Relationship between functional status and the capacity to regulate behavior among elderly persons following hip fracture.

Objective: To assess the relationship between behavioral self-regulation and functional status among older rehabilitation inpatients. Study Design: Prospective outcome study. Setting: Fourteen inpatient rehabilitation units and skilled nursing facilities. Participants: Two hundred twelve older adults following hip fracture or replacement. Measures: Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale, Behavioral Dyscontrol Scale (BDS), and nurse-rated functioning on activities of daily living (ADLs) and the Barthel Index. Results: Risk-adjusted analyses found the BDS to be strongly associated with all 11 ADLs and the Barthel Index. The MMSE made an additional contribution to 4 models. Conclusion: The results suggest that the ability to use intentions to guide purposeful behavior is an important contributor to functioning among older adults, affecting rehabilitation potential. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of beliefs about the origins and controllability of dreams.

In three studies the authors investigated the development of beliefs about dreaming. Study 1 assessed 3 to 5-year-old children's beliefs about the origins and controllability of dreams. Results revealed significant changes in children's beliefs about the roles of behavioral experiences and mental processes in the generation of dream content. Results also revealed that young children consider both dreams and imagination to be highly controllable. In Study 2, preschool-age children, elementary school-age children, and adults received either imagination or dream stories and were questioned about controllability. In Study 3, emotional valence of the dream content was varied. Results of Studies 2 and 3 revealed significant development in beliefs that dreams are not subject to conscious control. Beliefs in controllability were higher among females. Study 3 showed that the emotional content of a dream affects these claims. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teacher–student interactions: Effects of student race, sex, and grade level.

Studied quantitative and qualitative differences in students' initiating behaviors, teachers' verbal feedback, and students' available response opportunities in 63 classrooms in relation to student race (Black or White), sex, and grade level (kindergarten through 5th grade). There were 430 White males, 311 White females, 296 Black males, and 291 Black females. Interactions were collected using an observation system, and data were standardized for each classroom to account for the representation of each of the 4 sex/race categories. Results indicate that male students initiated more positive and negative interactions with teachers than did female students. Quantitatively, White female students at both the lower-elementary (LE) and the upper-elementary (UE) levels received less teacher feedback than did students in the other sex/race categories. Black female students received less teacher feedback in the UE grades than in the LE grades, as was the case for White female students. Qualitative differences in feedback indicated that male students received more negative and nonacademic feedback than did female students and that UE female students received less academic feedback than did UE male students. Findings show that UE Black female students were provided fewer opportunities to respond in the classroom than were LE Black female students. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measurements and simulation of the Zeeman splitting in NdOCl and Nd:LiYF4

Measurements and simulation of the Zeeman effect in NdOCl and 1%Nd³⁺:LiYF₄ single crystals were carried out. The rare earth local symmetries are C_4v and D_2d respectively. The isomorphism between these two point groups allows discussion on symmetry assignments. The attention is focused on the ⁴G_7/2 and ⁴G_9/2 levels for NdOCl and on the ⁴F_9/2 and ⁴G_7/2 levels for Nd³⁺:LiYF₄, because they are representative of the general splitting behaviour. We have first revisited the simulation of the energy level scheme in order to deal with confident wave functions. In the experimental magnetic field (B) range we have obtained linear, non-linear, undefined crossing and anti-crossing levels. These features depend on the orientation of B, on the irreducible representation and on the transition closeness. The line widths have been the main obstacle in confirming crossing regions, because their average values are 8 cm⁻¹ at liquid helium temperature. The simulations were performed by introducing the magnetic Hamiltonian μ_BB(L+g_eS) in the secular determinant before diagonalisation. A magnetic accidental degeneracy is considered when discussing the crossing and anti-crossing cases.     

Developing a computer workshop to facilitate computer skills and minimize anxiety for early childhood educators.

Early childhood educators (n=133) were assigned to 1 of 3 instructional conditions (direct, guided discovery, or no-exposure control) to assess the impact of computer workshops on their level of computer anxiety, computer knowledge, and comfort with computer technology. Groups were matched for computer experience and anxiety, early childhood education (ECE) experience, and ECE center. The direct and guided discovery groups attended a 3-hr hands-on workshop covering hardware, software, and Internet material. Immediately after the workshops, computer anxiety was lower and comfort with computer technology increased. Six months later, the control group had reduced computer anxiety, but the other groups maintained greater knowledge and comfort. Direct instruction reduced computer anxiety slightly but did not promote the acquisition of information of the guided condition. Overall, workshops provided gains that could translate into more effective and efficient computer use in the classroom. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Oxidative microbial degradation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene via 3-methyl-4,6-dinitrocatechol

A novel pathway for biodegradation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) was investigated where TNT was the sole carbon, nitrogen, and energy source. Results showed the ability of microorganismsto metabolize TNT through removal of a nitro-group, oxygenation of the aromatic ring, and production of a metabolite that is typically a precursor to oxygenolytic ring cleavage. Nitrite production was observed in active systems, and TNT degradation activity was repeatable and transferable. The metabolic intermediate, 3-methyl-4,6-dinitrocatechol, was positively identified through stable isotope mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry. Experimentation with 14C-TNT showed >3% 14C-labeled CO2 in active systems after 30 d exposure to microorganisms. An increasing fraction of 14C-labeled material was associated with biomass with time, where 11.41 +/- 2.91% and 17.09 +/- 1.49% of 14C was associated with biomass in active systems after 20 and 30 d, respectively, as compared with 5.68 +/- 1.33% and 6.08 +/- 1.27% in inactive systems. Parallel degradation of TNT and production of organic metabolites and nitrite were observed in shake flasks constructed with soil from historically contaminated sites, indicating that the novel pathway identified herein is disturbed in the environment. Therefore, results presented provide evidence of a previously unreported pathway for oxidative degradation of TNT.     

Direct numerical simulation of laminar flame–wall interaction for a novel H2-selective membrane/injector configuration

Direct numerical simulations are performed to investigate the transient processes of laminar flame–wall interaction and quenching near a porous, permeable wall and compared against a reference case of a non-porous impermeable wall. A boundary condition formulation that models species (hydrogen in this case) transport through a permeable wall, driven by the fuel species partial pressure difference between the feed and the permeate side of a selective membrane, has been implemented in a high-order finite difference direct numerical simulation code for reactive flows (S3D) by Chen et al. (2009) [1]. The present results are obtained for lean, stoichiometric and rich initial mixture conditions on the permeate side of the permeable wall and indicate that the characteristic parameters of the flame–wall interaction (wall heat flux, quenching distance) are affected to a large extent by the presence of the membrane hydrogen flux. Concurrently, the hydrogen flux through the membrane is also strongly affected by the presence of the flame during the transient flame–wall interaction process, finally resulting in a strong feedback mechanism between the membrane hydrogen flux and the flame that greatly increases boundary layer flashback speeds at fuel lean conditions.     

Real-time PCR detection of the thermostable direct hemolysin and thermolabile hemolysin genes in a Vibrio parahaemolyticus cultured from mussels and mussel homogenate associated with a foodborne outbreak

Molecular methods have become vital epidemiological tools in the detection and characterization of bacteria associated with a foodborne outbreak. We used both culture and real-time PCR to detect a Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolate associated with a foodborne outbreak. The outbreak occurred in July 2002 in Polk County, Florida, and originated at a Chinese buffet, with one person being hospitalized. The hospital isolated V. parahaemolyticus from the patient but destroyed the sample after diagnosis. From an onsite visit of the restaurant, food samples that possibly contributed to the outbreak were collected and sent to the Florida Department of Health, Tampa Branch Laboratory. Crab legs, crabsticks, and mussel samples were homogenized and incubated according to the Food and Drug Administration Bacteriological Analytical Manual culture protocol. Three sets of primers and a TaqMan probe were designed to target the tdh, trh, and tlh genes and used for real-time PCR. This study was successful in isolating V. parahaemolyticus from a mussel sample and detecting two of its genes (tdh and tlh) in food and pure culture by real-time PCR.     

Comparison of antibiotic susceptibility profiles and molecular typing patterns of clinical and environmental Salmonella enterica serotype Newport

The genus Salmonella is composed of more than 2,400 serotypes, many of which cause enteric diseases in humans and animals. Several Salmonella serotypes are multidrug resistant, and there is evidence of the clonal spread of these strains from animals to humans. Salmonella enterica serotype Newport is one of the serotypes that increasingly present a multidrug-resistant phenotype. Source tracking and antibiotic resistance testing are important considerations for identifying the outbreak strain. The first goal of this study was to examine the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of clinical and environmental Salmonella Newport isolates from various geographic locations and to compare the discriminatory ability of two DNA fingerprinting techniques. The second goal was to determine whether the antibiotic resistance profiles and typing patterns correlated. Thirty Salmonella Newport isolates, including environmental and human clinical strains, were subjected to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), ribotyping, and antibiotic susceptibility testing. Eighty percent of the isolates showed total or intermediate resistance to one or more drugs; 75% of the isolates were multidrug resistant. Ribotyping with the EcoRI enzyme and PFGE with the XbaI enzyme each divided the isolates into 14 groups. Cluster analysis based on antibiotic susceptibility patterns generated 23 profiles. The susceptible and resistant isolates were not differentiated on the basis of either of the molecular typing techniques. Hence, no correlation was observed between the antibiotic resistance profiles and the DNA subtyping patterns. In conclusion, ribotyping is as discriminatory as PFGE and, when used in combination with antibiotic resistance profiles, provides a powerful tool for the source tracking of Salmonella Newport.     

Appraisals and coping with workplace interpersonal stress: A model for women managers.

This study extended a previously developed integrative model of workplace stress by focusing specifically on interpersonal stressors. After controlling for negative affect, results of the prospective study of 157 Canadian managerial women indicated that conflicts appraised as threats to self-interest, less perceived control over the stressor, and more upsetting appraisals led to the use of disengagement coping, whereas conflicts appraised as threats to social relationships and greater control were associated with the use of engagement coping. Individual differences were also associated with primary appraisals and perceptions of the work environment. Primary appraisals had both direct and indirect effects on psychosomatic distress and fully mediated the effects of individual differences on distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)