Psychodidactics: An undervalued and underdeveloped treatment tool of psychological intervention.

Argues that the transmission of personally relevant information by the therapist to the psychologically troubled individual can be a valuable component of treatment. Although such a psychodidactic component may be an implicit part of treatment encounters, it has not been developed as a treatment tool. Troubled individuals, particularly when facing a specific problem situation (e.g., divorce), might well benefit from knowing some of the factual information pertaining to that problem situation. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

W-stapled ileal neo-bladder formed entirely with absorbable staples

Orthotopic bladder replacement after total cystoprostatectomy for bladder cancer has gained broader use. Continent diversion has historically increased the complexity of the surgical procedure, often discouraging its adoption by many urologists. Absorbable staples on a GIA* instrument became available in 1992 and have been incorporated into reservoir formation in this preliminary study. A novel W-shaped ileal reservoir entirely fashioned from absorbable staples using the GIA and TA instruments has been developed and used in 15 patients undergoing cystoprostatectomy. The advantages of this technique are its simplicity and the speed with which the reservoir can be fashioned. In the first 15 patients operative time to construct the reservoir ranged from 12 to 21 minutes. Functional aspects of urodynamic studies and continence appear comparable to those of other ileal reservoirs. These preliminary data justify comparative trials on an expanded scale.     

Antifeedant Compounds from Three Species of Apiaceae Active Against the Field Slug, Deroceras reticulatum (Muller)

Extracts of volatiles from foliage of three plants in the Apiaceae, Conium maculatum L. (hemlock), Coriandrum sativum L. (coriander), and Petroselinum crispum Mill. (Nym.) (parsley), previously shown to exhibit antifeedant activity in assays with the field slug, Deroceras reticulatum (Muller) (Limacidae: Pulmonata), were studied further to identify the active components. Coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and neurophysiological assays using tentacle nerve preparations resulted in the identification of 11 active compounds from the three extracts. Wheat flour feeding bioassays were used to determine which of these compounds had the highest antifeedant activity. One of the most active compounds was the alkaloid gamma-coniceine, from C. maculatum. The role of potentially toxic alkaloids as semiochemicals and the potential for using such compounds as crop protection agents to prevent slug feeding damage is discussed.     

Characterization and in vitro evaluation of an acid resistant nanosized dental eggshell-titanium dioxide material

This paper reports on novel nanosized acid resistant material base on the modification of eggshell powder and titanium dioxide (TiO₂-EB) for enamel remineralization. The TiO₂-EB was prepared by ball milling eggshell powder and titanium dioxide. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and ImageJ were used to characterise TiO₂-EB. A computation model using Material Studio Software was used to explain the mechanism of TiO₂-EB interaction. In addition, the acid resistant of TiO₂-EB was evaluated by comparison using three commercial toothpaste. The mean pressure value (kPa/s) was measured using a pressure sensor. The FTIR, XRD analysis confirmed the surface modification of TiO₂-EB. The SEM image revealed that pure TiO₂ particles are spread on the surface of eggshell powder. The TEM image revealed spherical particles in TiO₂-EB. The ImageJ showed the average particle size of TiO₂-EB to be 13 nm. In addition, the commercial toothpastes doped with TiO₂-EB showed an improved acid resistant. The salient features of this study indicate that TiO₂-EB will effectively remineralized enamel lesions while offering better protective covering to the enamel.     

Forgiveness and relationship satisfaction: Mediating mechanisms.

Although the ability to forgive transgressions has been linked to overall relationship satisfaction, the mechanisms that mediate this association have not been established. We propose that the tendency to forgive a romantic partner increases relationship satisfaction via increased relational effort and decreased negative conflict. In two studies, we used structural equations modeling to examine these variables as potential mechanisms that drive this association. In Study 1 (N = 523) and Study 2 (N = 446) we found that these variables significantly mediated the association between forgiveness and relationship satisfaction. The findings were robust when examined concurrently and longitudinally, across multiple measures of forgiveness, and when accounting for baseline relationship satisfaction and interpersonal commitment. These two mechanisms parallel theorized positive and negative dimensions of forgiveness and the motivational transformation that is said to underlie forgiveness. Theoretical implications and implications for intervention are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Noninvasive, quantitative analysis of drug mixtures in containers using spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) and multivariate statistical analysis

In this paper, spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) is demonstrated for noninvasively investigating the composition of drug mixtures inside an opaque plastic container. The mixtures consisted of three components including a target drug (acetaminophen or phenylephrine hydrochloride) and two diluents (glucose and caffeine). The target drug concentrations ranged from 5% to 100%. After conducting SORS analysis to ascertain the Raman spectra of the concealed mixtures, principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on the SORS spectra to reveal trends within the data. Partial least squares (PLS) regression was used to construct models that predicted the concentration of each target drug, in the presence of the other two diluents. The PLS models were able to predict the concentration of acetaminophen in the validation samples with a root-mean-square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 3.8% and the concentration of phenylephrine hydrochloride with an RMSEP of 4.6%. This work demonstrates the potential of SORS, used in conjunction with multivariate statistical techniques, to perform noninvasive, quantitative analysis on mixtures inside opaque containers. This has applications for pharmaceutical analysis, such as monitoring the degradation of pharmaceutical products on the shelf, in forensic investigations of counterfeit drugs, and for the analysis of illicit drug mixtures which may contain multiple components.