Interpersonal profiles and neurotic symptoms: Are they associated with each other?

The idea that neurotic symptoms are determined by interpersonal characteristics is of central importance for psychoanalytic theory, diagnostics, and treatment. In the present paper, the hypotheses were tested that (1) in general, neurotic symptoms are associated with interpersonal problems and (2) more specific, that a hysterical and an obsessional interpersonal dimension underlie the field of neurotic symptoms and that both dimensions are associated with specific types of neurotic symptoms. In a first study, the hysterical and obsessional interpersonal profiles were mapped by correlating clinicians' ratings on hysteria and obsessional neurosis with the scales of the IIP-64 interpersonal circumplex in a sample of neurotic outpatients. Hysteria was associated with nonassertive, overly accommodating, and self-sacrificing interpersonal behavior and obsessional neurosis was associated with vindictive and cold interpersonal behavior. In a second study, associations of these interpersonal profiles with different SCL-90-R neurotic symptom clusters were investigated in a second sample of neurotic patients and in student sample. The results showed that both interpersonal profiles were significantly associated with a wide range of neurotic symptoms. However, the hypothesized differential associations of the hysterical and obsessional interpersonal profile with distinguished types of neurotic symptoms were not observed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

GRC5 and NMD3 function in translational control of gene expression and interact genetically

The yeast gene, GRC5 (growth control), is a member of the highly conserved QM gene family, the human member of which has been associated with the suppression of Wilms' tumor. GRC5 encodes ribosomal protein L10, which is thought to play a regulatory role in the translational control of gene expression. A revertant screen identified four spontaneous revertants of the mutant grc5-1ts allele. Genetic and phenotypic analysis showed that these represent one gene, NMD3, and that the interaction of NMD3 and GRC5 is gene-specific. NMD3 was previously identified as a component of the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay pathway. The point mutations within NMD3 reported here may define a domain important for the functional interaction of Grc5p and Nmd3p.     

Being Bayesian About Network Structure. A Bayesian Approach to Structure Discovery in Bayesian Networks

In many multivariate domains, we are interested in analyzing the dependency structure of the underlying distribution, e.g., whether two variables are in direct interaction. We can represent dependency structures using Bayesian network models. To analyze a given data set, Bayesian model selection attempts to find the most likely (MAP) model, and uses its structure to answer these questions. However, when the amount of available data is modest, there might be many models that have non-negligible posterior. Thus, we want compute the Bayesian posterior of a feature, i.e., the total posterior probability of all models that contain it. In this paper, we propose a new approach for this task. We first show how to efficiently compute a sum over the exponential number of networks that are consistent with a fixed order over network variables. This allows us to compute, for a given order, both the marginal probability of the data and the posterior of a feature. We then use this result as the basis for an algorithm that approximates the Bayesian posterior of a feature. Our approach uses a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method, but over orders rather than over network structures. The space of orders is smaller and more regular than the space of structures, and has much a smoother posterior landscape. We present empirical results on synthetic and real-life datasets that compare our approach to full model averaging (when possible), to MCMC over network structures, and to a non-Bayesian bootstrap approach.     

Exploring the HMC trajectory-length dependence of autocorrelation times in lattice QCD

We study autocorrelation times of physical observables in lattice QCD as a function of the molecular dynamics trajectory length in the hybrid Monte-Carlo algorithm. In an interval of trajectory lengths where energy and reversibility violations can be kept under control, we find a variation of the integrated autocorrelation times by a factor of about two in the quantities of interest. Trajectories longer than conventionally used are found to be superior both in the Nf=0 and Nf=2 examples considered here. We also provide evidence that they lead to faster thermalization of systems with light quarks.     

Surface plasma treatments enabling low temperature direct bonding

Plasma activations for wafer bonding have been investigated for their ability to induce strong bonding even at low temperature treatment. Generally occurring with plasma treatment, revelation of many bonding defects (e.g. bubbles, voids,...) during (200–500°C) low temperature annealing is an important issue. In this paper, we will focus on bonding energy and quality enhancement obtained after reactive ion etch or microwave plasma treatment, under various atmospheres. Effects of a short plasma treatment on Si and SiO₂ surfaces are highlighted hereafter. Low-density layers around bonding interfaces have been characterized by interfacial X-ray reflectivity. Evolution of these layers through subsequent annealing are discussed to help in understanding mechanisms involved through such plasma treatments.     

Carbon nanotube–polymer interactions in nanocomposites: A review

The interaction between carbon nanotubes and polymers is critically reviewed. The interfacial characteristics directly influence the efficiency of nanotube reinforcements in improving mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of the polymer nanocomposite. In this review, various techniques of interaction measurements, including experimental and modelling studies, are described. From the experimental approaches, wetting, spectroscopy and probe microscopy techniques are discussed in detail. Molecular dynamics, coarse grain simulation and density functional theory are also explained as the main modelling approaches in interaction measurement studies. Different methods of interaction improvement, mainly categorized under covalent and noncovalent interactions, are described afterwards. Modelling predictions of nanocomposite properties, such as Young’s modulus, are compared with the experimental results in the literature and the challenges are discussed. Finally, it is concluded that an optimum carbon nanotube–polymer interaction is a key factor towards reaching the full potential of carbon nanotubes in nanocomposites.     

Effects of pure oxygen atmosphere in vivo on plasma lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase reaction

Exposure to pure oxygen atmospheres for more than three days resulted in loss of red blood cell mass in astronauts in some flights. Oxidation of lipid or protein membrane components may account for this phenomenon, since tocopherol deficient red blood cells have been shown to hemolyze on exposure to elevated oxygen pressures in vitro and in vivo. An additional contributing cause to the induced red cell loss may be the inhibition of the plasma lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase reaction by oxygen, since congenital absence of the enzyme is associated with anemia. This possibility was explored in eight human subjects who lived in a sealed environmental chamber and breathed 100% oxygen at 258 mm Hg pressure for 30 days. In their plasma a 40% decrease in the conversion of free cholesterol to ester was demonstrated in vitro after four weeks’ exposure to 100% oxygen. Plasma cholesteryl ester concentration was also decreased. Red blood cell mass was reduced and erythropoiesis was depressed. These findings support the hypothesis that the anemia induced by exposure to 100% oxygen was caused in part by decreased synthesis of cholesteryl esters secondary to an inhibition of the plasma lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase reaction.     

Cholesterol-cerebroside interaction: The role of α-hydroxy fatty acids

The esterification of cholesterol by the plasma phosphatidyl choline-cholesterol acyltransferase reaction was studied by two methods, radioisotopic and colorimetric, in the presence of cerebroside, ceramide, or methyl esters of lignoceric or α-hydroxy lignoceric acid. The radioisotopic method measures esterification of exogenous labeled cholesterol which must be taken up into the lipoprotein-bound pool prior to its utilization as a substrate. The colorimetric method measures esterification of endogenous lipoprotein-bound free cholesterol since the exogenous labeled cholesterol is negligible in concentration. Cerebroside and ceramide containing α-hydroxy fatty acids reduced the utilization of exogenous labeled cholesterol as substrate, but had no effect on lipoprotein-bound exogenous cholesterol esterification. Cerebroside and ceramide containing no α-hydroxy fatty acid had no effect on exogenous labeled cholesterol esterification. The methyl esters of lignoceric acid and α-hydroxy lignoceric acid had no effect on the esterification of exogenous cholesterol in plasma. There is a decrease in esterification of exogenous labeled cholesterol with increasing concentration of α-hydroxy fatty acid ceramide. Increasing the concentration of exogenous cholesterol tends to counteract the effect of the ceramide on cholesterol esterification. There was little effect on exogenous cholesterol esterification when the α-hydroxy fatty acid ceramide was exposed to plasma before adding the labeled cholesterol. The findings demonstrate an interaction between free cholesterol and cerebroside or ceramide containing α-hydroxy fatty acids, but the nature of the interaction is not elucidated.     

Veränderungen der Fettsäurezusammensetzung von Lipidfraktionen aus Kartoffeln während der Lagerung

Alterations in Fatty Acid Composition of Lipid Fractions from Potatoes During Storage Fatty acid composition of total lipids of the lecithin and cephalin fractions were determind by gas chromatography in samples of fresh potatoes and those stored for 8 months in cold. Moreover, a method for isolation of the pure cephalin fraction is reported. In all the three fractions the percentage of linolenic acid increased during storage, whereas the content of linoleic acid decreased. Other fatty acids remained practically unchanged during the storage. An additional experiment in which powdered freeze-dried potatoes were stored under undesirable conditions showed, as expected, that the content of unsaturated fatty acids decreased strongly. The results are discussed.