108 research outputs found
Predictors of Peritraumatic Reactions and PTSD Following the September 11th Terrorist Attacks
In this study the authors characterize peritraumatic reactions of residents of New
York City during and immediately following the September 11th terrorist attacks,
identify predictors of those reactions, and identify predictors of PTSD 4 months
later. A cross–sectional sample of New York residents (n = 2,001) responded to
questions about sociodemographics, historical factors, event–related exposure;
acute cognitive, emotional, and physiological reactions to the September 11th terrorist
attacks; and current (past month) PTSD symptoms. Factor analyses of
peritraumatic reactions yielded three related, but distinct, peritraumatic response
patterns—dissociation, emotional reactions, and panic/physiological arousal. Several
demographic, historical, and exposure–related variables predicted one or
more peritraumatic reaction patterns. After controlling for demographic, historical,
and exposure factors, each of the peritraumatic reactions factors, one historical
factor and one event–related exposure factor remained as significant predictors
of PTSD. These results support a growing literature concerning the predictive value
of peritraumatic reactions in relation to PTSD. Implications for preventive efforts
and suggestions for future research are discussed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/40315/2/Lawyer_Predictors of peritraumatic reactions and PTSD_2006.pd
NGC 2580 and NGC 2588: Two open clusters in the Third Galactic Quadrant
We present CCD broad band photometric observations in the fields of the Third
Galactic Quadrant open clusters NGC 2580 and NGC 2588 ( and
respectively). From the analysis of our data we found that NGC 2580 is located
at a distance of about 4 kpc and its age is close to 160 Myr. As for NGC 2588,
it is placed at about 5 kpc from the Sun and is 450 Myr old. This means that
NGC 2588 belongs to the extension of the Perseus arm, whereas NGC 2580 is
closer to the local arm structure. The luminosity functions (LFs) have been
constructed for both clusters down to together with their initial
mass functions (IMFs) for stars with masses above M \sim 1-1.5 M_{\sun}. The
IMF slopes for the most massive bins yielded values of for NGC
2580 and for NGC 2588. In the case of this latter cluster we
found evidence of a core-corona structure produced probably by dynamical
effect. In the main sequences of both clusters we detected gaps, which we
suggest could be real features.Comment: 12 pages, 10 eps figures, in press in A&
Delayed Rectifier and A-Type Potassium Channels Associated with Kv 2.1 and Kv 4.3 Expression in Embryonic Rat Neural Progenitor Cells
BACKGROUND: Because of the importance of voltage-activated K(+) channels during embryonic development and in cell proliferation, we present here the first description of these channels in E15 rat embryonic neural progenitor cells derived from the subventricular zone (SVZ). Activation, inactivation, and single-channel conductance properties of recorded progenitor cells were compared with those obtained by others when these Kv gene products were expressed in oocytes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Neural progenitor cells derived from the subventricular zone of E15 embryonic rats were cultured under conditions that did not promote differentiation. Immunocytochemical and Western blot assays for nestin expression indicated that almost all of the cells available for recording expressed this intermediate filament protein, which is generally accepted as a marker for uncommitted embryonic neural progenitor cells. However, a very small numbers of the cells expressed GFAP, a marker for astrocytes, O4, a marker for immature oligodendrocytes, and betaIII-tubulin, a marker for neurons. Using immunocytochemistry and Western blots, we detected consistently the expression of Kv2.1, and 4.3. In whole-cell mode, we recorded two outward currents, a delayed rectifier and an A-type current. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We conclude that Kv2.1, and 4.3 are expressed in E15 SVZ neural progenitor cells, and we propose that they may be associated with the delayed-rectifier and the A-type currents, respectively, that we recorded. These results demonstrate the early expression of delayed rectifier and A-type K(+) currents and channels in embryonic neural progenitor cells prior to the differentiation of these cells
Random Convex Hulls and Extreme Value Statistics
In this paper we study the statistical properties of convex hulls of
random points in a plane chosen according to a given distribution. The points
may be chosen independently or they may be correlated. After a non-exhaustive
survey of the somewhat sporadic literature and diverse methods used in the
random convex hull problem, we present a unifying approach, based on the notion
of support function of a closed curve and the associated Cauchy's formulae,
that allows us to compute exactly the mean perimeter and the mean area enclosed
by the convex polygon both in case of independent as well as correlated points.
Our method demonstrates a beautiful link between the random convex hull problem
and the subject of extreme value statistics. As an example of correlated
points, we study here in detail the case when the points represent the vertices
of independent random walks. In the continuum time limit this reduces to
independent planar Brownian trajectories for which we compute exactly, for
all , the mean perimeter and the mean area of their global convex hull. Our
results have relevant applications in ecology in estimating the home range of a
herd of animals. Some of these results were announced recently in a short
communication [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 103}, 140602 (2009)].Comment: 61 pages (pedagogical review); invited contribution to the special
issue of J. Stat. Phys. celebrating the 50 years of Yeshiba/Rutgers meeting
Resilience in the Face of Disaster: Prevalence and Longitudinal Course of Mental Disorders following Hurricane Ike
Objectives: Natural disasters may increase risk for a broad range of psychiatric disorders, both in the short- and in the medium-term. We sought to determine the prevalence and longitudinal course of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder (PD), depression, and suicidality in the first 18 months after Hurricane Ike.
Methods: Six hundred fifty-eight adults representative of Galveston and Chambers Counties, Texas participated in a random, population-based survey. The initial assessment was conducted 2 to 5 months after Hurricane Ike struck Galveston Bay on September 13, 2008. Follow-up assessments were conducted at 5 to 9 and 14 to 18 months after Hurricane Ike. Results: Past-month prevalence of any mental disorder (20.6% to 10.9%) and hurricane-related PTSD (6.9% to 2.5%) decreased over time. Past-month prevalence of PTSD related to a non-disaster traumatic event (5.8% to 7.1%), GAD (3.1% to 1.8%), PD (0.8% to 0.7%), depression (5.0% to 5.6%), and suicidality (2.6% to 4.2%) remained relatively stable over time.
Conclusions: PTSD, both due to the hurricane and due to other traumatic events, was the most prevalent psychiatric disorder 2 to 5 months after Hurricane Ike. Prevalence of psychiatric disorders declined rapidly over time, suggesting that the vast majority of individuals exposed to this natural disaster ‘bounced back’ and were resilient to long-term mental health consequences of this large-scale traumatic event
The Role of Practice Research Networks (PRN) in the Development and Implementation of Evidence: The Northern Improving Access to Psychological Therapies PRN Case Study
Practice research networks (PRNs) can support the implementation of evidence based practice in routine services and generate practice based evidence. This paper describes the structure, processes and learning from a new PRN in the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme in England, in relation to an implementation framework and using one study as a case example. Challenges related to: ethics and governance processes; communications with multiple stakeholders; competing time pressures and linking outcome data. Enablers included: early tangible outputs and impact; a collaborative approach; engaging with local research leads; clarity of processes; effective dissemination; and committed leadership
La motivazione: un fattore trascurato nella progettazione didattica
Discussione critica del rapporto fra courseware e la dimensione motivazionale dell’apprendimento. Secondo l'autore e’ a livello di courseware che la didattica e’ piu’ marcatamente lacunosa dal punto di vista motivazionale
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