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Selected AbstractsReliability of computational scienceNUMERICAL METHODS FOR PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS, Issue 4 2007I. Babu Abstract Today's computers allow us to simulate large, complex physical problems. Many times the mathematical models describing such problems are based on a relatively small amount of available information such as experimental measurements. The question arises whether the computed data could be used as the basis for decision in critical engineering, economic, and medicine applications. The representative list of engineering accidents occurred in the past years and their reasons illustrate the question. The paper describes a general framework for verification and validation (V&V) which deals with this question. The framework is then applied to an illustrative engineering problem, in which the basis for decision is a specific quantity of interest, namely the probability that the quantity does not exceed a given value. The V&V framework is applied and explained in detail. The result of the analysis is the computation of the failure probability as well as a quantification of the confidence in the computation, depending on the amount of available experimental data. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 23: 753,784, 2007 [source] Key issues with implementing LOPAPROCESS SAFETY PROGRESS, Issue 2 2010William Bill Bridges Abstract This article writen by one of the originators of LOPA, focuses on problems observed with LOPA. One the biggest issues is that organizations use LOPA without following the rules for LOPA, especially the rules related to maintaining, testing, and record-keeping for each independent protection layer (IPL) and for each "optimized" initiating event (IE). Another issue is that many companies and analysts overuse LOPA. The LOPA book authors expected the number of scenarios going to LOPA (after a HAZOP/PHA) would be 1 to 10% (max) of those uncovered in a qualitative analysis (maybe after 100 HAZOP nodes, you would do 1,10 LOPA). A PHA team would recommend (or use) LOPA only if the scenario was too complex for the PHA/HAZOP team. It appears that most companies are using LOPA for every scenario that has a severe consequence; this result in doing LOPA on much more than 10% of the scenarios. Many times, there is weak definition of the consequence that is being avoided, so an independent layer of protection does not always match up well with the consequence. LOPA is also overworked when it is used. Many of us on the original LOPA book authorship considered LOPA a single analyst job, after a PHA/HAZOP. Instead, the trend appears to be that companies (or perhaps their consultants) make LOPA part of the PHA (in situ), therefore involving the whole PHA team. LOPA is used in PHA team settings, which distracts PHA teams from their primary task of brainstorming to identify the accident scenarios that can occur. This article focuses on preventing these problems and also summarizes the many benefits LOPA has produced for the industry. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2010 [source] Innovate or Die: Is that a Fact?CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2003Isaac Getz ,Innovate or die'. This mantra has been repeated so many times , by the media, governments, business leaders, business professors, consultants and management gurus , that people have come to assume it is actually true. This article explores why have business leaders been so prone to fall for such a naïve message, and shows how it has caused them to overlook the true sources of long-term high performance. [source] A polymeric master replication technology for mass fabrication of poly(dimethylsiloxane) microfluidic devicesELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 9 2005Hai-Fang Li Abstract A protocol of producing multiple polymeric masters from an original glass master mold has been developed, which enables the production of multiple poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based microfluidic devices in a low-cost and efficient manner. Standard wet-etching techniques were used to fabricate an original glass master with negative features, from which more than 50 polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) positive replica masters were rapidly created using the thermal printing technique. The time to replicate each PMMA master was as short as 20 min. The PMMA replica masters have excellent structural features and could be used to cast PDMS devices for many times. An integration geometry designed for laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection, which contains normal deep microfluidic channels and a much deeper optical fiber channel, was successfully transferred into PDMS devices. The positive relief on seven PMMA replica masters is replicated with regard to the negative original glass master, with a depth average variation of 0.89% for 26 ,m deep microfluidic channels and 1.16% for the 90 ,m deep fiber channel. The imprinted positive relief in PMMA from master-to-master is reproducible with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 1.06% for the maximum width and 0.46% for depth in terms of the separation channel. The PDMS devices fabricated from the PMMA replica masters were characterized and applied to the separation of a fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled epinephrine sample. [source] The biotin-streptavidin interaction can be reversibly broken using water at elevated temperaturesELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 3 2005Anders Holmberg Abstract The biotin-streptavidin system is the strongest noncovalent biological interaction known, having a dissociation constant, Kd, in the order of 4×10,14 M. The strength and specificity of the interaction has led it to be one of the most widely used affinity pairs in molecular, immunological, and cellular assays. However, it has previously been impossible to re-use any streptavidin solid support, since the conditions needed to break the interaction with biotin has led to the denaturation of the streptavidin. Here, we show that a short incubation in nonionic aqueous solutions at temperatures above 70°C can efficiently break the interaction without denaturing the streptavidin tetramer. Both biotin and the streptavidin remain active after dissociation and both molecules can therefore be re-used. The efficiency of the regeneration allowed solid supports with streptavidin to be used many times, here exemplified with the multiple re-use of streptavidin beads used for sample preparation prior to automated DNA sequencing. The results suggest that streptavidin regeneration can be introduced as an improvement in existing methods and assays based on the streptavidin system as well as emerging solid phase applications in fields, such as microfluidics and nanotechnology. [source] Does pregnancy affect swimming performance of female Mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis?FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2002I. Plaut Summary 1.,The cost of reproduction due to limiting of the reproductive female's locomotion capability has been suggested many times, but has rarely been directly examined, especially in fishes. Here, the effect of pregnancy on swimming performance in the viviparous Mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis, was studied. 2.,Eight females of G. affinis were isolated, each in a separate aquarium, and critical swimming speed (Ucrit), body mass (BM) and cross-section area were measured every 5 days from the beginning of the pregnancy until 2,4 days after parturition. 3.,Swimming kinematics (tail beat frequency and amplitude) was measured in non-pregnant and pregnant females at different swimming speeds. 4.,BM increased during pregnancy from 0·47 ± 0·13 g to 0·72 ± 0·19 g, and the cross-section area also increased during pregnancy from 0·21 ± 0·06 cm2 to 0·32 ± 0·07 cm2. Ucrit decreased from 25·0 ± 1·3 cm s,1 before pregnancy to 20·1 ± 1·5 cm s,1 just before parturition, and returned to 24·7 ± 1·4 cm s,1 2,4 days after parturition. Interindividual variation was repeatable and reflects real differences among individuals. 5.,Swimming kinematics was not affected by pregnancy. 6.,The results suggest that reductions in Ucrit are probably because of aerobic constraints and not necessarily due to hydrodynamic changes resulting from changing in body form or plasticity. Moreover, the reduction in Ucrit is, potentially, a ,cost of reproduction' owing to decrease in the ability to gain food during pregnancy in G. affinis females. [source] Brenner railway construction in the Lower Inn ValleyGEOMECHANICS AND TUNNELLING, Issue 6 2009Article first published online: 13 NOV 200 The Brenner Railway Company is currently constructing about 40 km of new line between Kundl/Radfeld and Baumkirchen in the Lower Inn valley in Austria. Almost 32 km of this route will run in tunnels, troughs, box-section cut-and-cover and in a gallery. The route will have to cross the motorway, existing railways and the River Inn many times. The basic structure of more than 29 km of two-track rail tunnel for the new railway line has already been completed. Track installation in the flatlands of the Tyrol is also on schedule and the new line will be open for traffic in 2012. Issue 6/09 reports on interesting tasks, problems encountered and particular features of the construction of the Lower Inn railway (Photo: ÖBB/Bstieler). Zwischen Kundl/Radfeld und Baumkirchen errichtet die Brenner Eisenbahn Gesellschaft rund 40 km Neubautrasse. Fast 32 Kilometer dieser Anlage befinden sich in Tunneln, Wannen, Unterflurtrassen und in einer Galerie. Mehrmals ist die Querung der Autobahn, der bestehenden Eisenbahn sowie des Inns erforderlich. Mehr als 29 km zweigleisige Eisenbahntunnel für die neue Unterinntalbahn sind mittlerweile im Rohbau fertig gestellt. Der Schienenausbau im Tiroler Unterland liegt im Zeitplan, die neue Bahnstrecke wird 2012 in Betrieb gehen. Das Heft 6/09 berichtet über interessante Aufgaben, Fragestellungen und Besonderheiten beim Bau der Unterinntalbahn. (Foto: ÖBB/Bstieler). [source] Monte Carlo probabilistic sensitivity analysis for patient level simulation models: efficient estimation of mean and variance using ANOVAHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 10 2007Anthony O'Hagan Abstract Probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) is required to account for uncertainty in cost-effectiveness calculations arising from health economic models. The simplest way to perform PSA in practice is by Monte Carlo methods, which involves running the model many times using randomly sampled values of the model inputs. However, this can be impractical when the economic model takes appreciable amounts of time to run. This situation arises, in particular, for patient-level simulation models (also known as micro-simulation or individual-level simulation models), where a single run of the model simulates the health care of many thousands of individual patients. The large number of patients required in each run to achieve accurate estimation of cost-effectiveness means that only a relatively small number of runs is possible. For this reason, it is often said that PSA is not practical for patient-level models. We develop a way to reduce the computational burden of Monte Carlo PSA for patient-level models, based on the algebra of analysis of variance. Methods are presented to estimate the mean and variance of the model output, with formulae for determining optimal sample sizes. The methods are simple to apply and will typically reduce the computational demand very substantially. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Parents and infants in changing cultural context: Immigration, trauma, and riskINFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 3 2003Marie Rose Moro "Entre les bibliothèques et les bébés en détresse, il y a un grand fossé" (S. Fraiberg). "Between library and at-risk infants themselves lies a great gulf" (Fraiberg, 1999, p. 416). Whether they are African or Asian, children of immigrant families live in at-risk situations where they may be exposed to serious trauma. Immigrant families often live in extreme conditions. Although research describes these conditions, the field of intervention remains weak. How many times have I heard that work among these families does not address treatment, but only basic needs, noting that the families are preoccupied with survival,where to find food, where to sleep, where to bury their dead. Yet, the psychological care of immigrant children and families has much to teach us. In this article I will describe work that attempts to bridge the gulf that Fraiberg referred to by sharing what I have learned regarding immigrant families with infants. ©2003 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health. [source] Geothermal energy utilization in TurkeyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 9 2001G. G. Gunerhan Abstract This paper investigates the status of geothermal development in Turkey as of the end of 1999. Turkey is one of the countries with significant potential in geothermal energy. Resource assessments have been made many times by the Mineral Research and Exploration Directorate (MTA) of Turkey. The main uses of geothermal energy are mostly moderate- and low-temperature applications such as space heating and domestic hot water supply, greenhouse heating, swimming and balneology, industrial processes, heat pumps and electricity generation. The data accumulated since 1962 show that the estimated geothermal power and direct use potential are about 4500 MWe and 31 500 MWt, respectively. The direct use capacity in thermal applications is in total 640 MWt representing only 2 per cent of its total potential. Since 1990, space heating and greenhouse developments have exhibited a significant progress. The total area of greenhouses heated by geothermal energy reached up to about 31 ha with a heating capacity of 69.61 MWt. A geothermal power plant with a capacity of 20.4 MWe and a CO2 factory with a capacity of 40000 ton yr,1 have been operated in the Denizli-Kizildere field since 1984 and 1986, respectively. Ground source heat pumps have been used in residential buildings for heating and cooling for approximately 2 years. Present applications have shown that geothermal energy in Turkey is clean and much cheaper compared to the other energy sources like fossil fuels and therefore is a promising alternative. As the projects are recognized by the public, the progress will continue. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Buddy: Harnessing the power of the internetINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 1 2008Douglas Boulware The Internet has become a way of life. In the past, when someone wanted to perform research he or she would go to the library, and proceed to the card catalogue to locate a book or to a set of periodicals for magazines. Today we sit in front of our computer, launch our Internet browser, bring up a search engine, and perform various searches by entering a simple keyword, phrase, or more complex Boolean expression. The Internet can be a great asset by significantly cutting the time-consuming burden of finding relevant documents/papers; however, how do we know where and what we are searching? How many times do we perform a query and get irrelevant documents? In this article we investigate today's search engines, what is meant by coverage, and what metasearch engines bring to the table. We also look at both their abilities and deficiencies and present a capability that attempts to put more power at the finger tips of the user. This capability is what we call "Buddy." © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Galvanic removal of metallic wrought iron from marine encrustationsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NAUTICAL ARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 2 2002Worth Carlin Historic shipwrecks frequently contain a large proportion of wrought-iron tools, fasteners, and other types of artefacts. Encrustations readily form around such objects in many marine environments. Depending on many factors, the iron objects inside these encrustations may be well preserved, completely disintegrated, or poorly preserved but still present. The latter type of encrustation is every conservator's nightmare because removing the encrustation yields merely a poorly preserved artefact still in need of extensive additional conservation. Neatly separating the artefact from its encrustation in order to obtain a natural mould for casting is generally impossible. Having encountered this problem many times, the authors began to experiment with the extraction of metallic iron from poorly preserved encrusted artefacts using galvanic dissolution. Data on rates of dissolution were gathered for three experimental configurations. The results of a test conducted on an encrusted artefact were promising, but inconclusive. [source] Palladium(II)-Phosphine Complexes Supported on Magnetic Nanoparticles: Filtration-Free, Recyclable Catalysts for Suzuki,Miyaura Cross-Coupling ReactionsADVANCED SYNTHESIS & CATALYSIS (PREVIOUSLY: JOURNAL FUER PRAKTISCHE CHEMIE), Issue 2-3 2010Sankaranarayanapillai Shylesh Abstract An organic-inorganic hybrid heterogeneous nanocatalyst system was synthesized by covalent grafting a palladium dichloride complex of the type (L)2PdCl2 (L=trimethoxysilyl-functionalized triphenylphosphine) on silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles. It is a highly active and recyclable catalyst for the Suzuki,Miyaura cross-coupling reaction. The new catalyst can easily be separated from the reaction mixture by applying an external magnetic field and can be recycled many times without any loss of activity. [source] Oncoapoptosis: A novel molecular therapeutic for cancer treatmentIUBMB LIFE, Issue 2 2010John A. Blaho Abstract Many cancer cells refractory to radiation treatment and chemotherapy proliferate due to loss of intrinsic programmed cell death (apoptosis) regulation. Consequently, the resolution of these cancers are many times outside the management capabilities of conventional therapeutics. We have developed a replication defective herpes simplex virus system which triggers apoptosis specifically in transformed human cells, termed oncoapoptosis. Susceptibility to virus induced cell death is dependent on the p53 protein status in the tumor cells, indicating specific targeting of the treatment. Primary cells which produce functional p53 are resistant to oncoapoptotic killing but not to apoptosis induced by nonviral environmental factors. Thus, induction of apoptosis by nonreplicating virus is a feasible molecular therapeutic approach for killing human cancer cells. Our findings have important implications in designing novel virus-based anticancer strategies. © 2009 IUBMB IUBMB Life, 62(2): 87,91, 2010 [source] Recovery after coronary artery bypass surgery: effect of an audiotape information programmeJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 8 2010Ketsarin Utriyaprasit utriyaprasit k., moore s.m. & chaiseri p. (2010) Recovery after coronary artery bypass surgery: effect of an audiotape information programme. Journal of Advanced Nursing,66(8), 1747,1759. Abstract Title.,Recovery after coronary artery bypass surgery: effect of an audiotape information programme. Aim., The aim of the study was to test the effect of an audiotape giving concrete objective information and strategies to reduce symptoms, psychological distress and enhance physical functioning in patients having coronary artery bypass grafts. Background., The period following hospital discharge is stressful for patients having coronary artery bypass grafts. Evident-based interventions are needed to improve outcomes in Thai populations following coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Methods., A randomized controlled trial was conducted during 2004,2005. A sample of 120 Thai patients having coronary artery bypass grafts was randomly assigned to an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group was given an information audiotape the day prior to hospital discharge, and encouraged to listen to it as many times as necessary. Participants were interviewed using validated instruments predischarge and at 2 weeks and 4 weeks after discharge. Findings., Participants in the intervention group had statistically significantly fewer symptoms of shoulder, back or neck pain and lack of appetite, and increased physical activity after discharge, compared to the control group. This effect remained statistically significant after controlling for age, gender, co-morbidity and presurgical cardiac functional status. However, no statistically significant difference in psychological distress was observed. Conclusion., Nurses can use an audiotape containing preparatory information to improve outcomes for patients having coronary artery bypass grafts during the few weeks after discharge from hospital. Further studies are recommended to improve its effect on psychological distress. [source] An Integrative Framework for Measuring the Extent to which Organizational Variables Influence the Success of Process Improvement ProgrammesJOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 7 2005Peter Lok abstract Studies on the three types of process improvement programmes (Continuous Improvement, Reengineering and Benchmarking) have appeared many times in the literature. These studies suggest that certain organizational variables act as enablers and their presence or absence can significantly influence success rates. Such studies have tended to examine companies where a single programme has been implemented. In contrast, this paper examines a sample of companies who have experienced all three programmes. Our aim is to compare and contrast each programme's impact on firm performance and identify which organizational variables are common and which are programme-specific enablers of success. We build and test an integrative framework to support our analysis. Our study found that: (1) Reengineering delivered the greatest impact on performance; (2) executive commitment was needed to make this happen; (3) strategic alignment was the major influence on the success rate of Reengineering and Continuous Improvement programmes; and (4) employee empowerment was necessary for each programme to work effectively. [source] Rewetting effects and droplet motion on partially wetted powder surfacesAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 6 2009Karen P. Hapgood Abstract In high shear mixer granulation, the powder is agitated in a vessel while liquid is sprayed onto the powder. Formation of "nuclei" can be predicted using a nucleation regime map. However, this approach assumes that only dry powder enters the spray zone. Industrial granulation processes commonly add 20,50 wt % fluid, and the partially wetted powder recirculates many times through the spray zone. The effect of partially wetted powder re-entering the spray zone is not currently known. To investigate, droplets were added to a powder bed at controlled separation distances and time intervals. A strong correlation between drop penetration time and droplet motion on the powder bed surface was observed. For fast penetrating systems, nucleation was only slightly affected by the presence of the previous droplet. However, systems with long penetration times showed lateral droplet motion due to Laplace pressure differences. Implications for the nucleation regime map are discussed. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009 [source] Partial melting of metagreywacke: a calculated mineral equilibria studyJOURNAL OF METAMORPHIC GEOLOGY, Issue 8 2008T. E. JOHNSON Abstract Greywacke occurs in most regionally metamorphosed orogenic terranes, with depositional ages from Archean to recent. It is commonly the dominant siliciclastic rock type, many times more abundant than pelite. Using calculated pseudosections in the Na2O,CaO,K2O,FeO,MgO,Al2O3,SiO2,H2O,TiO2,O system, the partial melting of metagreywacke is investigated using several natural protolith compositions that reflect the main observed compositional variations. At conditions appropriate for regional metamorphism at mid-crustal depths (6,8 kbar), high- T subsolidus assemblages are dominated by quartz, plagioclase and biotite with minor garnet, orthoamphibole, sillimanite, muscovite and/or K-feldspar (±Fe,Ti oxides). Modelled solidus temperatures are dependent on bulk composition and vary from 640 to 690 °C. Assuming minimal melting at the H2O-saturated solidus, initial prograde anatexis at temperatures up to ,800 °C is characterized by very low melt productivity. Significant melt production in commonly occurring (intermediate) metagreywacke compositions is controlled by the breakdown of biotite and production of orthopyroxene (±K-feldspar) across multivariant fields until biotite is exhausted at 850,900 °C. Assuming some melt is retained in the source, then at temperatures beyond that of biotite stability, melt production occurs via the consumption of plagioclase, quartz and any remaining K-feldspar as the melt becomes progressively more Ca-rich and H2O-undersaturated. Melt productivity with increasing temperature across the melting interval in metagreywacke is generally gradational when compared to metapelite, which is characterized by more step-like melt production. Comparison of the calculated phase relations with experimental data shows good consistency once the latter are considered in terms of the variance of the equilibria involved. Calculations on the presumed protolith compositions of residual granulite facies metagreywacke from the Archean Ashuanipi subprovince (Quebec) show good agreement with observed phase relations. The degree of melt production and subsequent melt loss is consistent with the previously inferred petrogenesis based on geochemical mass balance. The results show that, for temperatures above 850 °C, metagreywacke is sufficiently fertile to produce large volumes of melt, the separation from source and ascent of which may result in large-scale crustal differentiation if metagreywacke is abundant. [source] A CANDID ASSESSMENT OF SYSTEMATICS IN THE LAMINARIALES: MUDDLED MORPHOLOGIES AND SKETCHY SEQUENCESJOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 2000G.W. Saunders Algae of the Alariaceae, Laminariaceae and Lessoniaceae are the largest, most complex, and, arguably, most fascinating of the seaweeds. It is, therefore, a profound paradox that these species remain in taxonomic chaos despite the contemporary emphases on systematics. Setchell and Gardner established the classification system in 1925, recognizing these families on the basis of clear morphological features. At that time, however, they acknowledged that some species had features consistent with placement in two families, or that obscured logical placement in any of the families. Ironically, the problems noted by Setchell and Gardner have been ignored and the system has become entrenched in kelp literature. Initial molecular studies highlighted the shortcomings noted by Setchell and Gardner, and further indicated that little of the morphology-based system was natural. It was obvious that the diagnostic morphological features, presence or absence of sporophylls and ontogenetic splitting, were ,noisy' being gained and lost independently many times in kelp evolution. Despite the insights of the initial molecular studies, they had limitations and key relationships remained unresolved. The investigations used the Internal Transcribed Spacers (ITS) of the ribosomal cistron that have phylogenetic limitations owing to their short length, which is exacerbated by the many variable regions that can't be aligned confidently and must be removed prior to phylogenetic analyses. Many molecular publications have appeared subsequent to the first ITS results, and their contribution towards elucidating kelp phylogeny will be assessed. Current investigations using the Large Subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU) for kelp systematics will also be discussed. [source] Mass spectrometry strategies applied to the characterization of proline-rich peptides from secretory parotid granules of pig (Sus scrofa)JOURNAL OF SEPARATION SCIENCE, JSS, Issue 3 2008Chiara Fanali Abstract Basic proline-rich proteins (bPRPs) are a class of proteins widely present in saliva of humans and other mammals. They are synthesized as preproproteins and enzymatically cleaved into small peptides before secretion from the salivary glands. Recently, we characterized two proline-rich peptides (SP-A and SP-B) in parotid secretory granules of pig (Sus Scrofa) that are derived from three isoforms of a PRP proprotein (Swiss-Prot data bank: Q95JC9-1, Q95JC9-2 and Q95JC9-3). Together the coding regions for SP-A and SP-B, which are repeated many times, account for 52,70% of the coding regions of the PRP proproteins. This study was undertaken to identify peptides encoded by unassigned regions of the PRP proproteins. RP-HPLC-ESI-IT-MS analysis of enriched granule preparations from pig parotid glands by two different analytical strategies identified ten new proline-rich peptides derived from the three proproteins. Together with the coding regions for SP-A and SP-B already identified it was possible to assign 68,75% of the proproteins coding regions. The peptide sequences indicated a number of unusual proteolytic cleavage sites suggesting the presence of unknown proprotein convertases. [source] Infinitely many stationary solutions for a simple climate model via a shooting methodMATHEMATICAL METHODS IN THE APPLIED SCIENCES, Issue 4 2002J. I. Díaz Abstract In this paper, we study the number of steady solutions of a non-linear model arising in Climatology. By applying a shooting method we show the existence of infinitely many steady solutions for some values of a parameter (the solar constant). This method allows us to determine how many times a solution attains the critical temperature (,10°C) at which the coalbedo is assumed to be discontinuous. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Non-invasive temperature imaging with thulium 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetramethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (TmDOTMA,)NMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 1 2006Sait Kubilay Pakin Abstract Non-invasive thermometry using hyperfine-shifted MR signals from paramagnetic lanthanide complexes has attracted attention recently because the chemical shifts of these complexes are many times more sensitive to temperature than the water 1H signal. Among all the lanthanide complexes examined thus far, thulium tetramethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetate (TmDOTMA,) appears to be the most suitable for MR thermometry. In this paper, the feasibility of imaging the methyl 1H signal from TmDOTMA, using a frequency-selective radiofrequency excitation pulse and chemical shift-selective (CHESS) water suppression is demonstrated. A temperature imaging method using a phase-sensitive spin-echo imaging sequence was validated in phantom experiments. A comparison of regional temperature changes measured with fiber-optic probes and the temperatures calculated from the phase shift near each probe showed that the accuracy of imaging the temperature with TmDOTMA, is at least 0.1,0.2°C. The feasibility of imaging temperature changes in an intact rat at 0.5,0.6,mmol/kg dose in only a few minutes is demonstrated. Similar to commonly used MRI contrast agents, the lanthanide complex does not cross the blood,brain barrier. TmDOTMA, may prove useful for temperature imaging in many biomedical applications but further studies relating to acceptable dose and signal-to-noise ratio are necessary before clinical applications. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A population-based study of the recurrence of developmental disabilities , Metropolitan Atlanta Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program, 1991,94PAEDIATRIC & PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 1 2005Kim Van Naarden Braun Summary Serious developmental disabilities (DD) are quite common and affect approximately 2% of all school-aged children. The impact of DDs with respect to the need for special education services, medical care and the demand on family members can be enormous. While this impact can be magnified for families with more than one child with a DD, little is known regarding the epidemiology of recurrence of DDs. When the cause of a DD is unknown, genetic counsellors rely on recurrence risk estimates which for DDs are over 10 years old. The objectives of our study were to: (1) assess the contribution of recurrent cases to the prevalence of DDs; (2) provide current, population-based recurrence risk estimates; and (3) examine characteristics of the first affected child as predictors of recurrence. Two population-based data sources were used to identify all children born to the same mother during the period 1981,91 in the five-county metropolitan Atlanta area with at least one of four DDs: mental retardation (MR), cerebral palsy, hearing loss, or vision impairment. Recurrence risk estimates for these DDs ranged from 3% to 7% and were many times higher than the background prevalences. The risk of recurrence of DDs was greatest for MR , approximately eight times greater than the baseline MR prevalence. Isolated mild MR (IQ 50,70) was highly concordant between siblings with MR. Sex, race, and birthweight of the index child, maternal education, and maternal age were not significantly associated with recurrence risk. Further research is needed to investigate the roles of genetic and environmental factors on the recurrence of DDs, particularly isolated mild MR. [source] High-resolution study of dynamical diffraction phenomena accompanying the Renninger (222/113) case of three-beam diffraction in siliconACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION A, Issue 4 2010A. Kazimirov X-ray optical schemes capable of producing a highly monochromatic beam with high angular collimation in both the vertical and horizontal planes have been evaluated and utilized to study high-resolution diffraction phenomena in the Renninger (222/113) case of three-beam diffraction in silicon. The effect of the total reflection of the incident beam into the nearly forbidden reflected beam was observed for the first time with the maximum 222 reflectivity at the 70% level. We have demonstrated that the width of the 222 reflection can be varied many times by tuning the azimuthal angle by only a few µrad in the vicinity of the three-beam diffraction region. This effect, predicted theoretically more than 20 years ago, is explained by the enhancement of the 222 scattering amplitude due to the virtual two-stage 000 113 222 process which depends on the azimuthal angle. [source] Proceedings of the 20th Annual Conference of the Japanese Association for Adolescent Psychotherapy, 16 November 2002, Tokyo, JapanPSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 5 2003Article first published online: 28 AUG 200 Inpatient treatment of obsessive,compulsive disorder in a child and adolescent psychiatry ward M. USAMI National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kohnodai Hospital, Chiba, Japan This is a case report of a 13-year-old-boy (2nd grade in junior high school). His father had poor communication; his mother was a very fragile woman. The boy had been overprotected by his parents, as long as he responded to their expectations. He did not have any other siblings. He played well with his friends since he was young, and did not have problems until the 1st term (from April to July) of 1st grade in junior high school. However, in September he started to have difficulties going well with his friends, and going to school. He spent most of his time in his room, and began to repeat checking and hand-washing frequently. Even at midnight, he forced his mother to touch the shutter from outside of the house for many times. He also ritually repeated to touch his mother's body, after he licked his hands, for over an hour. He became violent, when his parents tried to stop him. In April, year X, his parents visited our hospital for the first time. From then, his mother could not tolerate her son's coerciveness any longer. His father explained to the boy that ,your mother has been hospitalized', and she started to live in the next room to the boy's without making any noise. After 3 months he noticed that his mother was not hospitalized, and he got very excited. He was admitted to our hospital with his family and relatives, in October, year X. At the initial stage of hospitalization he showed distrust and doubt towards the therapist and hospital. He had little communication with other boys and did not express his feelings. Therefore, there was a period of time where he seemed to wonder whether he could trust the treatment staff or not. During his interviews with his therapist he repeated only ,I'm okay' and did not show much emotional communication. For the boy, exposing himself was equivalent to showing his vulnerability and incompleteness. Therefore, the therapist considered that he was trying to denying his feelings to avoid this. The therapist set goals for considering his own feelings positively and expressing them appropriately. Also, the therapist carried out behavioral restrictions towards him. He hardly had any emotional communication with the staff, and his peer relationship in the ward was superficial. Therefore, he gradually had difficulty spending his time at the end of December On the following day in which he and the therapist decided to return to his house for the first time, he went out of the ward a few days before without permission. From thereon it was possible for him to share feelings such as hostility and aggression, dependence and kindness with the therapist. The therapist changed his role from an invasive one to a more protective one. Then, his unsociability gradually faded. He also developed good peer relationships with other boys in the ward and began to express himself feeling appropriately. He was also able to establish appropriate relations with his parents at home, and friends of his neighborhood began to have normal peer relationships again. During childhood and adolescence, boys with obsessive,compulsive disorder are known to have features such as poor insight and often involving their mothers. We would like to present this case, through our understanding of dynamic psychiatry throughout his hospitalization, and also on the other therapies that were performed. Psychotherapy with a graduate student that discontinued after only three sessions: Was it enough for this client? N. KATSUKI Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan Introduction: Before and after the psychotherapy, SWT was administrated in this case. Comparing these two drawings, the therapist was provided with some ideas of what kind of internal change had taken place inside this client. Referring to the changes observed, we would like to review the purposes and the ways of the psychotherapy, as well as the adequacy of the limited number of the sessions (vis-a-vis result attained.) Also we will discuss later if any other effective ways could be available within the capacities of the consulting system/the clinic in the university. Case: Ms. S Age 24 years. Problems/appeal: (i) awkwardness in the relationship with the laboratory colleagues; (ii) symptoms of sweating, vomiting and quivering; and (iii) anxiety regarding continuing study and job hunting. Diagnosis: > c/o PTSD. Psychotherapeutic setting: At the therapy room in the clinic, placed at the university, 50 min-session; once a week; paralleled with the medical treatment. Process: (1) Since she was expelled from the study team in the previous year, it has become extremely difficult for her to attend the laboratory (lab) due to the aforementioned symptoms. She had a feeling of being neglected by the others. When the therapist suggested that she compose her mental confusions in the past by attending the therapy room, she seemed to be looking forward to it, although she said that she could remember only a few. (2) She reported that she overdosed on sedatives, as she could not stop irritating. She was getting tough with her family, also she slashed the mattress of her bed with a knife for many times. She complained that people neither understood nor appreciated her properly. and she said that she wanted revenge on the leader of the lab by punishing him one way or other. (3) Looking back the previous session, she said ,I had been mentally mixed up at that time, but I feel that now I can handle myself, as I stopped the medication after consulting the psychiatrist. According to what she said, when she disclosed the occurrences in the lab to her mother, she felt to be understood properly by her mother and felt so relieved. and she also reported that she had been sewing up the mattress which she slashed before, without any reason. She added, " although I don't even know what it means, I feel that this work is so meaningful to me, somehow". Finally, she told that she had already made her mind to cope with the situation by herself from now on, although it might result in a flinch from the real solution. Situations being the above, the session was closed. Swt: By the remarkable changes observed between the two drawings, the meanings of this psychotherapy and its closure to the client would be contemplated. Question of how school counselors should deal with separation attendant on students' graduation: On a case in which the separation was not worked through C. ASAHARA Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan Although time limited relationship is one of the important characteristics in school counseling, the question of separation attendant on it has not been much discussed based on specific cases. This study focuses on the question of separation through looking at a particular case, in which the separation was not worked through, and halfway relationship continued even after the student's graduation and the counselor's resignation. I was a part time school counselor at a junior high school in Tokyo. The client was a 14-year-old female student, who could not go to her classroom, and spent a few hours in a sick bay when she came to school. She was in the final grade and there was only half a year left before graduation when we first met, and we started to see each other within a very loose structure. As her personality was hyper-vigilant and defensive, it took almost 2 months before I could feel that she was nearer. Her graduation was the first occasion of separation. On that occasion, I found that there had been a discrepancy between our expectations; while I took it for granted that our relationship would end with the graduation, she expected to see me even after she graduated, and she actually came up to see me once in a while during the next year. A year later, we faced another occasion of separation, that was my resignation. Although I worried about her, all I have done for her was to hand a leaflet of a counseling office, where I work as a part time counselor. Again I could not refer to her feelings or show any concrete directions such as making a fixed arrangement. After an occasional correspondence for the next 10 months (about 2 years after her graduation), she contacted me at the counseling office asking for a constant counseling. Why could I not deal with both occasions? and how did that affect the client thereafter? There were two occasions of separation. At the time of the client's graduation, I seemed to be enmeshed in the way of separation that is peculiar to the school setting. In general in therapeutic relationship, mourning work between counselor and client is regarded as being quite important. At school, however, separation attendant on graduation is usually taken for granted and mourning work for any personal relationship tends to be neglected. Graduation ceremony is a big event but it is not about mourning over one's personal relationships but separation from school. That may be why I did not appreciate how the client counted on our relationship. At the time of my resignation I was too worried about working through a change from very loose structure which is peculiar to the school setting to a usual therapeutic structure (fees are charged, and time, place are fixed). That is why I did nothing but give her a leaflet. In this way, we never talked about her complex feelings such as sadness or loneliness, which she was supposed to experience on separation. Looking at the aforementioned process from the client's viewpoint, it can be easily imagined that she could not accept the fact of separation just because she graduated. and later, she was forced to be in double-bind situation, in which she was accepted superficially (handed a leaflet), while no concrete possibility was proposed concerning our relationship (she could never see me unless she tries to contact me.) As a result, she was left alone and at a loss whether she could count on me or not. The halfway situation or her suspense was reflected in her letter, in which she appeared to be just chatting at first sight, but between the lines there was something more implying her sufferings. Above discussion suggests that in some case, we should not neglect the mourning work even in a school setting. To whom or how it is done is the next theme we should explore and discuss in the future. For now, we should at least be conscious about the question of separation in school setting. Study of the process of psychotherapy with intervals for months M. TERASHIMA Bunkyo Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan This is a report on the process of psychotherapy of an adolescent girl who showed manic and depressive state. At the time of a depressed state, she could not go to a college and withdrew into home, and the severe regressive situation was shown. Her therapy began at the age of 20 and she wanted to know what her problem was. The process of treatment went on for 4 years but she stopped coming to sessions for several months because of failure of the therapist. She repeated the same thing twice. After going through these intervals the client began to remember and started to talk about her childhood , suffering abusive force from her father, with vivid impressions. They once were hard for her to accept, but she began to establish the consistent figure of herself from past to present. In this case, it could be thought that the intervals of the sessions had a certain role, with which the client controlled the structure of treatment, instead of an attack against the therapist. Her object relation, which is going to control an object offensively, was reflected in these phenomena. That is, it can be said that the ambivalence about dependency , difficult to depend but desirous of the object , was expressed. Discontinuation of the sessions was the product of the compromise formation brought about the ambivalence of the client, and while continuing to receive this ambivalence in the treatment, the client started to realize discontinuance of her memories and then advanced integration of her self-image. For the young client with conflict to dependence such as her, an interval does not destroy the process of treatment but in some cases it could be considered as a therapeutic element. In the intervals the client could assimilate the matter by herself, that acquired by the sessions. Psychotherapy for a schizoid woman who presented eccentric speech and behaviour M. OGASAWARA Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan Case presentation: A case of a 27-year-old woman at the beginning of therapy. Life history: She had been having a wish for death since she was in kindergarten and she had been feeling strong resistance to do the same as others after school attendance. She had a history of ablutomania from the age of 10,15, but the symptom disappeared naturally. and she said that she had been eliminated from groups that she tried to enter. After graduating a junior college, she changed jobs several times without getting a full-time position. Present history: Scolded by her boy friend for her coming home too late one day, she showed confusion such as excitement, self-injury or terror. She consulted a psychiatrist in a certain general hospital, but she presented there eccentric behaviours such as tense facial expression, stiffness of her whole body, or involuntary movement of limbs. and because she felt on bad terms with the psychiatrist and she had come to cause convulsion attacks in the examination room, she was introduced to our hospital. Every session of this psychotherapy was held once a week and for approximately 60 min at a time. Treatment process: She sometimes presented various eccentric attitudes, for example overturning to the floor with screaming (1), going down on her knees when entrance at the door (5), entering with a knife in her mouth and hitting the wall suddenly (7), stiffening herself just outside the door without entering the examination room (9), taking out a knife abruptly and putting it on her neck (40), exclaiming with convulsion responding to every talk from the therapist (41), or stiffening her face and biting herself in the right forearm suddenly (52). She also repeated self-injuries or convulsion attacks outside of the examination room in the early period of the therapy. Throughout the therapy she showed hypersensitivity for interpersonal relations, anxiety about dependence, terror for self-assertion, and avoidance for confrontation to her emotional problems. Two years and 6 months have passed since the beginning of this therapy. She ceased self-injury approximately 1 year and 6 months before and her sense of obscure terror has been gradually reduced to some extent. Discussion: Her non-verbal wariness and aggression to the therapist made the sessions full of tension and the therapist felt a sense of heaviness every time. In contrast, she could not express aggression verbally to the therapist, and when the therapist tried to identify her aggression she denied it. Her anxiety, that she will be thoroughly counterattacked to self-disintegration if she shows aggression to other persons, seems to be so immeasurably strong that she is compelled to deny her own aggression. Interpretations and confrontations by the therapist make her protective, and occasionally she shows stronger resistance in the shape of denial of her problems or conversion symptoms (astasia, aphonia, or involuntary movements) but she never expresses verbal aggression to the therapist. and the therapist feels much difficulty to share sympathy with her, and she expresses distrust against sympathetic approach of the therapist. However, her obvious disturbance that she expresses when she feels the therapist is not sympathetic shows her desire for sympathy. Thus, because she has both strong distrust and desire for sympathy, she is in a porcupine dilemma, which is characteristic of schizoid patients as to whether to lengthen or to shorten the distance between herself and the therapist. This attitude seems to have been derived from experience she might have had during her babyhood and childhood that she felt terror to be counterattacked and deserted when she showed irritation to her mother. In fact, existence of severe problems of the relationship between herself and her mother in her babyhood and childhood can be guessed from her statement. Although she has been repeating experiences to be excluded from other people, she shows no attitude to construct interpersonal relationship actively. On the contrary, by regarding herself to be a victim or devaluating other persons she externalizes responsibility that she herself should assume essentially. The reason must be that her disintegration anxiety is evoked if she recognizes that she herself has problems; that is, that negative things exist inside of her. Therefore, she seems to be inhibited to get depressive position and obliged to remain mainly in a paranoid,schizoid position. As for the pathological level, she seems to have borderline personality organization because of frequent use of mechanisms to externalize fantastically her inner responsibility. For her high ability to avoid confronting her emotional problems making the most of her verbal ability, every intervention of the therapist is invalidated. So, it seems very difficult for her to recognize her own problems through verbal interpretations or confrontation by the therapist, for the present. In general, it is impossible to confront self problems without containing negative emotions inside of the self, but her ability seemed to be insufficient. So, to point out her problems is considered to be very likely to result in her confusion caused by persecution anxiety. Although the therapy may attain the stage on which verbal interpretation and confrontation work better some day, the therapist is compelled to aim at promoting her ability to hold negative emotion inside of herself for the time being. For the purpose, the therapist is required to endure the situation in which she brings emotion that makes the therapist feel negative counter-transference and her process to experience that the therapeutic relation itself would not collapse by holding negative emotion. On supportive psychotherapy with a male adolescent Y. TERASHIMA Kitasato University Health Care Center, Kanagawa, Japan Adolescent cases sometimes show dramatic improvements as a consequence of psychotherapy. The author describes how psychotherapy can support an adolescent and how theraputic achievements can be made. Two and a half years of treatment sessions with a male adolescent patient are presented. The patient was a 19-year-old man, living with his family. He had 5 years of experience living abroad with his family and he was a preparatory school student when he came to a mental clinic for help. He was suffering from not being able to sleep well, from difficulties concerning keeping his attention on one thing, and from fear of going to distant places. He could barely leave his room, and imagined the consequence of overdosing or jumping out of a window. He claimed that his life was doomed because his family moved from a town that was familiar to him. At the first phase of psychotherapy that lasted for approximately 1 year, the patient seldom responded to the therapist. The patient was basically silent. He told the therapist that the town he lives in now feels cold or that he wants to become a writer. However, these comments were made without any kind of explanation and the therapist felt it very difficult to understand what the patient was trying to say. The sessions continued on a regular basis. However, the therapist felt very useless and fatigued. Problems with the patient and his family were also present at this phase of psychotherapy. He felt unpleasant at home and felt it was useless to expect anything from his parents. These feelings were naturally transferred to the therapist and were interpreted. However, interpretation seemed to make no changes in the forms of the patient's transference. The second phase of psychotherapy began suddenly. The patient kept saying that he did not know what to talk about. However, after a brief comment made by the therapist on the author of the book he was reading, the patient told the therapist that it was unexpected that the therapist knew anything of his favorite writer. After this almost first interaction between the patient and the therapist, the patient started to show dramatic changes. The patient started to bring his favorite rock CDs to sessions where they were played and the patient and the therapist both made comments on how they felt about the music. He also started asking questions concerning the therapist. It seemed that the patient finally started to want to know the therapist. He started communicating. The patient was sometimes silent but that did not last long. The therapist no longer felt so useless and emotional interaction, which never took place in the first phase, now became dominant. The third phase happened rapidly and lasted for approximately 10 months. Conversations on music, art, literature and movies were made possible and the therapist seldom felt difficulties on following the patient's line of thought. He started to go to schools and it was difficult at first but he started adjusting to the environment of his new part-time jobs. By the end of the school year, he was qualified for the entrance to a prestigious university. The patient's problems had vanished except for some sleeping difficulties, and he did not wish to continue the psychotherapy sessions. The therapist's departure from the clinic added to this and the therapy was terminated. The patient at first reminded the therapist of severe psychological disturbances but the patient showed remarkable progress. Three points can be considered to have played important roles in the therapy presented. The first and the most important is the interpretation by behavior. The patient showed strong parental transference to the therapist and this led the therapist to feel useless and to feel fatigue. Content analysis and here-and-now analysis seemed to have played only a small part in the therapy. However, the therapist tried to keep in contact with the patient, although not so elegant, but tried to show that the therapist may not be useless. This was done by maintaining the framework of the therapy and by consulting the parents when it was considered necessary. Second point is the role that the therapist intentionally took as a model or target of introjection. With the help of behavioral interpretation that showed the therapist and others that it may not be useless, the patient started to introject what seemed to be useful to his well being. It can be considered that this role took some part in the patient going out and to adjust to the new environment. Last, fortune of mach must be considered. The patient and the therapist had much in common. It was very fortunate that the therapist knew anything about the patient's favorite writer. The therapist had some experience abroad when he was young. Although it is a matter of luck that the two had things in common, it can be said that the congeniality between the patient and the therapist played an important role in the successful termination of the therapy. From the physical complaint to the verbal appeal of A's recovery process to regain her self-confidence C. ITOKAWA and S. KAZUKAWA Toyama Mental Health Center, Toyama, Japan This is one of the cases at Toyama Mental Health Center about a client here, we will henceforth refer to her simply as ,A'. A was a second grade high school student. We worked with her until her high school graduation using our center's full functions; counseling, medical examination and the course for autogenic training (AT). She started her counseling by telling us that the reason for her frequent absences from school began because of stomach pains when she was under a lot of stress for 2 years of junior high school, from 2nd grade to 3rd grade. Due to a lack of self confidence and a constant fear of the people around her, she was unable to use the transportation. She would spend a large amount of time at the school infirmary because she suffered from self-diagnosed hypochondriac symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea and a palpitation. She continued that she might not be able to have the self-confidence to sit still to consult me on her feelings in one of our sessions. A therapist advised her to take the psychiatric examination and the use of AT and she actually saw the medical doctor. In counseling (sessions), she eventually started to talk about the abuse that started just after her entering of junior high school; she approached the school nurse but was unable to tell her own parents because she did not trust them. In doing so, she lost the rest of her confidence, affecting the way she looked at herself and thought of how others did. At school she behaved cheerfully and teachers often accused her of idleness as they regarded this girl's absences along with her brightly dyed hair and heavy make-up as her negligent laziness. I, as her therapist, contacted some of the school's staff and let them know of her situation in detail. As the scolding from the teachers decreased, we recognized the improvement of her situation. In order to recover from the missed academic exposure due to her long absence, she started to study by herself. In a couple of months her physical condition improved gradually, saying ,These days I have been doing well by myself, haven't I?' and one year later, her improved mental condition enabled her to go up to Tokyo for a concert and furthermore even to enjoy a short part-time job. She continued the session and the medical examination dually (in tangent) including the consultation about disbelief to the teachers, grade promotion, relationships between friends and physical conditions. Her story concentrated on the fact that she had not grown up with sufficiently warm and compassionate treatment and she could not gain any mental refuge in neither her family nor her school, or even her friends. Her prospects for the future had changed from the short-ranged one with no difficulty to the ambitious challenge: she aimed to try for her favorite major and hoped to go out of her prefecture. But she almost had to give up her own plan because the school forced her to change her course as they recommended. (because of the school's opposition with her own choice). So without the trust of the teachers combined with her low self-esteem she almost gave up her hopes and with them her forward momentum. In this situation as the therapist, I showed her great compassion and discussed the anger towards the school authorities, while encouraging this girl by persuading her that she should have enough self-confidence by herself. Through such sessions, she was sure that if she continued studying to improve her own academic ability by herself she could recognize the true meaning of striving forward. and eventually, she received her parents' support who had seemed to be indifferent to her. At last she could pass the university's entrance exams for the school that she had yearned to attend. That girl ,A' visited our center 1 month later to show us her vivid face. I saw a bright smile on her face. It was shining so brightly. [source] The talking touchscreen: A new approach to outcomes assessment in low literacyPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 2 2004Elizabeth A. Hahn Purpose. Cancer patients who are deficient in literacy skills are particularly vulnerable to experiencing different outcomes due to disparities in care or barriers to care. Outcomes measurement in low literacy patients may provide new insight into problems previously undetected due to the challenges of completing paper-and-pencil forms. Description of study. A multimedia program was developed to provide a quality of life assessment platform that would be acceptable to patients with varying literacy skills and computer experience. One item at a time is presented on the computer touchscreen, accompanied by a recorded reading of the question. Various colors, fonts and graphic images are used to enhance visibility, and a small picture icon appears near each text element allowing patients to replay the sound as many times as they wish. Evaluation questions are presented to assess patient burden and preferences. Results. An ethnically diverse group of 126 cancer patients with a range of literacy skills and computer experience reported that the ,talking touchscreen' (TT) was easy to use, and commented on the usefulness of the multimedia approach. Clinical implications. The TT is a practical, user-friendly data acquisition method that provides greater opportunities to measure self-reported outcomes in patients with a range of literacy skills. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Effect of Refinancing Costs and Market Imperfections on the Optimal Call Strategy and the Pricing of Debt ContractsREAL ESTATE ECONOMICS, Issue 4 2005Kenneth B. Dunn This article, which was originally written in 1986, develops a methodology for valuing mortgage-backed securities with refinancing costs. We solve simultaneously for the valuation of the mortgage-backed security (loan) and the borrower's refinancing strategy, pricing all coupon levels simultaneously. Because the borrower may refinance his or her loan and incur costs at many times in the future, the optimal refinancing decisions arise from an optimal dynamic strategy that reflects the costs of all potential future refinancings. Though the borrower faces multiple rounds of refinancing costs, the market value of the loan cannot exceed the call price plus a single round of refinancing costs. [source] Characteristics of Buck Semen with Regard to Ejaculate Numbers, Collection Intervals, Diluents and Preservation PeriodsREPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS, Issue 2 2000M Shamsuddin Contents To determine the number of ejaculates which can be collected within a 20-min period after the smallest number of days of sexual rest, and a good diluent to preserve semen for routine AI, five mature Black Bengal bucks were used in three experiments. In experiment 1, semen from the bucks were collected by using artificial vagina at homosexual mounts as many times as possible during 20 min. The ejaculate numbers 1, 3 and 4 (or 5 when the buck could produce it) were examined for important semen characteristics. The mean ejaculate volume, density, mass activity, sperm motility, sperm concentrations, total spermatozoa/ejaculate, proportion of spermatozoa with normal acrosome, midpiece and tail, and the proportion with normal head morphology varied between 267 and 342 µl, 4.1,4.5 (1,5 scale), 4.1,4.2 (1,5 scale), 77,79%, 4187 × 106,5064 × 106/ml, 1140 × 106,1746 × 106, 91,94% and 99%, respectively, depending on the collection number of the ejaculate. The difference between the ejaculates was significant only with respect to volume (p < 0.05). In experiment 2, semen was collected from the bucks successively during 20 min after 1, 2, 3 and 4 day intervals, and the first ejaculates were evaluated for the above-mentioned semen characteristics. Semen collected after 2 or more day intervals had significantly higher volume, sperm concentration and total spermatozoa/ejaculate (p < 0.05). In experiment 3, pools of two to three ejaculates were diluted (1 : 5; semen : diluent) in splits with glucose-citrate-egg yolk (GCEY), Tris-fructose-egg yolk (TFEY) or skim milk (SM) and preserved at +4 to +7°C. Before chilling or after 0 (15 min chilling), 1, 2, 3 and 4 days of preservation, semen was evaluated for motility and proportion of normal spermatozoa with respect to acrosome, midpiece and tail. In data pooled across the bucks, the sperm motility was better in GCEY and TFEY than in SM, and the proportion of normal spermatozoa was higher in SM than in the others (p < 0.05). However, the differences in proportion of normal spermatozoa between diluents were not significant when the data were analysed separately within preservation periods. The sperm motility consistently dropped after 1 day of preservation (p < 0.01); the motility remained 50% or more up to 4 days in TFEY, 3 days in GCEY and only 2 days in SM. The proportion of spermatozoa with normal acrosome, midpiece and tail, which was generally quite high ( 90%), decreased after 3 days of preservation (p < 0.01). We conclude that Black Bengal bucks can be collected three times during 20 min, every 3 days, and that buck semen holds good motility and proportion of normal spermatozoa up to 3 days in GCEY or TFEY at 4 to 7°C. [source] Liquid Dispersion in Large Diameter Bubble Columns, with and without InternalsTHE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 3-4 2003Ann Forret Abstract Liquid mixing has been studied in a 1 m diameter bubble column, with and without internals (vertical cooling tubes). The presence of internals significantly affects both large scale recirculation and local dispersion. The most common approach to model liquid mixing is the one-dimensional axial dispersion model, validated many times in small bubble columns without internals. This paper shows that this model is still appropriate to large columns, but without internals. A two-dimensional model, taking into account a radially dependent axial velocity profile, and both axial and radial dispersion, is required to account for the internals on liquid mixing. Le mélange du liquide dans une colonne à bulles de 1 m de diamètre a été étudié, avec et sans internes (tubes verticaux simulant des échangeurs de chaleur). La présence d'internes affecte de manière significative à la fois la recirculation globale du liquide ainsi que la dispersion locale. L'approche la plus couramment employée pour modéliser le mélange du liquide est le modèle de dispersion axiale mono dimensionnel, validé maintes fois pour les petites colonnes à bulles sans internes. Cet article montre que ce modèle reste valable pour les colonnes de grande taille, sans internes. Par contre, la prise en compte des effets des internes sur le mélange liquide passe par l'utilisation d'un modèle bidimensionnel, prenant en compte le profile radiale de la vitesse axiale ainsi que les dispersions axiale et radiale. [source] Chromalveolates and the Evolution of Plastids by Secondary Endosymbiosis,THE JOURNAL OF EUKARYOTIC MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2009PATRICK J. KEELING ABSTRACT. The establishment of a new plastid organelle by secondary endosymbiosis represents a series of events of massive complexity, and yet we know it has taken place multiple times because both green and red algae have been taken up by other eukaryotic lineages. Exactly how many times these events have succeeded, however, has been a matter of debate that significantly impacts how we view plastid evolution, protein targeting, and eukaryotic relationships. On the green side it is now largely accepted that two independent events led to plastids of euglenids and chlorarachniophytes. How many times red algae have been taken up is less clear, because there are many more lineages with red alga-derived plastids (cryptomonads, haptophytes, heterokonts, dinoflagellates and apicomplexa) and the relationships between these lineages are less clear. Ten years ago, Cavalier-Smith proposed that these plastids were all derived from a single endosymbiosis, an idea that was dubbed the chromalveolate hypothesis. No one observation has yet supported the chromalveolate hypothesis as a whole, but molecular data from plastid-encoded and plastid-targeted proteins have provided strong support for several components of the overall hypothesis, and evidence for cryptic plastids and new photosynthetic lineages (e.g. Chromera) have transformed our view of plastid distribution within the group. Collectively, these data are most easily reconciled with a single origin of the chromalveolate plastids, although the phylogeny of chromalveolate host lineages (and potentially Rhizaria) remain to be reconciled with this plastid data. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||