The Reproducibility and Applicability of an EFD(®) Dispenser in the Prosthetic Technology of Maxillofacial Prostheses

A reproducible method of dosing pigments can be beneficial and more efficient in the current colour matching procedure in maxillofacial prosthetics. In this study the reproducibility and applicability for pigment dosing of a commercial available EFD(®) dispenser were tested. The reproducibility of a Performus™ II type EFD(®) dispenser was tested by repeating dosing experiments with a set of eight syringes filled with pigment pastes (Factor 2; Flagstaff, USA). To evaluate conventional colour matching, four conventionally colour matched samples were polymerized and compared to the original ones. To investigate the reproducibility of the dispenser in practice, a fifth recipe was dispensed 10 times and colour differences were evaluated visually and as well calculated from measurements with a colour and translucency meter (CTM, PBSensortechnology bv). All dispensed amounts of pigment pastes showed a coefficient of variation in weight of less than 10 %. Evaluating the reproductions of four skin batches compared to the original batches, a ∆E2000 colour difference of 3–7 was measured. Evaluating ten reproductions of one skin coloured batch made with the dispenser, color difference ∆E2000 values compared to the average L*a*b* values, were less than 2 and no visual colour differences could be estimated. Conform these results, low colour differences could be measured with the CTM, indicating no visually observable consequences. Despite the estimated coefficient of variation, the reproducibility of the EFD(®) dispenser in terms of colour difference ∆E2000 of successive dispensing is applicable for colour reproduction in facial prosthetics. Segregation of the current color pastes in due time needs to be taken into consideration

Psychopathological networks:Theory, methods and practice

In recent years, network approaches to psychopathology have sparked much debate and have had a significant impact on how mental disorders are perceived in the field of clinical psychology. However, there are many important challenges in moving from theory to empirical research and clinical practice and vice versa. Therefore, in this article, we bring together different points of view on psychological networks by methodologists and clinicians to give a critical overview on these challenges, and to present an agenda for addressing these challenges. In contrast to previous reviews, we especially focus on methodological issues related to temporal networks. This includes topics such as selecting and assessing the quality of the nodes in the network, distinguishing between- and within-person effects in networks, relating items that are measured at different time scales, and dealing with changes in network structures. These issues are not only important for researchers using network models on empirical data, but also for clinicians, who are increasingly likely to encounter (person-specific) networks in the consulting room

Tuning the energetics and tailoring the optical properties of silver clusters confined in zeolites

The integration of metal atoms and clusters in well-defined dielectric cavities is a powerful strategy to impart new properties to them that depend on the size and geometry of the confined space as well as on metal-host electrostatic interactions. Here, we unravel the dependence of the electronic properties of metal clusters on space confinement by studying the ionization potential of silver clusters embedded in four different zeolite environments over a range of silver concentrations. Extensive characterization reveals a strong influence of silver loading and host environment on the cluster ionization potential, which is also correlated to the cluster's optical and structural properties. Through fine-tuning of the zeolite host environment, we demonstrate photoluminescence quantum yields approaching unity. This work extends our understanding of structure property relationships of small metal clusters and applies this understanding to develop highly photoluminescent materials with potential applications in optoelectronics and bioimaging

Psychopathological networks: Theory, methods and practice

In recent years, network approaches to psychopathology have sparked much debate and have had a significant impact on how mental disorders are perceived in the field of clinical psychology. However, there are many important challenges in moving from theory to empirical research and clinical practice and vice versa. Therefore, in this article, we bring together different points of view on psychological networks by methodologists and clinicians to give a critical overview on these challenges, and to present an agenda for addressing these challenges. In contrast to previous reviews, we especially focus on methodological issues related to temporal networks. This includes topics such as selecting and assessing the quality of the nodes in the network, distinguishing between- and within-person effects in networks, relating items that are measured at different time scales, and dealing with changes in network structures. These issues are not only important for researchers using network models on empirical data, but also for clinicians, who are increasingly likely to encounter (person-specific) networks in the consulting room

Psychopathological networks: Theory, methods and practice

In recent years, network approaches to psychopathology have sparked much debate and have had a significant impact on how mental disorders are perceived in the field of clinical psychology. However, there are many important challenges in moving from theory to empirical research and clinical practice and vice versa. Therefore, in this article, we bring together different points of view on psychological networks by methodologists and clinicians to give a critical overview on these challenges, and to present an agenda for addressing these challenges. In contrast to previous reviews, we especially focus on methodological issues related to temporal networks. This includes topics such as selecting and assessing the quality of the nodes in the network, distinguishing between- and within-person effects in networks, relating items that are measured at different time scales, and dealing with changes in network structures. These issues are not only important for researchers using network models on empirical data, but also for clinicians, who are increasingly likely to encounter (person-specific) networks in the consulting room

Assessing Temporal Emotion Dynamics Using Networks

Multivariate psychological processes have recently been studied, visualized, and analyzed as networks. In this network approach, psychological constructs are represented as complex systems of interacting components. In addition to insightful visualization of dynamics, a network perspective leads to a new way of thinking about the nature of psychological phenomena by offering new tools for studying dynamical processes in psychology. In this article, we explain the rationale of the network approach, the associated methods and visualization, and illustrate it using an empirical example focusing on the relation between the daily fluctuations of emotions and neuroticism. The results suggest that individuals with high levels of neuroticism had a denser emotion network compared with their less neurotic peers. This effect is especially pronounced for the negative emotion network, which is in line with previous studies that found a denser network in depressed subjects than in healthy subjects. In sum, we show how the network approach may offer new tools for studying dynamical processes in psychology