Dream reports and creative tendencies in students of the arts, sciences, and engineering.

105 students of arts, sciences, and engineering were asked to report a dream and to take a test which measures independence of judgment and relates to creativity. 4 predictions were stated: (a) (confirmed)—the proportion of dream recallers would be greatest among art students and least among engineering students; (b) (partially confirmed)—dream imaginativeness would be greatest among art students and least among engineering students; (c) (not confirmed)—dream recallers would have higher test scores than Ss who failed to recall a dream; (d) (confirmed)—there would be a positive relation between dream imaginativeness and test scores. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A study on multi-dimensional products of graphs and hybrid logics

In this work, we address some issues related to products of graphs and products of modal logics. Our main contribution is the presentation of a necessary and sufficient condition for a countable and connected graph to be a product, using a property called intransitivity. We then proceed to describe this property in a logical language. First, we show that intransitivity is not modally definable and also that no necessary and sufficient condition for a graph to be a product can be modally definable. Then, we exhibit a formula in a hybrid language that describes intransitivity. With this, we get a logical characterization of products of graphs of arbitrary dimensions. We then use this characterization to obtain two other interesting results. First, we determine that it is possible to test in polynomial time, using a model-checking algorithm, whether a finite connected graph is a product. This test has cubic complexity in the size of the graph and quadratic complexity in its number of dimensions. Finally, we use this characterization of countable connected products to provide sound and complete axiomatic systems for a large class of products of modal logics. This class contains the logics defined by product frames obtained from Kripke frames that satisfy connectivity, transitivity and symmetry plus any additional property that can be defined by a pure hybrid formula. Most sound and complete axiomatic systems presented in the literature are for products of a pair of modal logics, while we are able, using hybrid logics, to provide sound and complete axiomatizations for many products of arbitrary dimensions.     

Plasma immunoglobulins in patients with severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome

By histochemical and immunohistochemical methods, the presence of cholinergic-like molecules has previously been demonstrated in Paramecium primaurelia, and their functional role in mating-cell pairing was suggested. In this work, both true acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) activities were electrophoretically investigated, and the presence of molecules immunologically related to BuChE was checked by immunoblotting. The AChE activity, shown in the membrane protein fraction of mating-competent cells and in the cytoplasmic fraction of immature cells, is due to a 260-kDa molecular form, similar to the membrane-bound tetrameric form present in human erythrocytes. This AChE activity does not appear in either the cytoplasmic fraction of mating-competent cells or in the membrane protein fraction of immature cells. No evidence was found for the presence or the activity of BuChE-like molecules. The role of AChE in P. primaurelia developmental cycle is discussed.     

Procedure for analysis of radium in freshwaters by adsorption on basic lead rhodizonate

Radium analysis is carried out by batch adsorption from natural waters on basic lead rhodizonate supported on charcoal, LERHO, starting from 2-L samples. 133Ba is added to allow the measurement of the overall chemical yield by gamma counting. Radium is recovered with a few milliliters of 1.5 M HCl, and lead is removed by a chromatographic column filled with Dowex 2 x 8. Finally 50 micrograms of barium carrier is added, and the radium is coprecipitated as sulfate on a preformed bed of barium sulfate, to prepare a sample suitable for alpha and gamma counting. The detection limit of the proposed method is 0.002 Bq/L 226Ra. This value is far beyond the radium activity admissible for drinking waters. Due to lack of appropriate samples, the procedure was tested using mineral waters spiked with 226Ra and two commercially available mineral waters with very low radium contents.     

Attempting to fathom the unfathomable: descriptive views of spirituality

PURPOSE: To evaluate short-term efficacy of awareness programs (AP) in reducing coronary heart disease risk factors (CHDRF). METHODS: High risk hypercholesterolemic patients were divided in 2 groups during 16 weeks. Group A (n = 417, 54.3 +/- 10.0 years, 55% males) received verbal and written orientation on CHDRF control, and group B (n = 180, 54.4 +/- 10.9 years, 45% males) received only verbal orientation. All participants received pravastatin 10 mg q.d. for 12 weeks. The evolution of body weight, arterial pressure, lipid profile, Castelli's I and II indexes (TC/HDL and LDL/HDL), and Framingham scores were evaluated. RESULTS: At baseline, A had a lower HDL-C (40.0 +/- 11.0 vs 43.0 +/- 11.0 mg/dl, p = 0.013) and a higher index I (8.2 +/- 3.0 vs 7.6 +/- 2.3, p = 0.008) than B. After 16 weeks, A had greater change than B in TC (-28.0 vs -25.0, p < 0.05), LDL-C (-29.0 vs -27.6, p < 0.05), HDL-C levels (+13.7 vs +10.8, p < 0.05) and in the Castelli's Index (-39.0 vs -33.0; p < 0.05). In both groups pravastatin use potentialized the effects of diet on the lipid profile. CONCLUSION: The AP seemed to be more effective than verbal orientation alone in CHDRF reduction at short-term.     

Acquired inhibitors to factors V and X after exposure to topical thrombin: interference with monitoring of low molecular weight heparin and warfarin

Repeated surgical exposure to topical bovine thrombin is known to be associated with the development of antibodies to bovine and human thrombin and factor V. This is demonstrated by abnormalities of in vitro coagulation assays and, rarely, postoperative bleeding. We describe a 4-year-old child in whom an antibody to bovine factor X developed after cardiac surgery; this antibody interfered with the heparin anti-Xa assay, thereby complicating the monitoring of heparin therapy.