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Initial Research (initial + research)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Psychology	50%

Selected Abstracts

The efficacy of early propranolol administration at reducing PTSD symptoms in pediatric injury patients: A pilot study,

JOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 2 2010
Nicole R. Nugent
Initial research supports the use of propranolol to prevent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); research has not examined pharmacological prevention for children. Twenty-nine injury patients (ages 10,18 years old) at risk for PTSD were randomized to a double-blind 10-day trial of propranolol or placebo initiated within 12 hours postadmission. Six-week PTSD symptoms and heart rate were assessed. Although intent-to-treat analyses revealed no group differences, findings supported a significant interaction between gender and treatment in medication-adherent participants, ,R2 = .21. Whereas girls receiving propranolol reported more PTSD symptoms relative to girls receiving placebo, ,R2 = .44, boys receiving propranolol showed a nonsignificant trend toward fewer PTSD symptoms than boys receiving placebo, ,R2 = .32. Findings inform gender differences regarding pharmacological PTSD prevention in youth. [source]

An effective DNA extraction protocol for brown algae

PHYCOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2001
Naomi Phillips
SUMMARY Successful extraction of total DNA from brown algae, which are generally polysaccharide and polyphenol rich, is often problematic using current methods. Persistent polysaccharide and polyphenolic compounds can hinder further application of modern molecular techniques requisite to molecular-based evolutionary studies. Our broad and long-term research goals with fucalean taxa, especially Sargassum, and problems with existing DNA extraction methods were an impetus to develop a reliable DNA extraction method. Initial research established hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) based total-DNA methods as the most viable for further empirical development. Several constituents effective at either complexing secondary compounds or creating a reductive extraction environment were increased in concentration or added to the extraction buffer. These seemingly minor changes resulted in the creation of a highly reductive extraction buffer and effective total- DNA harvesting technique. We detail these modifications and demonstrate the reliability of the modified protocol with a variety of brown algae and tissue preservation methods. Such DNA is shown to be suitable for a variety of molecular techniques. [source]

Replacing ineffective early alcohol/drug education in the United States with age-appropriate adolescent programmes and assistance to problematic users

DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 6 2007
Professor, RODNEY SKAGER PhD
Abstract Issues. Despite more than a decade of federal sponsorship of ,evidence-based' alcohol/drug education, there has been no consistent downward trend in overall prevalence among youth over the past 15 years. Reasons underlying this situation are examined. Approach. Published technical critiques of initial research supporting widely used evidence-based programs are reviewed along with replication studies conducted later by independent researchers not associated with initial program development. Social and institutional barriers in the US against changes in AOD policy and practice for young people are also suggested. Key Findings. Emerging use of diverted pharmaceuticals (now second to cannabis in prevalence) may underlie moderate recent decline in use of alcohol. Early federal certification standards for ,evidence based' prevention education have been seriously compromised. Technical critiques of initial evaluations and negative replication studies of these programs are consistent with lack of impact. Finally, fidelity of implementation in regular school settings is commonly flawed. Implications. Failure of these mainly pre-secondary educational programs may underlie recent federal support for forced random AOD testing of secondary school students. A new approach to drug education for adolescent students seems warranted as a positive alternative to personally intrusive surveillance. Conclusion. An interactive approach at the secondary school level that incorporates an age-appropriate educational process is proposed. While advising abstinence, this approach also facilitates identifying and assisting problematic AOD users. [source]

Translation of variables and implementation of efficient logic-based techniques in the MINLP process synthesizer MIPSYN

AICHE JOURNAL, Issue 11 2009
Marcel Ropotar
Abstract This article describes alternative GDP formulation and convex hull representations for process synthesis problems and their implementation in a unique MINLP process synthesizer MIPSYN. A special translation of variables in mixed-integer, relaxed, and logic-based variations has been proposed, which enables modeling and solving process alternatives in a narrowed lifted space of variables, defined by nonzero lower and upper bounds. Based on these translation variations, alternative formulations have been developed for convex hulls, multiple-term generalized disjunctive programming problems, and logic-based outer-approximation algorithm, all of them being specialized for the synthesis of process flowsheets. Several studies were performed and three different large-scale synthesis problems were solved to test the performance and efficiency of different formulations. This initial research indicates that the proposed alternative convex hull representation usually outperforms the conventional one when solving both MILP and NLP steps in highly combinatorial MINLP process networks problems. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009 [source]