Effectiveness of a psychoeducational approach to HIV risk behavior reduction.

The effectiveness of a psychoeducational treatment program for reducing high-risk HIV transmission behaviors was compared with that of an information only group evaluated in a sample of 127 inpatients (aged 22–62 yrs), mostly African-American, on a drug abuse treatment unit. Both treatments were effective in increasing factual knowledge about AIDS, proficiency at demonstrating correct procedures for needle cleaning and condom use, and perceived susceptibility to and response efficacy for avoiding HIV infection. At posttreatment, Ss in the psychoeducation condition obtained higher scores on the condom demonstration test; however, at 1-mo follow-up, the performance of both groups on this test was equivalent. In terms of HIV knowledge, the psychoeducation group was superior at follow-up, but not at posttreatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Affect and the motivational foundations of social capital.

Social capital is a resource that includes the willingness of members of society to cooperate with each other, even when it is not in their own individual material self-interests to do so, or enforce beneficial social norms, even when this is materially costly for the enforcer. Evidence from economic choice experiments suggests that affect may play an important role in the individual-level decision process that generates these behavioral tendencies. Negative affective responses to uncooperative behavior can lead to a breakdown in social capital, if there is no option to punish. Given a punishment option, however, individuals discipline uncooperative types, even though it is materially costly to do so. This can completely counteract the tendency for social capital to decline in repeated interactions. Positive affect, triggered by punishing uncooperative types, appears to play a role in generating this socially beneficial willingness to sanction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Blockade of CCKB but not CCKA receptors before and after the stress of predator exposure prevents lasting increases in anxiety-like behavior: Implications for anxiety associated with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Lasting increases in anxiety-like behavior (ALB) in rodents in the elevated plus maze have been reported to follow brief (5 min) exposures to a cat. This study examined the role of CCKA and CCKB receptors in lasting increases in ALB following exposure to a cat. Block of CCKB receptors 30 min before and after cat exposure prevented increases in ALB assessed 1 week later in the elevated plus maze. Blocks of CCKA receptors either before or after cat exposure were without effect on increases in ALB measured 1 week later. Changes in activity or exploration could not account for the results. Effects of cat exposure on ALB, startle, and corticosteroid levels have been proposed as a model of affective disorder in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Implications of these findings for mechanisms of initiation of anxiety in PTSD and posttrauma pharmacological prophylaxis in PTSD are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Natural gas & electricity pricing: Natural gas challenge to King Coal: Check or checkmate?

A long-standing mainstay of the US power sector, coal fuels 45 percent of domestic power production. 1 Termed the “Saudi Arabia” of coal since the 1970s, the United States boasts more than one-quarter of the world's coal reserves, ranked number one in the world and well ahead of Russia and China. 2 Yet at the beginning of 2012, President Obama anointed the United States as the “Saudi Arabia of natural gas.” 3 The president's new title must reflect the speed of the nation's apparent transition toward natural gas rather than the relative level of reserves, for the United States is ranked fifth among all countries with only 3 percent of the world's total natural gas reserves. 4     

Rare Gain-of-Function KCND3 Variant Associated with Cerebellar Ataxia,Parkinsonism, Cognitive Dysfunction,and Brain Iron Accumulation

Loss-of-function mutations in the K_V4.3 channel-encoding KCND3 gene are linked to neurodegenerative cerebellar ataxia. Patients suffering from neurodegeneration associated with iron deposition may also present with cerebellar ataxia. The mechanism underlying brain iron accumulation remains unclear. Here, we aim to ascertain the potential pathogenic role of KCND3 variant in iron accumulation-related cerebellar ataxia. We presented a patient with slowly progressive cerebellar ataxia, parkinsonism, cognitive impairment, and iron accumulation in the basal ganglia and the cerebellum. Whole exome sequencing analyses identified in the patient a heterozygous KCND3 c.1256G>A (p.R419H) variant predicted to be disease-causing by multiple bioinformatic analyses. In vitro biochemical and immunofluorescence examinations revealed that, compared to the human K_V4.3 wild-type channel, the p.R419H variant exhibited normal protein abundance and subcellular localization pattern. Electrophysiological investigation, however, demonstrated that the K_V4.3 p.R419H variant was associated with a dominant increase in potassium current amplitudes, as well as notable changes in voltage-dependent gating properties leading to enhanced potassium window current. These observations indicate that, in direct contrast with the loss-of-function KCND3 mutations previously reported in cerebellar ataxia patients, we identified a rare gain-of-function KCND3 variant that may expand the clinical and molecular spectra of neurodegenerative cerebellar disorders associated with brain iron accumulation.     

Are scientific memes inherited differently from gendered authorship?

This study sought to explore the existing academic literature on female entrepreneurship to assess how this field of research is organized in terms of publications, authors, and periodicals and/or sources. In addition, the research focused on mapping knowledge networks through citation and co-citation analysis and identifying natural clusters of the main keywords used. The study also examined the challenges (i.e., opportunities and difficulties) the literature reveals for the study of female entrepreneurship. That is, the knowledge gained from the bibliometric study (i.e., what has already been researched and the limits of these studies) was used to identify what research opportunities are present in this area. The articles gathered in the search were submitted to a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer and TreeCloud software. The results obtained from the analysis of document citations reveal three clusters: (1) entrepreneurial profile, (2) gender identity and theoretical conceptualizations, and (3) the entrepreneurial process context. By studying the articles’ citation profile, this study’s findings contribute to a better understanding of the flow of production and research-related practices in this stimulating area of research, which is still in its infancy phase.     

Cubic‐Like Bimolecular Crystal Evolution and over 12% Efficiency in Halogen‐Free Ternary Solar Cells

In this study, the solubility properties of a given ternary blend set, with two donors (poly(4,8‐bis(5‐(2‐ethylhexyl)thiophen‐2‐yl)benzo[1,2‐b;4,5‐b′]dithiophene‐2,6‐diyl‐alt‐(4‐(2‐ethylhexyl)‐3‐fluorothieno[3,4‐b]thiophene‐)‐2‐carboxylate‐2‐6‐diyl (PTB7‐Th) and benzo[1,2‐b;4,5‐b′]dithiophene‐based small molecule (DR3TSBDT)) and one acceptor ([6,6]‐phenyl‐C₇₁‐butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₁BM)), in a series of solvents are determined, and active material–solvent interactions are used as an aid for finding suitable nonchlorinated solvents to achieve effective ternary organic solar cells (OSCs) based on PTB7‐Th:DR3TSBDT:PC₇₁BM. An exceptional power conversion efficiency (PCE) as high as 12.3% (certified 11.94%) is obtained using the developed nonhalogenated processing system. In‐depth investigations (morphology, charge mobility, recombination dynamics, and OSC characteristics) uncover the underlying structure–property relationships as a function of the chosen nonhalogenated systems. Another intriguing finding of this study is the formation of a cubic bimolecular crystal structure of PTB7‐Th:PC₇₁BM in a nonhalogenated system, which is the first such demonstration in blend films. This sheds light upon the fact that the physical properties of a material applied from different solutions may surpass the variation in the properties between two material having totally different molecular structure. Therefore, this work not only offers important scientific insights into developing highly efficient and eco‐friendly OSCs but also improves our understanding of achievable bimolecular crystals with an intercalated structure.