PTSD transmission: A review of secondary traumatization in Holocaust survivor families.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) provides a common language for diagnoses and assessment of trauma victims, including Holocaust survivors. Many of these survivors established post-war families and it is here that we began to witness the possibility of trauma transmission. Parental communication regarding the Holocaust, often characterized by obsessive re-telling or all-consuming silence, and strong family ties are implicated in the theoretical literature on trauma transmission. Terms such as vicarious, empathic, and secondary traumatization have been used to describe intergenerational trauma transmission. The crucial emergent question is whether a secondary PTSD syndrome, reflected in the current PTSD symptomology, is being transmitted from one generation to the next. There is evidence in the literature to support this hypothesis and a call is made for rigorous empirical studies as the test. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dispersing Behavior of Hydroxyapatite Powders Produced by Wet-Chemical Synthesis

Three hydroxyapatite powders with different surface properties were produced by wet-chemical synthesis and characterized. The electrokinetic properties of powders dispersed in water were investigated by electroacoustic spectroscopy measurements. The different surface reactivity (pH_iep and ζ potential versus pH curves) was related to the interplay of dissolution and adsorption of Ca²⁺ ions. With a view toward the preparation of porous bodies by sponge impregnation, the behavior of powder suspensions was studied. Four deflocculants were tested, and the optimum dispersing conditions for each powder were found. Anionic polyelectrolytes resulted in the best effective dispersing agent, with different optimum amounts added to the suspensions.     

The effect of selected parameters of formation on properties of alginate/Ca2+/oligochitosan capsules

Optimization of the technological parameters affecting the mechanical properties and permeability of capsules is essential to produce capsules with improved properties for cell immobilization. In the present paper, the effect of different parameters on the technological properties of alginate/Ca²⁺/oligochitosan capsules has been investigated. The correct adjustment of the alginate concentration in the polymer matrix and the oligochitosan molar mass, concentration and coating time, have been found to be key parameters in obtaining porous and mechanically stable alginate/Ca²⁺/oligochitosan capsules. Results showed that an increase in the coating time and concentration of the alginate generated more stable capsules with a reduced membrane cut‐off. Furthermore, we have established some correlations between capsule properties and the effectiveness of chitosan binding within the capsule's membrane. Data addressed herein could be a valid tool to fabricate optimized alginate/Ca²⁺/oligochitosan capsules with a potential for use in cell immobilization technology. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Self-tuning control based on generalized minimum variance criterion for auto-regressive models

Theoretical problems on self-tuning control include stability, performance and convergence of the recursive algorithm involved. In this paper, the problem of controlling minimum or non-minimum phase auto-regressive models with constant but unknown parameters is considered. The stability of an algorithm obtained by combining a recursive estimator for the controller parameters and a generalized minimum variance criterion is proved. The main result is the theorem which assures the overall stability for the closed-loop system in presence of white noise in the input-output relation, where the estimated parameters do not necessarily converge to the true values. The algorithm is proved by the Lyapunov theory.     

Dynamical and structural behavior of hydroxyethylcellulose hydrogels obtained by chemical gelation

Rheological, dynamical, de‐swelling, turbidity, and structural features during gelation with a chemical cross‐linking agent of semi‐dilute aqueous solutions of hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) were investigated at different cross‐linker concentrations. A higher level of cross‐linker leads to faster gelation and stronger incipient hydrogel. The rheological results favor the percolation model. The cross‐linking reaction proceeds over a long time in the post‐gel region, and this produces gels with a solid‐like response. Dynamic light‐scattering experiments reveal a fast and a slow relaxation mode. The slow relaxation time increases and the sample becomes more heterogeneous in the course of gelation. In the post‐gel region, the gels shrink during a long period of time and this phenomenon is accompanied by strong turbidity enhancement. Small‐angle neutron scattering results from samples quenched at a certain stage in the post‐gel regime disclose growth of heterogeneity in the gel with increasing level of cross‐linker addition. At smaller length scales, no effect of cross‐linker addition could be detected on the structural organization, and scattered intensity in this domain suggests that the HEC chains are locally stretched. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy of Nicotine Replacement Therapy for Smoking Cessation: Differences Between Men and Women.

Gender differences in the efficacy of nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) were examined in a meta-analytical review of 90 effect sizes obtained from a sample of 21 double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized studies. Although NRT was more effective for men than placebo at 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month follow-ups, the benefits of NRT for women were clearly evident only at the 3- and 6-month follow-ups. Giving NRT in conjunction with high-intensity nonpharmacological support was more important for women than men. That is, NRT and low support were efficacious for women at only short-term follow-up, and men benefited from NRT at all the follow-ups regardless of the intensity of the adjunct support. The results suggest that long-term maintenance of NRT treatment gains decrease more rapidly for women than men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gaussianization: An Efficient Multivariate Density Estimation Technique for Statistical Signal Processing

Multivariate density estimation is an important problem that is frequently encountered in statistical learning and signal processing. One of the most popular techniques is Parzen windowing, also referred to as kernel density estimation. Gaussianization is a procedure that allows one to estimate multivariate densities efficiently from the marginal densities of the individual random variables. In this paper, we present an optimal density estimation scheme that combines the desirable properties of Parzen windowing and Gaussianization, using minimum Kullback–Leibler divergence as the optimality criterion for selecting the kernel size in the Parzen windowing step. The utility of the estimate is illustrated in classifier design, independent components analysis, and Prices’ theorem.     

压电材料微机测试系统

本文报导了用微机测试压电陶瓷变形量的测试方法及工作原理,重点介绍了系统的硬、软件设计方案。     

Nested semantics over finite trees are equationally hard

This paper studies nested simulation and nested trace semantics over the language BCCSP, a basic formalism to express finite process behaviour. It is shown that none of these semantics affords finite (in)equational axiomatizations over BCCSP. In particular, for each of the nested semantics studied in this paper, the collection of sound, closed (in)equations over a singleton action set is not finitely based.     

Loss of ascorbic acid during storage of Conference pears in relation to the appearance of brown heart

To investigate the causes of brown heart (BH) in Conference pears, the contents of ascorbic acid (AA) and dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA) in fruits were studied during the first period of storage. AA was studied in 1999 and 2000, DHAA in 1999 only. Pears from normal and very late harvest stored immediately or after a delay in a controlled atmosphere with 2% O₂ and low (0.7%) or high (5%) CO₂ were compared. DHAA content did not change during storage in any treatment. AA decreased in storage according to an exponential model. The rate of AA loss was different in the two years and was higher in late‐harvest fruits and in those stored in 5% CO₂. BH appeared in different treatments when AA decreased below a threshold, which was about 2 mg kg^?1 fresh weight, corresponding to 5% of the AA content at harvest. The frequency and severity of symptoms depended linearly on the time spent by fruits in low‐ascorbate conditions. Advanced maturity at harvest and storage in high CO₂ determine the appearance of BH and increase the rate of AA loss, probably through a reduction in the turnover of antioxidants. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry