Multiple models and mental illnesses: A rejoinder to "Failure of a moral enterprise: Attitudes of the public toward mental illness" by T. R. Sarbin and J. C. Mancuso.

Critically analyzes the T. R. Sarbin and J. D. Mancuso (see record 1971-04081-001) report. Data are presented indicating that the public is (a) generally accepting of the medical model of mental illness; (b) optimistic about prognosis; and (c) able to identify the simple schizophrenic, the alcoholic, and the juvenile character disorder as mentally ill and in need of medical care. The public does not place a sizable social distance between themselves and those labeled mentally ill. These data contradict the claims advanced for a unitary social deviancy model. It is argued that the medical model is neither rejected by the public nor discredited by current research. The need is not for the abandonment of medical and psychological models which have already demonstrated formidable heuristic value; what is needed is recognition that there are many different kinds of mental illnesses and that multiple models may consequently have value. (20 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of a resilient bond line to increase strength of long adhesive lap joints

The load capacity of long adhesive lap joints is often governed by stress concentrations at the lap ends. This paper investigates a method to minimize these stress concentrations by using a bond line with low shear stiffness and sufficient strength, here denoted as a resilient bond line. The resilient bond line is intended to increase the load carrying capacity of long lap joints by achieving a more uniform shear stress distribution while maintaining an elastic joint behaviour without damage or plastic deformation. The study comprises analytical, numerical and full-sized experimental work on double lap joints with lengths 200–700 mm comparing conventional stiff bond lines to resilient bond lines. Different resilient bonds lines were obtained by using rubber-like adhesives and by having a rubber mat within the bond line. An analytical definition of a ‘long’ lap joint is suggested and a study of adhesive-rubber bonding is also presented. The numerical analysis clearly indicates that an increase in load carrying capacity is made possible using resilient bond lines. A good agreement is also found between the numerical results and the analytical Volkersen theory, indicating that reasonable strength predictions can be obtained by hand calculations if the joint is designed in order to minimize the influence of peel stress. The experimental results of the resilient bond line verify the numerical findings, although production difficulties decrease the statistical significance of the result. On the contrary, the experimental results of the conventional bond lines significantly exceeded the numerical predictions, showing similar load carrying capacities to the resilient bond line. This is probably due to the specific boundary conditions used in the test setup. Despite some contradictory experimental results, the conclusion of this study is that the efficiency of long lap joints can be increased by the use of a bond line with low shear stiffness and sufficient strength.     

Data‐based design of robust fault detection and isolation residuals via LASSO optimization and Bayesian filtering

In this paper, a data‐based approach for the design of structured residual subsets for the robust isolation of sensor faults is proposed. Linear regression models are employed to estimate faulty signals and to build a set of primary residuals. L₁‐regularized least squares estimation is used to identify model parameters and to enforce sparsity of the solutions by increasing the regularization weight. In this way, it is possible to generate a set of residuals generators with different fault sensitivity. Then, a residual selection procedure based on fault sensitivity maximization is proposed to extract a minimum size subset of structured residuals that allows for isolation of the faulty sensor. To overcome modelling uncertainty, a robust recursive Bayesian Filter has been employed to process, online, the distance of the residuals from nominal fault directions, providing a fault probability for each sensor. The proposed method has been validated by designing and testing a fault isolation scheme for six aircraft sensors using multi‐flight experimental data of a P92 Tecnam aircraft.     

GABAA Receptor Modulators with a Pyrazolo[1,5-a]quinazoline Core: Synthesis,Molecular Modelling Studies and Electrophysiological Assays

As a continuation of our study in the GABA_A receptor modulators field, we report the design and synthesis of new 8-chloropyrazolo[1,5-a]quinazoline derivatives. Molecular docking studies and the evaluation of the ‘Proximity Frequencies’ (exploiting our reported model) were performed on all the final compounds (3, 4, 6a–c, 7a,b, 8, 9, 12a–c, 13a,b, 14–19) to predict their profile on the α1β2γ2-GABA_AR subtype. Furthermore, to verify whether the information coming from this virtual model was valid and, at the same time, to complete the study on this series, we evaluated the effects of compounds (1–100 µM) on the modulation of GABA_A receptor function through electrophysiological techniques on recombinant α1β2γ2L-GABA_A receptors expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. The matching between the virtual prediction and the electrophysiological tests makes our model a useful tool for the study of GABA_A receptor modulators.     

Air quality index and its use in Italy's management plans.

The paper defines a specific Air Quality Index (AQI) introduced to evaluate the general trend of air quality within the elaboration of air quality management plans and discusses its application in the Trento (Italy) plan.     

New Panx-1 Blockers: Synthesis,Biological Evaluation and Molecular Dynamic Studies

The channel protein Panx-1 is involved in some pathologies, such as epilepsy, ischemic stroke, cancer and Parkinson’s disease, as well as in neuropathic pain. These observations make Panx-1 an interesting biological target. We previously published some potent indole derivatives as Panx-1 blockers, and as continuation of the research in this field we report here the studies on additional chemical scaffolds, naphthalene and pyrazole, appropriately substituted with those functions that gave the best results as in our indole series (sulphonamide functions and one/two carboxylic groups) and in Panx-1 blockers reported in the literature (sulphonic acid). Compounds 4 and 13, the latter being an analogue of the drug Probenecid, are the most potent Panx-1 blockers obtained in this study, with I = 97% and I = 93.7% at 50 µM, respectively. Both compounds, tested in a mouse model of oxaliplatin-induced neuropathic pain, showed a similar anti-hypersensitivity profile and are able to significantly increase the mouse pain threshold 45 min after the injection of the doses of 1 nmol and 3 nmol. Finally, the molecular dynamic studies and the PCA analysis have made it possible to identify a discriminating factor able to separate active compounds from inactive ones.