Investigation of Anger-management Techniques for Essential Hypertension Patients

The hypotheses that when cognitive-behavior interventions for anger-management are introduced to an essential hypertension (EH) patient with clinically significant levels of anger in an eight-session therapy protocol, blood pressure (BP) measures will decrease, coping mechanisms will be enhanced, and behavior associated with anger will be transformed from the inhibition of it or the aggressive expression of it to a more rational and reasoned communications approach, demonstrated by scores falling between the 25th and 75th percentile on the State-Trait Anger Inventory-2 [STAXI-2] (Spielberger, 1999) were supported in this case study. The research findings were that a male, EH patient improved his ability to express anger appropriately after receiving a protocol designed to treat anger-in and anger-out, and that his BP measures decreased both during the protocol and in the poststudy period. The self monitored mean blood pressure readings decreased from 121.58 systolic blood pressure (SBP) and 69.66 diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at baseline to a SBP of 109.78 and a DBP of 65.66 at poststudy. His total scale score on the STAXI-2 decreased from the 90th percentile at baseline to the 25th percentile at poststudy and his total scale score on the Multidimensional Anger Inventory (MAl) [Siegal, 1986] decreased from above the 85th percentile to below the 15th percentile. The 14-week study involved a two-week baseline period, an eight-session anger-management protocol, and a four-week post-treatment period. Psychophysiological, standardized, subjective and qualitative assessments were employed. The standardized tests used in the study were: the STAXI-2 (Spielberger, 1999), the MAl (Siegel, 1986), the Mahan and DiTomasso Anger Scale [MAD-AS] (Mahan, 2001), and the Social-Problem Solving Inventory-Revised [SPSI-R] (D\u27Zurilla, Nezu, & Maydeu-Olivares, 1996). Qualitative and subjective measures included the Anger Events Inventory, developed by the investigator, for self-monitoring and significant-other monitoring, and the Subjective Anxiety Scale (Wolpe, 1973). Blood pressure (BP) measures were taken three times a week during the length of the study by the subject using a digital BP machine (McGrady, Olson, & Kroon, 1995; National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 1997) and BP levels were measured by the physician\u27s assistant at the end of each session. The treatment protocol combined cognitive-behavioral techniques for anger-management: relaxation exercises, role-play and exposure techniques, assertiveness and communications skills, relapse prevention methods, homework, and reinforcement. The results indicated that cognitive-behavioral, anger-management techniques, when individually administered to an EH patient who attained high anger indexes, were associated with lowered BP, lowered arousal, decreased anger, and increased problem solving

Electrolytically regenerative hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell Patent

Electrolytically regenerative hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell

The Multiple Young Stellar Objects of HBC 515: An X-ray and Millimeter-wave Imaging Study in (Pre-main Sequence) Diversity

We present Chandra X-ray Observatory and Submillimeter Array (SMA) imaging of HBC 515, a system consisting of multiple young stellar objects (YSOs). The five members of HBC 515 represent a remarkably diverse array of YSOs, ranging from the low-mass Class I/II protostar HBC 515B, through Class II and transition disk objects (HBC 515D and C, respectively), to the "diskless", intermediate- mass, pre-main sequence binary HBC 515A. Our Chandra/ACIS imaging establishes that all five components are X-ray sources, with HBC 515A - a subarcsecond-separation binary that is partially resolved by Chandra - being the dominant X-ray source. We detect an X-ray flare associated with HBC 515B. In the SMA imaging, HBC 515B is detected as a strong 1.3 mm continuum emission source; a second, weaker mm continuum source is coincident with the position of the transition disk object HBC 515C. These results strongly support the protostellar nature of HBC 515B, and firmly establish HBC 515A as a member of the rare class of relatively massive, X-ray luminous "weak-lined T Tauri stars" that are binaries and have shed their disks at very early stages of pre-MS evolution. The coexistence of two such disparate objects within a single, presumably coeval multiple YSO system highlights the influence of pre- MS star mass, binarity, and X-ray luminosity in regulating the lifetimes of circumstellar, planet-forming disks and the timescales of star-disk interactions.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A; 11 pages, 5 figure

A High Resolution Study of the Slowly Contracting, Starless Core L1544

We present interferometric observations of N2H+(1--0) in the starless, dense core L1544 in Taurus. Red-shifted self-absorption, indicative of inward motions, is found toward the center of an elongated core. The data are fit by a non-spherical model consisting of two isothermal, rotating, centrally condensed layers. Through a hybrid global-individual fit to the spectra, we map the variation of infall speed at scales ~1400AU and find values ~0.08 km/s around the core center. The inward motions are small in comparison to thermal, rotational, and gravitational speeds but are large enough to suggest that L1544 is very close to forming a star.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letter

Micrographic Fracture Characterization of Gallium Arsenide Wafers

Single crystal gallium arsenide (GaAs) specimens were loaded to failure. Scanning electron microscope examination of fracture surfaces showed that GaAs fails in a brittle manner on {110} planes. Features on these fracture surfaces were used to identify preexisting (critical) flaws that potentially initiated fracture when loaded by tensile stresses. Critical flaws in each specimen were identified by comparison to an intentionally damaged control. The size and shape of critical defects were consistent with existing failure models

Infall, Outflow, Rotation, and Turbulent Motions of Dense Gas within NGC 1333 IRAS 4

Millimeter wavelength observations are presented of NGC 1333 IRAS 4, a group of highly-embedded young stellar objects in Perseus, that reveal motions of infall, outflow, rotation, and turbulence in the dense gas around its two brightest continuum objects, 4A and 4B. These data have finest angular resolution of approximately 2" (0.0034 pc) and finest velocity resolution of 0.13 km/s. Infall motions are seen from inverse P-Cygni profiles observed in H2CO 3_12-2_11 toward both objects, but also in CS 3-2 and N2H+ 1-0 toward 4A, providing the least ambiguous evidence for such motions toward low-mass protostellar objects. Outflow motions are probed by bright line wings of H2CO 3_12-2_11 and CS 3-2 observed at positions offset from 4A and 4B, likely tracing dense cavity walls. Rotational motions of dense gas are traced by a systematic variation of the N2H+ line velocities, and such variations are found around 4A but not around 4B. Turbulent motions appear reduced with scale, given N2H+ line widths around both 4A and 4B that are narrower by factors of 2 or 3 than those seen from single-dish observations. Minimum observed line widths of approximately 0.2 km/s provide a new low, upper bound to the velocity dispersion of the parent core to IRAS 4, and demonstrate that turbulence within regions of clustered star formation can be reduced significantly. A third continuum object in the region, 4B', shows no detectable line emission in any of the observed molecular species.Comment: LateX, 51 pages, 9 figures, accepted by Ap

ALMA Observations of the Young Substellar Binary System 2M1207

We present ALMA observations of the 2M1207 system, a young binary made of a brown dwarf with a planetary-mass companion at a projected separation of about 40 au. We detect emission from dust continuum at 0.89 mm and from the $J = 3 - 2$ rotational transition of CO from a very compact disk around the young brown dwarf. The small radius found for this brown dwarf disk may be due to truncation from the tidal interaction with the planetary-mass companion. Under the assumption of optically thin dust emission, we estimated a dust mass of 0.1 $M_{\oplus}$ for the 2M1207A disk, and a 3$\sigma$ upper limit of $\sim 1~M_{\rm{Moon}}$ for dust surrounding 2M1207b, which is the tightest upper limit obtained so far for the mass of dust particles surrounding a young planetary-mass companion. We discuss the impact of this and other non-detections of young planetary-mass companions for models of planet formation, which predict the presence of circum-planetary material surrounding these objects.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A