Reality testing by schizophrenics.

Compared 15 schizophrenics with 15 controls of similar mental test status and educational background on 2 classes of elementary problems from a series of artifact testing tasks monitored by an automatic problem programing machine called the Heuristic Evaluation Problem Programmer. In terms of an index that reflects the ability to conduct the required inquiry efficiently, the groups did not differ significantly on statistical tests that employed between-Ss differences as the error variance. Repeated measures of group differences showed a small, but statistically significant, superiority for the control Ss. Intercorrelations between scores on various problem sets indicated that the tests were reliable. During the 1st 3/4 of the problem series, there was a marked inefficiency of performance in a small group of paranoid schizophrenics as compared with a group of chronic undifferentiated schizophrenics. (17 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of type of social reinforcement on the intelligence performance of lower-class Black children.

Examined the effects of different types of reinforcement on the performance of 80 Black 2nd grade males on the WISC-R. Ss given candy or culturally relevant social reinforcement obtained significantly higher scores than Ss given either no reinforcement or traditional social reinforcement. (2 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Visualization of primate high density lipoproteins isolated by density gradient ultracentrifugation

High density lipoproteins (HDL) isolated by density gradient ultracentrifugation from the plasma of monkeys ingesting semipurified diets are barely visible. This creates difficulty in separating HDL from other lower density lipoproteins following centrifugation and necessitates collecting large quantities of background density solution to insure complete recovery of the HDL fraction. A simple procedure is described involving the addition of β-carotene to nonhuman primate plasma prior to centrifugation which results in the delineation of HDL as a discrete yellow-orange band without affecting certain physical properties of HDL or interfering with standard lipid and protein assays.     

Microchip-based purification of DNA from biological samples

A microchip solid-phase extraction method for purification of DNA from biological samples, such as blood, is demonstrated. Silica beads were packed into glass microchips and the beads immobilized with sol-gel to provide a stable and reproducible solid phase onto which DNA could be adsorbed. Optimization of the DNA loading conditions established a higher DNA recovery at pH 6.1 than 7.6. This lower pH also allowed for the flow rate to be increased, resulting in a decrease in extraction time from 25 min to less than 15 min. Using this procedure, template genomic DNA from human whole blood was purified on the microchip platform with the only sample preparation being mixing of the blood with load buffer prior to loading on the microchip device. Comparison between the microchip SPE (microchipSPE) procedure and a commercial microcentrifuge method showed comparable amounts of PCR-amplifiable DNA could be isolated from cultures of Salmonella typhimurium. The greatest potential of the microchipSPE device was illustrated by purifying DNA from spores from the vaccine strain of Bacillus anthracis, where eventual integration of SPE, PCR, and separation on a single microdevice could potentially enable complete detection of the infectious agent in less than 30 min.     

Thorium in the workplace: results from a European-based measurement comparison project

A Series of comparisons were conducted to test the capabilities of a range of metrological techniques and analytical laboratories engaged in the assay of thorium in the workplace. The results of these exercises are presented together with the decision criteria used to determine whether results are significantly different from the true value. The discussion highlights those aspects which warrant closer and further attention.     

Globally Optimal Training of Unit Boundaries in Unit Selection Text-to-Speech Synthesis

The level of quality that can be achieved by modern concatenative text-to-speech synthesis heavily depends on a judicious composition of the unit inventory used in the unit selection process. Unit boundary optimization, in particular, can make a huge difference in the users' perception of the concatenated acoustic waveform. This paper considers the iterative refinement of unit boundaries based on a data-driven feature extraction framework separately optimized for each boundary region. This guarantees a globally optimal cut point between any two matching units in the underlying inventory. The associated boundary training procedure is objectively characterized, first in terms of convergence behavior, and then by comparing the distributions in inter-unit discontinuity obtained before and after training. Experimental results underscore the viability of this approach for unit boundary optimization. Listening evidence also qualitatively exemplifies a noticeable reduction in the perception of discontinuity between concatenated acoustic units     

Strength prediction of multi-layer plain weave textile composites using the direct micromechanics method

Previously developed micromechanical methods for stiffness and strength prediction are adapted for analysis of multi-layer plain weave textile composites. Utilizing the direct micromechanics method (DMM) via finite element modeling, three methods are presented: (a) direct simulation of a multi-layer plain weave textile composite; (b) micromechanical analysis of a single layer of interest from the force and moment resultants acting on that layer; and (c) application of the previously developed quadratic stress-gradient failure theory to the layer of interest. In comparison to direct modeling, the other two techniques show only 5% difference over a number of random test cases. Several practical design examples of strength prediction are included to illustrate the importance and accuracy of method implementation.     

CONTROL OF DEAD-TIME SYSTEMS USING HYBRID ANT COLONY OPTIMIZATION

This paper introduces two improved forms of the ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm applied to a proportional integral derivative (PID) controller and Smith predictor design. Derivative free optimization methods, namely simplex derivative based pattern search (SDPS) and implicit filtering (IMF), are used to intensify the search mechanism in the ACO algorithm with improved convergence over the original ACO. The effectiveness of the controller schemes using the proposed algorithms, namely SDPS-ACO, and IMF-ACO, is demonstrated using unit step set point response for a class of dead-time systems, and the results are compared with some existing methods of controller tuning.     

Cognitive interpersonal problem-solving skills and the maintenance of treatment success in heroin addicts.

Discusses an unexpected outcome of heroin addiction treatment; namely, the failure inherent in successfully removing patients from illicit drug use, only to find that in doing so, expectations on the part of clients regarding their ability to effectively function in society have risen beyond their ability to realistically attain their goals. Recidivism becomes likely when addicts cannot cope with the stress of low status employment, specific situations of the nondrug world, recreational drug use of straight co-workers, and the effort of maintaining gains made in treatment. Cognitive interpersonal problem-solving skills are recommended as a means of focusing the addict on developing habitual thinking on alternatives, consequences, means and ends, different perspectives, and social influences on the addict's own actions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The HMG-CoA Reductase Gene and Lipid and Lipoprotein Levels: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR) is an enzyme involved in cholesterol synthesis. To investigate the contribution of the HMGCR gene to lipids and lipoprotein subfractions in different ethnicities, we performed an association study in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). In total, 2,444 MESA subjects [597 African-Americans (AA), 627 Chinese-Americans (CHA), 612 European-Americans (EA), and 608 Hispanic-Americans (HA)] without statin use were included. Participants had measurements of blood pressure, anthropometry, and fasting blood samples. Subjects were genotyped for 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). After excluding SNPs with minor allele frequency <5%, a single block was constructed. The most frequent haplotype was H1 (41–56%) in all ethnic groups except AA (H2a, 44.9%). Lower triglyceride level was associated with the H2a haplotype in AA and H2 in HA. In HA, H4 carriers had higher levels of triglyceride and small low-density lipoprotein (s-LDL), and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), while carriers with H7 or H8 had associations with these traits in the opposite direction. No significant association was discovered in both CHA and EA. The total variation for triglyceride that could be explained by H2 alone was 2.6% in HA and 1.4% in AA. In conclusion, HMGCR gene variation is associated with multiple lipid/lipoprotein traits, especially with triglyceride, s-LDL, and HDL-c. The impact of the genetic variance is modest and differs greatly among ethnicities.