Screening older adults for depression in primary care settings.

Primary care is a logical environment for depression recognition in older adults. Most older adults are diagnosed and treated for depression by primary care providers. Recognition systems for depression in this setting are particularly needed because the prevalence of depression in older primary care patients may range from 7% to 36%, depending on the instrument and diagnostic criteria used. Implementing systematic detection systems in primary care settings has proven difficult. In one study, only one third of all physicians surveyed used any formal screening tool. Though a number of barriers to recognition of depression have been identified, the authors focus their discussion in this article on two, time and patient factors, and review two screening instruments, the Geriatric Depression Scale--Short Form and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, that may be able to address these factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Virtual world teaching,experiential learning,and assessment: An interdisciplinary communication course in Second Life

While many reports espouse the potential impact that 3-D virtual worlds are expected to have on teaching and learning in higher education in a few years, there are few empirical studies that inform instructional design and learning assessment in virtual worlds. This study explores the nature and process of learning in Second Life in a graduate interdisciplinary communication course in fall 2007. Literature suggests that 3-D virtual worlds can be well suited for experiential learning environments. In this study, the actual instructional effectiveness of Second Life as an experiential learning environment for interdisciplinary communication is empirically examined using mixed research methods of journal content analysis, surveys, focus group, and virtual world snapshots and video.     

Pediatric Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia: A Translational Perspective for the Clinician-Scientist

Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is a rare and potentially lethal inherited arrhythmia disease characterized by exercise or emotion-induced bidirectional or polymorphic ventricular tachyarrhythmias. The median age of disease onset is reported to be approximately 10 years of age. The majority of CPVT patients have pathogenic variants in the gene encoding the cardiac ryanodine receptor, or calsequestrin 2. These lead to mishandling of calcium in cardiomyocytes resulting in after-depolarizations, and ventricular arrhythmias. Disease severity is particularly pronounced in younger individuals who usually present with cardiac arrest and arrhythmic syncope. Risk stratification is imprecise and long-term prognosis on therapy is unknown despite decades of research focused on pediatric CPVT populations. The purpose of this review is to summarize contemporary data on pediatric CPVT, highlight knowledge gaps and present future research directions for the clinician-scientist to address.     

Low‐temperature synthesis of nano‐to‐submicron size organo‐zinc oxide and its effect on properties of polybutadiene rubber

Nano‐to‐submicron sized particles of zinc oxide (ZnO) were synthesized by low temperature hydrolysis method. Organo‐ZnO was also synthesized by the aforementioned method in presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG‐2000). The synthesized ZnO particles were characterized by infra‐red spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, BET surface area, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). FTIR showed that PEG was present on the ZnO surface. Organo‐ZnO exhibited floral‐shape morphology consisting of concentric nanorods. The average diameter of the nanorods was ～ 250 nm as evident from SEM. TEM showed that the nanorods were made of ～ 50 nm sized small particles. UV‐absorbance property of ZnO was unaltered even after organic coating. Curing, physico‐mechanical and thermal properties of polybutadiene rubber compounded with organo‐ZnO were compared with those of standard commercial rubber grade ZnO and nano‐ZnO prepared by high and low temperature methods. The cure‐characteristics were studied with the help of moving die rheometer as well as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Crosslink‐density measurement along the DSC vulcanization exotherm showed better cure efficiency of organo‐ZnO. Organo‐ZnO containing compound exhibited better mechanical and thermal properties. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Polymer Light-Emitting Diode Using a New Electrophosphorescent Cyclometalated Iridium Complex

A new iridium-based cyclometalated complex, namely bis (2-phenylpyridine-C², N') iridium (III) picolinate [(ppy)₂Ir(pic)] is synthesized and investigated as electrophosphorescent dopant in polymer-based organic light-emitting diodes. The photoluminescence emission from this complex is observed at 501 nm, with a shoulder at 526 nm. Poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) is used as host polymer and single-layer devices of PVK doped with (ppy)₂Ir(pic) complex are fabricated. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of PVK films doped with different concentration of iridium complex were measured to study the possible energy transfer occurring between PVK to iridium complex. A predominant blue to a completely green shifted emission is observed when the doping concentration was increased from 0% to 5 wt%. Optical and atomic force microscopic images of the doped films indicate a smooth film formation when spin coated with chlorobenzene as a solvent as compared to chloroform. Electroluminescence spectra of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/PVK:(ppy)₂Ir(pic)/Al device resembles that of the PL spectra with emission at 507 nm and Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates (0.29, 0.57).     

Interval graph of facial regions with common intersection salient points for identifying and classifying facial expression

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Measuring the facial expression is an important research and used in many real-time applications. Various methods are proposed in the academia and industry for a...     

A review on the effect of oxide nanoparticles,carbon nanotubes,and their hybrid structure on the toughening of epoxy nanocomposites

Journal of Materials Science - Epoxy-based polymer nanocomposite is an advanced and high-performance material with numerous applications in automobiles, railways, aerospace, and construction...     

Mercury and trace metal partitioning and fluxes in suburban Southwest Ohio watersheds

Many natural watersheds are increasingly affected by changes in land use associated with suburban sprawl and such alterations may influence concentrations, partitioning, and fluxes of toxic trace metals in fluvial ecosystems. We investigated the cycling of mercury (Hg), monomethylmercury, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc in three watersheds at the urban fringe of Dayton, Ohio, over a 13-month period. Metal concentrations were related positively to discharge in each stream, with each metal having a high affinity for suspended particles and Hg also having a noticeable association with dissolved organic carbon. Although not observed for the other metals, levels of Hg in river water varied seasonally and among streams. Yields of Hg from two of the catchments were comparable to that predicted for runoff of atmospherically deposited Hg (∼25% of wet atmospheric flux), whereas the third watershed had a significantly greater annual flux associated with greater particle-specific and filtered water Hg concentrations, presumably from a point source. Fluxes of metals other than Hg were similar among each watershed and suggestive of a ubiquitous source, which could be either atmospheric deposition or weathering. Results of this study indicate that, with the exception of Hg being increased in one watershed, processes affecting metal partitioning and loadings are similar among southwest Ohio streams and comparable to other North American rivers that are equally or less impacted by urban development. Relative differences in land use, catchment area, and presence or absence of waste water treatment facilities had little or no detectable effect on most trace metal concentrations and fluxes. This suggests that suburban encroachment on agricultural and undeveloped lands has either similarly or not substantially impacted trace metal cycling in streams at the urban fringe of Dayton and, by extension, other comparable metropolitan areas.