Effects of war exposure on air force personnel's mental health, job burnout and other organizational related outcomes.

Longitudinal data from a stratified representative sample of U.S. Air Force personnel (N = 1009) deployed to the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations were analyzed in this study. Using structural equation models, we examined the effects of war exposure on traumatic experiences, Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) symptoms, resource loss, and on subsequent functioning, perceived health, and on job and organizationally relevant outcomes. The job and organizational outcomes included job burnout, job involvement, job strain, job satisfaction, work-family conflict, organizational commitment, deployment readiness, and intention to reenlist. We found that deployment to the theater of the war increased risk of exposure to trauma, which in turn, predicted elevated PTS symptoms and resource loss. PTS symptoms predicted later loss of resources and deterioration in perceived health and functioning. In turn, resource loss predicted negative job and organizational outcomes. Exposure to trauma fully mediated the effects of deployment to the theater of war on PTS symptoms and resource loss and had additional significant indirect effects on several job and organizational relevant outcomes. For returning veterans, deployment to the theater of war, exposure to trauma, PTS symptoms, and resource loss represents a “cascading” chain of events that over time results in a decline of health and functioning as well as in adverse job and organizationally relevant outcomes that may affect organizational effectiveness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Improving the effects of psychotherapy: The use of early identification of treatment and problem-solving strategies in routine practice.

Client-focused research systems have been developed to monitor and provide feedback information about clients' progress in psychotherapy as a method of enhancing outcome for those who are predicted to be treatment failures. In the current study, the authors examined whether feedback regarding client progress and the use of clinical support tools (CSTs) affected client outcome and number of sessions attended. Results showed that clients in the feedback plus CST group stayed in therapy longer and had superior outcomes. Nearly twice as many clients in the feedback plus CST group achieved clinically significant or reliable change, and fewer were classified as deteriorated by the time treatment ended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Partners' stress underestimations lead to women's distress: A study of pregnant inner-city women.

The authors examined how men's underestimation of the stress that their pregnant female partners reported influenced women's psychological distress and their sense that they were not supported. Participants included 68 pregnant inner-city women and their partners, among whom African Americans and European Americans were represented. Women who reported a greater number of stressful life events had increased depression if their partners did not report them as encountering these events. However, if their partners reported them as encountering a high number of stressful events, the otherwise negative impact of stress was buffered. Partners' stress report had no appreciable effect when women reported a low number of stressful events. This partner underestimation effect was independent of the influence of women's report of social support. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

High-performance mass spectrometry: Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance at 14.5 Tesla

We describe the design and current performance of a 14.5 T hybrid linear quadrupole ion trap Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer. Ion masses are routinely determined at 4-fold better mass accuracy and 2-fold higher resolving power than similar 7 T systems at the same scan rate. The combination of high magnetic field and strict control of the number of trapped ions results in external calibration broadband mass accuracy typically less than 300 ppb rms, and a resolving power of 200,000 (m/Delta m50% at m/z 400) is achieved at greater than 1 mass spectrum per second. Novel ion storage optics and methodology increase the maximum number of ions that can be delivered to the FTICR cell, thereby improving dynamic range for tandem mass spectrometry and complex mixture applications.     

Noise‐based spreading in code division multiple access systems for secure communications

Binary spreading sequences or chaotic nonbinary sequences are used in code division multiple access systems. In contrast to those sequences, this paper presents the theory, simulation, and implementation in digital signal processor technology of a code division multiple access system that uses random spreading sequences. The expressions for probability of bit error are derived for the cases when the additive white Gaussian noise and fading are present in the channel. Because the overall transmitted signal is a sum of random signals, the security of signal transmission in this communication system can be enormously increased and will depend on the goodness of the random sequence generator. The developed theory was confirmed by a prototype of the system that was designed in digital signal processor technology. The prototype used spreading sequences that had statistical characteristics very close to the characteristics of theoretical random sequences. The main problem in the system is how to synchronize the received spread sequence with the locally generated sequence. Hence, a mathematical model of the synchronization block for the system has been separately designed and developed. The synchronization procedure has been demonstrated on the basis of application of a periodically repeated pilot sequence. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Self-control predicts later symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Self-control, often defined as the ability to control one's thoughts and actions, is one of the most important constructs in psychology. However, the relationship of self-control to clinical disorders has rarely been directly examined. The current study sought to explore this relationship by examining whether self-control predicted posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a longitudinal study of 65 inner-city women. Results showed that baseline levels of self-control predicted PTSD symptoms at 3-month follow-up above and beyond other variables in the model. This research combines clinical and social psychological research to reveal the potential role of self-control in protecting against future symptoms of PTSD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A prospective study of risk and resilience factors associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms and depression symptoms among Jews and Arabs exposed to repeated acts of terrorism in Israel.

In the first prospective study, to our knowledge, of the impact of ongoing terrorism and political violence, we analyzed nationally representative data from 560 Jews and 182 Arabs in Israel over a 6-month period. Based on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory (Hobfoll, 1989, 1998), we predicted that exposure to terrorism and political violence would result in psychosocial and economic resource loss and resource lack, which in turn, would be primary predictors of increases in symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTS) and depression. We also predicted that trauma exposure and PTS symptoms, in particular, would be related to ethnocentrism and support for political violence. Furthermore, based on theory and prior research, we predicted that posttraumatic growth (PTG) would be related to a worsening of symptoms of distress and that distress would be related to increased ethnocentrism and support for extreme political violence for their “cause.” Women, older individuals, and Arabs (compared with Jews) were more likely to have continued psychological distress over time. In addition, using simultaneous equation modeling, we found good fit for a structural model that partially supported our hypotheses. Psychosocial resource loss, PTG, and social support had direct and indirect effects on psychological distress. Political attitudes tended to harden over time but were not prospectively related to PTS or depressive symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bit error rate performance analysis in amplify-and-forward relay networks

Wireless Networks - Two methods are proposed in this paper to estimate asymptotic and exact bit error rate (BER) in two-hop amplify-and-forward (AF) relay networks . Rayleigh-fading channels are...     

Energy Efficient Cooperation with Chip-Interleaved Transceivers in WSNs Over Frequency-Selective Fading Channels

Cooperative diversity techniques have been utilized to improve the energy efficiency of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) operating over flat fading channels in a considerable number of literature. However, wireless channels of WSNs operating in indoor environments are supposed to be characterised by frequency-selective fading. Theoretical analysis of energy efficient cooperative communications in WSNs operating in indoor environments are rarely addressed. Therefore, this paper studies the energy efficient cooperative communications in WSNs operating over frequency-selective fading channels. Closed-form bit error rate expressions are derived for systems over frequency-selective fading channels. In order to fully explore the energy conservation potential of cooperative communications, solutions of the optimal transmit power allocation and the partner node selection are provided. Moreover, it is proven that the communication quality can be greatly improved by using chip-interleaving techniques in WSNs subject to flat fading channels. Thus, this paper investigates the energy-saving potential of chip-interleaved transceivers in WSNs subject to frequency-selective fading. Numerical results show that significant energy savings can be achieved via cooperations with chip-interleaved transceivers in WSNs operating in indoor environments.

     

Weight, self-esteem, ethnicity, and depressive symptomatology during pregnancy among inner-city women.

The relationship of weight and self-esteem to depressive symptomatology was examined among 36 African American and 96 European American pregnant inner-city women. Lower self-esteem and higher deviations from medically ideal weight predicted increased dysphoria during the 3rd trimester for European American women, but only lower self-esteem predicted increased dysphoria for African American women. These results support the hypothesis that African Americans are less likely than European Americans to experience negative psychological repercussions of greater weight. Consistent with findings among nonpregnant middle-class samples, these results extend the association between heavier weight and increased risk for psychological distress to pregnant women of European American descent. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)