The influence of general identity disturbance on reports of lifetime substance use disorders and related outcomes among sexual minority adults with a history of substance use.

Previous research has shown that sexual minority (i.e., nonheterosexual) individuals report increased problematic substance use involvement, compared with their sexual majority counterparts. We hypothesize that feelings of an unstable sense of self (i.e., identity disturbance) may potentially drive problematic substance use. The purpose of the current study is to examine identity disturbance among sexual minorities as a potential explanatory mechanism of increased sexual minority lifetime rates of substance dependence. Measures of identity disturbance and three indicators of sexual orientation from lifetime female (n = 16,629) and male (n = 13,553) alcohol/illicit drug users in Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) were examined. Findings generally showed that the increased prevalence of alcohol dependence, illicit drug dependence, and combined alcohol/illicit drug dependence as well as a younger age of alcohol use initiation among sexual minority women was associated with elevated levels of identity disturbance. The results were consistent with a mediational role for identity disturbance in explaining the association between sexual minority status and substance dependence and were generally replicated among male sexual minority respondents. The current research suggests that identity disturbance, a predictor of substance use, may contribute to heightened risk for substance dependence among certain subgroups of sexual minority individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The use of r-adaptivity with local, intermittent remesh for modeling hypervelocity impact and penetration

An explicit, r-adaptive finite element method is described for application to hypervelocity impact and penetration problems. Here, r-adaptivity refers to a numerical scheme in which the nodes of the mesh are moved to improve the quality of the mesh. The r-adaptive scheme implemented here is similar to ALE, in that the physical and mesh velocities are independent; however, in this application the mesh is constrained to follow the physical boundaries of the material. Thus, interfaces do not flow through the mesh. The advantage of this treatment is that the original contact conditions are preserved. The r-adaptive scheme is very effective in controlling the time step in the calculation; however, it is not sufficient to completely control the topology of elements. At that stage an automatic remesh is performed and is confined to a region local to the distorted elements. To illustrate the applicability and robustness of the method, results from low-velocity and hypervelocity Taylor anvil impact simulations are presented. The results for hypervelocity represent the first near-Lagrangian calculations with traditional finite elements ever successfully performed for this application (here, near-Lagrangian implies that the mesh motion is typically everywhere close to the material motion). Strengths and weaknesses of the approach are highlighted.     

ANEOS extensions for modeling hypervelocity impact

Several extensions have been implemented into the ANEOS analytical equation of state package [1]. The extensions permit more precise control of the properties of the liquid-vapor dome region of the equation of state. Different algebraic forms for the cold component were examined, including a modified form of the Morse-Coulomb potential currently used in ANEOS, the Lennard-Jones potential, and an analytic EXP-N formulation [2]. Extensions to the interpolation method for the nuclear component between the solid and vapor regions were also performed. In general, these extensions allow for more positive control over the position of the critical point and the shape of the liquid-vapor dome. The critical point and liquid-vapor dome shape can have a significant influence on the results from hypervelocity impact events, since release isentropes often pass near the critical point and directly through the high-pressure regions of the dome. To demonstrate this, several impact calculations from projectiles striking thin shields are performed using CTH [3]. The results show that the form of the equation of state can alter the structure and properties of the resulting debris cloud.     

When a child dies: The sociobiology of bereavement.

Investigated the grief intensity of bereaved parents and their immediate families using ratings made by 263 bereaved parents. Predictions were derived from sociobiological tenets relating to (a) parental investment, (b) paternal uncertainty, and (c) the propagation potential of both parents and children. It was found that (1) mothers grieved more than fathers; (2) healthy children were grieved for more than unhealthy children; (3) male children were grieved for more than female children; (4) health of child and sex of child interacted such that the pattern of grief intensity obtained was healthy male?>?healthy female?=?unhealthy female?=?unhealthy male; (5) similar children were grieved for more than dissimilar children; (6) maternal grandmothers grieved more than either maternal grandfathers or paternal grandmothers, who in turn grieved more than paternal grandfathers; and (7) mothers' siblings grieved more than fathers' siblings. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A research note on factors affecting the determination of myofibrillar fragmentation

The myofibrillar fragmentation index (MFI) was determined for a section of ovine Longissimus muscle, aged for either 1 or 3 days and processed from either the fresh or frozen state. Additionally samples were homogenized at one of three speeds (5000, 10,000 or 15,000 rpm). Speed of homogenisation and 'state' of the sample both had a significant effect (P < 0.001) on MFI values as did the interaction between speed and state (P < 0.001), with other interactions terms not being significant. Age of the sample had no significant (P > 0.05) effect on MFI values with least square means (s.e.) for Day 1 and Day 3 being 92 and 93 (1.16), respectively. As homogenisation speed increased, the difference between values for fresh and frozen samples was diminished, such that at 15,000 rpm there was no effect of 'state' on values. Overall the 'state' and the speed of homogenisation have a large impact on values and there was more variation between samples at the slowest speed (5000 rpm). At the slowest speed myofibrils consist of more sarcomeres and can be observed to still exhibit intermyofibril linkages. The results suggest a homogenisation speed of 15,000 rpm was preferable when determining MFI values.     

An expert system for scheduling requests for communications links between TDRSS and ERBS

This paper describes the ERBS-TDRSS Contact Planning System (ERBS-TDRSS CPS) that has been built to help Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) flight operations personnel generate requests for service from the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS). The ERBS-TDRSS CPS is written in the C language and runs on an IBM PC-AT. It uses a graphics interface and the Transportable Inference Engine (TIE-1) developed for NASA-(Goddard Space Flight Center) GSFC. First, ERBS-TDRSS Ground Track Orbit Prediction data are electronically transferred to the ERBS flight operations area, where, in its batch mode, the ERBS-TDRSS CPS automatically generates requests for TDRSS service (usually for one week). In this process, a series of scheduling strategies is used to generate requested events while TIE-1 determines whether each requested event is consistent with ERBS scheduling constraints. As requested events are rejected, alternative context-sensitive strategies are used to generate new requested events until a schedule is completed. In the interactive scheduling mode the ERBS planner can edit a schedule that has been previously built or choose which alternative scheduling strategies the ERBS-TDRSS CPS should use to build a schedule. Finally, a report generator builds “Schedule Requests” for each separate ERBS-TDRSS contact.     

Winter Olympic Buildings,Vancouver 2010

Visiting Vancouver in advance of the 2010 Winter Olympics, David Littlefield discovered that the city was pressing two architectural agendas particularly hard: legacy and timber – the Canadian Northwest's principal natural resource. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

St Benedict's School,West London

David Littlefield explains how Buschow Henley Architects' new building for St Benedict's School in Ealing, west London, addresses the Catholic foundation's needs - both secular and religious. A circulation core provides much needed adhesion and connection among a veritable mishmash of existing buildings, while the new assembly hall and chapel supplies the body with a new heart and soul. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.