Comparative study of surface properties of Mg-substituted hydroxyapatite bioceramic microspheres

Mg-substituted hydroxyapatite (HAp) bioceramic microspheres were prepared by spray drying and subsequent processing at 1173, 1273 and 1373 K. Influence of various Mg substitution levels (up to 0.84 ± 0.10 wt%) on physicochemical properties of the HAp bioceramic microspheres was evaluated. Obtained results were used for the elucidation of the compositional and structural characteristics of the microspheres in conjunction with adsorption of protein, namely, bovine serum albumin (BSA). The primary difference among the microspheres processed at various temperature was the presence or absence of the micropores (<2 nm in diameter) and mesopores (between 2 and 50 nm). Presence of the micro- and mesopores resulted in higher specific surface area (SSA), enhanced solubility, i.e., ion release, and, accordingly, increase in the amount of BSA adsorbed on the microspheres. Furthermore, the BSA adsorption capacity of the microspheres decreased with increasing Mg content despite of higher SSA.     

AIDS-related service and research, evolving federal policy, and psychological practice.

The HIV epidemic has provided multiple examples of the interrelationship of behavior to disease and multiple examples where the caregiver or policy maker has attended to the behavior as well as the virus. It is argued that those who are aware of the behavioral nature of disease, and of HIV infection and AIDS in particular, need to document what they know and share it widely with others. The behavioral sciences have much to offer in this arena. The Republican "Contract with America," the evolving scope of practice in psychology, and the importance of psychology thinking as a health care profession are also discussed. (0 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social skills of and social environments produced by different Holland types: A social perspective on person€nvironment fit models.

Acritical aspect of the environment in person–environment models is the nature and density of the social interactions of the members who populate the environment. Because social types solve problems through social mechanisms, it was hypothesized that they would have greatest skills in social coping and that the further the Euclidean distance (in Holland's hexagon) from social, the lower the skill level would be in these social skills. It was also hypothesized that there would be no differences among Holland types in skill level for problem-focused social skills. On the basis of an assessment of vocational interests and self-reported social skills of 134 undergraduates, these hypotheses were corroborated. Chemistry laboratory groups were qualitatively studied to describe the social interaction environment of persons with relative deficits in the social-coping skills. These chemists interacted often, enjoyed and benefited from the interactions, but constrained their social interactions to minimize the dependence on social-coping social skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of cognitive-behavioral treatment on quality of life in panic disorder patients.

Panic disorder (PD) is associated with significant social and health consequences. The present study examined the impact of treatment on PD patients' quality of life. Patients (N?=?156) meeting DSM-III—R (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [3rd ed., rev.]; American Psychiatric Association, 1987) criteria for PD with agoraphobia were randomly assigned to group cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) or a delayed-treatment control. An assessment battery measuring the major clinical features of PD as well as quality of life was administered at baseline (Week 0), post treatment (Week 9) and 6-month follow-up (Week 35). Consistent with previous studies, PD patients displayed significant impairment in quality of life at intake. Compared with delayed-treatment control participants, CBT-treated participants showed significant reductions in impairment that were maintained at follow-up. Consistent with prediction, anxiety and phobic avoidance were significantly associated with quality of life, whereas frequency of panic attacks was not. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measuring the impact of a blended learning model on early literacy growth

In the context of trying to improve reading proficiency in elementary school students, this study investigated the use of digital technology as part of a blended learning program, Core5, in kindergarten and first grade classes. A quasi-experimental design compared 283 treatment students instructed in schools using Core5 with 237 control students in schools using traditional instruction in an urban school district. At the beginning of the school year, all students were pretested with Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), a commonly used reading assessment. During the school year, the treatment schools implemented Core5, which includes the online component and offline teacher-led lessons. The English Language Arts curriculum was evaluated and found to be similar across treatment and control schools. At the end of the school year, all students were post-tested with DIBELS. Results from propensity score analyses showed that treatment students outperformed control students and that the discrepancy between treatment and control groups on post-test scores was more pronounced when students had lower pretest scores. These outcomes point to the value of using Core5 for reading instruction in early elementary grades.     

The choices people make: the types of buddy icons people select for self-presentation online

People are adapting their self-presentation strategies to utilize both online and offline communication in their interactions with strangers, co-workers, family, and friends. One way people communicate online is through the use of instant messaging, which includes the use of graphical representations of people called buddy icons. This project presents the results of a survey of the buddy icons 93 participants were currently using in their instant messaging interactions. It examines the extent to which self-presentation theory (Goffman 1959) can explain the choices people are making about how to self-present elements of their identity online. The icons were categorized and users were asked why they choose them as well as when and whether they change them with different interaction partners. Results show that male users select different categories of buddy icons than females but that most users select buddy icons that are human like, low on photorealism, and consistent with their biological sex. Users also reported that they rarely change their icons and that they selected human buddy icons when they want to increase social presence.     

Using lexical familiarity judgments to assess verbally mediated intelligence in aphasia.

In this study, a task using forced-choice lexical familiarity judgments of irregular versus archaic words (a newly developed measure called the Lexical Orthographic Familiarity Test; LOFT) was compared to a standardized oral word-reading measure (the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading; WTAR) in a group of 35 aphasic adults and a comparison group of 125 community dwelling, nonbrain damaged adults. When compared to the comparison group, aphasics had significantly lower scores on the WTAR but not the LOFT. Although both the WTAR and LOFT were significantly correlated with education in the nonbrain-damaged group, only the LOFT was correlated with education and also with the Barona full scale IQ index in the aphasic group. Lastly, WTAR performance showed a significantly greater relationship to the severity of language disorder in the aphasic group than did the LOFT. These results have both theoretical and clinical implications for the assessment of language-disordered adults, as they indicate that patients with aphasia may retain aspects of verbally mediated intelligence, and that the LOFT may provide a better estimate of premorbid functioning in aphasia than other currently available measures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Immunohistochemical Profile of Parathyroid Tumours: A Comprehensive Review

Immunohistochemistry remains an indispensable tool in diagnostic surgical pathology. In parathyroid tumours, it has four main applications: to detect (1) loss of parafibromin; (2) other manifestations of an aberrant immunophenotype hinting towards carcinoma; (3) histogenesis of a neck mass and (4) pathogenetic events, including features of tumour microenvironment and immune landscape. Parafibromin stain is mandatory to identify the new entity of parafibromin-deficient parathyroid neoplasm, defined in the WHO classification (2022). Loss of parafibromin indicates a greater probability of malignant course and should trigger the search for inherited or somatic CDC73 mutations. Aberrant immunophenotype is characterised by a set of markers that are lost (parafibromin), down-regulated (e.g., APC protein, p27 protein, calcium-sensing receptor) or up-regulated (e.g., proliferation activity by Ki-67 exceeding 5%) in parathyroid carcinoma compared to benign parathyroid disease. Aberrant immunophenotype is not the final proof of malignancy but should prompt the search for the definitive criteria for carcinoma. Histogenetic studies can be necessary for differential diagnosis between thyroid vs. parathyroid origin of cervical or intrathyroidal mass; detection of parathyroid hormone (PTH), chromogranin A, TTF-1, calcitonin or CD56 can be helpful. Finally, immunohistochemistry is useful in pathogenetic studies due to its ability to highlight both the presence and the tissue location of certain proteins. The main markers and challenges (technological variations, heterogeneity) are discussed here in the light of the current WHO classification (2022) of parathyroid tumours.     

Gender differences in motivational pathways to college for middle class African American youths.

Using a sample of predominantly middle-class African American adolescents and parents (N = 424), the authors tested a path model linking parental expectations for children's future educational attainment, youths' motivation during Grade 11, and youths' subsequent on-time postsecondary educational progress. Parents' expectations were positively related to adolescents' educational attainment aspirations, attainment expectations, utility values (i.e., beliefs about the usefulness of education), and perceptions of racial barriers to upward mobility. Relationships between parents' expectations and youths' aspirations and expectations were mediated by youths' perceptions of parents' expectations. For boys, but not girls, Grade 11 educational expectations and utility values each uniquely predicted college attendance 1 year after high school graduation. In addition, boys' perceptions of racial barriers were negatively related to subsequent postsecondary progress through their influence on values. Findings underscore the importance of academic achievement motivation as a developmental resource for African American boys and suggest that boys are especially likely to benefit from interventions promoting positive motivational beliefs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of crystal promoters on viscosity and melting characteristics of compound chocolate

The effects of the addition of crystal promoting additives to compound chocolate viscosity and melting characteristics were evaluated in this study. Three types of crystal promoters, namely CP1, CP2, and CP3, were added at varying concentrations (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0%). The compound chocolate with no added crystal promoters served as a control. Increase in viscosity with increasing additive concentration was observed among all samples regardless of additive type. Addition of CP1 resulted in significant changes in dimensions and shape deformation after incubation at 40°C for 24 h except at 0.25% concentration. Samples with CP2 and CP3 were fairly stable at 40°C with only CP3 0.25% melting. Crystal promoter type influenced the melting properties of the samples, as determined through differential scanning calorimetry, particularly in terms of T_index and ΔH_M. The ΔH_M of all the samples decreased, while the addition of CP1 decreased T_index values, and adding CP2 and CP3 increased the T_index. Additive type had limited effects on T_peak, T_onset, and T_endset. Results suggest that crystal promoters added to compound chocolate affect their viscosity and thermal behavior.