Polarization and temporal selectivity of subpicosecond optical responses in CS2

We report new results from subpicosecond laser studies on the optical Kerr effect and its polarization properties in CS2, for which it is demonstrated experimentally for the first time that circular polarization can selectively lead to subpicosecond responses.     

Episodic memory and impairment of an early encoding process in schizophrenia.

Investigations of memory impairment in schizophrenia have frequently revealed a strategic processing deficit at encoding. The authors studied an early encoding process, refreshing (in this case, thinking of a stimulus that has just-previously been presented), and its impact on recognition memory in schizophrenia. Following simultaneous presentation of three words or a single word in the top, middle, or bottom position of the screen, 25 patients with schizophrenia and 25 control participants saw and read a new word (read condition), or a word presented on the previous screen (repeat condition), or saw a dot indicating that they should think of and say the last word to have appeared in that position (refresh condition). Later, on a surprise test, participants were asked to recognize words seen previously and give a Remember, Know, or Guess response according to whether they recognized each on the basis of conscious recollection, familiarity, or guessing. The cognitive operation of refreshing was impaired in schizophrenia: patients were slower on 1-word trials and less accurate on 3-word trials to refresh a word, and their Remember responses did not benefit from refreshing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fear-potentiated startle in posttraumatic stress disorder

Exaggerated startle is reputed to be one of the cardinal symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, objective studies have given conflicting results as to whether or not startle is increased in PTSD. The present study investigated startle in PTSD during the threat of shock (fear-potentiated startle). The eyeblink component of the startle reflex was measured at various times preceding and following the anticipation of unpleasant electric shocks in 9 PTSD subjects and 10 age-matched, healthy controls. Startle amplitude was significantly greater during baseline and during shock anticipation in the PTSD subjects, compared to the controls. Habituation of the startle reflex was normal. Because other studies in the literature, as well as in our own laboratory, have failed to find exaggerated startle at baseline (i.e., absence of stress) in PTSD patients, it is unlikely that the present results reflect a chronic elevation of startle in this group. Instead, the higher levels of startle in the PTSD group probably resulted from a greater conditioned emotional response in this group, triggered by anticipation of electric shocks that generalized to the unfamiliar experimental context in which testing occurred. Hence, emotionally charged test procedures may be especially informative in distinguishing PTSD patients from other psychiatric diagnostic groups.     

Greater sustained anxiety but not phasic fear in women compared to men.

Startle reflex studies in rodents indicate that female are more reactive than rats in experimental models of sustained anxiety but not in models of phasic fear (Toufexis, 2007). This study examined evidence for a similar effect in humans. Participants were exposed to three conditions, (1) predictable aversive shocks signaled by a cue, (2) unpredictable shocks, and (3) no shocks. Acoustic startle stimuli were delivered regularly across conditions. Phasic startle potential to the threat cue in the predictable condition was not affected by sex. In contrast, and consistent with basic research, the sustained increase in startle in the predictable and unpredictable conditions was greater in women compared to men. Animal studies suggest that such an effect may be mediated by the effects of sexual dimorphism in limbic structures, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. However, psychosocial factors may also contribute to this effect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of initial lung deposit on pulmonary clearance after plutonium oxide inhalation in rat

Alveolar macrophages are a key element in the clearance of inhaled particles after phagocytosis, and thus participate actively in lung dose distribution and in the risk of tumour formation. We studied the influence of initial lung deposit (ILD) on lung clearance and distribution of activity from 3 d to 3 months after inhalation of two forms of PuO2 (97% 239Pu and 70% 239Pu) in rats. ILDs ranging from 2.1 to 17 kBq were used. The total activity measured using X-ray spectrometry 3 months post-inhalation, relative to the ILD, showed a similar decrease in all groups, with the remaining activity representing approximately 30% of the ILD. The total activity recovered in bronchoalveolar lavages represented approximately 60% of the total lung activity. This ratio remained stable over time for the lowest ILD tested but decreased for higher ILD. In addition, the percentage of macrophages associated with particles decreased faster with time in rats with the highest ILD. Under our experimental conditions, there were no marked differences in lung clearance between groups. However, the distribution of the activity seems to vary with the time post-exposure between low and high ILD.     

Fear-potentiated startle conditioning to explicit and contextual cues in Gulf War veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Aversive conditioning to explicit and contextual cues was examined in Gulf War veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by use of the startle reflex methodology. Veterans participated in a differential aversive conditioning experiment consisting of 2 sessions separated by 4 or 5 days. Each session comprised two startle habituation periods, a preconditioning phase, a conditioning phase, and a postconditioning extinction test. In contrast to the non-PTSD group, the PTSD group showed a lack of differential startle response in the presence of a conditioned stimulus with or without an unconditioned stimulus in Session 1 and an increase in the baseline startle response during Session 2. The PTSD group also exhibited normal differential conditioning following reconditioning in Session 2. These data suggest that individuals with PTSD tend to generalize fear across stimuli and are sensitized by stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Random Approach to Peening Coverage in Ultrasonic Shot-Peening

The so-called ultrasonic shot-peening is a new process using calibrated peening hard balls motioned by walls vibrating at 20000 Hz. As in conventional shot-peening, a fully peened surface coverage is required tor the process to be efficient. However, it is intricate to determine the coverage ratio experimentally. A statistical approach, issued from the Random Sets Theory, was used to establish relationships between coverage, impact superficial density and impact crater area. The random modelisation was tested with different materials treated by ultrasonic shot-peening. Individual crater diameter measurements and local repartition analysis were made using quantitative image analysis to test the model. Calculations provide the mean number of impacts everywhere on the surface for any coverage ratio. This statistical approach can also be applied to any impact treatment involving an impact flow.     

Necrotizing sialometaplasia: literature review and presentation of five cases

Necrotizing sialometaplasia is a benign, ulcerative, inflammatory process of the minor salivary glands, primarily found in the hard palate. It is often mistaken clinically and histologically for a malignant tumor (that is, mucoepidermoid or squamous cell carcinoma). The lesion heals spontaneously in six to 12 weeks. It occurs primarily in persons between the ages of 40 and 60 and has been reported more frequently in men than women. In necrotizing sialometaplasia the squamous metaplasia and tissue necrosis is confined to the existing ductal and lobular pattern of the salivary glands, a unique characteristic that aids in diagnosis. Five additional cases are presented.