Normality and impairment following profound early institutional deprivation: A longitudinal follow-up into early adolescence.

Longitudinal analyses on normal versus impaired functioning across 7 domains were conducted in children who had experienced profound institutional deprivation up to the age of 42 months and were adopted from Romania into U.K. families. Comparisons were made with noninstitutionalized children adopted from Romania and with nondeprived within-U.K. adoptees placed before the age of 6 months. Specifically, the validity of the assessment, the degree of continuity and change in levels of functioning from 6 to 11 years, and the factors in the pre- and postadoption environment accounting for heterogeneity in outcome were examined. Pervasive impairment was significantly raised in children experiencing institutional deprivation for ≥6 months of life, with a minority within this group showing no impairment. There was no additional significant effect of duration of deprivation beyond the 6-month cutoff, and few other predictors explained outcome. The pattern of normality/impairment was mainly established by 6 years of age, with considerable continuity at the individual level between 6 and 11 years. The findings are discussed in terms of the possibility of a sensitive period for development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preparation of YBCO Films on CeO2-Buffered (001) YSZ Substrates by a Non-Fluorine MOD Method

YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ (YBCO) films were fabricated via a fluorine-free metal organic deposition (MOD) method followed by high-temperature, low oxygen partial pressure annealing. Trimethyl acetate salts of copper, yttrium, and barium hydroxide were used as the precursors, which were dissolved in proponic acid- and amine-based solvents. After spin-coating and burnout, samples were annealed at 740°C in 180 ppm oxygen partial pressure and exposed to humid atmosphere for different times. A critical transition temperature, T _c( R =0) of 90.2 K and a transport critical current density ( J _c) of 0.55 MA/cm² (77 K and self-field) were obtained for 0.2 μm YBCO films on CeO₂-buffered yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates. X-ray studies shows that the YBCO films have sharp in-plane and out-of-plane texture for all samples; however, the porosity of the YBCO film varies with the time of exposure to the humid atmosphere. A reaction between YBCO and CeO₂ during the high-temperature anneals and formation of the reaction product BaCeO₃ was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. The XRD and transmission electron microscopy analysis indicated that the epitaxial relations in the film were YBCO (00 l )//CeO₂ (00 l )//YSZ (00 l ) and YBCO [100]//CeO₂ [110]//YSZ [110].     

Binge drinking among female veterans affairs patients: Prevalence and associated risks.

This study evaluated the prevalence and associated risks of binge drinking, defined as having ≥4 drinks on an occasion in the past year, in a female patient population. Of 1,259 female Veterans Affairs patients surveyed, 780 reported drinking alcohol in the past year, and 305 (24% of respondents, 39% of drinkers) reported binge drinking in the past year; 84 (11% of drinkers) had done so monthly or more often. Age-adjusted logistic regression analyses indicated that women who reported past-year binge drinking monthly or more often reported significantly increased odds of morning drinking (odds ratio [OR]?=?40.3), others worrying about their drinking (OR?=?38.6), arguments after drinking (OR?=?13.5), hepatitis or cirrhosis (OR?=?3. 1), frequent injuries (OR?=?2.6), smoking (OR?=?3.7), drug use (OR?=?22.2), and multiple sexual partners (OR?=?4.6). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Texture development in long lengths of NiFe tapes for superconducting coated conductor

A highly oriented cubic texture (full width at half maximum <10°) has been formed in long length NiFe tapes. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron back-scattered patterns (EBSP) and optical microscopy (OM) techniques have been used in assessing the surface and volume texture and also the surface morphology of these kilometer long NiFe substrates. This texture was formed under a range of conditions including dynamic annealing in a reduced atmosphere and static annealing in hydrogen and in vacuum. Heat treatment for excessive times in vacuum tends to roughen the surface and should be avoided. Mechanical polishing can induce an additional undesirable texture, but electropolishing gives smooth tapes with good texture.     

A comparative study of the microstructures observed in statically cast and continuously cast Bi-In-Sn ternary eutectic alloy

A ternary eutectic alloy with a composition of 57.2 pct Bi, 24.8 pct In, and 18 pct Sn was continuously cast into wire of 2 mm diameter with casting speeds of 14 and 79 mm min⁻¹ using the Ohno Continuous Casting (OCC) process. The microstructures obtained were compared with those of statically cast specimens. Extensive segregation of massive Bi blocks, Bi complex structures, and tinrich dendrites was found in specimens that were statically cast. Decomposition of γSn by a eutectoid reaction was confirmed based on microstructural evidence. Ternary eutectic alloy with a cooling rate of approximately 1 °C min⁻¹ formed a double binary eutectic. The double binary eutectic consisted of regions of BiIn and decomposed γSn in the form of a dendrite cell structure and regions of Bi and decomposed γSn in the form of a complex-regular cell. The Bi complex-regular cells, which are a ternary eutectic constituent, existed either along the boundaries of the BiIn-decomposed γSn dendrite cells or at the front of elongated dendrite cell structures. In the continuously cast wires, primary Sn dendrites coupled with a small Bi phase were uniformly distributed within the Bi-In alloy matrix. Neither massive Bi phase, Bi complex-regular cells, nor BiIn eutectic dendrite cells were observed, resulting in a more uniform microstructure in contrast to the heavily segregated structures of the statically cast specimens.     

Error Control in Residue Number Systems

 This paper introduces an alternate approach to error control in residue number systems which utilizes sets of moduli that include pairs with non-trivial common factors. Necessary and sufficient conditions for achieving a specified capacity for error detection or correction are derived by considering the minimum Hamming distance of an associated linear code. Effective error-control procedures are developed based on a syndrome matrix whose entries are obtained directly from the residue digits. The potential of a priori bounds on the magnitude of measurement errors to increase the efficiency of the control process is analyzed. Received: January 12, 2001; revised version: June 25, 2002 Keywords: Residue number systems, Error correction, Error detection, Computational errors, Instrumentation errors, Transmission noise, Coding theory.     

Nature–nurture integration: The example of antisocial behavior.

Nature and nurture do not operate independently of each other, and, to an important degree, genetic effects on behavior come about because they either influence the extent to which the individual is likely to be exposed to individual differences in environmental risk or they affect how susceptible the individual is to environmental adversities. The time has come for an explicit research focus on the forms of interplay between genes and environment and on how this interplay is involved in the causal mechanisms for the origins of antisocial behavior and for its persistence or desistance over time. Molecular genetics has an even greater potential than quantitative genetics for understanding environmental risk mechanisms and the interplay between nature and nurture. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)