Effects of graduated exposure with feedback of exposure times on snake phobias.

In an experiment with 17 female and 3 male snake-phobic Ss (selected from a group of 900 applicants using interview data and results of the Fear Survey Schedule III and the Snake Fear Questionnaire), the S-controlled graduated exposure of a snake with feedback of exposure times resulted in significantly less avoidance behaviors for snake-phobic Ss than for control snake-phobic Ss who did not receive therapy. The therapy did not result in significantly less reported feelings of fear immediately after therapy for the therapy Ss. Both avoidance behaviors and self-reports of fear were significantly less for the therapy Ss than for control Ss when the Ss were given generalization tests 1 mo after the termination of therapy in 1 nonlaboratory situation (a zoo) and 4 laboratory situations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Global networking and universal ethics

The Congress on Information and Communication during the 2000 World Engineers Convention in Hannover, Germany, passed a document on trends, challenges, and tasks of information and communication technologies as a set of proposals and guidelines for engineers and society which assumes validity worldwide. In 2002, the Executive Board of the Association of Engineers VDI (Germany) passed the new document Fundamentals of Engineering Ethics, which also claims universal validity, on how to deal with conflicting professional responsibilities. Thus the global validity of ethics, under the impact of new technologies, has become visible as an issue widely discussed within engineering, philosophy, and society. It increasingly requires the awareness of our own responsibility towards all humans, as well as towards the natural environment and future generations. Thus the questions of how to decide and how to act challenge the interdisciplinary research field of ethics more than ever. In this paper, these elements of decisions and ethics are discussed in some detail. Subsequently they are illustrated by selected examples of ethical rules.     

Automated algorithms for multiscale morphometry of neuronal dendrites

We describe the synthesis of automated neuron branching morphology and spine detection algorithms to provide multiscale three-dimensional morphological analysis of neurons. The resulting software is applied to the analysis of a high-resolution (0.098 microm x 0.098 microm x 0.081 microm) image of an entire pyramidal neuron from layer III of the superior temporal cortex in rhesus macaque monkey. The approach provides a highly automated, complete morphological analysis of the entire neuron; each dendritic branch segment is characterized by several parameters, including branch order, length, and radius as a function of distance along the branch, as well as by the locations, lengths, shape classification (e.g., mushroom, stubby, thin), and density distribution of spines on the branch. Results for this automated analysis are compared to published results obtained by other computer-assisted manual means.     

Quantum-implementable selective reconstruction of high-resolution images

This paper, written for interdisciplinary audience, presents computational image reconstruction implementable by quantum optics. The input-triggered selection of a high-resolution image among many stored ones, and its reconstruction if the input is occluded or noisy, has been successfully simulated. The original algorithm, based on the Hopfield associative neural net, was transformed in order to enable its quantum-wave implementation based on holography. The main limitations of the classical Hopfield net are much reduced with the simulated new quantum-optical implementation.     

Computational modelling of final covers for uranium mill tailings impoundments

To properly design a final cover for uranium mill tailings impoundments the designer must attempt to find an effective geotechnical solution which addresses the radiological and non-radiological potential impact and prevents geochemical processes from occurring within the tailings. This paper presents a computer-based method for evaluating the performance of engineered final covers for the remediation of uranium mill tailings impoundments. Three hypothetical final covers were taken from scientific literature to investigate the proposed method: (i) a compacted clay liner (CCL); (ii) a composite liner (CL) and (iii) a capillary barrier (CB). The processes investigated: (i) the saturated hydraulic flux; (ii) the unsaturated hydraulic flux (exclusively for the capillary barrier) and (iii) the radon exhalation to the atmosphere. The computer programs utilised for the analyses are: (i) Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP); (ii) SEEP/W and (iii) RADON. The site considered for the development of the research presented herein was the uranium mill tailings impoundment located at the Brazilian city of Poços de Caldas, in the Minas Gerais State.     

A direct observation instrument for assessment of nurses' patient transfer technique (DINO)

The aim of this project was to develop a direct observation instrument to assess the work technique of nursing personnel during patient transfers and to test the validity and reliability of the instrument. An expert group developed this instrument, called DINO (DIrect Nurse Observation instrument for assessment of work technique during patient transfers), which contains 16 items divided into three phases of a transfer: the preparation, performance and result phases. To quantify the assessments a scoring system was constructed, giving an overall score for each transfer, depending on the level of musculoskeletal health and safety. Four observers assessed 45 patient transfers at hospital wards and showed in an evaluation that the inter-observer reliability and criterion-related validity of DINO was satisfactory. The assessments with the DINO instrument are done directly when the transfer occurs, without costly equipment. Therefore, it has a wide range of applications. For example, when evaluating training in work technique or when identifying an unsafe work technique as a risk factor for musculoskeletal problems in epidemiological studies.     

Effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral treatment for panic disorder versus treatment as usual in a managed care setting: 2-year follow-up.

Eighty clients meeting criteria for panic disorder and receiving either panic control therapy (PCT; M. G. Craske, E. Meadows, & D. H. Barlow, 1994) or treatment as usual (TAU) in a managed care setting were assessed 1 and 2 years following acute treatment. PCT was provided by therapists with little or no previous exposure to cognitive-behavioral therapies. Analyses of the full intent-to-treat sample revealed no significant differences between the treatments across the follow-up period. However, when treatment completer status was added as a moderator, those receiving PCT showed lower levels of panic severity and phobic avoidance and a greater likelihood of achieving and maintaining clinically significant change. Benzodiazepine use during follow-up was associated with greater panic severity for those clients who received PCT, but no such relationship was found for TAU clients. Results are discussed in relation to the dissemination and effectiveness of PCT as well as evidence-based psychotherapies more generally. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dimensions of family connectedness among adolescents with mexican, chinese, and european backgrounds.

Multiple dimensions of adolescents' connectedness with their families were investigated among 489 9th-grade students (M = 14.86 years) from families with Mexican, Chinese, and European backgrounds. Participants reported on various aspects of their family relationships and completed diary checklists of daily behaviors for a 2-week period. Adolescents from European backgrounds reported levels of family identification and dyadic closeness with parents similar to or greater than those reported by their peers. For adolescents from Mexican and Chinese backgrounds, particularly those from immigrant families, family connectedness included a stronger emphasis on family obligation and assistance. The extent to which family demographic variables, including parental level of education and residence in a single-parent family, accounted for group differences was examined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)