Influence of Emotion on Memory for Temporal Information.

Contextual information, such as color and spatial location, has been found to be better remembered for emotional than for neutral items. The current study examined whether the influence of emotion extends to memory for another fundamental feature of episodic memory: temporal information. Results from a list-discrimination paradigm showed that (a) item memory was enhanced for both negative and positive pictures compared with neutral ones and was better for negative than for positive pictures and (b) temporal information was better remembered for negative than for positive and neutral pictures, whereas positive and neutral pictures did not differ from each other. These findings are discussed in relation to the processes involved in memory for temporal information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The potential risks of liquefied natural gas

Imported liquefied natural gas can provide needed supplements to diminishing domestic gas supplies as well as being a convenient means for the storage and transportation of natural gas. LNG vessels and facilities are, however, costly and present the risk of potentially large accidents. We describe these risks and the impacts of LNG operations, summarize the safety issues, and make several policy recommendations for the responsible use of this premium fossil fuel.     

From game theory to real life: How social value orientation affects willingness to sacrifice in ongoing close relationships.

This research adopted an interdependence analysis of sacrifice, examining the link between commitment (i.e., the subjective experience of dependence and long-term orientation) and willingness to sacrifice in ongoing close relationships, and determining whether this link is moderated by preexisting individual differences in social value orientation (i.e., prosocial, individualistic, or competitive orientation). Consistent with hypotheses, results of 2 studies revealed both that willingness to sacrifice was associated with greater commitment and that this link was more pronounced among individualists than among prosocials. Results also revealed an association between one's own willingness to sacrifice and beliefs regarding the partner's willingness to sacrifice (this link was somewhat more pronounced among prosocials than among individualists) and one's own willingness to sacrifice and actual partner's willingness to sacrifice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Synthesis of atom probe experiments on irradiation-induced solute segregation in French ferritic pressure vessel steels

Microstructural changes due to neutron irradiation cause an evolution of the mechanical properties of reactor pressure vessels (RPV) steels. This paper aims at identifying and characterising the microstructural changes which have been found to be responsible in part for the observed embrittlement. This intensive work relies principally on an atom probe (AP) study of a low Cu-level French RPV steel (Chooz A). This material has been irradiated in in-service conditions for 0–16 years in the frame of the surveillance program. Under this aging condition, solute clustering occurs (Cu, Ni, Mn, Si, P, …). In order to identify the role of copper, experiments were also carried out on Fe–Cu model alloys submitted to different types of irradiations (neutron, electron, ion). Cu-cluster nucleation appears to be directly related to the presence of displacement cascades during neutron (ion) irradiation. The operating basic physical process is not clearly identified yet. A recovery of the mechanical properties of the irradiated material can be achieved by annealing treatments (20 h at 450°C in the case of the RPV steel under study, following microhardness measurements). It has been shown that the corresponding microstructural evolution was a rapid dissolution of the high number density of irradiation-induced solute clusters and the precipitation of a very low number density of Cu-rich particles.     

Report of the U.S. Department of Energy Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) Panel Reviewing the Theory and Computing Program

This Panel was set up by the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) at its November 2000 meeting for the purpose of addressing questions from the Department of Energy concerning the theory and computing/simulation program of the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences. Although the Panel primarily addressed programmatic questions, it acknowledges that the theory and computing in fusion energy sciences has a stellar record of research successes. (A recent FESAC report entitled Opportunities in the Fusion Energy Sciences Program listed a number of theory and computing research highlights.) Last year the National Research Council performed an assessment of the quality of the fusion energy sciences program—including theory and computing—and concluded that the quality of its research is on a par with that of other leading areas of contemporary physical science.     

The necessity of sample quality assessment in 14C AMS dating: The case of Cova des Pas (Menorca – Spain)

The Cova des Pas cave is a karstic cave in the cliffs of the Barranc (canyon) de Trebalúger. It is a small cave only 6.5 m deep, 4.5 m wide and 1.7 m high. Yet more than 70 burials, in foetal position, from the Early Iron Age were found in this small cave. The conservation of the archaeological remains was very unusual. Not only wood, ropes and other plant material was found, but also remains of body tissue, hair and leather. In spite of the remarkable preservation of the bodies and artefacts, the state of conservation of the bone material was very bad. The bones contained little and heavily deteriorated collagen and the organic plant material was very fragile. The special environmental conditions of the cave are the cause of these unusual preservation conditions. Although the cave is situated in a limestone cliff, the soil of the cave is very acid. Unexpectedly bad sample quality seemed to be the major drawback for AMS radiocarbon dating on hair, wood, ropes and bone collagen, as well as on bio-apatite.     

Provision of mental health services in women's health centers

Women's health centers are often associated with a comprehensive model of health care that treats the "whole woman." Using data from a nationwide study of 467 women's health centers, we explored how the ideal of comprehensive care was implemented with respect to mental health services. Specifically, we examined the rates of screening and treatment for a subset of mental health and behavioral and social problems in women's health centers and the structural, staffing, philosophical, and patient factors associated with the provision of services. Across 12 services, the overall rates of provision ranged from 7.7% for screening for dementing disorders to 27.6% for smoking cessation counseling and treatment. In a series of logistic regressions, center type (primary care) and having a mental health staff person were consistently associated with service provision; other important variables were having a high percentage of women using the center as their usual source of care and having a belief in women-centered care. Findings indicate that the majority of women using women's health centers do not receive services in a comprehensive care environment that includes key mental health services.     

Validation of S-1'-[18F]fluorocarazolol for in vivo imaging and quantification of cerebral beta-adrenoceptors

S-1'-[18F]fluorocarazolol (S-(-)-4-(2-hydroxy-3-(1'-[18F]fluoroisopropyl)-aminopropoxy)carba zole, a non-subtype-selective beta-adrenoceptor antagonist) has been investigated for in vivo studies of beta-adrenoceptors. Previous results indicated that uptake of this radioligand in heart and lung can be inhibited by beta-adrenoceptor agonists and antagonists. In the present study, blocking, displacement and saturation experiments were performed in rats, in combination with metabolite analysis to investigate the suitability of this radioligand for in vivo positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and quantification of beta-adrenoceptors in the brain. The results demonstrate that, (i) the uptake of S-1'-[18F]fluorocarazolol reflects specific binding to beta-adrenoceptors, (ii) binding of S-1'-[18F]fluorocarazolol to atypical or non-beta-adrenergic sites is negligible, (iii) uptake of radioactive metabolites in the brain is less than 25% of total radioactivity, 60 min after injection, (iv) in vivo measurements of receptor densities (Bmax) in cortex, cerebellum, heart, lung and erythrocytes are within range of densities determined from in vitro assays, (v) binding of S-1'-[18F]fluorocarazolol can be displaced. In conclusion, S-1'-[18F]fluorocarazolol seems to possess the appropriate characteristics to visualize and quantify beta-adrenoceptors in vivo in the central nervous system using PET.     

Clinical pharmacokinetics of mycophenolate mofetil

The pharmacokinetics of the immunosuppressant mycophenolate mofetil have been investigated in healthy volunteers and mainly in recipients of renal allografts. Following oral administration, mycophenolate mofetil was rapidly and completely absorbed, and underwent extensive presystemic de-esterification. Systemic plasma clearance of intravenous mycophenolate mofetil was around 10 L/min in healthy individuals, and plasma mycophenolate mofetil concentrations fell below the quantitation limit (0.4 mg/L) within 10 minutes of the cessation of infusion. Similar plasma mycophenolate mofetil concentrations were seen after intravenous administration in patients with severe renal or hepatic impairment, implying that the de-esterification process had not been substantially affected. Mycophenolic acid, the active immunosuppressant species, is glucuronidated to a stable phenolic glucuronide (MPAG) which is not pharmacologically active. Over 90% of the administered dose is eventually excreted in the urine, mostly as MPAG. The magnitude of the MPAG renal clearance indicates that active tubular secretion of MPAG must occur. At clinically relevant concentrations, mycophenolic acid and MPAG are about 97% and 82% bound to albumin, respectively. MPAG at high (but clinically realisable) concentrations reduced the plasma binding of mycophenolic acid. The mean maximum plasma mycophenolic acid concentration (Cmax) after a mycophenolate mofetil 1 g dose in healthy individuals was around 25 mg/L, occurred at 0.8 hours postdose, decayed with a mean apparent half-life (t1/2) of around 16 hours, and generated a mean total area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC infinity) of around 64 mg.h/L. Intra- and interindividual coefficients of variation for the AUC infinity of the drug were estimated to be 25% and 10%, respectively. Intravenous and oral administration of mycophenolate mofetil showed statistically equivalent MPA AUC infinity values in healthy individuals. Compared with mycophenolic acid, MPAG showed a roughly similar Cmax about 1 hour after mycophenolic acid Cmax, with a similar t1/2 and an AUC infinity about 5-fold larger than that for mycophenolic acid. Secondary mycophenolic acid peaks represent a significant enterohepatic cycling process. Since MPAG was the sole material excreted in bile, entrohepatic cycling must involve colonic bacterial deconjugation of MPAG. An oral cholestyramine interaction study showed that the mean contribution of entrohepatic cycling to the AUC infinity of mycophenolic acid was around 40% with a range of 10 to 60%. The pharmacokinetics of patients with renal transplants (after 3 months or more) compared with those of healthy individuals were similar after oral mycophenolate mofetil. Immediately post-transplant, the mean Cmax and AUC infinity of mycophenolic acid were 30 to 50% of those in the 3-month post-transplant patients. These parameters rose slowly over the 3-month interval. Slow metabolic changes, rather than poor absorption, seem responsible for this nonstationarity, since intravenous and oral administration of mycophenolate mofetil in the immediate post-transplant period generated comparable MPA AUC infinity values. Renal impairment had no major effect on the pharmacokinetic of mycophenolic acid after single doses of mycophenolate mofetil, but there was a progressive decrease in MPAG clearance as glomerular filtration rate (GFR) declined. Compared to individuals with a normal GFR, patients with severe renal impairment (GFR 1.5 L/h/1.73m2) showed 3-to 6-fold higher MPAG AUC values. In rental transplant recipients during acute renal impairment in the early post-transplant period, the plasma MPA concentrations were comparable to those in patients without renal failure, whereas plasma MPAG concentrations were 2- to 3-fold higher. Haemodialysis had no major effect on plasma mycophenolic acid or MPAG. Dosage adjustments appear to not be necessary either in renal impairment or during dialysis. (ABSTRACT TRUN