L'échelle de dramatisation face à la douleur PCS-CF: Adaptation canadienne en langue fran?aise de l'échelle Pain Catastrophizing Scale.

This study examined the psychometric properties of the PCS-CF, a French-Canadian adaptation of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (Sullivan, Bishop & Pivik, 1995). One hundred and twenty undergraduate students (83 women; 37 men) completed the PCS-CF and measures of anxiety and depression prior to immersing their hand in ice water for 1-minute. A subset of 39 participants (28 females; 11 males) also completed a second pain task involving an ascending series of electrocutaneous stimulations. Participants' verbal and non-verbal pain behaviours during and immediately after the immersion task were recorded and subsequently independently coded. Reliability analyses revealed that the PCS-CF total score and subscale scores have a high degree of internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities that are comparable to the original Pain Catastrophizing Scale. PCS-CF scores were associated with higher levels of self-reported pain during the ice water immersion task and decreased pain tolerance during electrocutaneous stimulation. Individuals with elevated PCS-CF scores also displayed a more diverse repertoire of pain behaviours than their low PCS-CF counterparts. Previous findings that catastrophizing scores are able to discriminate criterion groups of males and females were also replicated. Given the highly correlated factors obtained in analyses of the dimensionality of the PCS-CF, the structure suggested by the authors of the original scale is only partially supported. However, the results taken together suggest that the PCS-CF is both a reliable and valid measure of the pain catastrophizing construct that is psychometrically comparable to the original PCS. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Quantitative biology of single neurons

The building blocks of complex biological systems are single cells. Fundamental insights gained from single-cell analysis promise to provide the framework for understanding normal biological systems development as well as the limits on systems/cellular ability to respond to disease. The interplay of cells to create functional systems is not well understood. Until recently, the study of single cells has concentrated primarily on morphological and physiological characterization. With the application of new highly sensitive molecular and genomic technologies, the quantitative biochemistry of single cells is now accessible.     

Using immersive virtual reality and anatomically correct computer-generated characters in the forensic assessment of deviant sexual preferences

Penile plethysmography (PPG) is the gold standard for the assessment of sexual interests, especially among sex offenders of children. Nonetheless, this method faces some ethical limitations inherent to the nature of its stimuli and could benefit from the improvement of its ecological validity. The use of computer-generated characters (CGC) in virtual immersion for PPG assessment might help address these issues. A new application developed to design made-to-measure anatomically correct virtual characters compatible with the Tanner developmental stages is presented. The main purpose of this study was to determine how the virtual reality (VR) modality compares to the standard auditory modality on their capacity to generate sexual arousal profiles and deviance differentials indicative of sexual interests. The erectile responses of 22 sex offenders of children and 42 non-deviant adult males were recorded. While both stimulus modalities generated significantly different genital arousal profiles for sex offenders of children and non-deviant males, deviance differentials calculated from the VR modality allowed for significantly higher classification accuracy. Performing receiver operating characteristic analyses further assessed discriminant potential. Auditory modality yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.79 (SE = 0.059) while CGC in VR yielded an AUC of 0.90 (SE = 0.052). Overall, results suggest that the VR modality allows significantly better group classification accuracy and discriminant validity than audio stimuli, which provide empirical support for the use of this new method for PPG assessment. Additionally, the potential use of VR in interventions pertaining to self-regulation of sexual offending is addressed in conclusion.     

Do ‘green’ buildings have better indoor environments? New evidence

A post-occupancy evaluation (POE) of 12 green and 12 conventional office buildings across Canada and the northern United States was conducted. Occupants (N = 2545) completed an online questionnaire related to environmental satisfaction, job satisfaction and organizational commitment, health and well-being, environmental attitudes, and commuting. In each building on-site physical measurements at a sample of workstations (N= 974) were taken, including: thermal conditions, air quality, acoustics, lighting, workstation size, ceiling height, window access and shading, and surface finishes. Green buildings exhibited superior performance compared with similar conventional buildings. Better outcomes included: environmental satisfaction, satisfaction with thermal conditions, satisfaction with the view to the outside, aesthetic appearance, less disturbance from heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) noise, workplace image, night-time sleep quality, mood, physical symptoms, and reduced number of airborne particulates. A variety of physical features led to improved occupant outcomes across all buildings, including: conditions associated with speech privacy, lower background noise levels, higher light levels, greater access to windows, conditions associated with thermal comfort, and fewer airborne particulates. Green building rating systems might benefit from further attention in several areas, including: credits related to acoustic performance, a greater focus on reducing airborne particulates, enhanced support for the interdisciplinary design process and development of POE protocols.

Il a été mené une évaluation après occupation (POE) de 12 immeubles de bureaux verts et 12 immeubles de bureaux classiques répartis à travers le Canada et le nord des Etats-Unis. Les occupants (N?=?2545) ont rempli un questionnaire en ligne portant sur la satisfaction environnementale, la satisfaction au travail et l'implication organisationnelle, la santé et le bien-être, les attitudes environnementales, et les trajets réguliers. Dans chaque immeuble, des mesures physiques in situ sur un échantillon de postes de travail (N?=?974) ont été effectuées, comprenant : les conditions thermiques, la qualité de l'air, l'acoustique, l'éclairage, la taille des postes de travail, la hauteur de plafond, l'accès aux fenêtres et leur occultation, et les finitions de surface. Les bâtiments verts ont affiché des performances supérieures par rapport aux bâtiments classiques similaires. De meilleurs résultats ont été obtenus concernant la satisfaction environnementale, la satisfaction à l'égard des conditions thermiques, la satisfaction à l'égard de la vue sur l'extérieur, l'aspect esthétique, la diminution des perturbations liées aux bruits provenant du chauffage, de la ventilation et de la climatisation (CVC), l'image du lieu de travail, la qualité du sommeil nocturne, l'humeur, les symptômes physiques, et la réduction du nombre de particules en suspension dans l'air. Différentes caractéristiques physiques ont conduit à une amélioration des résultats pour les occupants dans tous les immeubles, concernant notamment les conditions liées à la confidentialité des conversations, les niveaux inférieurs de bruit de fond, les niveaux de luminosité plus élevés, l'accès accru aux fenêtres, les conditions associées au confort thermique, et le nombre moindre de particules en suspension dans l'air. Les systèmes de notation des bâtiments verts pourraient bénéficier d'une plus grande attention apportée à plusieurs domaines, s'agissant en particulier des crédits relatifs aux performances acoustiques, d'un accent accru sur la réduction des particules en suspension dans l'air, d'un soutien renforcé en faveur du processus de conception interdisciplinaire et du développement de protocoles POE.

Mots clés: performances des bâtiments, bilan environnemental, bâtiments verts, environnement intérieur, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), satisfaction des occupants, évaluation après occupation     

11C‐ and 18F‐Labeled Radioligands for P‐Glycoprotein Imaging by Positron Emission Tomography

P‐Glycoprotein (P‐gp) is an efflux transporter widely expressed at the human blood–brain barrier. It is involved in xenobiotics efflux and in onset and progression of neurodegenerative disorders. For these reasons, there is great interest in the assessment of P‐gp expression and function by noninvasive techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET). Three radiolabeled aryloxazole derivatives: 2‐[2‐(2‐methyl‐(¹¹C)‐5‐methoxyphenyl)oxazol‐4‐ylmethyl]‐6,7‐dimethoxy‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroisoquinoline ([¹¹C]‐ 5 ); 2‐[2‐(2‐fluoromethyl‐(¹⁸F)‐5‐methoxyphenyl)oxazol‐4‐ylmethyl]‐6,7‐dimethoxy‐1,2,3,4‐tetra‐hydroisoquinoline ([¹⁸F]‐ 6 ); and 2‐[2‐(2‐fluoroethyl‐(¹⁸F)‐5‐methoxyphenyl)oxazol‐4‐ylmethyl]‐6,7‐dimethoxy‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroisoquinoline ([¹⁸F]‐ 7 ), were tested in several in vitro biological assays to assess the effect of the aryl substituent in terms of potency and mechanism of action toward P‐gp. Methyl derivative [¹¹C]‐ 5 is a potent P‐gp substrate, whereas the corresponding fluoroethyl derivative [¹⁸F]‐ 7 is a P‐gp inhibitor. Fluoromethyl compound [¹⁸F]‐ 6 is classified as a non‐transported P‐gp substrate, because its efflux increases after cyclosporine A modulation. These studies revealed a promising substrate and inhibitor, [¹¹C]‐ 5 and [¹⁸F]‐ 7 , respectively, for in vivo imaging of P‐gp by using PET.     

Matisse: A System-on-Chip Design Methodology Emphasizing Dynamic Memory Management

MATISSE is a design environment intended for developing systems characterized by a tight interaction between control and data-flow behavior, intensive data storage and transfer, and stringent real-time requirements. Matisse bridges the gap from a system specification, using a concurrent object-oriented language, to an optimized embedded single-chip hardware/software implementation. Matisse supports stepwise exploration and refinement of dynamic memory management, memory architecture exploration, and gradual incorporation of timing constraints before going to traditional tools for hardware synthesis, software compilation, and inter-processor communication synthesis. With this approach, specifications of embedded systems can be written in a high-level programming language using data abstraction. Application of MATISSE on telecom protocol processing systems in the ATM area shows significant improvements in area usage and power consumption.     

Eating behavior in response to food-cue exposure: Examining the cue-reactivity and counteractive-control models.

Many studies have demonstrated that those high in weight-related concerns eat more after food-cue exposure, which is consistent with predictions of the cue-reactivity model. However, the counteractive-control model predicts that exposure to fattening foods activates dieting-related goals and behavior in weight-concerned individuals. Although these models seem incongruous, the authors hypothesized that the salience of the cue could represent a critical factor in determining which model is activated. The authors predicted that attending to salient food cues would result in increased intake (cue reactivity) in individuals with high weight-related concerns, whereas incidental food-cue exposure would result in decreased intake (counteractive control), relative to control exposure. The authors employed a 3 (attended vs. incidental vs. control cue) × 2 (low vs. high weight-related concerns) design. As expected, participants with high weight-related concerns who attended to a food cue ate more than did both those with high weight-related concerns in the control condition and those with low weight-related concerns in the attended-cue condition; however, intake of individuals with high weight-related concerns who were exposed to the incidental cue did not differ from that of those in the control condition. The manner of food-cue presentation may be a critical factor in determining eating behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transparent thin thermoplastic biochip by injection-moulding and laser transmission welding

Recently microfluidic devices have emerged as a viable technology for the miniaturization of high throughput tools for analytical tasks related to structural biology such as screening of crystallization conditions and structural analysis. This work reports the manufacture of microfluidic chips in transparent thermoplastic polymers [poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA), and cyclic olefin copolymer (COC)] using two complementary technologies, injection moulding for the fabrication of the fluidic level and laser transmission welding for the sealing of the cover. A steel mould insert was produced by laser micro caving using a solid state laser radiation source (Nd:YAG, wavelength 1,064 nm). Fluidic chips of ~670 μm thickness comprising channels of 50 μm depth and width down to 50 μm were injection moulded in PMMA and COC. Joining of transparent thin cover film to the micro-injected fluidic level was performed by laser transmission welding using high power diode laser radiation (wavelength 940 nm) and an intermediate thin absorbing layer with a thickness of about several nanometers.