The use of SP2340 glass capillary columns for the estimation of thetrans fatty acid content of foods

Glass capillary gas chromatography (GCGC) on 100-m and 60-m SP2340 columns was used for quantitation of thetrans unsaturated fatty acids in shortenings and fast foods. The separation of thecis andtrans octadecenoates on GCGC was evaluated by preparatory argentation thin layer chromatography. In addition, thetrans content of shortening samples obtained by GCGC was compared totrans content determined by infrared analysis. This research conducted by the Science and Education Administration, USDA, on the commercial foods as reported in this paper was limited to analysis of their lipid compositions. The data are reported solely as factual information and are limited to the samples analyzed. No warranty or guarantee is made or implied that other samples of these products will have the same or similar composition. It is the policy of the USDA not to endorse those commercial products used in research over those that were not included in the research.     

Automatic particle detection through efficient Hough transforms

Manual selection of single particles in images acquired using cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) will become a significant bottleneck when a very large number of images are required to achieve three-dimensional reconstructions at near atomic resolution. Investigation of fast, accurate approaches for automatic particle detection has become one of the current challenges in the cryoEM community. At the same time, the investigation is hampered by the fact that few benchmark particles or image datasets exist in the community. The unavailability of such data makes it difficult to evaluate newly developed algorithms and to leverage expertise from other disciplines. The paper presents our recent contribution to this effort. It also describes our newly developed computational framework for particle detection, through the application of edge detection and a sequence of ordered Hough transforms. Experimental results using keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) as a model particle are very promising. In addition, it introduces a newly established web site, designed to support the investigation of automatic particle detection by providing an annotated image dataset of KLH available to the general scientific community.     

A semi-supervised regression model for mixed numerical and categorical variables

In this paper, we develop a semi-supervised regression algorithm to analyze data sets which contain both categorical and numerical attributes. This algorithm partitions the data sets into several clusters and at the same time fits a multivariate regression model to each cluster. This framework allows one to incorporate both multivariate regression models for numerical variables (supervised learning methods) and k-mode clustering algorithms for categorical variables (unsupervised learning methods). The estimates of regression models and k-mode parameters can be obtained simultaneously by minimizing a function which is the weighted sum of the least-square errors in the multivariate regression models and the dissimilarity measures among the categorical variables. Both synthetic and real data sets are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Movement abnormalities and the progression of prodromal symptomatology in adolescents at risk for psychotic disorders.

The link between movement abnormalities and psychotic disorders is presumed to reflect common neural mechanisms that influence both motor functions and vulnerability to psychosis. The prodromal period leading to psychotic disorders represents both a viable point for intervention and a developmental period that, if studied, could shed light on etiology; however, no published studies have examined the temporal progression of this link. A group with high levels of prodromal symptomatology (i.e., adolescents with schizotypal personality disorder [SPD]; n = 42) and both psychiatric controls (with other personality disorders or conduct disorder [OD]; n = 30) and nonpsychiatric controls ([NC]; n = 49) were recruited. Videotapes of structured psychiatric interviews were coded for movement abnormalities by raters blind to participants' diagnostic status, and follow-up assessments were conducted 1 year later. Controlling for psychotropic medications, the authors found that adolescents with SPD exhibited significantly more motor abnormalities in the face and upper body than did OD and NC controls. At baseline, movement abnormalities were positively correlated with the severity of positive, negative, and total prodromal symptoms. Within the SPD group, baseline movement abnormalities predicted symptom severity 1 year later. Movement abnormalities represent an early risk indicator that may be predictive of later symptom severity and potentially of psychosis onset. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Phase relations in the ternary Cu-Ga-In system

The phase relations of the Cu-Ga-In system were investigated in a composition range which is relevant for the production of Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ based thin film solar cells. The alloys Cu₁₆(In_{1 − y}Ga_y)₉, Cu₉(Ga,In)₄ and elemental In could be identified as the equilibrium phases of a ternary subsystem in the Cu-Ga-In phase diagram. The coexisting phases are well developed until 220 °C. In the case of Cu₉Ga₄ it is remarkable that the solubility of In in Cu₉Ga₄ highly increases with increasing temperature. Consequences for the selenization of metallic Cu-In-Ga precursors are discussed.     

Does the alliance cause good outcome? Recommendations for future research on the alliance.

Research has consistently documented that the quality of the therapeutic alliance is related to the outcome of diverse psychotherapies. Insufficient attention, however, has been directed at identifying the nature and magnitude of the causal relationship between the alliance and outcome. In this commentary, we discuss the major threats to causal interpretation of alliance-outcome correlations and provide suggestions for future research that would help clarify the extent to which the alliance causes positive outcomes. Assuming the alliance is a causal factor in relation to outcome, we provide recommendations for research on the alliance that would attempt to improve patient care by enhancing the alliance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validation of a simple and rapid HPLC method for determination of metronidazole in dermatological formulations

A rapid and simple method using an isocratic high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and UV detection for the determination of metronidazole in dermatological formulations is presented. Metronidazole samples were extracted with a solution composed of 60% methanol and 40% mobile phase by a procedure that can be completed in less than 10 min. Subsequent separation and quantification was accomplished in less than 20 min using reversed-phase HPLC with isocratic elution with 0.01% trifluoroacetic acid/acetonitrile (85:15%, vol/vol). Validation experiments confirmed the precision and accuracy of the method. When applied to a commercial metronidazole cream and gel formulation, recoveries of 100.4% for cream formulations and 102.3% for gel formulations were obtained. The method should facilitate studies of the formulation compatibility of metronidazole topical formulations with agents that may improve its clinical tolerability for treatment of rosacea.     

A decision-theoretic approach to the use of appropriateness measurement for detecting invalid test and scale scores.

In psychological measurement it is important to determine when a particular examinee's test or scale score provides an invalid measure of the trait or attitude being assessed. In this article we present several quantitative indices that have been found to effectively identify some types of inappropriate scores. These measures, termed appropriateness indices, are all derived from item response theory. They are computed directly from the item responses that are combined to form the test or scale of interest; information from other scales or tests is not needed. A decision-theoretic approach to the use of appropriateness indices in selection decisions and theoretical research is introduced. An example is then presented to illustrate how researchers can use appropriateness indices. Finally, we discuss policy options that are available for dealing with individuals who are identified as having inappropriate scores. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

THERMAL DOSE OPTIMIZATION IN HYPERTHERMIA TREATMENTS BY USING THE CONJUGATE GRADIENT METHOD

In the treatment of cancerous tumors, the thermal dose is the time temperature history required to treat or destroy the undesirable tissue. The aim of this article is to calculate the optimum history of the heat source that, in the one-dimensional bioheat transfer model, results in the desired thermal dose. The time dependent strength of this source defines the accumulated energy at the end of a single heat treatment period. First the optimum control problem is formulated in infinite-dimensional form. The associated adjoint problem is obtained using the calculus of variations and an analytical formula is derived for the gradient of the functional of interest. Then a parametric representation of the control parameter is developed and the adjoint state approach is performed in conjugation with the conjugate gradient method for the solution of this control problem in finite-dimensional form. A one-dimensional numerical case is analyzed and discussed to demonstrate the performance and the robustness of the present method.