Trajectories of PTSD and substance use disorders in a longitudinal study of personality disorders.

This study investigated the co-occurrence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUDs) in a sample (N = 668) recruited for personality disorders and followed longitudinally as part of the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study. The study both examined rates of co-occurring disorders at baseline and temporal relationships between PTSD and substance use disorders over 4 years. Subjects with a lifetime history of PTSD at baseline had significantly higher rates of SUDs (both alcohol and drug) than subjects without PTSD. Latent class growth analysis, a relatively novel approach used to analyze trajectories and identify homogeneous subgroups of participant on the basis of probabilities of PTSD and SUD over time, identified 6 classes, which were compared with respect to a set of functioning and personality variables. The most consistent differences were observed between the group that displayed low probabilities of both SUD and PTSD and the group that displayed high probabilities of both. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alternative test method for interlaminar fracture toughness of composites

Two methods of determining the mode I interlaminar fracture toughness for fiber-reinforced polymer matrix (FRPM) composites using a double cantilever beam (DCB) test are compared. The standard method of determining G _IC is based in linear-elastic fracture mechanics theory and requires a visual measurement of the crack length, presenting data acquisition and analysis difficulties. The proposed method makes use of elastic–plastic fracture mechanics theory and an analytical closed form solution to the J-integral to relate the fracture toughness J _IC , load, and angular displacement at the load application points. This method has the advantage of replacing visually acquired data with data easily obtained using inexpensive transducers as well as being applicable to a broader class of materials.     

Ethnicity and mental health treatment utilization by patients with personality disorders.

The authors examined the relationship between ethnicity and treatment utilization by individuals with personality disorders (PDs). Lifetime and prospectively determined rates and amounts of mental health treatments received were compared in over 500 White, African American, and Hispanic participants with PDs in a naturalistic longitudinal study. Minority, especially Hispanic, participants were significantly less likely than White participants to receive a range of outpatient and inpatient psychosocial treatments and psychotropic medications. This pattern was especially pronounced for minority participants with more severe PDs. A positive support alliance factor significantly predicted the amount of individual psychotherapy used by African American and Hispanic but not White participants, underscoring the importance of special attention to the treatment relationship with minority patients. These treatment use differences raise complex questions about treatment assessment and delivery, cultural biases of the current diagnostic system, and possible variation in PD manifestation across racial/ethnic groups. Future studies need to assess specific barriers to adequate and appropriate treatments for minority individuals with PDs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Polyurethanes derived from coal extract

Subbituminous coal from the powder river basin was extracted with N,N-dimethylformamide at atmospheric pressure to yield a solid extract that provided phenolic and carboxylic acid groups. The coal extract was employed as polyol in polyurethane (PU) synthesis. A solvent-free synthesis using 2,4-toluene diisocyanate (TDI) resulted in a porous PU solid. Reaction with TDI in solution resulted in a soluble PU that could be applied as adhesive or coating. Coatings were also prepared from coal extract solutions and commercial, polymeric isocyanates, providing excellent adhesion to aluminum. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48776.     

Mutation detection by ligation to complete n-mer DNA arrays

A new approach to comparative nucleic acid sequence analysis is described that uses the ligation of DNA targets to high-density arrays containing complete sets of covalently attached oligonucleotides of length eight and nine. The combination of enzymatic or chemical ligation with a directed comparative analysis avoids many of the intrinsic difficulties associated with hybridization-based de novo sequence reconstruction methods described previously. Double-stranded DNA targets were fragmented and labeled to produce quasirandom populations of 5' termini suitable for ligation and detection on the arrays. Kilobase-size DNA targets were used to demonstrate that complete n-mer arrays can correctly verify known sequences and can determine the presence of sequence differences relative to a reference. By use of 9-mer arrays, sequences of 1.2-kb targets were verified with >99.9% accuracy. Mutations in target sequences were detected by directly comparing the intensity pattern obtained for an unknown with that obtained for a known reference sequence. For targets of moderate length (1.2 kb), 100% of the mutations in the queried sequences were detected with 9-mer arrays. For higher complexity targets (2.5 and 16.6 kb), a relatively high percentage of mutations (90% and 66%, respectively) were correctly identified with a low false-positive rate of <0.03 percent. The methods described provide a general approach to analyzing nucleic acid samples on the basis of the interpretation of sequence-specific patterns of hybridization and ligation on complete n-mer oligonucleotide arrays.     

Brief mental health index.

Administered the Cornell Medical Index (CMI) to 630 Navy psychiatric patients and 454 healthy controls. Patient and control samples were split into 2 groups for cross-validation purposes, and 2 methods, regression analysis and a new item selection technique called SEQUIN, were applied to the problem of selecting the most discriminating set of CMI items. The percentages correctly classified "sick" or "well" when results from Sample 1 were used to predict Sample 2 and vice versa were 82 and 85% by the regression method and 86 and 86% by the SEQUIN method. 7 items, perhaps representing general attributes defining mental illness in the Navy culture, contributed significantly to the predictive scales regardless of particular item selection method or sample. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Occupational group as a moderator of the job satisfaction-job performance relationship.

In a study of 2 occupational groups at small scientific stations in Antarctica, the motivations of 129 Navy enlished men who volunteer were less related to their specific jobs in the Antarctic than those of 66 civilian scientists. Results confirm the hypothesis that occupational group is a moderator of the job satisfaction-job performance relationship, and that the relationship is more pronounced for the scientist group than for the Navy enlisted group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interactive analysis of computer crimes

Crime analysis is a critical component of modern policing, and law enforcement agencies are increasingly using computerized analysis tools. A system developed at the University of Virginia, called Recap (REgional Crime Analysis Program), adapts computerized techniques created for analyzing conventional crimes for use by law enforcement agencies in the Internet Age     

Some Effects of Advances in Memory System Technology on Computer Organization

Technological improvements in memory systems in the '70s are expected to have a significant impact on computer organization. The expected advances will result in associative memories at reasonable cost, small-capacity random-access memories at low cost, and mass memories with greatly reduced access time. Possible implications or effects of each of these advances on the organization or design of future computer systems are identified.     

A poly-framed LDD sub-half-micrometer CMOS technology

A novel LDD spacer technology that uses disposable silicon nitride spacers on a sacrificial polysilicon frame has been developed for a sub-half-micrometer CMOS technology. An improvement in short-channel behavior is achieved due to a reduction in lateral LDD n^- and p^- diffusion, and the effect of substrate bias on the drain junction leakage caused by sidewall spacer formation is eliminated. The DC hot-carrier lifetime for the 0.3-μm-channel-length poly-framed LDD NMOS devices, defined as the time associated with a 10% shift in peak transconductance, is in excess of 10 years for a power supply voltage of 3.3 V