Infants' perception of dynamic relations between objects: Passing through or support?

This study investigated 4-, 6-, and 9-month-old infants' ability to perceive whether the width relation between a block and the opening of a box specified passing through or support. If infants could perceive which outcome was specified by the width relation, longer looking times would be expected for an outcome that violates this specification. Six- and 9-month-olds looked significantly longer when a block wider than a box opening passed through this opening and when a block with a width smaller than the opening seemed to become supported at the level of this opening. Results indicate that around 6 months of age, infants become able to perceive relations between objects that specify the outcomes of events. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enzyme therapy in the treatment of lymphedema in the arm after breast carcinoma surgery]

The authors evaluate the contribution of proteolytic enzymes used in the treatment of the lymphatic oedema of the arm after mastectomy and radiotherapy for breast cancer. Proteolytic enzymes were successfully administered in monotherapy of lymphatic oedema as well as supportive therapy in other therapeutically ways.     

Synthesis, characterization, UV and dielectric properties of hexagonal disklike ZnO particles embedded in polyimides

A series of novel ZnO/polyimide composite films with different ZnO contents was prepared through incorporation hexagonal disklike ZnO particles into poly(amic acid) of the pre polymer of the polyimide. The hexagonal disklike ZnO particles with a diameter of 300-500 nm were synthesized from zinc acetate and NaOH in water with citric acid. The prepared zinc oxide-polyimide composites were characterized for their structure, morphology, and thermal behavior employing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron micrograph, X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis techniques. Thermal analyses show that the ZnO particles were successfully incorporated into the polymer matrix and these ZnO/polymer composites have a good thermal stability. Scanning electron microscopy studies indicate the ZnO particles were uniformly dispersed in the polymer and they remained at the original size (300-500 nm) before immobilization. All composite films with ZnO particle contents from 1 to 5 wt% show good transparency in the visible region and luminescent properties.     

An advanced meshless LBIE/RBF method for solving two-dimensional incompressible fluid flows

The present work presents a meshless local boundary integral equation (LBIE) method for the solution of two-dimensional incompressible fluid flow problems governed by the Navier–Stokes equations. The method uses, for its meshless implementation, nodal points spread over the analyzed domain and employs in an efficient way the radial basis functions (RBF) for the interpolation of the interior and boundary variables. The inverse matrix of the RBF is computed only once for every nodal point and the interpolation functions are evaluated by the inner product of the inverse matrix with the weight vector associated to the integration point. This technique leads to a fast and efficient meshless approach, the locality of the method is maintained and the system matrices are banded with small bandwidth. The velocity–vorticity approach of the Navier–Stokes equations is adopted and the LBIEs are derived for the velocity and the vorticity field, resulting in a very stable and accurate implementation. The evaluation of the volume integrals is accomplished via a very efficient and accurate technique by triangularizing the local area of the nodal point to the minimum number of well formed triangles. Numerical examples illustrate the proposed methodology and demonstrate its accuracy.     

Molecular structure of the two-dimensional hexon crystalline array and of adenovirus capsid

Substantial evidence from animal research indicates that enhanced memory associated with emotional experiences involves activation of the beta-adrenergic system. This hypothesis is further supported by the finding in human subjects that blockade of beta-adrenergic receptors with propranolol selectively reduced memory for emotional events. In the present study, we compared the effects of propranolol, a lipid soluble drug which crosses the blood-brain barrier easily, with those of nadolol, a water soluble drug which crosses the blood-brain barrier to a considerably lesser extent, to determine whether the effect involved peripheral or central beta-adrenergic receptors. The effects of these drugs, taken before subjects watched a slide show that was either emotionally arousing or relatively neutral in content, were tested 1 week later with a surprise memory test. Consistent with previous results, propranolol impaired memory (recall and recognition) in the subjects who saw the emotional version of the slide show. In contrast, nadolol did not impair memory of the emotional slide show. These results indicate that the blockade of central beta-adrenergic receptors is responsible for the reduction in storage of emotional events. The results support the view that memory of a mild emotional event involves activation of central, but not necessarily peripheral beta-adrenergic receptors.     

Unitary events in multiple single-neuron spiking activity: I. Detection and significance.

It has been proposed that cortical neurons organize dynamically into functional groups (cell assemblies) by the temporal structure of their joint spiking activity. Here, we describe a novel method to detect conspicuous patterns of coincident joint spike activity among simultaneously recorded single neurons. The statistical significance of these unitary events of coincident joint spike activity is evaluated by the joint-surprise. The method is tested and calibrated on the basis of simulated, stationary spike trains of independently firing neurons, into which coincident joint spike events were inserted under controlled conditions. The sensitivity and specificity of the method are investigated for their dependence on physiological parameters (firing rate, coincidence precision, coincidence pattern complexity) and temporal resolution of the analysis. In the companion article in this issue, we describe an extension of the method, designed to deal with nonstationary firing rates.     

Bi-directional relations between anti-smoking parenting practices and adolescent smoking in a Dutch sample.

Objective: Parenting is generally regarded a determinant of adolescent behavior, whereas the reverse is seldom considered. Reported effects of anti-smoking parenting practices on adolescent smoking are inconsistent. Cross-sectional results may have been misinterpreted and child effects have been overlooked. The main goal of this study was to explain previous inconsistent effects of anti-smoking parenting practices, by examining bi-directional relations between parenting and adolescent smoking. Design and Main Outcome Measures: Bi-directional relations were studied using a cross-lagged model where anti-smoking house rules, communication about smoking, and adolescent smoking were assessed at three subsequent years. Results: The most prominent finding was that adolescent smoking behavior was a stronger predictor of parenting than vice versa. Anti-smoking house rules decreased as a result of adolescent smoking behavior, while communication increased. The reduction in house rules was more pronounced if parents smoked, while the increase in communication was greater for non-smoking parents. Results were independent of adolescent sex. Conclusion: Further research is needed to establish which aspects of parenting can be effective in deterring adolescent smoking. This study emphasizes the need for caution in interpreting cross-sectional research findings relating parenting to adolescent smoking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Memory Fault Modeling Trends: A Case Study

In recent years, embedded memories are the fastest growing segment of system on chip. They therefore have a major impact on the overall Defect per Million (DPM). Further, the shrinking technologies and processes introduce new defects that cause previously unknown faults; such faults have to be understood and modeled in order to design appropriate test techniques that can reduce the DPM level. This paper discusses a new memory fault class, namely dynamic faults, based on industrial test results; it defines the concept of dynamic faults based on the fault primitive concept. It further shows the importance of dynamic faults for the new memory technologies and introduces a systematic way for modeling them. It concludes that current and future SRAM products need to consider testability for dynamic faults or leave substantial DPM on the table, and sets a direction for further research.     

Online communication, compulsive internet use, and psychosocial well-being among adolescents: A longitudinal study.

The present study investigated the relationships between adolescents' online communication and compulsive Internet use, depression, and loneliness. The study had a 2-wave longitudinal design with an interval of 6 months. The sample consisted of 663 students, 318 male and 345 female, ages 12 to 15 years. Questionnaires were administered in a classroom setting. The results showed that instant messenger use and chatting in chat rooms were positively related to compulsive Internet use 6 months later. Moreover, in agreement with the well-known HomeNet study (R. Kraut et al., 1998), instant messenger use was positively associated with depression 6 months later. Finally, loneliness was negatively related to instant messenger use 6 months later. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)