Daily negative mood affects fasting glucose in Type 2 diabetes.

Objective: To examine the relationship between mood and blood glucose in a 21-day daily diary study. Design: During a home visit, information was gathered from 206 persons with Type 2 diabetes regarding demographics, disease characteristics and treatment, and depressive symptoms. They had blood drawn at a laboratory, yielding HbA1C. The participants were then telephoned each evening for 21 days and were asked about their positive and negative mood during the past 24 hours. They also tested their blood glucose upon rising in the morning. Main Outcome Measures: The main outcomes measures were positive and negative affect and fasting glucose. Results: Multilevel analyses revealed a relationship between negative affect on one day and morning glucose on the next day. There was no such relationship between positive affect and glucose, nor was there a comparable effect of glucose on one day and either positive or negative affect on the next day. Conclusion: The observed relationship between mood and blood glucose appears to be because of negative affect, not positive, with no evidence of a lagged effect of glucose on mood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of FT-NIR and XPS techniques to distinguish cell hull fractions prepared by autolysis or HPH from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Brettanomyces bruxellensis strains

Yeast hulls can be used to adsorb undesirable compounds such as volatile phenols that may be present in wine. To understand this adsorption process, the properties of the cell walls and their chemical composition need to be better understood. A study was conducted using four different yeast fractions of either autolysed or high-pressure homogeniser (HPH)-crushed yeast biomasses of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Brettanomyces bruxellensis. Near-infrared spectroscopy (FT-NIR) coupled with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used and analysed by principal component analysis (PCA). The FT-NIR spectral region of Saccharomyces and Brettanomyces statistically analysed by PCA showed a clear discrimination accounting for 76% of the variation in the data for PC1; moreover, yeast hulls prepared from the same strain and subjected to two different treatments were also separated. These methods classify yeast cell hulls (YCH) according to strain, composition and treatment applied. Our results indicate that yeast hulls obtained by autolysis are less rich in proteins than those resulting from HPH treatment due to the high pressure that releases more proteins and exposes them on the surface of the cell wall. The composition of YCH at the extreme surface is similar to that found deeper in the wall.     

Transition in the caregiving career: Effects on sense of mastery.

Although a sense of mastery is usually treated as a stable personal resource that can moderate the effects of stress on well-being, in this article we are interested in mastery as an outcome, examining the impact of transitions in the careers of Alzheimer's caregivers on their sense of mastery. Using longitudinal data collected from 456 spouses and adult children caring for a family member with Alzheimer's disease, we found that for those who continue to care for their relative, mastery declines; for those who place their relative in a care facility, mastery remains unchanged; and for those who experience the death of their relative, mastery increases. A series of regression analyses revealed different patterns of predictors of change in mastery over time and across transitions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Spectral color constancy using a maximum entropy approach

This paper proposes a solution to the spectral color constancy problem. The method is based on a statistical model for the surface reflectance spectrum and applies a maximum entropy constraint. Unlike prior methods based on linear models, the solution process does not require a set of basis functions to be defined, nor does it require a database of spectra to be specified in advance. Experiments on simulated and real data show that spectral estimation using the maximum entropy approach is feasible and performs similarly to existing spectral methods in spite of the lower level of a priori information required.     

Patient-Appraised Couple Emotion Management and Disease Management Among Chinese American Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.

Family context exerts a strong influence on disease management among patients with chronic disease, but it is not clear which aspects of family life are most influential. This study examined the linkages between patient-appraised couple emotion management (conflict resolution, expressiveness, and respect) and disease management (biological, morale/depression, quality of life, and behavioral) among a relatively understudied group, Chinese American patients with type 2 diabetes. Significant main effects were found between patient-appraised couple emotion management, especially conflict resolution, and the morale component of disease management, but not the biological or behavioral components; both diabetes-specific and general relationship qualities (marital satisfaction) were independently linked to disease management. Acculturation did not qualify the findings. Similarities among ethnic groups in family and disease management relationships may be more common than differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)