Decisional balance of condom use and depressed mood among incarcerated male adolescents.

The association between depressed mood and condom use was examined among incarcerated male adolescents. One hundred and eighty male adolescents who were detained in Birmingham, Alabama in the United States were interviewed during a period of incarceration. Contrary to patterns generally found in adult samples, nearly 50% of this adolescent sample that did not use condoms regularly actually recognized the advantages of condom use. This behavior pattern was deemed &#34;inconsistent,&#34; and those engaging in this &#34;inconsistent&#34; behavior pattern were found to have a higher score of depressed mood compared to participants with a &#34;consistent&#34; behavior pattern. As a result, a relationship between depressed mood and decisional balance for condom use within adolescents was evident. These findings suggest that assessment and treatment of depressed mood within this high-risk population could potentially contribute to a reduction in high-risk sexual behaviors.</p

Double and single pion photoproduction within a dynamical coupled-channels model

Within a dynamical coupled-channels model which has already been fixed from analyzing the data of the pi N -> pi N and gamma N -> pi N reactions, we present the predicted double pion photoproduction cross sections up to the second resonance region, W< 1.7 GeV. The roles played by the different mechanisms within our model in determining both the single and double pion photoproduction reactions are analyzed, focusing on the effects due to the direct gamma N -> pi pi N mechanism, the interplay between the resonant and non-resonant amplitudes, and the coupled-channels effects. The model parameters which can be determined most effectively in the combined studies of both the single and double pion photoproduction data are identified for future studies.Comment: Version to appear in PRC. 16 pages, 13 figure

The role of alcohol in deaths presenting to the Coroner’s Service in Cork city and county.

A retrospective study was conducted in order to determine the prevalence and concentration of alcohol in post-mortem blood samples sent for toxicological analysis in Cork City and County in 2003 and 2004. Post mortem reports of these deaths were reviewed for the presence or absence of alcohol at the time of autopsy, blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at time of death, age and sex of the decedents. Of samples sent for blood alcohol analysis (BAA), 38.4% were positive for alcohol. Significant differences were found between the proportions of alcohol positive cases by cause of death. Alcohol positive cases were significantly younger (44.3 ± 17.8 years) than alcohol negative cases (51.9 ± 19.4years) and fifty two percent of drivers were positive for alcohol at the time of death. Awareness of the harmful and potentially fatal effects of alcohol should continue to be raised within the community, so as to prevent future fatalities

Is your EPL attractive? Classification of publications through download statistics

Here we consider the download statistics of EPL publications. We find that papers in the journal are characterised by fast accumulations of downloads during the first couple of months after publication, followed by slower rates thereafter, behaviour which can be represented by a model with predictive power. We also find that individual papers can be classified in various ways, allowing us to compare categories for open-access and non-open-access papers. For example, for the latter publications, which comprise the bulk of EPL papers, a small proportion (2%) display intense bursts of download activity, possibly following an extended period of less remarkable behaviour. About 18% have an especially high degree of attractiveness over and above what is typical for the journal. One can also classify the ageing of attractiveness by examining download half-lives. Approximately 18% have strong interest initially, waning in time. A further 20% exhibit "delayed recognition" with relatively late spurs in download activity. Although open-access papers enjoy more downloads on average, the proportions falling into each category are similar.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in EP

Multivariate side-band subtraction using probabilistic event weights

A common situation in experimental physics is to have a signal which can not be separated from a non-interfering background through the use of any cut. In this paper, we describe a procedure for determining, on an event-by-event basis, a quality factor ($Q$-factor) that a given event originated from the signal distribution. This procedure generalizes the "side-band" subtraction method to higher dimensions without requiring the data to be divided into bins. The $Q$-factors can then be used as event weights in subsequent analysis procedures, allowing one to more directly access the true spectrum of the signal.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figure

Development of an Adaptive Efficient Thermal/Electric Skipping Control Strategy Applied to a Parallel Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

In recent years automobile manufacturers focused on an increasing degree of electrification of the powertrains with the aim to reduce pollutants and CO2 emissions. Despite more complex design processes and control strategies, these powertrains offer improved fuel exploitation compared to conventional vehicles thanks to intelligent energy management. A simulation study is here presented aiming at developing a new control strategy for a P3 parallel plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. The simulation model is implemented using vehicle modeling and simulation toolboxes in MATLAB/Simulink. The proposed control strategy is based on an alternative utilization of the electric motor and thermal engine to satisfy the vehicle power demand at the wheels (Efficient Thermal/Electric Skipping Strategy-ETESS). The choice between the two units is realized through a comparison between two equivalent fuel rates, one related to the thermal engine and the other related to the electric consumption. An adaptive function is introduced to develop a charge-blended control strategy. The novel adaptive control strategy (A-ETESS) is applied to estimate fuel consumption along different driving cycles. The control algorithm is implemented on a dedicated microcontroller unit performing a Processor-In-the-Loop (PIL) simulation. To demonstrate the reliability and effectiveness of the A-ETESS, the same adaptive function is built on the Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy (ECMS). The PIL results showed that the proposed strategy ensures a fuel economy similar to ECMS (worse of about 2% on average) and a computational effort reduced by 99% on average. This last feature reveals the potential for real-time on-vehicle applications

Effects of Pre-Lift Intake Valve Strategies on the Performance of a DISI VVA Turbocharged Engine at Part and Full Load Operation☆

Abstract In the paper, the potentialities offered by an advanced valve lift design are numerically analyzed. In particular, the study is carried out by a 1D approach and regards the characterization of a VVA strategy named " pre-lift" applied to a downsized turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The pre-lift consists of a small, almost constant lift of the intake valve during the exhaust stroke, so to increase the valves overlapping. The results show a benefit on the fuel economy and on the gas-dynamic noise at part load and a substantial increase in the delivered torque at full load, while preserving the fuel consumption