Self-Diffusion of a Polymer Chain in a Melt

Self-diffusion of a polymer chain in a melt is studied by Monte Carlo simulations of the bond fluctuation model, where only the excluded volume interaction is taken into account. Polymer chains, each of which consists of $N$ segments, are located on an $L \times L \times L$ simple cubic lattice under periodic boundary conditions, where each segment occupies $2 \times 2 \times 2$ unit cells. The results for $N=32, 48, 64, 96, 128, 192, 256, 384$ and 512 at the volume fraction $\phi \simeq 0.5$ are reported, where $L = 128$ for $N \leq 256$ and L=192 for $N \geq 384$. The $N$-dependence of the self-diffusion constant $D$ is examined. Here, $D$ is estimated from the mean square displacements of the center of mass of a single polymer chain at the times larger than the longest relaxation time. From the data for $N = 256$, 384 and 512, the apparent exponent $x_{\rm d}$, which describes the apparent power law dependence of $D$ on $N$ as $D \propto N^{- x_{\rm d}}$, is estimated as $x_{\rm d} \simeq 2.4$. The ratio $D \tau / < R_{\rm e}^{2} >$ seems to be a constant for $N = 192, 256, 384$ and 512, where $\tau$ and $<R_{\rm e}^{2}>$ denote the longest relaxation time and the mean square end-to-end distance, respectively.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Work-Induced Stress and Its Influence on Organizational Effectiveness and Productivity among Nigerian Workers

The study examined work induced stress and its relationship to Organizational Effectiveness and Productivity amongst Nigerian Employees. Employees of Nigerian Television Authority and Nigerian Immigration Services were sampled in this study to observe how workplace has interfered with their inputs and organizational productivity. In collecting the needed quantitative data, a structured and a standardized questionnaire was used to collect the needed data and to measure the variables in question with result indicating a strong relationship between work stress, work effectiveness and work productivity. The study concluded by saying that the concept of work-induced stress, and workers effectiveness and productivity are relatively inseparable; and challenged the various organizations in Nigeria to employ the services of Organizational and Clinical Psychologists to help in providing stress coping skills, coaching and counselling to employees as it will help to boost efficiency and high productivity in various organization in Nigeria.Key words: Work-induced stress, Organizational effectiveness, Productivit

Tests for Treatment Group Equality When Data are Nonnormal and Heteroscedastic

Several tests for group mean equality have been suggested for analyzing nonnormal and heteroscedastic data. A Monte Carlo study compared the Welch tests on ranked data and heterogeneous, nonparametric statistics with previously recommended procedures. Type I error rates for the Welch tests on ranks and the heterogeneous, nonparametric statistics were well controlled with a slight power advantage for the Welch tests on ranks.Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

James Hutton’s geological tours of Scotland : romanticism, literary strategies, and the scientific quest

This article explores a somewhat neglected part of the story of the emergence of geology as a science and discourse in the late eighteenth century – James Hutton’s posthumously published accounts of the geological tours of Scotland that he undertook in the years 1785 to 1788 in search of empirical evidence in support of his theory of the Earth and that he intended to include in the projected third volume of his Theory of the Earth of 1795. The article brings some of the assumptions and techniques of literary criticism to bear on Hutton’s scientific travel writing in order to open up new connections between geology, Romantic aesthetics and eighteenth-century travel writing about Scotland. Close analysis of Hutton’s accounts of his field trips to Glen Tilt, Galloway and Arran, supplemented by later accounts of the discoveries at Jedburgh and Siccar Point, reveals the interplay between desire, travel and the scientific quest and foregrounds the textual strategies that Hutton uses to persuade his readers that they share in the experience of geological discovery and interpretation as ‘virtual witnesses’. As well as allowing us to revisit the interrelation between scientific theory and discovery, this article concludes that Hutton was a much better writer than he has been given credit for and suggests that if these geological tours had been published in 1795 they would have made it impossible for critics to dismiss him as an armchair geologist

The last animal: cosmopolitanism in The Last Man

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Dimensions of compulsive exercise across eating disorder diagnostic subtypes and the validation of the Spanish version of the compulsive exercise test

Objectives: Compulsive exercise in eating disorders has been traditionally considered as a behavior that serves the purpose of weight/shape control. More recently, it has been postulated that there may be other factors that drive the compulsive need to exercise. This has led to the development of the Compulsive Exercise Test (CET); a self-reported questionnaire that aims to explore the cognitive-behavioral underpinnings of compulsive exercise from a multi-faceted perspective. The objectives of this study were threefold: (1) to validate the Spanish version of the CET; (2) to compare eating disorder diagnostic subtypes and a healthy control group in terms of the factors that drive compulsive exercise as defined by the CET; (3) to explore how the dimensions evaluated in the CET are associated with eating disorder symptoms and general psychopathology. Methods: The CET was administered to a total of 157 patients with an eating disorder [40 anorexia nervosa, 56 bulimia nervosa (BN), and 61 eating disorder not-otherwise-specified (EDNOS)] and 128 healthy weight/eating controls. Patients were assessed via a semi-structured interview to reach a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis. Additionally, all participants completed the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90R) and the Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2). Results: Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated adequate goodness-of-fit to the original five-factor model of the CET. BN and EDNOS patients scored higher in the avoidance and rule-driven behavior, weight control, and total CET scales in comparison to the healthy controls, and higher across all scales apart from the exercise rigidity scale compared to the anorexia nervosa patients. Mean scores of the anorexia nervosa patients did not differ to those of the control participants, except for the mood improvement scale where the anorexia nervosa patients obtained a lower mean score. Mean scores between the BN and EDNOS patients were equivalent. The CET scales avoidance and rule-driven behavior, weight of control and total CET scores were positively correlated with the clinical assessment measures of the SCL-90R and EDI-2. Conclusion: Compulsive exercise is a multidimensional construct and the factors driving compulsive exercise differ according to the eating disorder diagnostic subtype. This should be taken into account when addressing compulsive exercise during the treatment of eating disorders

Predictors of Positive Treatment Outcome in People With Anorexia Nervosa Treated in a Specialized Inpatient Unit: The Role of Early Response to Treatment

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: WALES, J. ...et al., 2016. Predictors of positive treatment outcome in people with anorexia nervosa treated in a specialized inpatient unit: The role of early response to treatment. European Eating Disorders Review, 24 (5), pp.417-424, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/erv.2443. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.o investigate factors which predict positive treatment outcome in inpatients with anorexia nervosa (AN), particularly the role of early treatment response. METHOD: 102 patients entering specialist inpatient treatment were assessed for eating disorder history, psychopathology and motivation to change. Predictive factors assessed were: early treatment response defined as weight increase of at least 0.5-1 kg/week during the first six weeks of treatment; admission BMI; onset age; chronicity; motivation to change; diagnosis; and previous hospitalization for AN. Positive treatment outcome was defined as achieving BMI 17.5 kg/m2 within an individual timeframe. RESULTS: Logistic regression indicated that patients were 18 times more likely to reach positive treatment outcome if they met NICE weight guidelines within the first six weeks of hospitalization. Higher admission BMI was also found to predict positive treatment outcome. DISCUSSION: Higher entry BMI and early weight gain predict positive treatment outcome in individuals receiving specialist AN inpatient treatment

Factors associated with dropout from treatment for eating disorders: a comprehensive literature review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Dropout (DO) is common in the treatment of eating disorders (EDs), but the reasons for this phenomenon remain unclear. This study is an extensive review of the literature regarding DO predictors in EDs.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>All papers in PubMed, PsycINFO and Cochrane Library (1980-2009) were considered. Methodological issues and detailed results were analysed for each paper. After selection according to inclusion criteria, 26 studies were reviewed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The dropout rates ranged from 20.2% to 51% (inpatient) and from 29% to 73% (outpatient). Predictors of dropout were inconsistent due to methodological flaws and limited sample sizes. There is no evidence that baseline ED clinical severity, psychiatric comorbidity or treatment issues affect dropout. The most consistent predictor is the binge-purging subtype of anorexia nervosa. Good evidence exists that two psychological traits (high maturity fear and impulsivity) and two personality dimensions (low self-directedness, low cooperativeness) are related to dropout.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Implications for clinical practice and areas for further research are discussed. Particularly, these results highlight the need for a shared definition of dropout in the treatment of eating disorders for both inpatient and outpatient settings. Moreover, the assessment of personality dimensions (impulse control, self-efficacy, maturity fear and others) as liability factors for dropout seems an important issue for creating specific strategies to reduce the dropout phenomenon in eating disorders.</p