Drug addiction among young people: A study of typology and its relevance to treatment programmes

On the basis of clinical observation, the authors have classified drug addiction into four types: traumatic, actual, transitional and socio-pathic. Such classification helps in epidemiological research to understand better the distribution of people addicted to a given drug. Each type of addiction differs in respect of onset, evolution, prognosis and certain other characteristics relevant to the treatment of drug-addicted persons. Thus, the classification helps in making an appropriate selection of a treatment method and in the evaluation of a treatment programme. It has been observed that (a)traumatic and actual types of addiction have a much more favourable prognosis; (b)individual psychotherapy and support in a medical setting is effective for the traumatic type of addiction; (c)treatment in a family setting appears to be suitable for actual and transitional types of addiction; and (d)the therapeutic community may prove to be effective in the treatment of persons affected by socio-pathic type of addiction

Group theory analysis of electrons and phonons in N-layer graphene systems

In this work we study the symmetry properties of electrons and phonons in graphene systems as function of the number of layers. We derive the selection rules for the electron-radiation and for the electron-phonon interactions at all points in the Brillouin zone. By considering these selection rules, we address the double resonance Raman scattering process. The monolayer and bilayer graphene in the presence of an applied electric field are also discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Applied linguistics as a manifestation of exo-, meso- and endo-symbiosis

An assumption is made that applied linguistics may be viewed as an outcome of an interplay of a dichotomy of endogenous and exogenous symbionts, mediated by important mesogenous symbionts acting jointly within the domain of language and communication. All of them form a system of bifurcations which may generally be called ‘a flow tool-language design’ or The Bifurcational Model of Symbiosis (BiMoS). In this model, bifurcations form a ‘grammar of bifurcations’ whose power is symbiotic in the overall functioning of language. Furthermore, the occurrence of the above mentioned types of symbionts on the language side allows for a division of ‘linguolabourese’ (or the whole ‘life of language’ as opposed to ‘instrumentolabourese’, or the whole ‘life of tools’) into three more or less distinct and interconnected areas of symbiosis: the exogenous area, the mesogenous area, and the endogenous area, respectively. The afore mentioned areas further justify a division of linguistics into three respective types: exogenous (exo-) linguistics, mesogenous (meso-) linguistics, and endogenous (endo-) linguistics. Their subdomains of interest vary but are highly interconnected, blended and synergistic. Applied linguistics is viewed here as belonging predominantly to (or taking theoretical and practical interest in) the mesogenous and endogenous areas of linguolabourese, though it is strongly supported by the underlying exogenous area.An assumption is made that applied linguistics may be viewed as an outcome of an interplay of a dichotomy of endogenous and exogenous symbionts, mediated by important mesogenous symbionts acting jointly within the domain of language and communication. All of them form a system of bifurcations which may generally be called ‘a flow tool-language design’ or The Bifurcational Model of Symbiosis (BiMoS). In this model, bifurcations form a ‘grammar of bifurcations’ whose power is symbiotic in the overall functioning of language. Furthermore, the occurrence of the above mentioned types of symbionts on the language side allows for a division of ‘linguolabourese’ (or the whole ‘life of language’ as opposed to ‘instrumentolabourese’, or the whole ‘life of tools’) into three more or less distinct and interconnected areas of symbiosis: the exogenous area, the mesogenous area, and the endogenous area, respectively. The afore mentioned areas further justify a division of linguistics into three respective types: exogenous (exo-) linguistics, mesogenous (meso-) linguistics, and endogenous (endo-) linguistics. Their subdomains of interest vary but are highly interconnected, blended and synergistic. Applied linguistics is viewed here as belonging predominantly to (or taking theoretical and practical interest in) the mesogenous and endogenous areas of linguolabourese, though it is strongly supported by the underlying exogenous area

State-dependent TMS reveals representation of affective body movements in the anterior intraparietal cortex

In humans, recognition of others’ actions involves a cortical network that comprises, among other cortical regions, the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), where biological motion is coded and the anterior intraparietal suclus (aIPS), where movement information is elaborated in terms of meaningful goal directed actions. This action observation system (AOS) is thought to encode neutral voluntary actions, and possibly some aspects of affective motor repertoire, but the role of the AOS’ areas in processing affective kinematic information has never been examined. Here we investigated whether the action observation system plays a role in representing dynamic emotional bodily expressions. In the first experiment, we assessed behavioural adaptation effects of observed affective movements. Participants watched series of happy or fearful whole-body point-light displays (PLDs) as adapters and were then asked to perform an explicit categorization of the emotion expressed in test PLDs. Participants were slower when categorizing any of the two emotions as long as it was congruent with the emotion in the adapter sequence. We interpreted this effect as adaptation to the emotional content of PLDs. In the second experiment, we combined this paradigm with TMS applied over either the right aIPS, pSTS and the right half of the occipital pole (corresponding to Brodmann’s area 17 and serving as control) to examine the neural locus of the adaptation effect. TMS over the aIPS (but not over the other sites) reversed the behavioural cost of adaptation, specifically for fearful contents. This demonstrates that aIPS contains an explicit representation of affective body movements

Structural aspects of the female sexual differentiation of the pirarucu (Arapaima gigas, SCHINZ, 1822).

The pirarucu (Arapaima gigas) are the biggest scale Amazonian fish and their farming potential is enormous. However, there are few studies involving the reproductive physiology of pirarucu. Raising fish in confined environments still encounters several adversities, being necessary basic studies for the development of the productive chain, mainly at the early stages of development. Thus, studies related to the gonadal development are essential for the understanding of the reproductive biology of the species

Proportion of thick versus thin melanomas as a benchmarking tool

Background: The ratio of benign moles excised for each malignant melanoma diagnosed (number-needed-to-excise (NNE)) is a metric used to express the efficiency of diagnostic accuracy of melanoma. The literature suggests a progressive effort to reduce the NNE, thus raising concerns about missing early melanoma because the NNE does not capture the most significant outcome for melanoma prognosis, which is linked to the Breslow thickness. A lower NNE could reduce health costs related to melanoma diagnosis only if doing so does not increase the proportion of thicker melanomas. Objectives: The diagnostic performance by two tertiary referral centres using the NNE and proportion of thick (Breslow thickness > 1 mm) versus thin (Breslow thickness ≤ 1 mm) excised melanoma (thick/thin ratio: TTR) was compared to determine if a lower NNE is associated with a greater proportion of thicker melanoma. Combining TTR with NNE allows a better estimate of the effectiveness in melanoma diagnosis, assessing both the overall cost for a given pool of excised melanomas and costs due to unnecessary nevi excision at a particular dermatology centre. Methods: Demographic data and Breslow thickness of excised melanoma were extracted from patient histologic records at two referral centres for melanoma (Parma Dermatology Unit and Ravenna and Meldola Skin Cancer Unit, Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori. IRCCS (IRST)) on all skin tumours excised between 2002 and 2011 and diagnosed as melanoma or melanocytic nevus. NNE and TTR were calculated and compared among the considered variables. Logistic regression was used to assess the contribution of each variable in predicting a higher TTR. Results: Data from 16,738 excised lesions were analysed. The IRST Unit reported a mean NNE of 4.6, whereas the Parma Unit excised 10.6 nevi for each melanoma. No statistically significant differences existed in the mean (IRST Unit, 0.56 ± 0.89 mm; Parma Unit, 1.07 ± 2.2 mm) and median (range) Breslow thickness (IRST Unit, 0.4 (9) mm; Parma Unit 0.4 (30) mm). The TTR between centres was significantly different (Parma Unit, 24%; IRST Unit, 12%; p < 0.001). Based on logistic regression, the diagnosing centre was the most powerful factor in determining a thickness of >1 mm among diagnosed melanomas (OR = 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2–2.7; p < 0.01), with all other factors being equal. The NNE decreased at both centres from younger-to-older patients, whereas the TTR increased simultaneously; however, the increase in TTR was non-significantly related to NNE reduction after adjusting for confounders (age, gender, and localization). Conclusions: A better diagnostic performance is capable of reducing the NNE and TTR, i.e., unnecessary excisions of melanocytic nevi can be reduced without increasing the risk of overlooking melanomas. The TTR, in addition to the NNE, allows stakeholders to better estimate the effectiveness in melanoma diagnosis because both overall costs for a given pool of excised melanomas and costs due for unnecessary nevi excision at a particular dermatology centre can be compared

Late Quaternary monogenetic volcanoes along Río Salado, Sothwest Mendoza Province, Argentina

On the eastem flank of the Andes, to the north of Río Salado in southwest Mendoza Province (35º07'S-35º10'S), there are 4 monogenetic cones with blocky lava flows. A western group of small volcanoes, Hoyada, Lagunita and Loma Negra, with a total volume of -0.2 km3, are composed of amphibole-bearing basaltic andesite, and the eastem, more voluminous Hoyo Colorado volcano, with 0.44 km3 is composed of olivine (+ oxidised amphibole) basaltic andesite. Although data indicate they were emitted through successive, strombolian eruptions, they are overall coeval and the youngest Late Pleistocene volcanoes located in an "extra-Andean" setting, -70 km east of the main volcanic front. The magmas of the westem group of monogenetic cones show petrographic and geochemical characteristics that support processes of crustal interaction during ascent. In contrast, the magmas of the Hoyo Colorado volcano had a more direct ascent. Structural characteristics of the basement rocks to the volcanoes and the current seismotectonic activity of the Andes at this latitude indicate that the monogenetic cones of Río Salado were emplaced in a dominantly compressive tectonic regime