Can self-report questionnaires create illness cognitions in middle-aged men?

Objective: To examine the effect of questionnaire context on self-reported illness cognition. Design: A single-item measure of the perceived impact of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) was embedded twice in a questionnaire battery completed by community-dwelling middle-aged males (N = 1,790). The impact measure was placed in two distinct questionnaire contexts; at the end of a general somatic symptoms questionnaire, and following an illness-specific symptoms questionnaire. The order of the two questionnaire contexts was counter-balanced in a random sub-sample. Main Outcome Measures: An established single-item measure of the perceived impact of LUTS. Results: Concordance between the two single-item measures was moderate. Scores on a single-item measure of impact were significantly lower when assessed immediately following the completion of a LUTS-specific questionnaire than when assessed following the completion of a general symptoms questionnaire. There was no evidence of order effects. The observed effect was moderated by the severity of LUTS such that the difference in perceived impact scores between contexts (where general symptoms context > illness-specific context) increased as urinary symptoms increased. Conclusion: Questionnaire context systematically influenced responses on self-report measures of illness impact. The magnitude of the context effect was largest in the highest quintile of LUTS severity, a difference of >0.5 on a scale with a range of 3. These findings may have implications for situations where patient reported outcome measures are used to evaluate healthcare interventions or inform treatment decisions

Spectrophotometric analysis of ternary uranyl systems to replace tri-N-butyl phosphate (TBP) in used fuel reprocessing

In this report, the interaction of monoamide/diamide and monoamide/diglycolamide mixtures with UO2+2 are investigated in pH = 1 methanolic nitric acid media. These monoamides include N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAA), N,N-diethylacetamide (DEAA), N,N-dibutylacetamide (DBAA) and N,N-dibutylbutanamide (DBBA). N,N,N′N′-tetraethylmalonamide (TEMA) and N,N,N′,N′-tetraethyldiglycolamide (TEDGA), which were chosen as model diamides and diglycolamides, respectively. Complex stability constants for each ligand were modelled using the Stability Quotients Using Absorbance Data program using UV–visible data. Complex stoichiometry of ligand mixtures was determined using Job plots and UV–Vis spectrometry. Monoamides were confirmed to produce only disolvate complexes with UO2+2 in solution. The log10(K) values for monoamides were found to be independent of amine-side chain length, but were slightly dependent on the carbonyl-side chain length. TEDGA was found to produce multiple uranyl complexes in solution. Job plot data indicated that the uranyl cation strongly prefers to bond either only with the monoamide or diamide in ternary monoamide–diamide–UO2 systems. Monoamide–diglycolamide–UO2 systems were more complicated, with Job plot data indicating the potential for multiple ternary species being present is dependent on the monoamide structure

A new array for the study of ultra high energy gamma-ray sources

The design and operation of a 32 x 1 10 to the 15th power sq m array of scintillation detectors for the detection of 10 to the 15th power eV cosmic rays is described with an expected angular resolution of 1 deg, thus improving the present signal/background ratio for gamma ray sources. Data are recorded on a hybrid CAMAC, an in-house system which uses a laser and Pockel-Cell arrangement to routinely calibrate the timing stability of the detectors

Applying the theory of planned behavior : Examining how communication, attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control relate to healthy lifestyle intention in Singapore

This study investigates the extent to which communication variables, namely, interpersonal communication and attention to mass media, as well as the key components in the theory of planned behavior (TPB), including, attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control, are associated with healthy lifestyle intention in Singapore. Healthy lifestyle intention was conceptualized and operationalized in terms of individuals’ proclivity for physical activity and healthy diet. Data came from a nationally representative computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) of 1,055 Singaporeans aged 21 years and above . Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted. Results show that both communication and planned behavior variables were positively related to behavioral intention. The study is important for both theory and practice. Theoretically, it demonstrates the possibility to extend the TPB with two more variables: interpersonal communication and attention to mass media. On the practical front, the results inform health authorities and marketers on ways to promote public adoption of healthy lifestyle in Singapore

Elastic cavitation, tube hollowing, and differential growth in plants and biological tissues

Elastic cavitation is a well-known physical process by which elastic materials under stress can open cavities. Usually, cavitation is induced by applied loads on the elastic body. However, growing materials may generate stresses in the absence of applied loads and could induce cavity opening. Here, we demonstrate the possibility of spontaneous growth-induced cavitation in elastic materials and consider the implications of this phenomenon to biological tissues and in particular to the problem of schizogenous aerenchyma formation

The differential recruitment of executive functions during time, number and length perception: An individual differences approach.

Developmental, behavioural and neurological similarities in the processing of different magnitudes (time, number, space) support the existence of a common magnitude processing system (e.g. ATOM; Bueti & Walsh, 2009; Walsh, 2003). It is however unclear whether the recruitment of wider cognitive resources (STM and executive function) during magnitude processing is similar across magnitude domains or domain specific. The current study used an individual differences approach to examine the relationship between STM, executive function and magnitude processing. In two experiments, participants completed number, length and duration bisection tasks to assess magnitude processing and tasks which have been shown to assess STM span and the four key executive component processes identified by Miyake et al. (2000) and Fisk and Sharp (2004) (shifting, inhibition, updating and access). The results suggest that the recruitment of STM and executive resources differed for the different magnitude domains. Duration perception was associated with access, inhibition and STM span. Length processing was associated with updating and number processing was associated with access to semantic memory. For duration and length, greater difficulty in the magnitude judgement task resulted in more relationships to STM and executive function. It is suggested that duration perception may be more demanding of STM and executive resources because it is represented sequentially, unlike length and number which can be represented non-sequentially

On Love-type waves in a finitely deformed magnetoelastic layered half-space

In this paper, the propagation of Love-type waves in a homogeneously and finitely deformed layered half-space of an incompressible non-conducting magnetoelastic material in the presence of an initial uniform magnetic field is analyzed. The equations and boundary conditions governing linearized incremental motions superimposed on an underlying deformation and magnetic field for a magnetoelastic material are summarized and then specialized to a form appropriate for the study of Love-type waves in a layered half-space. The wave propagation problem is then analyzed for different directions of the initial magnetic field for two different magnetoelastic energy functions, which are generalizations of the standard neo-Hookean and Mooney–Rivlin elasticity models. The resulting wave speed characteristics in general depend significantly on the initial magnetic field as well as on the initial finite deformation, and the results are illustrated graphically for different combinations of these parameters. In the absence of a layer, shear horizontal surface waves do not exist in a purely elastic material, but the presence of a magnetic field normal to the sagittal plane makes such waves possible, these being analogous to Bleustein–Gulyaev waves in piezoelectric materials. Such waves are discussed briefly at the end of the paper