Ambivalence over emotional expression and well-being: Nomothetic and idiographic tests of the stress-buffering hypothesis.

Examined nomothetic and idiographic relations between ambivalence over emotional expression (as expressed by the Ambivalence Over Emotional Expression Questionnaire; AEQ) and well-being in a 4-mo study with an interim 2-wk diary component. Ss were 66 undergraduates. Nomothetic and idiographic analyses both revealed that AEQ was related to psychological health but not to physical well-being. The nomothetic test of stress-buffering showed that AEQ was more predictive of depression among Ss who had experienced higher levels of positive life-event stress. In contrast, the idiographic test of stress-buffering revealed that Ss higher in AEQ exhibited less covariation between daily stress and negative affect over time. It is proposed that AEQ may reflect 2 types of emotional vulnerability: emotional reactivity and emotional perseveration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Catheters coated with Zn-doped CuO nanoparticles delay the onset of catheter-associated urinary tract infections

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections associated with medical devices.In the current study,the synthesis,coating,antibiofilm properties,and biocompatibility of urinary catheters coated with Zn-doped CuO (Zn0.12Cu0.~O) nanoparticles (NPs) were examined.The doped NPs were synthesized and subsequently deposited on the catheter by the sonochemical method.The coated catheters displayed high antibiofilm activity and promising biocompatibility,as indicated by low in vitro cytotoxicity,negligible associated cytokine secretion,and absence of detectable irritation.The biocompatibility and ability of the Zn-doped CuO coating to inhibit biofilm formation were also evaluated in vivo using a rabbit model.Rabbits catheterized with uncoated catheters scored positive for CAUTI by day 4 of the experiment.In contrast,rabbits catheterized with Zn-doped CuO-coated catheters did not exhibit CAUTI until day 7 or remained completely uninfected for the whole duration of the 7-day experiment.Furthermore,.the in vivo biocompatibility assays and examinations supported the biosafety of Zn-doped CuO-coated catheters.Taken together,these data highlight the potential of Zn-doped CuO nanocomposite as effective antibiofilm compound.     

Effect of Composition and Processing Parameters on the Formation of Nano-Bainite in Advanced High Strength Steels

The nano-bainitic microstructures were compared in a 0.79C-1.5Si-1.98Mn-0.24Mo-1.06Al (wt%) steel after isothermal heat-treatment and a Fe-0.2C-1.5Mn-1.2Si-0.3Mo-0.6Al-0.02Nb (wt%) steel after controlled thermomechanical processing.The microstructure for both steels consisted of bainite.The microstructural characteristics of bainite,such as the morphology of the nano-bainite and thicknesses of bainitic ferrite and retained austenite layers,as a function of steel composition and processing was studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM).It was found that the nano-bainitic structure can be formed in the low alloy steel through thermomechanical processing.Atom probe tomography (APT) was employed as a powerful technique to determine local composition distributions in three dimensions with atomic resolution.The important conclusions from the APT research were that the carbon content of bainitic ferrite is higher than expected from paraequilibrium level of carbon in ferrite for both steels and that Fe-C clusters and fine particles are formed in the bainitic ferrite in both steels despite the high level of Si.     

Spying or steering? Views of parents of young novice drivers on the use and ethics of driver-monitoring technologies

In-vehicle technologies that document driving practices have the potential to enhance the driving safety of young drivers, but their installation depends largely on their parents’ willingness and raises ethical dilemmas. This study investigated, using closed and open-ended questions, the views of 906 parents of young drivers in Israel regarding their willingness to install such a technology, and their conceptions of social norms and ethical issues associated with the technology and of factors that would encourage or discourage parents to adopt it. Most believed parents should feel morally obligated to install it. When cost was not a consideration, most said they would, and believed other parents would be willing to install the technology. Fewer (about half) expressed willingness to install it after being told about its estimated cost. Monetary cost was rated as a barrier to install it by about half. Environmental considerations were viewed as an incentive. Parents who supported the installation believed it would serve as a trigger for parent–young driver communication but those who did not thought it would erode trust in the parent–young driver relationship. Most said parents should have access to the monitoring data. Policy implications regarding issues of privacy and resources for parents are discussed.     

Microstructure-Property Relationship of High Strength Low Alloy Steels During Tensile Testing at High Strain Rates

The influence of strain-rate on the room temperature mechanical properties of Dual-Phase and Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) steels was investigated.The results showed that both plastic strain,and strength properties increased with increasing strain rates at high strain rates.At strain rates lower than approximateil 1s-1 the properties no longer have an advantageous proportionality to strain rate and remain strain rate neutral.Possible explanations are offered for trends exhibited,in terms of thermal and athermal considerations,in relation to the respective microstructures of the two steels.     

Euler Spiral for Shape Completion

In this paper we address the curve completion problem, e.g., the geometric continuation of boundaries of objects which are temporarily interrupted by occlusion. Also known as the gap completion or shape completion problem, this problem is a significant element of perceptual grouping of edge elements and has been approached by using cubic splines or biarcs which minimize total curvature squared (elastica), as motivated by a physical analogy. Our approach is motivated by railroad design methods of the early 1900's which connect two rail segments by transition curves, and by the work of Knuth on mathematical typography. We propose that in using an energy minimizing solution completion curves should not penalize curvature as in elastica but curvature variation. The minimization of total curvature variation leads to an Euler Spiral solution, a curve whose curvature varies linearly with arclength. We reduce the construction of this curve from a pair of points and tangents at these points to solving a nonlinear system of equations involving Fresnel Integrals, whose solution relies on optimization from a suitable initial condition constrained to satisfy given boundary conditions. Since the choice of an appropriate initial curve is critical in this optimization, we analytically derive an optimal solution in the class of biarc curves, which is then used as the initial curve. The resulting interpolations yield intuitive interpolation across gaps and occlusions, and are extensible, in contrast to the scale-invariant version of elastica. In addition, Euler Spiral segments can be used in other applications of curve completions, e.g., modeling boundary segments between curvature extrema or modeling skeletal branch geometry.     

Expression of galectins in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Galectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins thought to be important for cell growth and differentiation, whose expression is altered in some tumors with aggressive phenotype. Our objective was to evaluate the expression of galectins in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). METHODS: Fourteen HNSCC cell lines and four primary tumor specimens were evaluated using immunoblotting, and immunohistochemical analysis was performed on 35 primary HNSCCs. RESULTS: Galectin-1 and galectin-3 were expressed in most HNSCC cell lines and primary tumor specimens. Galectin-1 was detected in the basal layer of normal adjacent mucosa, in connective tissue stroma, and at the periphery of invasive tumor islands. Galectin-3 localized to superficial mucosal layers, and adjacent to keratin pearls in invasive carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Galectins are manifested in HNSCC tumors and are localized to the cell surface, where they may participate in cellular interactions. The expression pattern of galectins appears to be associated with degree of squamous differentiation, suggesting a potential role for galectins as biologic and differentiation markers in HNSCC.