Use of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale to measure success in a psychosocial day program

This study contrasted six subscales of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) to determine their sensitivity to psychosocial treatment outcome. An expanded version of the BPRS was administered to 216 clients on admission to a day program. The subscale measuring hostility and suspiciousness discriminated at intake clients who were therapeutically discharged from clients who did not complete the program and predicted discharge status after the investigators controlled for the effects of demographic variables. Significant reductions in scores were obtained on five subscales for a subset of clients to whom the BPRS was readministered before discharge. The results support the use of the expanded BPRS as an evaluative tool in psychosocial rehabilitation programs.     

管理技术--创新、学习及成熟度(中)

在基于项目的组织中实现创新 在本节我们将探讨如何在项目环境中进行创新.首先我们来了解一下人们进行改变,进而实现创新的规律;然后我们介绍两种截然不同的管理创新的方法,即常用的线性推理方法和有机推进法;最后,我们对它们的优缺点做一个比较,看看它们各自适用于什么情况.     

Functional evaluation in congenital and acquired heart disease

Conclusions Functional evaluation of the cardiovascular system using rapid imaging (spiral echo planar), chemical shift, and velocity mapping is capable of making the diagnosis in congenital and acquired cardiovascular disease which, between them, cause the largest number of deaths of any disease in the western world and massive morbidity and suffering. Furthermore, for the first time in the history of medicine, there is the opportunity to apply preventive measures to eardicate the epidemic of preventable arterial disease. There needs to be a change of emphasis and a switching of resources to apply to the most common diseases rather than to those which are most easily studied. There also needs to be proper training in cardiovascular MR, not so much for imagers as for cardiologists and experts in vascular disease.     

Aqueous Processing and Stabilization of Manganese Zinc Ferrite Powders via a Passivation–Dispersion Approach

A dispersion scheme for aqueous processing of manganese zinc ferrite suspensions is presented. The addition of oxalic acid leads to the formation of a uniform negative charge on the surface such that a cationic polyelectrolyte, polyethyleneimine (PEI), adsorbs and provides electrosteric dispersion. At 0.5 w/w (weight percent with respect to the dry powder) oxalic acid addition, there is a relatively uniform negative surface charge (approximately −30 mV) within the suspension pH range investigated (3–10), eliminating the isoelectric point (pH ∼7.6) present for the as-received metal oxide powder. At the addition of 0.5 w/w PEI on an oxalate-treated surface, the surface charge is constant and positive (∼20 mV) through a wide pH range, ∼5–10. The resulting rheological data for passivation–dispersion of relatively high-solids manganese zinc ferrite suspensions (∼80 wt%) demonstrate improved colloid stability with improved rheological properties. The resulting apparent viscosity and Bingham yield point is 0.01 Pa·s (12.0 cP) and 0.24 Pa (2.4 dynes/cm²), respectively. A sulfonated napthalene-based dispersant, typically used in industry, gives an apparent viscosity and Bingham yield point of 0.03 Pa·s (32 cP) and 3.1 Pa (31 dynes/cm²), respectively.     

Magnetotransport Properties and Mechanism of the A-Site Ordering in the Nd–Ba Optimal-Doped Manganites

The crystal structure and magnetotransport properties of the Nd_0.70Ba_0.30-MnO_3.00−δ manganites have been investigated. The stoichiometric A-site ionic disordered Nd_0.70Ba_0.30MnO_3.00 sample is orthorhombic (SG=Imma) ferromagnet below T _C ≈151 K. It has metal-insulator transition at T _MI ≈140 K and peak of magnetoresistance ∼50% in field of 9 kOe. The anion-deficient partly A-site ionic ordered Nd_0.70Ba_0.30MnO_2.60 sample is ferrimagnet with T _N ≈130 K and has nanometric ∼440 nm grains. The oxygen annealed stoichiometric partly A-site ordered Nd_0.70Ba_0.30MnO_3.00 sample consists of two perovskite phases: (i) A-site ionic completely ordered tetragonal (SG=P4/mmm) NdBaMn_2.00O_6.00 with a Curie point of ∼310 K and (ii) superstoichiometric orthorhombic (SG=Pnma) NdMnO_3.00+γ with a Curie point of ∼120 K. The magnetoresistance of this sample at the room temperature is about 7% in a field of 9 kOe. Considerable changes of the magnetic properties are interpreted as due to the ordering of Nd³⁺ and Ba²⁺ cations as well as the formation of nanometric grains.      

Nasal Epithelial Cell-Based Models for Individualized Study in Cystic Fibrosis

The emergence of highly effective CFTR modulator therapy has led to significant improvements in health care for most patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). For some, however, these therapies remain inaccessible due to the rarity of their individual CFTR variants, or due to a lack of biologic activity of the available therapies for certain variants. One proposed method of addressing this gap is the use of primary human cell-based models, which allow preclinical therapeutic testing and physiologic assessment of relevant tissue at the individual level. Nasal cells represent one such tissue source and have emerged as a powerful model for individual disease study. The ex vivo culture of nasal cells has evolved over time, and modern nasal cell models are beginning to be utilized to predict patient outcomes. This review will discuss both historical and current state-of-the art use of nasal cells for study in CF, with a particular focus on the use of such models to inform personalized patient care.     

Morphological Forms of α-Alumina Particles Synthesized in 1,4-Butanediol Solution

Phase-pure, monodispersed, hexagonal plates of single-crystal α-alumina (∼ 2 μm wide and ∼0.5 μm thick) have been prepared via precipitation by treating an aluminum hydrous oxide precursor in 1,4-butanediol at 300°C under autogenous vapor pressure. Present work shows that KOH is the only reagent that precipitates an aluminum hydrous oxide precursor suitable to synthesize α-alumina in 1,4-butanediol solution. In contrast, the use of NaOH or NH₄OH as the precipitating reagent for the precursor material does not yield the alpha phase. The solution pH at which the precursor materials are precipitated is also a critical factor for the formation of α-Al₂O₃. Phase-pure α-alumina powders were also only synthesized from the aluminum hydrous oxide precursors precipitated in the pH range from 10 to 10.5. The results of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy indicate that longer reaction times promote the phase transformation from the intermediate boehmite phase to α-alumina. The complete transformation from boehmite to α-alumina requires reaction times of about 12 h.     

Clinical and Genetic Re-Evaluation of Inherited Retinal Degeneration Pedigrees following Initial Negative Findings on Panel-Based Next Generation Sequencing

Although rare, inherited retinal degenerations (IRDs) are the most common reason for blind registration in the working age population. They are highly genetically heterogeneous (>300 known genetic loci), and confirmation of a molecular diagnosis is a prerequisite for many therapeutic clinical trials and approved treatments. First-tier genetic testing of IRDs with panel-based next-generation sequencing (pNGS) has a diagnostic yield of ≈70–80%, leaving the remaining more challenging cases to be resolved by second-tier testing methods. This study describes the phenotypic reassessment of patients with a negative result from first-tier pNGS and the rationale, outcomes, and cost of second-tier genetic testing approaches. Removing non-IRD cases from consideration and utilizing case-appropriate second-tier genetic testing techniques, we genetically resolved 56% of previously unresolved pedigrees, bringing the overall resolve rate to 92% (388/423). At present, pNGS remains the most cost-effective first-tier approach for the molecular assessment of diverse IRD populations Second-tier genetic testing should be guided by clinical (i.e., reassessment, multimodal imaging, electrophysiology), and genetic (i.e., single alleles in autosomal recessive disease) indications to achieve a genetic diagnosis in the most cost-effective manner.     

X-ray diffraction and H-storage in ultra-small palladium particles

In situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and gravimetric hydrogen uptake measurements of d ∼ 2–3 nm spherical PdH_x particles have been studied in the temperature and pressure range of 323 < T < 428 K and 0 < P < 10 bar. The Pd particles were protected from sintering with a hydrogen-permeable carbon coating. While only containing ∼300–1000 atoms, the Pd particles were found to exhibit the same fcc structure and lattice constant as the bulk. Our isothermal studies show that, with increasing x, these highly crystalline PdH_x nanoparticles also exhibit a complete transformation from the dilute α solid solution phase to the more concentrated β hydride phase. However, we observed that the character of the α–β phase transition in these nanoparticles is very different from that in the bulk. Indeed, the hydrogen uptake isotherm exhibits a noticeable positive slope in the α + β co-existence region. Furthermore, we also observed a noticeable narrowing of the α + β co-existence region (δx) in the nanoparticles. Also, a significant suppression of the critical temperature T_c for the phase boundary was observed: T_c(nano) ≈ 430 K while T_c(bulk) ≈ 570 K. These results signal a significant change in the thermodynamic behavior of very small hydride nanoparticles that may be common to many other nano-scale metal hydride systems as well.