The presence and predictors of complicated grief symptoms in perinatally-bereaved mothers from a bereavement support organization

The present study investigated the presence and possible predictors of complicated grief symptoms in perinatally-bereaved mothers (N = 121) up to 5 years post-bereavement. The presence of complicated grief scores in the clinical range was 12.4%, which is higher than in many other bereaved populations, and the presence of other living children may protect against the development of complicated grief symptoms. The majority of the women were able to negotiate a perinatal loss without developing complicated grief; however, there remains an important group of women who up to 5 years later score in the clinical range for complicated grief symptoms

Low-mass e+e- pair production in 158 A GeV Pb-Au collisions at the CERN SPS, its dependence on multiplicity and transverse momentum

We report a measurement of low-mass electron pairs observed in 158 GeV/nucleon Pb-Au collisions. The pair yield integrated over the range of invariant masses 0.2 < m < 2.0 GeV is enhanced by a factor of 3.5 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.9 (syst) over the expectation from neutral meson decays. As observed previously in S-Au collisions, the enhancement is most pronounced in the invariant-mass region 300-700 MeV. For Pb-Au we find evidence for a strong increase of the enhancement with centrality. In addition, we show that the enhancement covers a wide range in transverse momentum, but is largest at the lowest observed pt.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys.Lett.

e+e--pair production in Pb-Au collisions at 158 GeV per nucleon

We present the combined results on electron-pair production in 158 GeV/n {Pb-Au} ($\sqrt{s}$= 17.2 GeV) collisions taken at the CERN SPS in 1995 and 1996, and give a detailed account of the data analysis. The enhancement over the reference of neutral meson decays amounts to a factor of 2.31$\pm0.19 (stat.)\pm0.55 (syst.)\pm0.69 (decays)$ for semi-central collisions (28% $\sigma/\sigma_{geo}$) when yields are integrated over $m>$ 200 MeV/$c^2$ in invariant mass. The measured yield, its stronger-than-linear scaling with $N_{ch}$, and the dominance of low pair $p_t$ strongly suggest an interpretation as {\it thermal radiation} from pion annihilation in the hadronic fireball. The shape of the excess centring at $m\approx$ 500 MeV/$c^2$, however, cannot be described without strong medium modifications of the $\rho$ meson. The results are put into perspective by comparison to predictions from Brown-Rho scaling governed by chiral symmetry restoration, and from the spectral-function many-body treatment in which the approach to the phase boundary is less explicit.Comment: 39 pages, 40 figures, to appear in Eur.Phys.J.C. (2005

Recent results from Pb-Au collisions at 158 GeV/c per nucleon obtained with the CERES spectrometer

During the 1996 lead run time, CERES has accumulated 42 million events, corresponding to a factor of 5 more statistics than in 1995 and 2.5 million events of a special photon-run. We report on the results of the low-mass e$^+$e$^-$-pair analysis. Since the most critical item is the poor signal-to-background ratio we also discuss the understanding of this background, in absolute terms, with the help of a detailed Monte Carlo simulation. We show preliminary results of the photon analysis and summarize the results of the hadron analysis preliminarily reported on already at QM'97Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, Proceedings of the XIV Int. Conf. on Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions,Quark Matter 99, Torino, Italy, May 10 - 15, 199

Accuracy of prenatal diagnosis of X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia by tooth germ sonography

Objective: X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (XLHED), a developmental disorder characterized by malformation of hair, teeth, and sweat glands, results from defective ectodysplasin A1 (EDA1) caused by EDA mutations. Inability to sweat, the major problem of XLHED which can lead to life-threatening hyperthermia, has been shown to be amenable to intrauterine therapy with recombinant EDA1. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of tooth germ sonography to identify affected fetuses in pregnant women with EDA mutations. Methods: Tooth germ sonography was performed in 38 cases at 10 study sites between gestational weeks 18 and 28. XLHED was diagnosed if fewer than six tooth germs were detected in mandible and/or maxilla. In all subjects, diagnoses were verified postnatally by EDA sequencing and/or clinical findings (standardized clinical assessments of hair, sweating, and dentition; orthopantomograms). Estimated weights of 12 affected male fetuses and postnatal weight gain of 12 boys with XLHED were assessed using appropriate growth charts. Results: In 19 of 38 sonografic examinations of 23 male and 13 female fetuses, a prenatal diagnosis of XLHED was made. The diagnosis proved to be correct in 37 cases; one affected male fetus was missed. Specificity and positive predictive value were both 100%. Tooth counting by clinical assessment corresponded well with radiografic findings. We observed no weight deficits of subjects with XLHED in utero but occasionally during infancy. Conclusions: Tooth germ sonography is highly specific and reliable in establishing a prenatal diagnosis of XLHED

Search for direct photons from S - Au collisions at 200 GeV/u

The CERES experiment has measured inclusive photon production in S-Au collisions of 200 GeV/nucleon at the CERN SPS. No evidence for direct emission of photons was found. For the kinematic region 2.1 < y <y2.65 and 0.4 GeV/c < p^ < 2.0p20 GeV/c the yield and p^p-dependence of the observed photons are well reproduced by hadron decays. Furthermore, their production rate is found to be proportional to the charged particle density. The systematic errors comparing the measured and expected photon yield result in an upper limit of 14% for the emission of direct photons in central S-Au collisions. For a photon source with a yield depending quadratically on the charged particle density the limit can be reduced to 7%

Low mass dilepton production at the SPS: probing hot and dense nuclear matter

CERES and HELIOS-3 have detected a significant enhancement of low--mass dileptons in nuclear collisions at 200 GeV/nucleon with respect to the expected ``conventional'' sources. The onset of the excess, starting at a mass of $\sim2m_{\pi}$, and the possibility of a quadratic dependence on the event multiplicity suggest the opening of the $\pi^+\pi^-\rightarrow e^+e^-(\mu^+\mu^-)$ annihilation channel. This would be the first observation of thermal radiation from dense hadronic matter. Possible interpretations of these results are presented, including the reduction of the $\rho$ mass due to partial restoration of chiral symmetry in the dense fireball formed in the collision

A doublet of 3" cylindrical silicon drift detectors in the CERES/NA45 experiment

We report on the performance of a doublet of 3" cylindrical silicon drift detectors installed as an upgrade of the CERES/NA45 electron pair spectrometer for the Pb-beam at the CERN SPS. The silicon detectors provide external particle tracking and background rejection of conversions and close Dalitz pairs. Results on vertex reconstruction and rejection from Pb test-run in 1994 are presented

The Nature of Attachment Relationships and Grief Responses in Older Adults: An Attachment Path Model of Grief

BACKGROUND: Various researchers have theorized that bereaved adults who report non-secure attachment are at higher risk of pathological grief. Yet past findings on avoidant attachment representations and grief have yielded limited and contradictory outcomes. Little research has been conducted with older adults to identify the psychological processes that mediate between self-reported attachment representations and the patterns of grief. OBJECTIVE: To examine the impacts of avoidant attachment and anxious attachment dimensions on emotion and non-acceptance, in response to the loss of a conjugal partner, and the mediating effect of yearning thoughts. DESIGN: Men (N = 21) and women (N = 68) aged 60 years and above who had lost a partner within the last 12 to 72 months were invited to participate. Participants rated their levels of yearning thoughts about the deceased, emotions and non-acceptance on the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief (TRIG-Present), and their type and level of general romantic attachment on the Experiences In Close Relationship questionnaire (ECR). RESULTS: Structural equation modelling (SEM) indicated that individuals who reported higher levels of avoidant attachment reported less emotional responses and less non-acceptance. SEM also showed that individuals who reported higher levels of anxious attachment reported greater emotional responses and greater non-acceptance. SEM further indicated that these relationships were mediated by yearning thoughts. CONCLUSION: People adopt different grief coping patterns according to their self-reported attachment representations, with the nature of their yearning thoughts influencing the process. Grief therapy may be organized according to individual differences in attachment representations