Subdivisions of inferior temporal cortex in squirrel monkeys make dissociable contributions to visual learning and memory.

Inferior temporal cortex of squirrel monkeys consists of caudal (ITC), intermediate (ITI), and rostral (ITR) subdivisions, possibly homologous to TEO, posterior TE, and anterior TE of macaque monkeys. The present study compared visual learning in squirrel monkeys with ablations of ITC; ITI and ITR (group ITRd); or ITI, ITR, and more ventral cortex, including perirhinal cortex (group ITR+), with visual learning in unoperated controls. The ITC monkeys had significant impairments on pattern discriminations and milder deficits on delayed nonmatching to sample (DNMS) of objects. The ITRd monkeys had deficits on some pattern discriminations but not on DNMS. The ITRd monkeys were significantly impaired on DNMS and some pattern discriminations. These results are similar to those found in macaques and support the proposed homologies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Learning sobriety together: A randomized clinical trial examining behavioral couples therapy with alcoholic female patients.

Married or cohabiting female alcoholic patients (n = 138) and their non-substance-abusing male partners were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 equally intensive interventions: (a) behavioral couples therapy plus individual-based treatment (BCT; n = 46), (b) individual-based treatment only (IBT; n = 46), or (c) psychoeducational attention control treatment (PACT; n = 46). During treatment, participants in BCT showed significantly greater improvement in dyadic adjustment than those in IBT or PACT; drinking frequency was not significantly different among participants in the different conditions. During the 1-year posttreatment follow-up, compared with participants who received IBT or PACT, participants who received BCT reported (a) fewer days of drinking, (b) fewer drinking-related negative consequences, (c) higher dyadic adjustment, and (d) reduced partner violence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Costs of a predictable switch between simple cognitive tasks following severe closed-head injury.

The authors used a predictable, externally cued task-switching paradigm to investigate executive control in a severe closed-head injury (CHI) population. Eighteen individuals with severe CHI and 18 controls switched between classifying whether a digit was odd or even and whether a letter was a consonant or vowel on every 4th trial. The target stimuli appeared in a circle divided into 8 equivalent parts. Presentation of the stimuli rotated clockwise. Participants performed the switching task at both a short (200 ms) and a long (1,000 ms) preparatory interval. Although the participants with CHI exhibited slower response times and greater switch costs, similar to controls, additional preparatory time reduced the switch costs, and the switch costs were limited to the 1st trial in the run. These findings indicate that participants with severe CHI were able to take advantage of time to prepare for the task switch, and the executive control processes involved in the switch costs were completed before the 1st trial of the run ended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward Non Commutative Numerical Analysis: High Order Integration in Time

We review some methods for high precision time integration: it is not easy to ensure stability, precision and numerical efficiency at the same time. Operator splitting—when it works—can be a good way to satisfy all these constraints; in some cases, the order of the splitting schemes can be enhanced by extrapolation; nevertheless, the applicability of splitting is limited due to non commutativity. As an alternative to splitting, we introduce preconditioned Runge–Kutta (PRK) schemes: the preconditioning is included in the scheme, instead of being put aside for implementation. Examples of PRK schemes are given including the extrapolation of the residual smoothing scheme, and sufficient conditions for stability are described.     

Penalty Approximation for Dynamical Systems Submitted to Multiple Non-Smooth Constraints

We consider discrete mechanical systems subject to perfect unilateral constraints. Moreau's impact law uses the decomposition of the velocity on the normaland tangent cones to the set of admissible positions at the impact point, and it iswell-known that this gives the only possible rule in the case of a singleperfect unilateral constraint. In the multi-constraint case, there areother possible energetically and geometrically consistant impact laws. Weshow here that in a number of cases, the limiting behavior of impact asits rigidity tends to infinity is given by Moreau's rule, i.e., in a more mathematical language, we justify this impact law by a penalty approach.First we describe the penalty method, then we apply it to amulti-constraint model problem. We choose an overdamped approximationand we obtain Moreau's rule for inelastic shocks in the limit. Finally,we present the computational drawbacks of the penalty method.     

Dietary intake of essential and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in pregnancy

The dietary intake of EFA and long-chain PUFA (LCPUFA) by women with (n=14) and without (n=31) gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was determined by repeated 24-h recalls. Women with GDM consumed significantly more energy as fat compared with women who had uncomplicated pregnancies; absolute dietary fat did not differ. Dietary n−3 LCPUFA was substantially lower than the current recommendation for pregnancy, whereas intake of saturated FA (SFA) exceeded it. We conclude that replacing dietary sources of SFA with those of EFA and LCPUFA, especially n−3 LCPUFA, would benefit the dietary fat profiles of all pregnant women.     

Escherichia coli growth under modeled reduced gravity

Bacteria exhibit varying responses to modeled reduced gravity that can be simulated by clino-rotation. When Escherichia coli was subjected to different rotation speeds during clino-rotation, significant differences between modeled reduced gravity and normal gravity controls were observed only at higher speeds (30-50 rpm). There was no apparent affect of removing samples on the results obtained. When E. coli was grown in minimal medium (at 40 rpm), cell size was not affected by modeled reduced gravity and there were few differences in cell numbers. However, in higher nutrient conditions (i.e., dilute nutrient broth), total cell numbers were higher and cells were smaller under reduced gravity compared to normal gravity controls. Overall, the responses to modeled reduced gravity varied with nutrient conditions; larger surface to volume ratios may help compensate for the zone of nutrient depletion around the cells under modeled reduced gravity.     

Influence of air abrasion preparation on microleakage in glass ionomer cement restorations

The aim of this study was to assess microleakage in class V cavities prepared by air abrasion or high-speed dental bur and restored with different glass ionomer cements. Sixty bovine incisors were equally divided into 6 groups: I, II and III (preparation by high-speed) and IV, V and VI (preparation by air abrasion). Groups I and IV were restored with Fuji IX; groups II and V with Ketac Molar; and groups III and VI with Vitremer. After 24 h (37 °C), specimens were thermocycled, isolated with nail varnish, immersed in a 0.2% Rhodamine B solution for 24 hours, sectioned longitudinally and analyzed for microleakage using an optical microscope connected to a digital camera and a computer. The images were digitized and a software allowed the quantitative evaluation of microleakage in millimeters. Data were analyzed by Wilcoxon and Kruskal-Wallis tests. It was observed that there were significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) between incisal (enamel) and cervical (dentine/cementum) margins, mainly for Ketac Molar; there was no difference (p ≥ 0.05) between preparation methods, except for group II (high-speed/Ketac Molar) that showed higher infiltration; regarding the materials, Ketac Molar demonstrated the highest microleakage values (p ≤ 0.05), and only Vitremer sealed completely both margins of restorations. It was concluded that air abrasion preparation did not influence microleakage in class V restorations with the employed glass ionomer cements.     

Field screening of waterborne petroleum hydrocarbons by thickness shear-mode resonator measurements

An inexpensive, field-portable sensor for direct, aggregate determination of aqueous petroleum hydrocarbons (PH) down to sub-ppm levels was developed. The basis of this sensor was an unusual, highly nongravimetric frequency response of 10 MHz (series fundamental) AT-cut quartz crystals when coated with rubbery silicone films. The response depended linearly and reliably on the total concentration of dissolved hydrocarbons over a range of 0.01-100 mg x L(-1) or up to aqueous solubility limits. Calibration sensitivities were measured individually for laboratory-prepared solutions of BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene isomers) and C6-C8 aliphatic components. Each component demonstrated a method detection limit (MDL) in the low-to sub-ppm range (benzene 10 mg x L(-1), n-hexane 0.54 mg x L(-1)) for light coatings of a commercially available poly-(dimethylsiloxane) gum (OV-1, > 10(6) g x mol(-1)) and lower MDLs for heavier coatings. Pairwise responses for the aliphatic and benzenoid standards were additive, indicating that aggregate determinations of mixtures (especially light fuels) were possible. Natural matrix interferences caused by sample turbidity and ionic strength were overcome by simple preparative methods. Fuel-spiked natural waters were determined with respect to standards and verified by gas chromatography. A 0.19 mg x L(-1) MDL for gasoline was obtained for heavy OV-1 films. Field determinations of groundwater surrounding a leaking underground fuel tank demonstrated that the sensor and method were useful for on-site PH screening. Large differences between the equilibration times of aliphatic and benzenoid components also indicated one avenue for BTEX speciation with the device.