Volatility and Yield of Glycolaldehyde SOA Formed through Aqueous Photochemistry and Droplet Evaporation

Aqueous hydroxyl radical (～10^?12 M) oxidation of glycolaldehyde (1 mM), followed by droplet evaporation, forms secondary organic aerosol (SOA) that exhibits an effective liquid vapor pressure and enthalpy of vaporization of ～10^?7 atm and ～70 kJ/mol, respectively, similar to the mix of organic acids identified in reaction samples. Salts of these acids have vapor pressures about three orders of magnitude lower (e.g., ammonium succinate ～10^?11 atm), suggesting that the gas–particle partitioning behavior of glycolaldehyde SOA depends strongly on whether products are present in the atmosphere as acids or salts. Several reaction samples were used to simulate cloud droplet evaporation using a vibrating orifice aerosol generator. Samples were also analyzed by ion chromatography (IC), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), IC-ESI-MS, and for total carbon. Glycolaldehyde SOA mass yields were 50–120%, somewhat higher than yields reported previously (40–60%). Possible reasons are discussed: (1) formation of oligomers from droplet evaporation, (2) inclusion of unquantified products formed by aqueous photooxidation, (3) differences in gas–particle partitioning, and (4) water retention in dried particles. These and similar results help to explain the enrichment of organic acids in particulate organic matter above clouds compared with those found below clouds, as observed previously in aircraft campaigns.

Copyright 2012 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Crisis intervention training program: Influence on staff attitudes in a postacute residential brain injury rehabilitation setting.

Purpose/Objective: Acquired brain injury produces a host of behavioral changes, and specialized training in proper management of these behaviors is essential to resolve crises and calm aggressive clients. This study was conducted to determine whether crisis intervention training was effective in increasing staff comfort with difficult client behaviors in a residential rehabilitation program for individuals with postacute acquired brain injury and whether changes would be maintained over time. Research Method/ Design: Twenty-five rehabilitation staff members participated in Nonviolent Crisis Intervention training and completed the Rehabilitation Situations Inventory before training, immediately following completion of the program, and 1 month later. Results: Immediately following completion of the program, participants reported increased comfort when faced with client behaviors related to motivation and adherence, sexuality, and aggression and when interacting with other staff and client families. Changes in comfort level with sexual situations, aggression, and staff/staff interactions were maintained 1 month post training. Conclusions/Implications: These results suggest that crisis intervention training is effective in increasing levels of staff comfort with difficult situations commonly experienced in the rehabilitation setting and the changes are maintained following training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Block and psychoticism.

Argues that J. P. Block's (1977) criticisms of the Eysenck and Eysenck Adult Psychoticism Scale are one-sided and do not take into account all the evidence. It is also suggested that Block's criticisms center on a function not at all envisaged for the scale, that is, the discrimination of psychotics from normals and other nonpsychotic groups. The scale was constructed to measure the underlying personality dimensions of psychoticism in nonclinical groups; therefore, the number of false positives and negatives in comparing normal and psychotic groups is largely irrelevant. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting marital stability and divorce in newlywed couples.

A longitudinal study with 95 newlywed couples examined the power of the Oral History Interview to predict stable marital relationships and divorce. A principal components analysis of the interview with the couples (Time 1) identified a latent variable, perceived marital bond, that was significant in predicting which couples would remain married or divorce within the first 5 years of their marriage. A discriminant function analysis of the newlywed oral history data predicted, with 87.4% accuracy, those couples whose marriages remained intact or broke up at the Time 2 data collection point. The oral history data predicted with 81% accuracy those couples who remained married or divorced at the Time 3 data collection point. This study offers support for causal linkages between perceptual biases and selective attention on the path of marriage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of an artificial neural network in estimating prevalence and assessing underdiagnosis of asthma

An artificial neural network was trained in the recognition of asthmatics in a general practice population, employing crossvalidation on a subset of 350 patients of known asthmatic status. The trained network was then run on the data from 3139 patients whose asthmatic status was unknown. Using the values from the test set as estimates of sensitivity and specificity, the number predicted positive was adjusted to allow for false positives and false negatives to give an estimate of asthma prevalence and the minimum underdiagnosis rate that this suggested for the population. Using different data sets and network structures, prevalence rates of approximately 16–21% were measured providing evidence, even after allowing for maximum variablity in the estimates, consistent with under-diagnosis of at least a small percentage (0.7–4.0%). To provide a more precise estimate of the rate of this under-diagnosis and associated prevalence, a larger training and testing set of more accurately labelled cases is planned.     

SprintFAX传真系统

本文简述了美国Ｓｐｒｉｎｔ公司的先进的ＳｐｒｉｎｔＦＡＸ传真系统的功能，结构，容量，用户特点，系统生成报表，系统支撑等概况。     

A cross-cultural comparison of personality in adults and children: Singapore and England.

493 men (mean age 28.24 yrs) and 501 women (mean age 26.65 yrs) in Singapore completed the adult Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). Similarly, 250 Singapore boys (mean age 13.14 yrs) and 508 girls (mean age 13.28 yrs) completed the Junior EPQ. Correlations between items were calculated for men and women, boys and girls separately. Factor analyses were performed on the resulting matrices, and indices of factor comparison were calculated for all 4 groups, comparing the factors extracted and rotated with similar factors from the original British standardizations. All the indices were high (.91) for the children and even higher (.96) for the adults. It is concluded that similar personality dimensions are to be found in the 2 countries. Findings support the idea that the dimensions of neuroticism, psychoticism, and extraversion are of universal applicability. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Type A behavior and occupational stress: A cross-cultural study of blue-collar workers.

Psychophysiological, archival, unobtrusive observation, and self-report data were compared for Type A and Type B male bus drivers in the United States and India. Type A bus drivers in comparison with their Type B counterparts have more accidents, absenteeism, official reprimands, and self-reports of occupational stress. In India, but not in the United States, Type A drivers brake, pass, and blow their horns more often than Type B drivers. Although drivers exhibited expected elevations in blood pressure and catecholamines on the job, the magnitude of these increases did not differ as a function of the Type A/B classification. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Closing the global N2O budget: nitrous oxide emissions through the agricultural nitrogen cycle

In 1995 a working group was assembled at the request of OECD/IPCC/IEA to revise the methodology for N₂O from agriculture for the National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Methodology. The basics of the methodology developed to calculate annual country level nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from agricultural soils is presented herein. Three sources of N₂O are distinguished in the new methodology: (i) direct emissions from agricultural soils, (ii) emissions from animal production, and (iii) N₂O emissions indirectly induced by agricultural activities. The methodology is a simple approach which requires only input data that are available from FAO databases. The methodology attempts to relate N₂O emissions to the agricultural nitrogen (N) cycle and to systems into which N is transported once it leaves agricultural systems. These estimates are made with the realization that increased utilization of crop nutrients, including N, will be required to meet rapidly growing needs for food and fiber production in our immediate future. Anthropogenic N input into agricultural systems include N from synthetic fertilizer, animal wastes, increased biological N-fixation, cultivation of mineral and organic soils through enhanced organic matter mineralization, and mineralization of crop residue returned to the field. Nitrous oxide may be emitted directly to the atmosphere in agricultural fields, animal confinements or pastoral systems or be transported from agricultural systems into ground and surface waters through surface runoff. Nitrate leaching and runoff and food consumption by humans and introduction into sewage systems transport the N ultimately into surface water (rivers and oceans) where additional N₂O is produced. Ammonia and oxides of N (NO_x) are also emitted from agricultural systems and may be transported off-site and serve to fertilize other systems which leads to enhanced production of N₂O. Eventually, all N that moves through the soil system will be either terminally sequestered in buried sediments or denitrified in aquatic systems. We estimated global N₂O–N emissions for the year 1989, using midpoint emission factors from our methodology and the FAO data for 1989. Direct emissions from agricultural soils totaled 2.1 Tg N, direct emissions from animal production totaled 2.1 Tg N and indirect emissions resulting from agricultural N input into the atmosphere and aquatic systems totaled 2.1 Tg N₂O–N for an annual total of 6.3 Tg N₂O–N. The N₂O input to the atmosphere from agricultural production as a whole has apparently been previously underestimated. These new estimates suggest that the missing N₂O sources discussed in earlier IPCC reports is likely a biogenic (agricultural) one.     

APOE Molecular Spectrum in a French Cohort with Primary Dyslipidemia

Primary hypercholesterolemia is characterized by elevated LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels isolated in autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia (ADH) or associated with elevated triglyceride levels in familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL). Rare APOE variants are known in ADH and FCHL. We explored the APOE molecular spectrum in a French ADH/FCHL cohort of 5743 unrelated probands. The sequencing of LDLR, PCSK9, APOB, and APOE revealed 76 carriers of a rare APOE variant, with no mutation in LDLR, PCSK9, or APOB. Among the 31 APOE variants identified here, 15 are described in ADH, 10 in FCHL, and 6 in both probands. Five were previously reported with dyslipidemia and 26 are novel, including 12 missense, 5 synonymous, 2 intronic, and 7 variants in regulatory regions. Sixteen variants were predicted as pathogenic or likely pathogenic, and their carriers had significantly lower polygenic risk scores (wPRS) than carriers of predicted benign variants. We observed no correlation between LDL-C levels and wPRS, suggesting a major effect of APOE variants. Carriers of p.Leu167del were associated with a severe phenotype. The analysis of 11 probands suggests that carriers of an APOE variant respond better to statins than carriers of a LDLR mutation. Altogether, we show that the APOE variants account for a significant contribution to ADH and FCHL.