Women's beliefs about the prevalence of premenstrual syndrome and biases in recall of premenstrual changes.

The present study investigated the relationship between women's beliefs about the prevalence of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and biases in recall of premenstrual changes. Forty-nine women completed the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (R. H. Moos, 1968) both retrospectively and prospectively. Afterward, they were asked about their beliefs concerning the prevalence of PMS. The women reported higher premenstrual changes when they completed the retrospective questionnaire. Seventy-five percent of the women believed that the majority of women have premenstrual changes. From this percentage, those who answered that the majority also experience PMS were more biased in their premenstrual changes in the retrospective assessment. Many women have a misperception about the meaning of PMS; consequently, they amplify their premenstrual changes in recall, reflecting women's cultural stereotypes rather than their actual experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modeling arrival-to-departure sequence disorder in flow-controlled manufacturing systems

Flow control policies, such as clear the largest buffer first, have been used extensively in mediating server access between multiple job-arrival processes within manufacturing systems requiring significant set-up times between job types. Although the stability and performance characteristics of clearing policies have been studied, how these clearing policies affect the growth in arrival-to-departure sequence disorder across a machine or workcell is still an area for further research. In this paper, a closed-form model is formulated that characterises the steady-state average arrival-to-departure sequence disorder experienced by jobs processed through a stable flow controlled manufacturing system. Specifically addressed are the effects of upstream sequence disorder on the work-in-process of a downstream assembly process. A simulation study is used to validate the model’s accuracy and applicability in predicting steady-state average arrival-to-departure sequence disorder. A simulation study of an assembly process shows that by balancing upstream steady-state average sequence disorder, downstream work-in-process can be minimised while under a logical component grouping constraint.     

Dehydration transformation in Ca-montmorillonite

The present work deals with the dehydration transformation of Ca-montmorillonite in the temperature range 30°–500°C. Thermal, infrared (IR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were used to describe the thermal transformation. The microstructural and layer disorder parameters like crystallite size, r.m.s. strain (〈e²〉^1/2), variation of interlayer spacing (g), and proportion of planes which were affected by the defect (γ), have all been calculated from the (001) basal reflection using the method of variance and Fourier line shape analysis. These investigations revealed that sample underwent transformation from hydrated phase to dehydrated phase at 200°C, and as a consequence, its basal spacing collapsed from 1602 Å (30°C) to around 10 Å (200°C). This transformation occurred through a wide range of temperature, i.e. within the range 120°–200°C. The crystallite size was maximum at room temperature (30°C), however, the size decreased with increasing temperature in the hydrated phase, whereas the size increased with increasing temperature for the dehydrated phase. Theg, γ and 〈e²〉^1/2 of the hydrated and the dehydrated phase increased and decreased, respectively with increase of heating temperature.     

Serotonin Promotes Serum Albumin Interaction with the Monomeric Amyloid β Peptide

Prevention of amyloid β peptide (Aβ) deposition via facilitation of Aβ binding to its natural depot, human serum albumin (HSA), is a promising approach to preclude Alzheimer’s disease (AD) onset and progression. Previously, we demonstrated the ability of natural HSA ligands, fatty acids, to improve the affinity of this protein to monomeric Aβ by a factor of 3 (BBRC, 510(2), 248–253). Using plasmon resonance spectroscopy, we show here that another HSA ligand related to AD pathogenesis, serotonin (SRO), increases the affinity of the Aβ monomer to HSA by a factor of 7/17 for Aβ₄₀/Aβ₄₂, respectively. Meanwhile, the structurally homologous SRO precursor, tryptophan (TRP), does not affect HSA’s affinity to monomeric Aβ, despite slowdown of the association and dissociation processes. Crosslinking with glutaraldehyde and dynamic light scattering experiments reveal that, compared with the TRP-induced effects, SRO binding causes more marked changes in the quaternary structure of HSA. Furthermore, molecular docking reveals distinct structural differences between SRO/TRP complexes with HSA. The disintegration of the serotonergic system during AD pathogenesis may contribute to Aβ release from HSA in the central nervous system due to impairment of the SRO-mediated Aβ trapping by HSA.     

Influence of roughness changes on offtaking discharge in irrigation canals

The paper shows how a change in irrigation canal roughness can influence the flow passing through offtakes. HEC-RAS steady state model was calibrated with changing Manning's “n” and used for flow simulation in a modern irrigation system in Iran. Results showed that the Manning's “n” obtained from the model calibration procedure (0.025) was different significantly from its primary value (0.015) along the canal. The increase was due to poor canal maintenance. The changes in roughness of about − 20%, − 40%, 40%, and 100% of the primary value can significantly influence the upstream water level and the discharge passing through some offtakes. In order to better evaluation and comparison of offtakes, sensitivity indicator “offtake sensitivity to roughness” was introduced. An analytical approach helped us to define an equation for direct estimation of the sensitivity indicator under steady state uniform conditions for trapezoidal canals. Evaluation of water level fluctuations and the sensitivity indicator shows that only two of the offtakes are sensitive to roughness changes because of being located at the upstream of submerged cross-regulators. It can be concluded that the effects of roughness changes could be more important for offtakes located far from the downstream cross-regulators or near the submerged cross-regulators.     

Easier Tasks Can Have Better Discriminating Power: The Case of Verbal Fluency.

Loren and Jean Chapman highlighted the importance that the psychometric characteristics of a task may have when comparing different populations (L. J. Chapman & J. P. Chapman, 1973, 1978). Specifically, they pointed out that when comparing 2 tasks measuring different constructs, there is a greater likelihood of finding larger deficits on a task with higher discriminating power, irrespective of what the task measures. While researchers have addressed this issue, they typically have assumed that more difficult tasks have greater discriminating power, often without actually measuring discriminating power. In this article, the authors present data from 2 studies using phonologic and category fluency tasks to demonstrate that the critical factor for task selection and matching is discriminating power, not task difficulty. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mediators, Moderators, and Predictors of 1-Year Outcomes Among Children Treated for Early-Onset Conduct Problems: A Latent Growth Curve Analysis.

Several child conduct problem interventions have been classified as either efficacious or well established. Nevertheless, much remains to be learned about predictors of treatment response and mechanisms of behavioral change. In this study, the authors combine data from 6 randomized clinical trials and 514 children, ages 3.0-8.5 years, to evaluate moderators, mediators, and predictors of outcome. Among other findings, latent growth curve models of mother-report and observational measures of child externalizing behaviors suggested that marital adjustment, maternal depression, paternal substance abuse, and child comorbid anxiety/depression each moderated treatment response. Moreover, critical, harsh, and ineffective parenting both predicted and mediated outcome, with the most favorable responses observed when parents scored relatively low on each construct at intake yet improved during treatment. Implications for treatment nonresponders are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The importance of cognitive processing to adjustment in the 1st year following amputation.

Objective: To describe depressive symptoms, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and posttraumatic growth at 6 and 12 months following amputation and to explore differences by demographic variables and cognitive processing of trauma. Participants: 83 adults with newly acquired limb loss. Setting: Two large metropolitan hospitals. Main Outcome Measures: The Patient Health Questionnaire depression module, PTSD Checklist, and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Results: Significant depressive and PTSD symptoms were reported by 15%-25% of participants. Relatively low levels of posttraumatic growth were reported. Negative cognitive processing predicted depressive and PTSD symptoms at 6 months. Positive cognitive processing predicted posttraumatic growth at 12 months. Conclusion: Cognitive processing appears to be integral to positive and negative psychosocial outcomes following amputation and should be targeted by clinical interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Object Relations and the Nature of Therapeutic Interventions.

This discussion of a case (see record 2005-02680-005) addresses tailoring a multifaceted therapeutic intervention based on assessing the nature of the patient's object relations. In this case, the patient's ambivalent and confused sense of self and attachment that developed because of the history of abuse suggests an approach that aims to develop a "soft" attachment of the patient to the therapist. The nature of the attachment should be explored using interpersonal therapeutic techniques to understand current relationships rather than to depend on the development and analysis of transference. Cognitive-behavioral interventions will help limit distortions that occur because of an ego that weakens under stress. Though the therapist is thinking and analyzing the therapeutic data in terms of object relations, the interventions can come from a number of theoretical perspectives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Abstinence Self-Efficacy and Abstinence 1 Year After Substance Use Disorder Treatment.

To better understand the relationship between abstinence self-efficacy and treatment outcomes in substance use disorder patients, experts in the field need more information about the levels of abstinence self-efficacy most predictive of treatment outcomes. Participants (N = 2,967) from 15 residential substance use disorder treatment programs were assessed at treatment entry, discharge, and 1-year follow-up. A signal detection analysis compared the ability of different measures of self-efficacy to predict 1-year abstinence and identified the optimal cutoffs for significant predictors. The maximal level of abstinence self-efficacy (i.e., 100% confident) measured at discharge was the strongest predictor of 1-year abstinence. Treatment providers should focus on obtaining high levels of abstinence self-efficacy during treatment with the goal of achieving 100% confidence in abstinence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)