MMPI: Professional use by professional people.

Aletter in answer to Mr. R., who inquired about the use of items relating to religion in the MMPI and pointed out that there are laws against inquiry about religious affiliation, is reproduced. "There is a well-recognized pattern of psychological distortion to which we apply the term "religiosity." There are also "frankly stated items on sex,… on body functions,… on certain occupations… " etc. Respondents "may omit any item they do not wish to answer for whatever purpose." Separate scores are derived on groups of items in the MMPI called scales; via machine scoring standard scores are derived which are "remote from the particular items that make up a scale. The MMPI is an experimentally derived instrument." If an item counts on a scale, it is on the basis of responses with well defined groups of maladjusted or mentally ill persons. "Tests are not offensive elements; the offensive elements, if any, come with the misuse of tests." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trace element effects on precipitation processes and mechanical properties in an Al-Cu-Li alloy

A study has been made of how impurities (Na and K) and trace additions of indium, magnesium, and silicon affect the microstructure and related mechanical properties of an Al-Cu-Li alloy. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to determine the size and distribution of particles in four alloys. Indium and magnesium are both seen to stimulate T ₁ precipitation. Indium also modifies ϑ″ morphology, and magnesium greatly increases the number density of ϑ″ precipitates. Strain localization was observed in underaged Al-Cu-Li-In tensile samples, consistent with observed changes in precipitate structure. No superposition of the effects of indium and magnesium was seen. High-resolution analytical microscopy was used to inspect precipitates for segregation of trace elements during early stages of aging, but no segregation was found within the detection limits of the system. Variations in heat treatment were made in order to study nucleation kinetics and trace element interactions with vacancies. Indium, with a binding energy less than that of lithium, was not seen to interact with quenched-in vacancies, while magnesium, with a binding energy greater than that of lithium, had a strong interaction. Yield anisotropies and fracture toughnesses were measured. Removal of trace impurities of sodium and potassium correlated with improved fracture properties. Magnesium was observed to increase anisotropy, especially in the T8 temper. A model was used to explain the anisotropy data in terms of texture and precipitate distribution.     

Psychology in the States.

Presents a collection of news items about psychology in the US states. The first item concerns the development of the new National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, directed by Robert A. Aldrich. The second item discusses a study examining the problem of classifying emotional disorders in children, and conducted by a group of psychologists in a behavioral classification project of the Florida State Board of Health. The third item presents comments on the recent Publications Board Report. Items from APA state newsletters make up the fourth item. The fifth item discusses state awards programs for outstanding students and science fair psychology projects. The sixth item addresses recognition of psychologists' services by insurance companies. The seventh item notes a Department of Justice ruling that services rendered by psychotherapists qualify as deductions under the medical expense section of the income tax return, even though services are rendered by other than medical practitioners. The eighth item concerns the meeting of new APA committees. The ninth item makes note of a new report surveying Federal scientific activity. The final item contains a "more truth than poetry" item from an old issue of Medical World News. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Order-induced strengthening in Ni4Mo

Polycrystalline samples of Ni₄Mo have been examined at various stages of isothermal ageing at 700° C. The mechanical properties were measured on initially disordered samples at various stages of the ordering process. These properties were correlated with microstructural observations such as domain size, degree of order and fracture characteristics. The correlations are rationalised in terms of a model for the ordering process and its effect on dislocation motion.     

Mechanism of Al2CuLi (T 1) nucleation and growth

Conventional strain contrast transmission electron microscopy (CTEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were performed to establish the nucleation and growth mechanism of Al₂CuLi (T₁) precipitates in an Al-Li-Cu alloy. It is shown that the growth mechanism ofT ₁ precipitate plates occurs by the diffusional glide of growth ledges composed of b = 1/6〈112〉 partial dislocations on 111 matrix planes and that the growth ledges migrate by the ledge-kink mechanism, as previously suggested by Cassadaet al. 1 for this system.T ₁ plate nucleation is modeled as the dissociation of a perfect b = 1/2〈110〉 matrix dislocation in the vicinity of a dislocation jog. The coordinated dissociation of the dislocation line segments on each side of the sessile jog provides the displacement necessary for the formation of a new hexagonal plate or plate ledge. Strain contrast analysis of the Burgers vector of plate edges and the edges of growth ledges indicates the stacking of partial dislocations is of mixed displacement. Formerly Graduate Student, Department of Materials Science, University of Virginia,     

Reactivity of the human thioltransferase (glutaredoxin) C7S, C25S, C78S, C82S mutant and NMR solution structure of its glutathionyl mixed disulfide intermediate reflect catalytic specificity

Human thioltransferase (TTase) is a 12 kDa thiol-disulfide oxidoreductase that appears to play a critical role in maintaining the redox environment of the cell. TTase acts as a potent and specific reducing agent for protein-S-S-glutathione mixed disulfides (protein-SSG) likely formed during oxidative stress or as redox intermediates in signal transduction pathways. Accordingly, the catalytic cycle of thioltransferase itself involves a covalent glutathionyl enzyme disulfide intermediate (TTase-C22-SSG). To understand the molecular basis of TTase specificity for the glutathione moiety, we engineered a quadruple Cys to Ser mutant of human TTase (C7S, C25S, C78S, and C82S) which retains only the active site cysteine residue (C22), and we solved its high-resolution NMR solution structure in the mixed disulfide intermediate with glutathione (QM-TTase-SSG). This mutant which cannot form a C22-S-S-C25 intramolecular disulfide displays the same catalytic efficiency (Vmax/KM) and specificity for glutathionyl mixed disulfide substrates as wild-type TTase, indicating that the Cys-25-SH moiety is not required for catalysis or glutathionyl specificity. The structure of human thioltransferase is characterized by a thioredoxin-like fold which comprises a four-stranded central beta-sheet flanked on each side by alpha-helices. The disulfide-adducted glutathione in the TTase-SSG complex has an extended conformation and is localized in a cleft near the protein surface encompassing the residues from helices-alpha2,alpha3, the active site loop, and the loop connecting helix-alpha3 and strand-beta3. Numerous van der Waals and electrostatic interactions between the protein and the glutathione moiety are identified as contributing to stabilization of the complex and confering the substrate specificity. Comparison of the human thioltransferase with other thiol-disulfide oxidoreductases reveals structural and functional differences.     

P2-purinoceptor antagonists: II. Blockade of P2-purinoceptor subtypes and ecto-nucleotidases by compounds related to Evans blue and trypan blue

We previously reported that fenretinide (4HPR) is effective against a human ovarian carcinoma xenografted in nude mice. The effects of 4HPR on ovarian tumors have been further studied in in vitro ovarian carcinoma cell lines A2780, IGROV-I, SW626 and OVCA432. A2780 was the most sensitive line: 50% growth inhibition was obtained after 3 days of exposure to 1 microM 4HPR, a pharmacologically achievable concentration, whereas approx. 10 microM 4HPR gave a similar inhibition in the other cell lines. All-trans retinoic acid (RA), at doses up to 10 microM, did not inhibit cell proliferation. Gel electrophoresis of DNA from either detached or attached A2780 cells treated with 4HPR revealed DNA ladders in detached cells. Apoptosis was also evidenced in detached 4HPR-treated cells by flow cytometry and microscopic observation. The difference in cell line sensitivity to the anti-proliferative effect of 4HPR was not related to drug uptake or efflux. Only A2780 cells, the most sensitive to 4HPR, expressed constitutive levels of RARbeta; moreover, the levels of RARalpha and RARgamma expression in these cells were higher than in the other cell lines. In A2780 cells, the association of an IC20 of 4HPR to cisplatin resulted in a strong potentiation of the anti-proliferative effect. These data show (i) that 4 HPR, in contrast to RA, has an anti-proliferative effect in human ovarian carcinoma cells which is related to induction of apoptosis and (ii) that among the tested lines, the most responsive to the drug expressed RARbeta and the highest levels of RARalpha and RARgamma. The results also suggest that 4HPR can potentiate the effects of cisplatin in ovarian carcinoma.     

Arbitration and distributive justice: Equity or equality?

Conflict over criteria used to allocate scarce resources is widespread in organizations. Two frequently used criteria (especially in labor–management disputes) are equity and equality. The conditions under which these two criteria are likely to be used by arbitrators were examined by investigating the effect of final offer (FOA) and conventional arbitration (CA) on the decisions and attitudes of 132 graduate and undergraduate students who acted as arbitrators in a series of wage and salary disputes between universities and their faculty associations. Subjects in the CA condition made arbitration awards that were most consistent with an equality, that is, split-the-difference decision rule (p?p?     

Aspects of transition cow metabolomics—Part I: Effects of a metaphylactic butaphosphan and cyanocobalamin treatment on the metabolome in liver,blood, and urine in cows with different liver metabotypes

Dairy cows in modern production systems are at risk to develop metabolic disorders during the transition period. Reasons for individual differences in susceptibility, as well as the underlying pathomechanisms, are still only partially understood. The development of metaphylactic treatment protocols is needed. In this context, an on-farm prospective 3-fold blinded randomized study involving 80 German Holstein cows was performed throughout 1 yr. The trial involved a thorough recording of the production and clinical traits, clinical chemistry, and liver biopsies and blood and urine sampling at d 14 (mean: 12 d, range: 1–26 d) antepartum (AP), and d 7 (7, 4–13) and 28 (28, 23–34) postpartum (PP) for metabolomics analyses. Two groups received a treatment with butaphosphan and cyanocobalamin (BCC) at either the dosage recommended by the manufacturer or the double dosage (5 or 10 mL/100 kg of body weight 10% butaphosphan and 0.005% cyanocobalamin (Catosal, Bayer Animal Health), n = 20 in each group, parity: 4.2 ± 2.0 and 3.4 ± 1.3, respectively (mean ± SD)] and one group a placebo treatment (NaCl 0.9%, n = 40, parity: 4.0 ± 1.9). The animals were treated at 6 time points (7, 6, and 5 d AP, and 1, 2, and 3 d PP) via intravenous injection. Mass spectroscopy-based targeted metabolomics analysis of blood plasma and liver samples were performed using the AbsoluteIDQ p180 kit (Biocrates Life Sciences), whereas the urine samples were analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Statistical analysis was performed using multivariate [partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA)] and univariate methods (linear mixed model). Multivariate data analysis (PLS-DA plots) of the liver metabolome revealed 3 different metabotypes (A = medium, B = minor, C = large alterations in liver metabolome profile between AP and PP status). Metabotype B animals were characterized by higher PP lipomobilization (stronger PP body condition decrease and higher blood bilirubin, fatty acids, gamma-glutamyltransferase, and triglyceride levels) and a higher occurrence of transition cow diseases, compared with the animals in metabotype C. Analysis of the feeding data showed that the period of metabotype B animals (calving in a distinct time frame) was characterized by a decreased grass silage quality. The PP liver metabolome of the metabotype C animals was characterized by higher concentrations of AA, acylcarnitines, lysoPC and sphingomyelins compared with metabotype B. For the metaphylactic treatment with BCC a dose-dependent effect was confirmed, differing between the metabotypes. In all matrices and metabotypes at various time points significant treatment effects were observed, with different profiles in clinical chemistry and as well in metabolomics data. The most clear-cut treatment effect was observed in metabotype B in the liver at 7 d PP, characterized by an increase in several acylcarnitines and phosphatidylcholines, indicating a more efficient influx and oxidation of fatty acids in mitochondria and thereby an increase in energy supply and more efficient triglyceride export in the liver. The results from the liver metabolomics analysis support the application of an indication-based metaphylactic treatment with BCC.