Stability and discriminant validity of the Adult Attachment Interview: A psychometric study in young Israeli adults.

59 male and female Israeli students were interviewed twice by 2 different interviewers at 3 mo intervals to assess the Adult Attachment Interview's (AAI; C. George et al, 1985) test–retest reliability and the effects of the interviewers on the interview itself as well as its subsequent classification. Various memory measures were used to obtain a wide range of information about Ss' memory abilities. Information was also obtained from the students' records about various intelligence-related skills. Results showed high degree of interjudge and test–retest reliabilities, irrespective of interviewers. The classifications on the AAI were not found to be associated with nonattachment-related memory and intelligence abilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reduction in sodium content of fresh,semihard Tzfat cheese using salt replacer mixtures: taste,texture and shelf life evaluation

Tzfat cheese is a semihard, fresh cheese commonly produced in Israel, with an average sodium content of 1000 mg/100 g cheese. Reduction in sodium levels by 30% and 50% (w/w) with and without salt replacer mixtures was assessed in terms of cheese physicochemical, microbiological and sensory properties. Cheese, containing 30% KCl and 70% NaCl had the closest taste profile to the control cheese, according to electronic tongue analysis. All cheeses underwent a similar increase in extent of proteolysis and microbial growth during shelf life. This study demonstrates the possibility of reducing the sodium content in fresh, semihard cheeses like Tzfat cheese by more than 30% using salt replacer mixtures, without significantly affecting quality.     

Design and development of printed helical array with low mutual coupling

This article reports the design and development of 4 × 4 printed helical array antenna for a geostationary‐based Global Positioning System (GPS) augmented Indian Navigation Payload. The impact of mutual coupling between the helical elements in an array is described. The reasons for deterioration of helical element's performance in an array are discussed. Mutual coupling between the elements is reduced resulting in to directivity and cross polarization improvements of the order of 2dBiC and 5 dB, respectively. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2011.     

Circulating Soluble TREM2 and Cardiovascular Outcome in Cohort Study of Coronary Atherosclerosis Patients

Triggering Receptor Expressed in Myeloid Cells 2 (TREM2) is a membrane receptor in myeloid cells that mediates cellular phagocytosis and inflammation. TREM2 and its soluble extracellular domain are clearly implicated in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. sTREM2 is also expressed in atherosclerotic macrophages. We hypothesized that sTREM2 would predict cardiovascular mortality in patients with established coronary atherosclerosis (CAD). Consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography with the establishment of the diagnosis of CAD (n = 230) and without CAD (n = 53) were tested for their baseline serum sTREM2 levels. All patients were followed up for 84 months or until death occurred. sTREM2 correlated with age; however, no association was found between sTREM2 and the number of atherosclerotic vessels involved (p = 0.642). After 84 months of follow-up, 68 out of the 230 CAD patients had died. After adjusting for age and other risk factors, the adjusted hazard ratio for the highest quartile of sTREM2 was 2.37 (95% confidence interval 1.17–4.83) for death. In patients with established CAD, serum sTREM2 appears to predict cardiovascular death as a potential surrogate for plaque rupture. TREM2 and its soluble extracellular form might be implicated in the fate of the atherosclerotic plaque, but corroboration within larger studies is needed.     

Genetic counseling for families at high cancer risk

About 5-10% of the most common cancers, such as breast, colon and melanoma, result from mutations in inherited predisposition genes. Recently some of these genes have been mapped or even cloned. These advances in cancer genetics have made more precise genetic counseling possible for cancer patients and their families. In our clinic for specific genetic counseling 180 families with a history of cancer were seen during a 10-month period. In counseling sessions, the family history was confirmed and interpreted, personal risk was estimated and the availability of molecular genetic testing was presented. Blood samples for DNA testing were drawn from those with certain criteria who wished to be tested. Instructions for early detection were also given, depending on the personal risk of cancer as compared to that of the general population.     

Effects of spatial configuration on contrast detection

We studied spatial integration at low contrasts by testing the detection thresholds of multi-Gabor element displays, examining configuration parameters such as orientation uniformity, contour smoothness, continuity, spacing and relative phase. We find that detectability depends on stimulus geometry and is constrained by collinearity and proximity spatial relationships. For textures, thresholds decrease with local orientation uniformity. For a 'coherent' contour (e.g. smooth and continuous), thresholds decrease linearly with increased number of elements, on a log-log scale, with a slope of -1/4 (sensitivity S proportional to N1/4). However, for a 'non-coherent' contour (e.g. jagged or with spacing > 5 lambda) thresholds are only slightly affected by the number of patches. Similar behavior is observed for supra-threshold stimuli embedded in band-pass noise. These results suggest that contrast integration is primarily based on local mechanisms and constrained by contour properties. These local mechanisms are possibly mediated by lateral interactions in the primary visual cortex.     

Transvaginal ultrasonographic measurements of endometrial thickness: a reproducibility study

OBJECTIVE: The study was undertaken to assess the reproducibility of endometrial thickness measurements by transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS). METHODS: In a prospective blind study, two examiners measured the endometrial thickness of 25 patients by TVS on two separate occasions 30 minutes apart. RESULTS: The reliability test performed for each examiner was statistically less significant for the intra-observer variation of each observer (r = 0.95 and r = 0.93), than between both examiners (r = 0.85). Although there was no statistically significant difference between the observations, the mean range of observations was 2.12 + 1.27 mm. CONCLUSIONS: A safety margin of error should be taken into consideration while recommending a cutoff under which no curettage is needed.     

Generation of parcelation proposals aided by lidar derived spatial cues

Periods of rapid urban development may only enable the documentation of land parcelation long after the actual construction has been completed. Such documentation may involve substantial effort, particularly in the case of large, densely-built regions. This paper proposes a method for generating parcelation proposals based on the geometric concept of equal partitioning and on existing, in situ, physical evidence. Airborne laser scanning data is used to generate partitions. Laser scanning data enables the detection of buildings around which parcel boundaries are established as well as weak cues that indicate the existence of physical parcel boundaries. We show that, even with modest resolution, such cues can be found within the data and utilized. Coverage of large geographic areas by airborne laser scanning data makes the proposed model applicable to wide regions.     

What 75 Psychoanalysts Found Helpful and Hurtful in Their Own Analyses.

Seventy-five psychoanalysts completed questionnaires about their own experiences in analysis. The items rated as most helpful were those related to the analyst's qualities, such as genuineness and openness. The intervention most correlated with perceived change, however, was "helped me become aware of experiences I was avoiding," with openness to ideas and experiences and toleration of anger also highly related to perceived change. A factor analysis revealed 5 factors, with active interventions, supportive relationship, and disclosure/mutuality significantly correlated with change. The areas in which the analysts noted the most change in themselves were related to capacities for intimacy and a wider range of emotions and behaviors. These areas of change are not the traditional ones associated with symptom reduction, although serious symptoms were also reported as ameliorated. The results indicate that the most effective interventions are active ones in a supportive relationship, suggesting that more than a good alliance is needed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The cost of richness: The effect of the size and diversity of decision sets on post-decision regret.

Decision making is often made difficult by the knowledge that one has to live with the outcomes of one's choices and with the regret that these might engender. Formal theories propose that regret is proportional to the difference between the outcome of the option chosen and the expected outcome of the next best alternative that one may have chosen instead. It follows that the number of alternatives available for choice does not affect post-decisional regret. In this study, however, the authors proposed that regret is related to the comparison between the alternative chosen and the union of the positive attributes of the alternatives rejected. This general proposition yielded 2 hypotheses: (a) the larger number of alternatives from which one can choose and (b) the more diverse those alternatives are, the stronger the regret that an unsatisfactory choice would cause. These hypotheses were tested and supported by 4 experiments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)