p)² ₂, where p is a vector containing the velocity model parameters and depth position of the reflectors, T contains the travel time of the rays, and f(p) is a highly nonlinear function that depends on the velocity of the subsurfaces. This problem has been solved using the Gauss-Newton method, and reconstruction techniques. These methods require either too many storage locations or too many iterations to converge. We present a different approach. We apply recently developed low storage minimization techniques directly on the function g(p). In particular, we use the recent global version of the spectral gradient method, and recent implementations of the conjugate gradient method. We present encouraging preliminary numerical results that indicate that our new approach clearly outperforms the classical techniques in CPU time and accuracy of the approximate solutions.     

Hypnotic elimination of prism-induced aftereffects: Perceptual effect or responses to experimental demands?

Two experiments assessed adaptation to displacing prisms in hypnotically limb-anesthetized Ss. Exp I with 18 college students disconfirmed the hypothesis that the displacement aftereffect is eliminated in limb-anesthetized hypnotic Ss who adapt to prisms in the absence of a visual target. Such Ss showed as large a displacement aftereffect as control Ss who received neither a hypnotic induction procedure nor an anesthesia suggestion. Exp II with 30 undergraduates demonstrated that under some testing conditions hypnotic Ss complied with experimental demands and eliminated the behavioral but not the perceptual component of the aftereffect. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assertive training with children.

Discusses the importance of including assertive training in the repertoire of the behavior therapist and its proven efficacy in the treatment of interpersonal inadequacy and its attendant anxieties in adults. The principles and innovations that characterize its use with children are also detailed. These include reward of appropriate assertive behaviors through a point system, graduated assignments, and parent and/or teacher involvement. Three case histories provide examples of the use of assertive training in children and demonstrate its applicability to a wide range of problems. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A reduced-state soft-statistics-based MAP/DF equalizer for datatransmission over long ISI channels

In this contribution, a novel version of the reduced-state maximum a posteriori probability/decision-feedback (MAP/DF) equalizer for intersymbol interference channels with long impulse responses is presented. The main feature of the proposed equalizer is that the soft statistics generated by the MAP receiver are employed to recursively compute a suitable index of the actual reliability of the (soft) decisions feeding the feedback filter. Therefore, in the presented equalizer, the usual (over-optimistic) assumption of error-free decisions at the input of the feedback filter is relaxed and improved performances are experienced, especially on channels with long impulse responses     

Low Prostate Concentration of Lycopene Is Associated with Development of Prostate Cancer in Patients with High-Grade Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia

Prostate cancer (PC) is a frequent male malignancy and represents the second most diagnosed cancer in men. Since pre-cancerous lesions, i.e., the high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN), can be detected years before progression to PC, early diagnosis and chemoprevention are targeted strategies to reduce PC rates. Animal studies have shown that lycopene, a carotenoid contained in tomatoes, is a promising candidate for the chemoprevention of PC. However, its efficacy in humans remains controversial. The present study aimed to investigate the relevance of plasma and prostate concentration of lycopene after a lycopene-enriched diet in patients diagnosed with HGPIN. Thirty-two patients diagnosed with HGPIN were administered a lycopene-enriched diet (20–25 mg/day of lycopene; through 30 g/day of triple concentrated tomato paste) for 6 months. A 6-month follow-up prostate biopsy assessed progression to PC. Patients were classified into three groups according to the histopathological features of the 6-month follow-up biopsy results: prostatitis; HGPIN and PC. PSA and plasma lycopene levels were measured before and after the dietary lycopene supplementation. Prostatic lycopene concentration was only assessed after the supplementation diet. Only prostatic lycopene concentration showed significant differences between the three groups (p = 0.03). Prostatic lycopene concentration below a 1 ng/mg threshold was associated with PC at 6-month follow-up biopsy (p = 0.003). We observed no overall benefits from a 6-month lycopene supplementation, as the rate of HGPIN progression to PC in our population (9/32, 28%) was similar to rates reported in the literature. Baseline PSA levels also showed no significant changes after a lycopene-enriched diet. Our findings point to prostatic lycopene concentration as a promising biomarker of PC. Further prospective longitudinal studies are needed to assess the prognostic role of prostatic lycopene in PC.     

Expository multimedia comprehension in E-learning: Presentation format,verbal ability and working memory capacity

Most of the studies establishing factors affecting digital text and multimedia comprehension have been conducted in controlled conditions. The present study sought to test and extend the modality and seductive details effects, and the role of verbal ability and working memory capacity, to a remote, self-paced, E-learning scenario. Two hundred and thirteen first-year undergraduates read or watched videos about scientific expository content in three formats: digital text (written expository texts, navigated in seven screens), presentation video (audio explanation, with written keywords), and presentation video with dynamic decorative images (audio explanation, written keywords, and dynamic decorative and irrelevant images). In a face-to-face session, they completed working memory and verbal ability tests. Comprehension performance was similar for the three conditions. For the multimedia videos with dynamic decorative irrelevant images, comprehension depended on working memory capacity. Verbal ability was relevant for both expository text and videos.