Alzheimer\u27s: The Invisible Second Victim

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a progressive illness characterized by severe brain atrophy and accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles and neurotic plaques in the cerebral cortex. These symptoms lead to severe memory loss and confusion for the individual with AD, but this loss of memory also has a great effect on the family members caring for them. In the past the consequences of caring for someone with AD have been largely ignored and overshadowed by AD itself, however one should not ignore the drastic life changes the caregiver of an AD patient must make. Caregivers of AD patients must not only cope with the diagnosis of a loved one, but may also need to step up and take care of the logistics of the disease. This includes everything from paying for doctor’s appointments, to designating a durable power of attorney (DPOA) to finding a nursing home for the individual with AD. Also, the financial burden of Alzheimer’s treatment and care often falls onto the family. All these factors lead to a range of emotions and stress for the caregiver that should not be ignored by society

Unwanted Sexual Experience: An Investigation of Emotion and Physiology

The statistics on the prevalence of sexual abuse are varied and alarmingly large. Rojas and Kinder (2007) showed that a little less than 30% of males stated that they had been sexually abused while a little over 30% of females reported being sexually abused. The purpose of this study is to obtain additional information regarding cognitive-affective processing in individuals who have had an unwanted sexual experience. The current study is a pilot study that questions whether a difference in physiological response, as measured by skin conductance and heart rate, will occur in people who have had an unwanted sexual experience while viewing positive and/or negative interpersonal pictures. A total of 140 participants ranging in ages from 18-66 years were recruited from Cal State San Bernardino\u27s subject pool. The mean age was 25.23, of these participants, 125 were female and 15 were male. Multiple repeated measures ANOVA\u27s mixed design were conducted in order to assess whether having had an unwanted sexual experience and/or whether gender could affect one\u27s physiological responses when viewing emotionally laden pictures depicting interpersonal touch. This study showed that an innate physiological trauma did not exist in individuals who had experienced sexual abuse in the past. In fact, they experienced similar physiological responses, as those who did not report suffering from any type of unwanted sexual touch, as measured through skin conductance and heart rate. Gender did not have a significant effect but this could be due to the small sample size of males. The study was able to replicate other findings, which showed that valence has a significant effect on skin conductance. A new finding was that a significant interaction exists between pictures depicting interpersonal touch and valence of the picture across skin conductance

Differences in IQ and Memory of Monolingual/Bilingual Children who Suffered a TBI

Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs at an average rate of 180 per 100,000 children who are hospitalized for head injury within the United States (Schwartz et al., 2003). Bilinguals are a large proportion of the population living in the United States and in Southern California, particularly. If children who are bilingual incur a TBI, will they have even more difficulty than monolinguals with language tasks because they have a smaller vocabulary base? This study aims to further elucidate whether verbal memory will be more severely impacted than nonverbal memory in this same bilingual pediatric TBI population. 18 children (M age =11.67 years (SD =3.7), 61% males, 50% bilingual) were assessed as part of a longitudinal study evaluating neuropsychological outcomes in moderate/ severe pediatric TBI at 3 m (Time 1) & 12 m (Time 2) post-injury. Multiple mixed design ANCOVA\u27s were conducted in order to assess differences within and between bilingual/monolingual IQ\u27s and verbal and nonverbal memories. Overall this study has shown that bilinguals do not appear to have a significant difference between their VIQ/PIQ splits. The bilingual brain does not appear to have significant changes in VIQ, immediate, or delayed verbal memory. More significant improvements are seen within the monolingual brain. The greatest recovery for both bilinguals and monolinguals appears to occur over time with immediate and delayed nonverbal memory

Linear Precoding performance analysis in a Broadband satellite system with a 2-color dual-polarization reuse scheme

The potential of Joint Multiuser Processing in multi-beam satellite systems is assessed in this paper and proved to be a potential attractive alternative to current systems. The present contribution aims at investigating linear precoding techniques over an accurate multi-beam architecture modeling and system characterization. Power and precoder design problems are approached through well-known linear precoding techniques such as Zero Forcing (ZF) and Regularized-ZF. A dual-polarization 2-color reutilization scheme is considered in combination with precoding techniques. Results show a total throughput improvement of +22% achieved by ZF and +38% considering R-ZF, with respect to a conventional 4-color reuse scheme scenario

A Study of time and temperature variables affecting apolipoprotein B-100 on iodipamide ethyl ester particles

The hypothesis tested in the epitope stability study is that apo B bound to a synthetic core of iodipamide ethyl ester (IDE) particles retain stability, as detected by immunoreactivity of apo B epitopes with two monoclonal antibodies. The mAB 3.01 binds to the carboxy terminal end of apo B-1 00. The mAB T4 binds to the T4 peptide fragment at the amino terminal end of both apo B-1 00 and apo B-48. Stability of LDL-coated IDE was evaluated over 40 days when stored at -20C, 4C and 25C. Stability of reconstituted lyophilized IDE was evaluated over 42 days, starting with particles that had been lyophilized for 14 days. For the nonlyophilized LDL-coated IDE, lower temperatures (-20C and 4C) appear to be more effective in slowing down degradation of apo B, as the epitope immunoreactivity detected by the mABs was greater for these temperatures than for 25C. Reconstituted lyophilized LDL-coated IDE particles are effective in stabilizing apo B antigenic sites for at least 28 days. Interpretation of the results of the study must include a consideration of the length of time LDL was stored at 4C before being bound to IDE particles (13 days) and the length of time the LDL-coated IDE was stored at 4C before lyophilization (14 days, or a total age of 27 days for LDL in vitro). This suggests that a future study of apo B epitope stability utilizing LDL-coated IDE should use fresher LDL (apo B) for coating IDE, followed by immediate lyophilization

Determination of Rapid-Equilibrium Kinetic Parameters of Ordered and Random Enzyme-Catalyzed Reaction A + B = P + Q

This article deals with the rapid-equilibrium kinetics of the forward and reverse reactions together for the ordered and random enzyme-catalyzed A + B = P + Q and emphasizes the importance of reporting the values of the full set of equilibrium constants. Equilibrium constants that are not in the rate equation can be calculated for random mechanisms using thermodynamic cycles. This treatment is based on the use of a computer to derive rate equations for three mechanisms and to estimate the kinetic parameters with the minimum number of velocity measurements. The most general of these three programs is the one to use first when the mechanism for A + B = P + Q is studied for the first time. This article shows the effects of experimental errors in velocity measurements on the values of the kinetic parameters and on the apparent equilibrium constant calculated using the Haldane relation

Next Generation High Throughput Satellite System

This paper aims at presenting an overview of the state-of-the-art in High Throughput Satellite (HTS) systems for Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) and High Density-FSS. Promising techniques and innovative strategies that can enhance system performance are reviewed and analyzed aiming to show what to expect for next generation ultra-high capacity satellite systems. Potential air interface evolutions, efficient frequency plans,feeder link dimensioning strategies and interference cancellation techniques are presented to show how Terabit/s satellite myth may turn into reality real soon

Determination of Kinetic Parameters of Enzyme-Catalyzed Reaction A + B + C → Products with the Minimum Number of Velocity Measurements

Rapid-equilibrium rate equations are derived for the five different mechanisms for the enzymatic catalysis of A + B + C → products using a computer. These rate equations are used to determine the minimum number of velocities required to estimate the values of the kinetic parameters. The rate equation for the completely ordered mechanism involves four kinetic parameters, and the rate equation for the completely random mechanism involves eight kinetic parameters. Therefore, the four to eight kinetic parameters can be estimated by determining four to eight velocities and solving four to eight simultaneous equations. General recommendations are made as to the choices of triplets of substrate concentrations {[A], [B], [C]} to be used to determine the velocities. The effects of 5% errors in the measured velocities, one at a time, are calculated and are summarized in tables. Calculations of effects of experimental errors are useful in choosing the triplets of substrate concentrations to be used to obtain the most accurate values of the kinetic parameters. When the kinetic parameters for A + B + C → products are to be determined for the first time, it is recommended that the program for the completely random mechanism be used because it can identify the mechanism and determine the kinetic parameters in one operation

A Quantitative Study of Perceived Factors That Influence Enrollment Within a Regional Conference Seventh-day Adventist School System

Problem A significant challenge confronting Seventh-day Adventist schools is declining enrollment, with schools in the North America Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church either closing or experiencing a substantial reduction in enrollment over the years. The purpose of this study is to identify the perceived factors influencing enrollment within the Allegheny East Conference school system, ultimately explaining the enrollment shift from 1277 students to 635 students over a twenty-year period within the Allegheny East Conference school system. The study also determined if there are significant differences in perceptions of the importance of these observed enrollment-related factors among participants who hold leadership positions (principals, superintendents, board members, and pastors), individuals who work under leaders (teachers), and ‘consumers’ of Allegheny East Conference educational services (parents and alumni). Additionally, this study examined any differences in perceptions of these factors among participants based on their year(s) of affiliation with the Allegheny East Conference school system. Method The research design selected for this study is a quantitative approach. A quantitative approach investigates a social phenomenon, utilizing numerical and statistical data. This research method analyzes the data to identify relationships and trends (Watson, 2015). To conduct this quantitative study, a survey questionnaire was distributed to the participants. The survey questions were used to identify which of the presented factors, based on the participants’ perceptions, were responsible for the decline in enrollment in the Allegheny East Conference school system. The factors the participants could choose from were leadership, curriculum, educational cost, lack of diversity, other school alternatives (private, charter, and public school), facility, lack of resources, teachers, lack of church support, not a priority, and others. Participants rated each factor based on their perception of what they believed contributed to the decline in enrollment. Participants were able to provide a rating between zero and four for what they believed were determining factors that led to the decline in enrollment (0 = not applicable, 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = agree, 4 = strongly agree). Results The study\u27s findings revealed that stakeholders perceive resources as the primary factor influencing shifts in enrollment in the Allegheny East Conference school system. Leadership and tuition costs were equally identified as the second most influential factors. The third factor believed to contribute to enrollment shifts is the school\u27s curriculum. Following closely as the fourth factor is the condition of the school buildings. Teachers were recognized as the fifth factor impacting enrollment, while the support from churches ranked sixth. Parents\u27 prioritization of a Seventh-day Adventist education for their child(ren) emerged as the seventh factor influencing enrollment shifts. Eighth on the list, according to stakeholders, is parents\u27 ability to choose from various school options. Lastly, racial diversity was perceived as the least influential factor leading to shifts in enrollment. A multivariate test (Wilks’ Lambda) evaluated any differences in perceptions of the importance of factors associated with enrollment decline in the Allegheny East Conference school system among leaders (principals, superintendents, board members, pastors), teachers, and education ‘consumers’ (parents, alumni). Although this multivariate test reached nominal significance (p \u3c 0.05), among the individual factors, only ‘quality of teachers’ showed significance (p \u3c 0.05), with mean importance ratings of 3.89, 4.21 and 4.37, respectively (i.e., leaders’ perceptions of the importance of teachers were lower than those of parents and alumni). Another multivariate test (Wilks’ Lambda) conducted to examine possible differences in perceptions of the importance of those factors related to enrollment decline, based on the year(s) participants became affiliated with the Allegheny East Conference school system, reached significance (p = 0.001). Aggregating affiliation year into seven subcategories to achieve balanced groups and evaluating these subcategory groups as an independent variable, with the factors related to enrollment decline as dependent variable’s, found significant differences in perceived importance for racial diversity (p \u3c 0.05), school choice (p \u3c 0.01), and quality of teachers (p \u3c 0.01). Conclusions Based on the results of this study, it can be stated that the participants in the study believe that resources, or the lack thereof, are the main factors that impact enrollment in the Allegheny East Conference school system. Other strong factors that impact enrollment include leadership, tuition cost, curriculum, condition of the facility, and the quality of the teachers. Racial diversity was perceived to not have any impact on enrollment. A possible difference was found – in perceptions of the ‘quality of teachers’ factor related to enrollment decline – among leaders, teachers, and ‘consumers’ of education; furthermore, some differences emerged in the perceived importance of factors related to enrollment decline due to the years when affiliated with the Allegheny East Conference school system