Perceptions of parental and peer attachments by women with mood disorders.

The relationship between perceptions of parental and peer attachments at various ages and adult mood disorders was examined in 156 women classified as having bipolar disorder or unipolar depression or as nonpsychiatric controls. Nonpsychiatric controls reported a decreased attachment to their parents over time, but they also reported an increased closeness to their mothers in adulthood following a distant adolescence. Never hospitalized, moderately depressed Ss showed a similar trend toward decreased relatedness, but moderately depressed Ss did not report reestablishment of a close relationship with their mothers after adolescence. Severely depressed and bipolar Ss reported little attachment to their mother at all ages. Bipolar Ss also reported little connectedness to their fathers throughout their lifespan and severely depressed women felt less attached than nonpsychiatric controls to peers during development. None of the psychiatric groups reported difficulties with parental overcontrol. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Static bending and impact behaviour of areca fibers composites

Natural fibers are considered to have potential use as reinforcing agents in polymer composite materials because of their principle benefits: good strength and stiffness, low cost, and be an environmental friendly, degradable, and renewable material. A study has been carried out to evaluate physical, flexural and impact properties of composite made by areca fibers with randomly distributed fibers. The extracted areca fibers from the areca husk were alkali treated with potassium hydroxide to get better interfacial bonding between fiber and matrix. Then composite laminates were fabricated by using urea formaldehyde, melamine urea formaldehyde and epoxy resins by means of compression molding technique with varying process parameters, such as fiber condition (untreated and alkali treated), and fiber loading percentages (50% and 60% by weight). The developed areca fiber-reinforced composites were then characterized by physical, bending and impact test. The results show that flexural and impact strength increases with increase in the fiber loading percentage. Compared to untreated fiber, significant change in flexural and impact strength has been observed for treated areca fiber reinforcement.