Improving credit evaluation with a weighted application blank.

Using data from a credit application blank, how can poor credit risks be most effectively identified? 100 records of those who paid for their cars were compared with a like number of records of those who failed to do so. An item analysis was performed and weights assigned to items according to their ability to differentiate between the 2 sets of records. 24 items were chosen as working especially well. "A formula was presented which allows the profit obtaining from the use of any particular cut-off score to be estimated." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thermodynamic analysis of the regasification of LNG for the desalination of sea water

A net zero work system for the recovery of refrigeration available from LNG during regasification is described. The system consists of a heat engine operating between an LNG heat exchanger in which regasification takes place and a sea water heat exchanger in which sea water is cooled to 246 K. A portion of the work output from the heat engine is used to drive a heat pump operating between the atmosphere and another sea water heat exchanger in which a second sea water stream is cooled to 246 K. The remaining portion of the heat engine work is used to separate fresh water from the ice-slurry. Peak fresh water output is approximately 6.7 kg water/kg LNG.     

On the AHCPR Depression in Primary Care guidelines: Further considerations for practitioners.

The majority of cases of clinical depression go unrecognized and untreated, despite the fact that depression is an eminently treatable disorder. The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) recently published a set of clinical practice guidelines focused on depression in primary care settings. The review of the literature on which the guidelines are based is thorough and appropriate and should enhance the detection of depression and the quality of pharmacotherapy for depression. However, the guidelines encourage primary care physicians to provide pharmacotherapy to their depressed patients as the 1st line of treatment. The wisdom of this recommendation is questioned and revisions to the guidelines are suggested. Specifically, patients should be informed of the broad array of treatment options available and provided with a more balanced presentation of the potential benefits of psychotherapy for depression. Patients should decide which treatment alternative they wish to undergo. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hyperosmolarity: effects on nerves and smooth muscle of cutaneous veins

The technique consists in employing successively an extraction method using the dithizone-carbon tetrachloride system, at 4 different pH values, then thin-layer chromatography on silica gel, to identify and separate Ag, Cd, Co, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the form of their dithizonates. Sensitivity is of the order of 10(-7) g ion/l. This method is directly applicable in hydrology; after destruction of organic matter in the case of biological samples (blood, urine, excrement). We have applied it in toxicological analysis together with other methods for the detection of copper, lead, mercury and zinc in cases of poisoning.     

Review of Behavioral Assessment of Childhood Disorders.

Reviews the book, Behavioral Assessment of Childhood Disorders by Eric J. Mash and Leif G. Terdal (Eds.) (1981). Behavioral Assessment of Childhood Disorders will be the standard against which any future volumes on behavioural assessment of children will be compared. Eric Mash and Lief Terdal have covered a broad range of childhood problems in 16 chapters by well-known psychologists. The major strengths of the volume are its broad scope and the clinical and research expertise of the individual contributors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Water Resistance of Poly(Imide-Siloxane) Adhesives: Diffusion Coefficients by Gravimetric Sorption

Diffusion coefficients of water vapor in a polyimide homopolymer and poly(imide-siloxane) multi-block copolymers of different siloxane concentration were determined from gravimetric sorption experiments. Diffusion coefficients were of the order of magnitude of 10^-8 cm²/sec. Higher levels of siloxane incorporation caused a definite increase in the diffusion coefficient, indicating a decreased resistance to water ingression. The increase in diffusion was found to be influenced by siloxane block length and was interpreted in terms of free volume and morphology. The diffusion coefficient of the 10-weight-percent PDMS copolymer, however, was found to be the same within error as that of the polyimide. This and a previous surface study suggested that an increased surface water resistance may be achieved at low siloxane concentrations without greatly increasing the bulk diffusive properties to undesirable levels.     

Synthesis, kinetic observations and characteristics of polyarylene ether sulphones prepared via a potassium carbonate DMAC process

The classical route for the synthesis of this family of macromolecules is via nucleophilic aromatic substitution of 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulphone with bisphenates using dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) and aqueous sodium hydroxide. High molecular weight homopolymers can be synthesized in a relatively short time. However, hydrolytic side reactions can limit its scope for the synthesis of both homopolymers derived from insoluble bisphenates and for copolymers. An alternate route is discussed herein that uses potassium carbonate/dimethylacetamide as base and aprotic dipolar solvent, respectively, for the synthesis of several homopolymers and copolymers derived from various bisphenols. In this system, excess potassium carbonate, unlike aqueous caustic, does not prevent the synthesis of high molecular weight macromolecules. Investigations of the kinetics and mechanism of this process were conducted. These studies demonstrated that this route deviates from the relatively simple second order kinetics previously observed for the aqueous sodium hydroxide/DMSO system. This deviation has been rationalized as resulting from the partially heterogeneous nature of the potassium carbonate.     

Costs and charges associated with three alternative techniques of hysterectomy

BACKGROUND: Many hysterectomies are now performed by a laparoscopically assisted vaginal technique. This procedure is controversial, partly because of concern about cost. We studied hospital charges and costs for the procedure as compared with those for total abdominal hysterectomy and total vaginal hysterectomy in clinically similar groups of patients. METHODS: From hospital-discharge data and patients' charts, we identified hysterectomies performed in 1993 and 1994 by 96 surgeons at a community teaching hospital to treat benign conditions. The patients were grouped according to the surgical procedures performed in conjunction with the hysterectomy. Data on hospital charges and cost-to-charge ratios for 64 hospital cost centers were used to assess charges and costs for specific resources, as well as for the hospitalization overall. RESULTS: Of 1049 patients studied, 26 percent underwent laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy, 54 percent underwent abdominal hysterectomy, and 20 percent underwent vaginal hysterectomy. The average hospital stays were 2.6, 3.9, and 2.9 days, respectively, and the mean total charges (facility charges plus professional fees) for the hospitalizations were $6,116, $5,084, and $4,221 (P<0.001 for the comparison of the laparoscopic technique with both other techniques). The mean facility costs were $4,914, $3,954, and $3,116, respectively (P<0.001 for the same comparison), with similar findings in all subgroups. The higher charges and costs for laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy were due to higher supply costs, particularly when disposable supplies were used, and to longer operating-room time. CONCLUSIONS: Despite shorter hospital stays, in-hospital charges and costs for laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy are higher than for either alternative procedure, because of the disposable supplies that are typically used and the longer operating-room time.