Impact of Cluster C personality disorders on outcomes of contrasting brief psychotherapies for depression.

Twenty-seven of 114 depressed clients, stratified for severity of depression, obtained a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed.; DSM-III; American Psychiatric Association, 1980) diagnosis of Cluster C personality disorder, that is, avoidant, obsessive-compulsive or dependent personality disorder (PD clients), whereas the remaining 87 did not (non-personality-disorder [NPD] clients). All clients completed either 8 or 16 sessions of cognitive-behavioral (CB) or psychodynamic-interpersonal (PI) psychotherapy. On most measures, PD clients began with more severe symptomatology than NPD clients. Among those who received PI therapy, PD clients maintained this difference posttreatment and at 1-year follow-up. Among those who received CB therapy, posttreatment differences between PD and NPD groups were not significant. Treatment length did not influence outcome for PD clients. PD clients whose depression was also relatively severe showed significantly less improvement after treatment than either PD clients with less severe depression or NPD clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enhancing target variance in personality impressions: Highlighting the person in person perception.

D. A. Kenny (1994) estimated the components of personality rating variance to be 15, 20, and 20% for target, rater, and relationship, respectively. To enhance trait variance and minimize rater variance, we designed a series of studies of personality perception in discussion groups (N?=?79, 58, and 59). After completing a Big Five questionnaire, participants met 7 times in small groups. After Meetings 1 and 7, group members rated each other. By applying the Social Relations Model (D. A. Kenny and L. La Voie, 1984) to each Big Five dimension at each point in time, we were able to evaluate 6 rating effects as well as rating validity. Among the findings were that (a) target variance was the largest component (almost 30%), whereas rater variance was small (less than 11%); (b) rating validity improved significantly with acquaintance, although target variance did not; and (c) no reciprocity was found, but projection was significant for Agreeableness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An atypical case of atypical pneumonia

A case of anomalous pancreaticobiliary union with ectopic drainage of the common bile duct into the third part of the duodenum was diagnosed in an 86-year-old woman upon evaluation of acute pancreatitis. The role of anomalous pancreaticobiliary unions in the genesis of acute pancreatitis is discussed.     

Morphological and infra-red studies on highly oriented poly(vinylidene fluoride)/poly(methyl methacrylate) blends

Highly oriented melt drawn films of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and blends of poly(vinylidene fluoride) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) have been studied by transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction and infra-red spectroscopy. Infra-red spectra show the second moment of the orientation function for PVDF samples to be greater than 0.94. Using such a sample, the transition dipole directions relative to the chain axis have been calculated. Electron microscopic studies of the PVDF/PMMA blends show a transformation for pure PVDF from a lamellar morphology to a mixture of lamellar and needle-like crystals for the 80/20 blend. The 60/40 blend shows a pure needle-like morphology. The β phase content for this blend is dependent upon the composition and thermal history. An increase in the β phase content is observed with the addition of PMMA. After annealing at 110°C, the 50/50 blend shows a lamellar β phase morphology. A significant increase in the segmental orientation of PVDF is also observed.     

Method of determining nanoparticle core weight

Polymer-coated metal or metal oxide nanoparticles have a variety of uses in industry, biological research, and medicine. Characterization of nanoparticles often includes determination of the dimensions of the electron-dense core by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), with the weight of the core determined from core volume and core density. However, TEM is labor intensive, has a long turnaround time, and uses equipment that is sometimes not readily available. Here we present an alternative method for determining the weight of nanoparticle cores termed the viscosity/light scattering method, which uses (i) measurements of viscosity over a wide concentration range to obtain the partial specific volume, (ii) measurements of particle diameter by light scattering, to obtain the volume of an individual particle, and (iii) the concentration of nanoparticles (w/v). We have applied this method to determine the weights of nanoparticle cores (iron of amino-CLIO and ferritin), the weights of globular proteins (molecular weight of IgG and albumin), and the weight of polystyrene microspheres. The viscosity/light scattering method is nondestructive of the sample and can be performed with a variety of materials on a routine basis.     

Comments, with reply, on `Display of surfaces from volume data' byM. Levoy

The commenter clarifies some of the terminology used by M. Levoy (see ibid., vol.8, no.3, p.29-37, May 1988) and puts it into historical perspective with other terminology in use in medical imaging today. He takes exception to Levoy's use of the term `volume rendering'. He also discusses his prior use of the term `gradient shading' and suggests that it be renamed `distant gradient shading' to distinguish it from a similar technique, which is `density gradient shading'. The author defends his usage, pointing out that it is unfortunate but common for two related scientific disciplines (in this case, image processing and computer graphics) to apply differing and even incompatible definitions to the same term     

Effect of low concentrations of oxygen on the production of ethylene and on other ripening changes in apple fruit

When apples were stored at 12° in atmospheres deficient in oxygen it was found that the onset of the climacteric, as indicated by ethylene evolution, was progressively retarded the lower the oxygen content. from the point of view of horticultural technique, One disadvantage of storage in low-oxygen atmospheres at high temperature lay in the tendency for the fruit to begin alcoholic fermentation.     

Fabrication of aerogels from cellulose nanofibril grafted with β-cyclodextrin for capture of water pollutants

Journal of Porous Materials - Interactions at the molecular and surface chemistry are some of the key factors that determine the adsorption capacity of pollutants and emerging contaminants in...