The impact of parent behavior-management training on child depressive symptoms.

The present study tested the impact of a parent behavior-management intervention on child depressive and internalizing symptoms. One hundred eighty-one children were randomly assigned to receive a videotape modeling parenting intervention, the Incredible Years, or to a wait-list control group. Children who received the intervention were more likely to have lower mother-rated mood and internalizing symptoms at post-treatment, compared with children in a wait-list control group. The effect sizes observed in the present intervention fell in the small-to-medium range for the sample as a whole, and some evidence supported the authors' hypothesis that effects would be strongest for children with baseline internalizing symptoms in the clinical range. Subsequent analyses also revealed that perceived changes in parenting effectiveness mediated the effect of treatment on children's post-treatment internalizing symptoms. The finding was consistent with study hypotheses and social learning explanations of child internalizing symptoms that guided selection of putative mechanisms. Implications for counseling psychologists and for designing interventions and prevention strategies for children with internalizing symptoms are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The primary aerobic biodegradation of gasoline hydrocarbons

We describe the primary aerobic biodegradation of an unleaded, unoxygenated, regular gasoline by inocula from unacclimated fresh and sea water, and from a domestic sewage treatment plant. Biodegradation was rapid and complete in all inocula, with an overall median "half-life", at approximately 70 ppm gasoline and low levels of inorganic nutrients, of 5 days. The biodegradation of 131 individual hydrocarbons in the gasoline followed a relatively consistent pattern. The larger n-alkanes and iso-alkanes, and simple and alkylated aromatic compounds were the most readily degraded compounds, followed by the smaller n-alkanes and isoalkanes and the naphthenes. The last compounds to be degraded were butane, iso-butane, and 2,2-dimethylbutane, but even these disappeared with an apparent half-life of <30 days. The fact that the aqueous concentration of many of the individual components was in the sub ppb level is a remarkable demonstration of the ability of unadapted indigenous aerobic microorganisms to respond to and effectively biodegrade gasoline range hydrocarbons.     

Aglycone and glycoside specificity of apple skin flavonoid glycosyltransferase

O-Glycosyltransferase(s) extracted from apple (Malus pumila Mill) fruit skin showed activity towards a range of flavonols and anthocyanins. However, no glycosylating activity was shown towards a dihyroflavonol (dihydroquercetin), a flavanone (eriodictyol) or a flavone (luteolin). The enzyme preparation glycosylated those flavonoids normally present in apple skins (quercetin and cyanidin) and in addition several other related compounds (delphinidin, fisetin, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, myricetin and pelargonidin). This enzyme(s) specifically transferred the glycosyl moiety from sugar nucleotide donors to the 3-position of the flavonoid nucleus. Only flavonoid 3-glycosides occur naturally in apple skin. Activity with different sugar donors was in the order galactose>glucose>xylose, which reflected the ratios of cyanidin and quercetin glycosides found in apple fruit skin. There were slight differences in the relative UFGT activity with quercetin and the three different sugar donors between ‘Granny Smith’ and ‘Splendour’, and this was reflected by similar differences in the ratios of endogenous quercetin glycosides. ©1997 SCI     

Group performance in a cognitive task.

On a cross-word puzzle task performed by 60 pairs of male Ss, correlations between group performance and performance of the individuals (independently determined) were calculated. 82% of the true group performance variance on the task could be predicted from the individual performance scores. "It is suggested that the nature of the task is important in studies of group performance, and that the existence of 'group' phenomena should be empirically demonstrated rather than assumed." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A fluorogenic peptide containing the processing site of human SARS corona virus S-protein: kinetic evaluation and NMR structure elucidation

Human severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (hSARS-CoV) is the causative agent for SARS infection. Its surface glycoprotein (spike protein) is considered to be one of the prime targets for SARS therapeutics and intervention because its proteolytic maturation by a host protease is crucial for host-virus fusion. Using intramolecularly quenched fluorogenic (IQF) peptides based on hSARS-CoV spike protein (Abz-(755)Glu-Gln-Asp-Arg-Asn-Thr-Arg-Glu-Val-Phe-Ala-Gln(766)-Tyx-NH(2)) and in vitro studies, we show that besides furin, other PCs, like PC5 and PC7, might also be involved in this cleavage event. Through kinetic measurements with recombinant PCs, we observed that the peptide was cleaved efficiently by both furin and PC5, but very poorly by PC7. The cleavage could be blocked by a PC-inhibitor, alpha1-PDX, in a dose-dependent manner. Circular dichroism spectra indicated that this peptide possesses a high degree of sheet structure. Following cleavage by furin, the sheet content increased, possibly at the expense of turn and random structures. (1)H NMR spectra from 2D COSY and ROESY experiments under physiological buffer and pH conditions indicated that this peptide possesses a structure with a turn at its C-terminal segment, close to the cleavage site. The data suggest that the cleavable peptide bond is located within the most exposed domain; this is supported by the nearby turn structure. Several strong to weak NMR ROESY correlations were detected, and a 3D structure of the spike IQF peptide that contains the crucial cleavage site R(761) E has been proposed.     

Effects of preparatory information on enhancing performance under stress.

Research conducted largely in medical and clinical settings suggests that receiving preparatory information prior to a stressful event can reduce negative responses to stress. Although results within this domain have been promising, little research has examined the efficacy of preparatory information on enhancing performance in a more applied task environment. This study examined the effect of preparatory information on reducing stress reactions and enhancing performance on a realistic decision-making task. Results indicated that those who received preparatory information prior to performing under high-stress conditions reported less anxiety, were more confident in their ability to perform the task, and made fewer performance errors than those who received no preparatory information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Employment status, social support, and life satisfaction among the elderly.

Relations among employment status, social support, and life satisfaction were examined in a sample of 292 community-living elderly (aged 65–97 yrs) as part of a larger investigation of the role of stressful life experiences and social support in the health of the elderly. Results of a path analysis suggested that the number of hours worked at a paying job, lower levels of depression, and greater perceived social support were directly related to higher levels of life satisfaction. Furthermore, social support mediated the effects of volunteer positions on life satisfaction. These findings are discussed in relation to previous research on vocational issues among the elderly. Limitations of this study are mentioned, and suggestions for future research are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)