Psychotherapy with the mentally retarded: A review of the literature and the implications.

The authors examine psychotherapy as an effective means of providing treatment to the mentally retarded from several theoretical standpoints. The literature on this topic dates back at least 30 years, and in some cases arguably 60 years, and consequently it is not a new area of inquiry. Although, historically, research has been lacking in this area, recent contributions have been promising, and this newer work is explored amid appraising the implications of this modality for today's practitioner who works with the mentally retarded. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

GEL FORMATION IN VACUUM GAS OIL. I. ROLE OF COMPOSITION

The compositional analysis of aromatics, saturates and urea non adductables obtained from vacuum gas oil (VGO) distillate (370-550°C) and its seven sub-fractions: (1) 370-400, (2) 400-425, (3) 425-450, (4) 450-475, (5) 475-500, (6) 500-525 and (7) 525-550°C, derived from both paraffinic and aromatic base crude oils have been done using thin layer chromatography/flame ionisation detection technique. The physico- chemical characteristics are measured using the ASTM/ standard test procedures and an attempt has been made to correlate the physico-chemical properties with the composition. The phenomenon of gel formation at low temperatures and the characteristics of the gel in these VGO sub-fractions have been studied by X-ray diffractometry and photomicrography. It is found that at low temperatures the gel formation takes place due to the development of a three dimensional network by the crystallizing n-paraffins, as well as by the agglomeration of molecules due to very high viscosity. Both processes proceed simultaneously and the concentration and composition of n-paraffins have been found to determine the dominance or otherwise of the crystallization process.     

Experimental analysis and modeling of the anisotropic response of titanium alloy Ti-X for quasi-static loading at room temperature

This paper deals with the characterization and modeling of the deformation behavior of titanium alloy Ti-X^© under quasi-static conditions at room temperature. The material investigated is a 1.2 mm thick rolled sheet with a strong basal texture. Monotonic tensile, compressive and cyclic tests in various directions relative to the rolling direction were conducted in order to characterize the material behavior. Textural information was obtained from electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) data. Strip drawing tests were also carried out. The experimental data has been extended to biaxial stress states using the visco-plastic self-consistent texture model (VPSC). The CPB06ex2 model Plunkett et al. (Int J Plast 24:847–866, 2008) was used to describe the yield surface. This model can describe the anisotropy and the tension-compression asymmetry. Distortional hardening was described taking account of the evolution of the model parameters. An extension of the model using the Armstrong and Frederick approach makes it possible to account for the Bauschinger effect during cyclic loading. There was a high level of correlation between the FE simulation and experimental data.     

Applying the peephole metaphor in a mixed-reality room

It is possible to one day create non-multiplexed room-sized displays using, for example, e-ink to create wallpapers and floor tiling. The environment could thereby simultaneously display visual elements on all of its surfaces. Thoughtlessly used, however, such an environment could easily become confusing and annoying by visually polluting otherwise calm surroundings. To prevent this visual pollution, we propose restricting visual display to small peepholes into the omnipresent and spatially continuous virtual layer. We discuss this approach and how we implemented the peephole metaphor using current steerable projector technology to create a room-sized MR environment. The peephole metaphor offers an interaction model for ubiquitous computing, organizing an environment's input and output facilities, such as sensors and displays. Within this environment, we developed several simple applications to demonstrate the peephole metaphor's viability.     

On the preparation and characterization of “NaOHTaS2”

Intercalation compounds of 2H-TaS₂ from NaOH solutions with concentrations ranging from 1mM to 5M have been prepared. We determined the superconducting transition temperature T_C, the Na content x and the charge transfer n as a function of pH. At low pH (≤ 12) compounds identical to those obtained from Na_0.33TaS₂ by subsequent hydration are formed: Na⁺_0.33(H₂O)_y[TaS₂]^0.33?. This phase is superconducting at 5.5 K. For samples prepared at high pH (>12) T_C decreases to 2.5 K, whereas x and n increase up to 0.6 and 0.39, respectively. The discrepancy between x and n suggests a cointercalation of negative counterions. In addition we investigated the instability of these compounds against air and water.     

A high resolution dilatometer for in situ studies of the electrointercalation of layered materials

A dilatometer with an estimated resolution of ?25 nm is described which allows a continuous recording of the crystal expansion during electrointercalation of layered materials. We report on two examples: the galvanostatic intercalation of $\text{HSO}{}_4{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{H}{}_2\text{SO}{}_4$ into graphite and $\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{H}{}_2\text{O}$ into 2HTaS₂. In the graphite system, the dilatometer record confirms the pronounced staging phenomenon, whereas for TaS₂ no higher than a second stage shows up. For both systems, the overall behaviour of the crystal expansion during intercalation suggests that no coherent intercalation front exists. In the case of TaS₂ with a rather high stacking fault density in situ dilatometry turns out to be ideally suited for the investigation of the intercalation mechanism.     

Comparison and validation of tissue modelization and statistical classification methods in T1-weighted MR brain images

This paper presents a validation study on statistical nonsupervised brain tissue classification techniques in magnetic resonance (MR) images. Several image models assuming different hypotheses regarding the intensity distribution model, the spatial model and the number of classes are assessed. The methods are tested on simulated data for which the classification ground truth is known. Different noise and intensity nonuniformities are added to simulate real imaging conditions. No enhancement of the image quality is considered either before or during the classification process. This way, the accuracy of the methods and their robustness against image artifacts are tested. Classification is also performed on real data where a quantitative validation compares the methods' results with an estimated ground truth from manual segmentations by experts. Validity of the various classification methods in the labeling of the image as well as in the tissue volume is estimated with different local and global measures. Results demonstrate that methods relying on both intensity and spatial information are more robust to noise and field inhomogeneities. We also demonstrate that partial volume is not perfectly modeled, even though methods that account for mixture classes outperform methods that only consider pure Gaussian classes. Finally, we show that simulated data results can also be extended to real data.     

Feedback and therapist praise during treatment of phobia.

In the context of a "reinforced practice" treatment paradigm, the present 5 experiments analyzed whether or not feedback superimposed upon contingent praise would have an additive therapeutic effect. In each of 5 18-56 yr old phobic patients (brief case histories are given) behavioral progress in the initial praise-alone phase was either slow or nonexistent. When precise feedback of performance was added to praise in the 2nd phase, however, rate of improvement increased dramatically. Withdrawal of feedback did not slow down this rate. Feedback was apparently more important than therapist praise in getting approach behavior underway, but once gains had been made, praise plus the repeated graduated practice procedure per se was able to sustain continuing improvement on its own. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpretation of regional geochemistry using optimal interpolation parameters

A collection of data analysis procedures is presented which are derived from estimation of geographic interpolation parameters. Several interpolation models are discussed along with a procedure to obtain the best model. The power parameter, p, and the search radius, c, are the standard parameters in inverse distance weighting interpolation which is appropriate for sampling patterns that are not highly irregular. The power parameter is shown to characterize the regional behavior of geochemical measurements. This characterization process can be used to associate similar types of geochemical measurements, produce optimal contour maps, derive meaningful residual maps, and highlight unusual geochemical areas by a weighted sum variable. The computer program. BESTP, (used to estimate the optimum inverse distance weighting interpolation parameters) is presented, along with an example using reconnaissance groundwater data from the Plainview Quadrangle, Texas.