bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experience of Loneliness by Obese Individuals
Authors: Schumaker Jack F. , Krejci Richard C. , Small Linwood , Sargent Roger G.
Published: September 2011

The present study assessed the relationship between obesity and reported loneliness. The subjects, 68 obese and 64 nonobese individuals, were administered the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale. Obese subjects had significantly higher loneliness ratings than nonobese subjects. Obese women had significantly higher loneliness scores than nonobese women but no such difference was found between obese men and their thin peers. A significant correlation of .25 was obtained between body weight and loneliness ratings within the total sample and also the obese women ( r = .29). This correlation was nonsignificant within the obese men. Possible explanations for the observed sex differences as well as implications for research and treatment, were discussed.
Attitudes of Police toward Violence
Authors: Brodsky Stanley L. , Williamson Glenda D.
Published: September 2011

A questionnaire on attitudes toward violence by police was administered to 25 police trainees, 53 on-duty police officers, and a control group of 48 firemen. The two samples of police reported similar disapproval of violence by police, while the firemen were significantly more approving. The results reflect the increasing awareness by police of socially expected behaviors, roles, and attitudes.
Characteristics of Youths Arrested for Drunk Driving in Two Wisconsin Counties 1981–1984
Authors: Gurnack Anne M. , Werbie Daniel L.
Published: September 2011

As young people constitute a disproportionate share of convicted intoxicated drivers, it is necessary to identify those factors related to age which can give some indication as to their potential for rehabilitation. In a study conducted in two Wisconsin counties (Racine and Kenosha), young drivers were less likely to be repeated offenders, less likely to be sent to treatment than the traffic safety alternative, less likely to be assessed as alcohol-dependent, more likely to be out of compliance with the law, and tended mote often to be arrested with lower blood alcohol concentrations (BAC).
Relaxation-Induced Anxiety: Additional Findings
Authors: McKeachie Wilbert J.
Published: September 2011

Students in an undergraduate psychology course were given the opportunity to take a pill containing either meprobamate or aspirin prior to a classroom examination. The drug interacted with sex, with women benefitting from meprobamate and men's performance being depressed. The author interprets these results as related to Heide and Borkovec's findings that relaxation may induce anxiety.
Personality and Characteristic Work Attitudes of Persons with High, Moderate, and Low Political Tendencies
Authors: Biberman Gerald
Published: September 2011

DuBrin's Office Politics Questionnaire, which measures a person's tendency to engage in office politics, was used in an exploratory study to examine the characteristics of persons with high, moderate, and low tendencies to use office politics. 71 MBA students completed the Office Politics Questionnaire (shortened by subsequent analysis to 50 items), the Mach IV, Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control, Rosenberg's Self-esteem and social desirability scales, and six single-item measures of work attitude. The Office Politics Scale showed a significant Pearson correlation only with the Mach scale, suggesting that the politics scale may be largely a surrogate for Mach. Descriptive statistics comparing groups scoring high, moderate, and low political tendency on the politics scale suggest that people with high political tendency are somewhat higher in Machiavellianism and (although these differences were not statistically significant), higher in self-esteem, see other people as less competitive than themselves, see themselves as being less satisfied with their work. These are characteristics consistent with those proposed by others.
Reliability and Validity of the Beck Depression Inventory in a Dutch College Population
Authors: Bosscher Rudolf J. , Koning Hans , Van Meurs Rob
Published: September 2011

The reliability and the validity of the standard 21-item form of the Beck Depression Inventory were investigated for a sample of 85 female and 118 male university students. No sex differences were observed. The internal consistency reliability was .82. The Zung Self-rating Depression Scale was used as a congruent depression scale and correlated significantly with the Beck scores ( r = .69). The results indicate a satisfactory reliability and validity for the translated Beck inventory, although the use of a nonclinical sample prevents generalization to clinically depressed populations.
Effects of Cue Order in a Decision-Modeling Instrument
Authors: Butler John K. , Cantrell R. Stephen
Published: September 2011

Two experiments, using two separate samples and two methods of analysis (Hotelling's T2 and hierarchial regression), ruled out the cue-order threat to the internal validity of a decision-modeling instrument. Implications for measurement are discussed. Caution is suggested in generalizing to other populations and other instruments, despite the apparent robustness of the method of decision modeling.
Teaching Experience in Recall of Typical and Atypical Protocols
Authors: Michayluk J. O. , Hunt Dennis
Published: September 2011

First- ( n = 11) and fourth-year education students ( n = 6) and experienced teachers ( n = 6) were asked to read and recall typical and atypical case studies (protocols) to investigate the hypothesis that experienced teachers, because they have superior ability to pattern the information, would recall more of the typical cases than inexperienced subjects. Analysis of variance indicated that there was a significant main effect and a significant interaction, although these effects were not as hypothesized. The results are discussed with reference to previous research on information processing.
Suicide among Psychiatric Inpatients of Older Ages
Authors: Harkey Blaze , Hyer Lee
Published: September 2011

The problem of suicide at older ages is considerable. To date, there are virtually no data on how older psychiatric inpatients differ from other similar groups on background/treatment variables related to suicide, “traditional” aging suicidal variables, and standard psychometric tests sensitive to suicide. Four inpatient groups were identified based on age (< 40 yr. or > 54 yr.) and current suicidal behavior (suicidal, nonsuicidal but depressed) and compared on these variables. Older suicidal inpatients were different from the other groups of inpatients on very few variables. Older suicidal patients were given a diagnosis of depression, made more suicidal gestures, had suicidal ideation (except for younger suicidal group), had operative physical problems (except for older nonsuicidal group), and tended not to act-out relative to other groups. On the psychometric measures, age, and not suicidal problems, was largely responsible for any differences between older suicidal patients and the other groups. Many traditional aging suicidal variables did not differentiate among the groups.
Comparison of the Importance of Alcoholics Anonymous and Outpatient Counseling to Maintenance of Sobriety among Alcohol Abusers
Authors: Williams J. M. , Stout J. K. , Erickson L.
Published: September 2011

36 alcohol abusers who had attended outpatient counseling and Alcoholics Anonymous were asked to rate the importance of outpatient counseling and Alcoholics Anonymous to their maintenance of sobriety. They also reported the number of outpatient and Alcoholics Anonymous sessions they attended in the last 90 days. Alcoholics Anonymous was rated significantly higher in importance to maintenance of sobriety by participants with above median days (160 days) of sobriety than those with below median days of sobriety or than outpatient counseling by those with below or above median days of sobriety. A significant, positive correlation of .79 between attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous and days of sobriety was found.
Employment, Unemployment, and Response to the General Health Questionnaire
Authors: Layton Clive
Published: September 2011

The 60-item General Health Quesitonnaire was given to 101 men facing compulsory redundancy, and again 6 mo. later, to investigate the possible causal link between unemployment and mental ill-health. Those subjects who subsequently reported being jobless showed a significant increase in general, minor, nonpsychotic psychiatric morbidity, and in particular endorsed items forming the derived subfactor Anhedonia. For subjects who reported being reemployed, a significant improvement in general mental health was noted. Change scores between groups were significant on the gross GHQ scale, Anhedonia, and Social dysfunction + loss of confidence.
Convergent Validity of Self-Reported Type a Behavior Pattern of Patients with Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Caracciolo S. , Molinari S.
Published: September 2011

A number of instruments has been proposed purporting to measure the Type A Behavior Pattern and evidence suggests little agreement among the measures. In this paper data are presented on the convergent validity of three self-report measures, the Jenkins Activity Survey, Form C; the Adjective Check List, Type A Behavior Scale; and the Coronary-prone Behavior Attitudes scale. A consecutive series of 33 outpatients affected by angina pectoris from a cardiologic department were subjects. Treatment with beta-blockers led to exclusion of eight subjects so that final sample was of 25, whose mean age was 60.24 yr. Most were female (76%, n = 19) and blue collar workers (72%, n = 18). A significant correlation was shown between the scores of Jenkins Activity Survey and the other scales, except for Type A elements related to hard-driving attitudes and job situation. No correlation was found between scores on the Adjective Check List scale and on the Coronary-prone Behavior Attitudes scale. The data are discussed in the light of the complexity of Type A Behavior Pattern, supporting the hypothesis of the multidimensional nature of this phenomenon and in terms of sociodemographic characteristics of the group.
Psychology of Ownership, Possession, and Property: A Selected Bibliography since 1890
Authors: Rudmin Floyd
Published: September 2011

160 citations on ownership, possession, and property are presented alphabetically, with notations indicating general topics, e.g., business psychology, instinct theory, child development, child language, moral theory, and semantic analysis.
Continuity or Compensation between Waking and Dreaming: An Exploration Using the Eysenck Personality Inventory
Authors: Samson Hélène , De Koninck Joseph
Published: September 2011

To determine whether personality in dreams exhibits a compensatory or a continuous relationship with waking personality, one dream from each of 100 undergraduate women was analysed with an extraversion scale derived from the Eysenck Personality Inventory. The dream extraversion scores were correlated with the subjects' corresponding extraversion score on Eysenck's inventory. The over-all coefficient (.14) was nonsignificant; however, when subjects were divided into high and low neuroticism groups, the low scorers' r was negative and significant (-.29) but that of the high scorers was not (.12). The results suggest that individual differences in neuroticism should be taken into account for further explorations of compensatory relationships between waking and dreaming.
Rates and Responses of Distressed Women to Phone Survey Screening and Recruitment
Authors: Wilcox Nancy S. , Rossi Joseph S. , Prochaska James O.
Published: September 2011

Telephone interviews were used to assess both the prevalence of psychic distress among women during the past 12 months and the willingness of respondents to participate in a study of how women employ self-change efforts to cope with emotional distress. A second purpose of this research was to demonstrate the general effectiveness of telephone surveys in assessing psychological distress. The major findings indicated that the experience of having been nervous or upset was not uncommon: 64% of the 140 respondents indicated some distress, while 31% had been distressed for more than just a couple of days; also, the majority of distressed women were willing to complete an initial questionnaire (81%), a personal interview (53%), and/or follow-up questionnaires (76%). Respondents who reported greater distress were more willing to participate in the study than were respondents who reported less distress. These findings agree with those of a national household interview survey of psychological distress. Our results suggest that telephone surveys represent an effective alternative method for collecting epidemiological data on the sensitive topic of emotional distress.
Self-Concept and Job Satisfaction: Correlations between Two Instruments
Authors: Schaer Barbara , Trentham Landa
Published: September 2011

This cross-validated study focuses on the stability and replicability of the relationship between self-concept as measured by the Tennessee Self-concept Scale and job-related attitudes as measured by the Purdue Teacher Opinionnaire. A significant canonical correlation was obtained for the two sets of scales using two groups of 195 classroom teachers and accounted for 25% of the common variance. Canonical variate weights show that teachers derive greater emotional support from job satisfaction than from teachers' salary, school facilities, or rapport of teachers and principal. Given the clear sample-to-sample congruence, the conclusion is that the two instruments have a moderate relationship and that the opinionnaire shows some promise as a valid indicator of teachers' self-concept.
MMPI: Scoring Changes
Authors: Fitzgerald Melanie , Schoenfeld Lawrence S.
Published: September 2011

This brief paper serves further to alert users of MMPI self-scoring templates to scoring changes with the 1983 revised templates.
Subjective Stress and Productivity in Real Estate Sales People
Authors: Yeh Bijou Y. , Lester David , Tauber Deborah L.
Published: September 2011

A study of real estate sales people showed that their productivity in selling housing was related negatively to their subjective level of stress.
Relationship of Burnout among Professional Psychologists to Professional Expectations and Social Support
Authors: Kahill Sophia
Published: September 2011

The current study investigated the phenomenon of professional burnout among psychologists of varying experience. Self-report measures were employed in a mail survey of Ontario psychologists. The average level of burnout, as assessed by the Tedium measure, was in the low moderate range ( M of 3.0 on a 7-point scale). Of the total sample of 255 subjects, 6.3% were determined to be burned out. Burnout was not related to experience in the profession or to other demographic variables but was significantly related to social support from family and friends, to expectations or attitudes about the profession, and less strongly, to changes in expectations over time (disillusionment). Graduate students reported significantly more disillusionment than practitioners.
Predictive Validity of the MC Carthy Screening Test Based on Wide Range Achievement Test
Authors: Vance Hubert R. , Hankins Norman , Brown Wesley
Published: September 2011

The correlations between the McCarthy Screening Test and the Wide Range Achievement Test were assssed for 87 Caucasian first grade children from a semirural school district: 44 boys and 43 girls whose mean age was 62 mo. at screening and 83 mo. at achievement testing. Pearson product-moment correlations were moderate (.53 to .34) between McCarthy Numerical Memory and achievement and negligible (.03 to .16) between the McCarthy Leg Coordination and the achievement. Findings are discussed in relation to Meeker's technique of interpretation.
Trait-Anxiety Differences among Medical Students
Authors: Bernstein Judith , Carmel Sara
Published: September 2011

This study investigated the degree to which age, year of study, sex, and marital status predict trait anxiety, as measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, among 131 medical students in four classes of a six-year medical school. Univariate analysis showed men had lower trait-anxiety scores than women, and married students had lower scores than single students. Trait-anxiety declined with age and year of study. Multivariate analysis showed that sex was the best predictor of trait-anxiety among these students and that age was a significant predictor even when year of study was held constant. It is suggested that trait-anxiety declines with age among young adults as they successfully cope with the developmental challenges, including professional socialization, of this stage of life.
Personality Types: Comparison of Job Applications and Applicants
Authors: Hai Dorothy M. , Ziemelis Andris , Rossi Janice
Published: September 2011

Personality types of 194 managers and college students were assessed using an abbreviated version of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Subjects were presented copies of four job-application formats, each corresponding to one of the four possible combinations of preferences for perception and judgment, and were asked to rank the applications. Significant associations were found between subjects' personality types and their preferences for job-application formats, indicating a possible prescreening phenomenon at the application stage of the recruitment process. Implications for organizational recruiting were discussed.
Career Satisfaction among Dual-Career Administrators
Authors: Bird Gloria W. , Russell Debra C.
Published: September 2011

This study, based on responses from 69 dual-career college and university administrators, examined the relationship between perceived career satisfaction and (a) career salience, (b) career demand, and (c) use of eight role-management strategies. Analysis showed that career salience, career demand, and use of the strategy of organization jointly explained 39% of the variance in career satisfaction.
Relationships between Learning Styles and Performance on Problem-Solving Tasks
Authors: Armstrong Penny , McDaniel Ernest
Published: September 2011

A computerized problem-solving task was employed to study the relationships among problem-solving behaviors and learning styles. College students made choices to find their way home in a simulated “lost in the woods” task and wrote their. reasons at each choice point. Time to read relevant information and time to make decisions were measured by the computer clock. These variables were correlated with learning style variables from Schmeck's (1977) questionnaire. The findings indicated that subjects who perceived themselves as competent learners take more time on the problem-solving task, use more information and make fewer wrong choices.
Pain Control Techniques in College-Age Athletes
Authors: Gauron Eugene F. , Bowers Wayne A.
Published: September 2011

Pain is a part of an athlete's experience. Interventions for nagging minor injuries occurring during training and competition are not reported in the literature. A simple pain-control technique was used to ascertain its effect on minor pain. The intervention significantly reduced reported pain among college-age athletes and a group of nonathletes. Recommendations for research and practical application ate discussed.
Learning within Organizations: Sources and Content
Authors: Burke Ronald J. , Bolf Catherine
Published: September 2011

This study asks what are the important sources of learning available to managers and professionals in organizations? What is actually learned (content)? What and how much is learned from supervisors, peers, and subordinates? Retrospective data collected from men and women in the early to middle career stages indicate that the values of certain learning sources depend on the content of learning and relate to age and a number of situational factors. Also, other individuals with whom the learners typically interact were rated as the most valued learning sources.
Cognitive Patterns of Two Types of Aggressive Felons
Authors: Flesch Richard G. , Kodman Frank , Dunn Terry L.
Published: September 2011

This investigation concerned a comparison of the opinions and attitudes of male felons incarcerated for homicidal or assaultive behavior and matched with subjects of a normal, control group. The 50 incarcerated and 50 control subjects were closely matched on age, sex, race, and education. A specially designed questionnaire of 330 items was administered one-to-one or in groups of two to five subjects. The felons were screened for current psychotic disturbance, heavy medication, and mental retardation. They were classified as either homicidal or assaultive by review of their official records and the judgment of two three-member panels of judges. The data were subjected to one-way analysis of variance and an item analysis using the Lawshe and Baker technique for testing the significance of differences between percentages.
Authoritarianism and Canadian Voting Preferences for Political Party, Prime Minister, and President
Authors: McCann Stewart J. H. , Stewin Leonard L.
Published: September 2011

Research was initiated to determine whether authoritarianism was related to preferences for political party and leader in the 1984 Canadian federal election, whether more authoritarian Canadians would show a preference for Reagan over Mondale, and whether dogmatism would also discriminate between conservative and liberal selections. A questionnaire was completed by 106 introductory psychology students which contained an F scale, a dogmatism scale, and items to indicate preferences for political party, leader, and Reagan or Mondale. Neither authoritarianism nor dogmatism was related to preference for Canadian political party or leader. However, supporting Rokeach's (1960) contentions, Reagan supporters were significantly higher than Mondale supporters on the authoritarianism dimension but supporters of the two candidates were not significantly different on the dogmatism measure.
Self-Concept of Lesbian and Heterosexual Women
Authors: Christie Debbie , Young Michael
Published: September 2011

31 lesbian and 31 heterosexual women (aged 19 to 53 yr.) were compared on their scores on the Tennessee Self-concept Scale. Differences between the two groups were found only on the “personal self” subscale. There seems little support for an hypothesis that mean self-concept of lesbians as measured here is markedly different from that of heterosexual women.
Contributions to the History of Psychology: XLI. Daniel A. Prescott 1898–1970
Authors: Gay James E. , Williams Robert
Published: September 2011

The professional activities and publications of Daniel A. Prescott, first Director of the Institute for Child Study at the University of Maryland are reviewed. Prescott's contributions were in the areas of child study, education, and human development. He was especially interested in synthesizing research findings on child and adolescent development from a variety of areas, e.g., genetics, physiology, endocrinology, anatomy, pediatrics, sociology, psychology, psychiatry, education, etc., and communicating them in nontechnical language to educators, parents, and others.
Social and Conversational Skills Training with Long-Term Psychiatric Inpatients
Authors: Fecteau Gary W. , Duffy Marilyn
Published: September 2011

Social and conversational skills training has proven effective with chronic psychiatric populations. Little attention, however, has been directed towards examining the use of this training with individuals who have severe disabilities and have not been released from psychiatric institutions to the community. The present case study examined the utility of this training and constraints in attempting to conduct treatment with two groups of 4 and 3 female psychiatric inpatients who averaged 20 yr. of institutionalization. Significant improvement in orientation and attention, reduction in psychotic talk, and gains on three of five conversational skills were noted. Generalization gains were evident on two of the five specific skills. Observations of group process, examination of indicators of emotional impact, and suggestions for practice are discussed.
Strategies developed on the modification of titania for visible light response with enhanced interfacial charge transfer process: an overview
Authors: Gomathi Devi L. , Girish Kumar S.
Published: August 2011

The modification of titania by metal / non metal ion doping, coupling with narrow band gap sensitizer, surface flourination, metal deposition, and together with recent ventures on application of {001} facets of anatase titania for visible light response with enhanced charge carrier separation are briefly overviewed.
Detection of estrogenic activity in Slovenian wastewaters by bioassay
Authors: Bistan Mirjana , Logar Romana , Tišler Tatjana
Published: September 2011

Estrogenic activity has been detected in aquatic ecosystems across the world. However, there is a lack of such data for Slovenian wastewaters and surface waters. The Slovenian monitoring program of effluents discharged into surface waters does not require that emissions of natural and synthetic estrogens into aquatic environments be assessed and controlled. In our study, we assessed the potential estrogenicity of wastewater samples from three wastewater treatment plants using a yeast estrogen screen assay (YES assay). Due to the high inhibition of yeast growth in samples obtained during our first sampling period, it was impossible to detect any estrogenic activity. An additional silica gel clean-up step reduced the toxicity of samples collected during our second sampling period; as a result, we were able to record up to 95% relative estrogenic activity inhibition. Deconjugation of the estrogens did not significantly influence our results. We detected estrogenic activity using a YES assay in almost all influent and effluent samples tested, which suggests that the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) examined do not effectively remove (xeno)estrogens from wastewaters. Our results suggest that a YES assay is an appropriate screening method for monitoring estrogenic activity in effluents. However, prediction of the potential impacts of wastewater (xeno)estrogens on aquatic organisms require additional in vitro and in vivo assays.
Microbial Endocrinology
Authors: Sharaff Fathima , Freestone Primrose
Published: September 2011

Microbial Endocrinology is a new microbiology research discipline that represents the intersection of microbiology and endocrinology with neurophysiology. It has as its main tenet that through their long co-existence with animals and plants, micro-organisms have evolved sensory systems for detecting host-associated hormones. These sensing systems allow the microbe to determine that they are within proximity of a suitable host, and that is time to initiate expression of genes involved in host colonisation. Microbial Endocrinology therefore provides a new paradigm with which to examine and understand the interactions of micro-organisms with their host under conditions present in both health and disease. This article will focus on microbial interactions with the fight and flight family of catecholamine stress hormones.
Inducing stem cell differentiation using low intensity laser irradiation: a possible novel therapeutic intervention
Authors: Abrahamse Heidi
Published: September 2011

Developments in adult stem cell (ASC) potentiation have contributed to excitement in the field of stem cell-based therapy. The use of ASCs not only increases therapeutic treatment possibilities but successful use of multipotent cells for gene therapy has been demonstrated in animal models [1]. Concurrent ability of stem cells (SCs) to either contribute to disease development, as identified in cancer stem cells (CSCs), or to replace diseased tissue by induced differentiation using selected growth factors, has highlighted the intricate molecular and cellular mechanisms. Adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) are capable of self-renewal and respond well to induced differentiation [2]. Auto-immunity and transplant rejection may become minor limitations when selective induction of immunological nonresponsiveness to specific antigens or tissues become possible using autologous cell sources [3]. CSCs initiate tumorogenesis, can generate differentiated daughter cells or undergo self-renewal while thought to instigate tumour regeneration post-treatment. Therapy targeting CSCs has failed to provide feasible alternatives to conventional cancer treatment. Low intensity laser irradiation (LILI), induce a biostimulatory response in several tissue types in addition to a dose-response effect to the detriment of cellular degeneration. Potential of LILI to induce CSC differentiation and subsequent cytotoxic therapy to prevent tumour regeneration is explored in this mini-review.
Effect of cyclodextrins on pH-induced conformational transition of poly(methacrylic acid)
Authors: Horský Jiří , Podešva Jiří , Walterová Zuzana
Published: August 2011

A pH-induced conformational transition of atactic poly(2-methylprop-2-enoic acid) (poly(methacrylic acid), PMMA) from the contracted to expanded conformation was investigated by viscometry, potentiometric titration, and anthracene solubilisation in the presence of low-molecular-mass non-ionogenic co-solutes-glucose, α-cyclodextrin (αCD), and γ-cyclodextrin (γCD), respectively. No effect of glucose and αCD on the conformational transition was observed with either of the methods used. On the other hand, the characteristic features of the conformational transition were absent in the presence of γCD. The different effects of the co-solutes indicate that the interaction between PMAA and γCD corresponds to the partial inclusion of the PMAA chain into the γCD cavity. The viscometry and anthracene solubilisation imply that γCD promotes the expanded conformation of PMAA at low pH. The potentiometric titration does not support this conclusion. Even though there is no break on the Henderson-Hasselbalch plot, a characteristic of the conformational transition, the potentiometric behaviour corresponds to that of the contracted PMMA conformation. Thus the results suggest the hierarchical picture of the PMAA conformation at low pH in which the local arrangement of the PMAA chain is a prerequisite for clustering on a larger scale.
Fibroblast Growth Factor-23 and Hypophosphatemia in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients
Authors: Elsammak Mohamed , Attia Adel , Suleman Moosa
Published: August 2011

Fibroblast Growth Factor-23 and Hypophosphatemia in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients

Impaired serum phosphate levels may contribute to respiratory muscle weakness that further negatively impacts Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients. Recently, Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 (FGF-23) has been shown to play an important role in the regulation of body phosphate. The current study includes 2 groups: 70 COPD patients and 34 control subjects. Blood samples were taken for a panel of routine lab tests. FGF-23 was measured using a commercially available ELISA kit. Plasma FGF-23 levels were significantly higher in the patient group compared to the control group (P=0.000). Tubular maximum absorption of phosphate was significantly reduced in COPD patients compared to the control group (P=0.04). Plasma FGF-23 negatively correlated with FEV1 and serum albumin. Elevated plasma FGF-23 levels found in COPD patients correlated with disease severity and may represent an additional factor causing low serum phosphate.
Immunohistomorphometric Features of ACTH Cells in Juvenile Rats after Treatment with Estradiol or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin
Authors: Milošević Verica , Todorović Danijela , Veličković Miroslava , Ristić Nataša , Ušćebrka Gordana , Knežević Veroljub , Ajdžanović Vladimir
Published: August 2011

Immunohistomorphometric Features of ACTH Cells in Juvenile Rats after Treatment with Estradiol or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin

Estradiol and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) are very important in controlling the secretory activity of hormone producing cells in the female rat pituitary glands. The aim of the present study was to examine the morphometric parameters of immunohistochemically labeled ACTH cells in juvenile (16th day) female rat pituitaries after treatment with five doses of estradiol dipropionate (EDP) and two doses of hCG during the neonatal period of life. The controls were treated on the same schedule with an equivalent volume of vehicle. All animals were sacrificed 24 h after the last treatment. ACTH-producing cells were studied using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase immunohistochemical procedure. The absolute and relative pituitary weights were increased (p<0.05) only in the EDP treated group by 120.0% and by 121.1% respectively, in comparison with the controls. In this group, the volume of ACTH cells, volume of their nuclei and volume density were significantly decreased (p<0.05) by 6.4%, 33.3% and 46.2% respectively, compared to the corresponding controls. After treatment with hCG, there were no significant (p>0.05) changes neither in the volume of ACTH cells nor in the volume of their nuclei, in comparison with the controls. On the basis of the results obtained in our study, it can be concluded that EDP, injected into female rats during the neonatal period of life, has an inhibitory effect on the immunohistomorphometric parameters of ACTH cells, but such an effect is not clearly expressed after treatment with hCG.
Stress Intensity Factor Calculations for the Compressor Blade with Half-Elliptical Surface Crack Using Raju-Newman Solution
Authors: Witek Lucjan
Published: August 2011

Stress Intensity Factor Calculations for the Compressor Blade with Half-Elliptical Surface Crack Using Raju-Newman Solution

This paper presents results of the stress intensity factor calculations for the compressor blade including a half-elliptical crack, subjected to vibration. In this analysis, the Raju-Newman empirical solution for stress intensity factor calculations in the rectangular plate with a half-elliptical flaw was used. The bending stress used in the Raju-Newman solution was computed for the real blade using the finite element method. The K-factor values were calculated only at one point of the crack front, where the crack tip contacts the free surface, because the crack length during experimental investigations was measured just in this direction. In order to determine the stress intensity factors for different crack sizes, ten diverse flaws in the blade were defined. Results of the experimental fatigue tests performed for the blade without preliminary defects showed that the cracks developed from the convex blade surface. On the blade fracture, the beach marks typical of the fatigue damage were visible. The dimensions of cracks in the rectangular plate were defined based on the beach marks shape. In the next part of the work, the stress intensity factor values were used as an input data into the Paris-Erdogan equation. As a result of this calculation, the crack growth rate for the compressor blade vibrating at constant amplitude was estimated. The results obtained were finally compared with the results of the experimental crack growth analysis performed for 1st stage compressor blades of the helicopter turbo-engine.
Addressing and Benchmarking Variations in Airport Demand in the U.S. Domestic Market
Authors: Abdelghany Ahmed , Guzhva Vitaly S. , Srinivasan Kruthika N.
Published: August 2011

A framework quantifies and benchmarks the factors that contribute to airport demand variations for the 100 largest airports in the U.S. domestic market. First, a time series modeling approach is proposed to address and quantify factors that contribute to airport demand variations. The airport demand variation is represented by the quarterly percentile change in the number of passengers flying to and from the airport. The quarterly demand data for each airport are used, with local traffic of the airport separated from its connecting traffic. This separation allows better analysis of demand variations and avoids a portfolio effect on variation attenuation. Factors considered in the modeling approach include seasonality, financial conditions, and incidents. Next, the parameters of the estimated models for the 100 largest airports in the U.S. domestic markets are analyzed to gain more insight into how these parameters vary by airport. Several airport characteristics are considered to explain the parameter differences, which include demand level, number of operations, and airport geographical locations.
Using Smeed's Law to Estimate Number of Bird Strikes in Utah
Authors: Cottrell Wayne D.
Published: August 2011

The FAA's wildlife strike database includes bird strikes recorded in the United States only from 1990 to the present; therefore, there is no database of pre-1990 bird strikes. In this study, a model is fit to the number of bird strikes recorded in Utah between 1990 and 2009 and used to estimate the number of bird strikes occurring in Utah between 1968 and 1989. A variation on Smeed's law is used to estimate the number of bird strikes as a function of aircraft departures and bird populations. The model development used bird populations from 15 species that were involved in 70% of all bird strikes in which the species was known. Utah recorded 1,265 bird strikes between 1990 and 2009; 443 of these involved the 15 species. The modified Smeed model estimated the 1990 to 2009 bird strikes to within 11% of the actual value. The model estimated 155 bird strikes between 1968 and 1989. There was an eightfold increase in bird strikes from the 1970s to 1980s and the 1990s to 2000s and a substantial increase from 1968 to 2009. The indication is that bird strikes are a growing hazard in Utah. Future work might consider combing aircraft incident data for bird strikes from 1968 to 1989 in an attempt to validate the model's estimates. A model with additional variables may be used to predict the impact of bird-strike interventions and extended to a nationwide scale.
Modeling and Forecasting Passenger Demand for a New Domestic Airport with Limited Data
Authors: Wadud Zia
Published: August 2011

Because adequate information on people's travel behavior is often unavailable in developing countries, demand modeling for a new airport is difficult. This study presents a simple modeling approach that uses limited aggregate information about a country to generate a forecast for passenger patronage in a new airport. The model uses aggregate time-series information on the national level and patronage at other airports to develop a gravity-type demand model for the country. The demand model incorporates the possible competition with a substitute mode, which is often the case for air travel demand in a small country. Demand for the specific new airport is then calibrated by using the parameters from this demand model and a small passenger survey. This modeling approach is applied to forecast the demand for a new airport in a divisional capital in Bangladesh, for which no regional data on gross domestic product or population are available. The modeling approach can be useful to researchers and practitioners when extensive data about air travel behavior are not available.
Capacity, Delay, and Schedule Reliability at Major Airports in Europe and the United States
Authors: Morisset Thomas , Odoni Amedeo
Published: August 2011

Runway system capacity, air traffic delay, scheduling practices, and flight schedule reliability at major airports in Europe and the United States are compared. The comparisons are based on the study of operations at the 34 busiest airports in the United States and at the 34 busiest airports in Europe with the use of extensive data from 2007 and 2008. Major differences were found in several critical respects with important implications for aviation policy makers in both areas. U.S. airports achieve significantly higher capacities, in terms of aircraft movements, than their European counterparts with similar runway system layouts, primarily through the use of visual separation procedures when weather permits. They also achieve higher use of any available airside capacity by not placing constraints on the number of movements that can be scheduled at airports. One of the negative consequences of such policies is a high variability of delays with weather. European airports, however, limit air traffic delay by using slot controls and by determining their declared capacity (i.e., the number of slots they make available) primarily with reference to operations under instrument meteorological conditions. Particularly noteworthy is the sharp deterioration of schedule reliability over the course of a typical day at U.S. airports as measured by the expected value and the standard deviation of delay. European airports, in contrast, exhibit relatively constant schedule reliability throughout the day. A few exceptions to some of the findings are also noted on both sides of the North Atlantic.
Diffusion tensor imaging–based fiber tracking for prediction of the position of the facial nerve in relation to large vestibular schwannomas
Authors: Gerganov Venelin M. , Giordano Mario , Samii Madjid , Samii Amir
Published: August 2011

Object

The reliable preoperative visualization of facial nerve location in relation to vestibular schwannoma (VS) would allow surgeons to plan tumor removal accordingly and may increase the safety of surgery. In this prospective study, the authors attempted to validate the reliability of facial nerve diffusion tensor (DT) imaging–based fiber tracking in a series of patients with large VSs. Furthermore, the authors evaluated the potential of this visualization technique to predict the morphological shape of the facial nerve (tumor compression–related flattening of the nerve).

Methods

Diffusion tensor imaging and anatomical images (constructive interference in steady state) were acquired in a series of 22 consecutive patients with large VSs and postprocessed with navigational software to obtain facial nerve fiber tracking. The location of the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) part of the nerve in relation to the tumor was recorded during surgery by the surgeon, who was blinded to the results of the fiber tracking. A correlative analysis was performed of the imaging-based location of the nerve compared with its in situ position in relation to the VS.

Results

Fibers corresponding to the anatomical location and course of the facial nerve from the brainstem to the internal auditory meatus were identified with the DT imaging–based fiber tracking technique in all 22 cases. The location of the CPA segment of the facial nerve in relation to the VS determined during surgery corresponded to the location of the fibers, predicted by the DT imaging–based fiber tracking, in 20 (90.9%) of the 22 patients. No DT imaging–based fiber tracking correlates were found with the 2 morphological types of the nerve (compact or flat).

Conclusions

The current study of patients with large VSs has shown that the position of the facial nerve in relation to the tumor can be predicted reliably (in 91%) using DT imaging–based fiber tracking. These are preliminary results that need further verification in a larger series.
Synthesis, Spectroscopic and Electrochemical Studies of Mononuclear Fe(II) and Ni(II) Complexes Containing a Macrocyclic Ligand Derived from Pyridine-2,6-dicarboxaldehyde and 1,2-Bis(2-aminoethoxy) Ethane
Authors: Alam M. M. , Begum R. , Rahman S. M. M. , Islam S. M. S.
Published: September 2011

The cyclic (2+2) template condensation of 2,6-pyridinedicarboxaldehyde with 1,2-bis(2-aminoethoxy) ethane using Pb(SCN)2 as the metal source gave dinuclear lead(II) complex, Pb2L1(SCN)4 (1), where L1 is tetra-Schiff-base macrocycle. The transmetallation treatment of 1 with suitable metal perchlorate yield [FeL1](ClO4)2 (2) and [NiL1](ClO4)2 (3). The complexes (2 & 3) have been characterized by elemental analyses, IR, UV-visible, and ESI-MS spectroscopy. Based on spectral data, octahedral geometry may be proposed for these complexes. The electrochemical behavior of iron and nickel complexes is reported.Keywords:  Macrocyclic complexes; Spectroscopic studies; 1,2-Bis(2-aminoethoxy) ethane; Charge transfer.© 2011 JSR Publications. ISSN: 2070-0237 (Print); 2070-0245 (Online). All rights reserved.doi: 10.3329/jsr.v3i3.7231               J. Sci. Res. 3 (3), 609-617 (2011)
L'indicateur QALYs à la lumière de la théorie de l'utilité espérée multi-attribut explicitement décomposée
Authors: Buron Catherine , Le Galès Catherine , Fericelli Anne-Marie
Published: September 2011

An Explanatory Analysis of the QALYs Indicator in the Light of Multi- Attribute Utility Theory by Catherine Buron, Catherine Le Gales and Anne-Marie Fericelli

For the past few years a number of health microeconomists have been suggesting that quality adjusted life years (QALYs) should be included in economic analysis. The first half of the paper offers a critical review of existing QALYs models in the light of Keeney and Raiffa's multi-attribute utility theory (MUT). In the second half, the conditions for QALYs modelling with this theory are explained and the various hypotheses (independence in terms of utility, mutual utility and additive utility) are stated and then discussed. Whilst highlighting the lack of evidence for the empirical validity of the hypotheses required for QALYs modelling consistent with the MUT, the survey demonstrates the importance of the MUT for modelling utility functions relating to chronic states of health.
Mesure de l'équité des modes de financement et de distribution des soins de santé : aspects méthodologiques avec illustration sur l'Irlande
Authors: Nolan Brian
Published: September 2011

Mesure de l'équité des modes de financement et de distribution des soins de santé :

aspects méthodologiques avec illustration sur l'Irlande

par Brian Nolan

Cet article présente les difficultés méthodologiques rencontrées dans la mesure de l'équité du financement et de la distribution des soins de santé. Certaines de ces difficultés sont communes à d'autres domaines de l'économie mais plus complexes demeurent spécifiques, comme celui de trouver une mesure convenable des besoins médicaux. Il est aussi difficile d'établir un lien univoque entre résultats macro-économiques et comportements micro-économiques de production et consommation. Encore plus complexe est le fait que l'évaluation des besoins devrait faire référence à la capacité des patients de bénéficier des soins plutôt qu'à l'importance de la maladie, et à la répartition dans la population de ces améliorations d'état de santé plutôt qu'à l'utilisation des soins médicaux. En effet, beaucoup des soins médicaux proposés actuellement ne sauraient réduire les inégalités de santé, quand bien même ils seraient ciblés sur les catégories socio-économiques les plus défavorisées.
Recours aux soins des adultes et mode de gestion du risque
Authors: Menahem Georges
Published: September 2011

Adult Health-Care Demand And Risk Management Methods by Georges Menahem

The paper shows how allowance for individual attitudes to risk can improve the "health-care demand" model. The assumption that individuals differ according to the level of overall risk that they are prepared to accept produces a coherent analysis of state of health, demand for medical care, and prevention "investment". Logistic regressions for a representative cross-section of the French population consisting of 13 150 adults show that this level of "programmed risk" correlates positively with declared morbidity and objective morbidity in terms of medical consumption. Conversely, it correlates negatively with prophylactic medical visits.
Segmentation et marchés locaux du travail
Authors: Thisse Jacques-François , Zenou Yves
Published: September 2011

Segmentation et marchés locaux du travail par Jacques-François Thisse et Yves Zenou

L'existence de segmentations et de cloisonnements spatiaux sur le marché du travail est un fait empirique bien établi. L'objet de cet article est d'exposer et d'évaluer les principales explications qui en ont été proposées. Celles-ci ont en commun de supposer que la force de travail est hétérogène, à savoir que les travailleurs sont différenciés soit par leur spécialisation, soit par leur localisation géographique.