Validation in clinical population of the Problematic Internet Entertainment Use Scale for Adults (PIEUSAd)

Addiction to technologies has been a widely debated scientific and clinically, being a condition for further study as potential psychiatric disorder. Some Spanish scales measure Internet addiction, but no one has been validated clinically. The aims were to describe a clinical sample of patients in treatment for a technology addiction, and to validate clinically the “Problematic Internet Entertainment Use Scale for Adults” (PIEUSAd). Little-scale clinical adult sample (N=31; 71 % men, and an age mean of 33.31) was selected, collecting socio-demographic and clinical data, technological usages, and the PIEUSAd and Compulsive Internet Use Scale in a survey. The setting was a public health center in Barcelona (Spain). The patients in treatment for a technological addiction as primary diagnosis were usually young males, which suffer from a genuine e-addiction (above all, internet addiction, gaming and cybersex); only the middle seems to have a dual pathology (usually another addiction). They are usually referred by other clinician and the majority don’t have previous psychiatric care. The PIEUSAd showed large variability in item scored, and high factor and construct validity, and excellent reliability (a=0.98). In conclusion, the heterogeneity in the characteristics of patients is evidenced. Moreover, the PIEUSAd has been clinical validated to do a better screen in technological addictions, where “loss of control” and “evasion” seems to be the prevalent addictive symptoms in these types of patients. Spanish abstract: La adicción a las tecnologías ha sido debatida ampliamente tanto científica como clínicamente, siendo una condición a estudiar como potencial trastorno psiquiátrico. Algunas escalas españolas miden la adicción al internet, pero ninguna ha sido validada clínicamente. Los objetivos son describir la muestra clínica de pacientes en tratamiento por una adicción tecnológica, así como validar clínicamente la “Problematic Internet Entertainment Use Scale for Adults” (PIEUSAd). Una muestra clínica a pequeña escala (N=31; 71 % hombres, con una edad media de 33,31) fue seleccionada, se recogieron datos socio-demográficos, clínicos y de uso de tecnologías, así como la PIEUSAd y la “Compulsive Internet Use Scale” a través de una encuesta. El contexto fue un centro de salud pública de Barcelona (España). Los pacientes en tratamiento por una adicción tecnológica como primer diagnóstico eran usualmente hombres jóvenes que sufrían de una e-adicción genuina (sobre todo, adicción a internet, videojuegos o cibersexo); solo la mitad parecía sufrir una patología dual (normalmente otra adicción). Eran normalmente derivados por otros profesionales de la salud y la mayor parte no habían sido tratados psiquiá- tricamente con anterioridad. La PIEUSAd mostró gran variabilidad en sus puntuaciones, alta validez factorial y de constructo, y excelente fiabilidad (a=0,98). En conclusión, la heterogeneidad de las características de los pacientes fue evidenciada. Además, la PIEUSAd ha sido validada clínicamente para poder hacer un mejor cribado en las adicciones tecnológicas, donde la “pérdida de control” y la “evasión” parecen ser los síntomas prevalentes en estos tipos de pacientes

Diferencias psicopatológicas en mujeres con Dependencia Emocional con y sin uso de sustancias ilegales comórbido

En este artículo se presenta un análisis clínico de las diferencias psicopatológicas entre dos grupos de pacientes, mujeres, con problemas de Dependencia Emocional con y sin consumo de sustancias ilegales comórbido. Las pacientes fueron evaluadas mediante los cuestionarios TDS100, SCL-90-R, BIS-11 y una entrevista semiestructurada adaptada de la entrevista SCID-I. Los grupos se formaron en función de si existía consumo de drogas o no en el momento de la evaluación. A través de los resultados hallados, se puede concluir que el grupo de mujeres con un consumo ocasional de drogas presenta una mayor gravedad en la escala de Acomodación medida a través del TDS-100, así como puntuaciones más altas en psicopatología comórbida (Sensibilidad Interpersonal, Ansiedad, Hostilidad, Ideación paranoide, Psicoticismo y GSI) medida por el SCL-90-R. Finalmente, el grupo con uso de drogas obtuvo puntuaciones significativamente más altas en la subescala Impulsividad Motora medida por el BIS-11. English abstract: In this article we present a clinical analysis of the psychopathological differences between women patients with Affective Dependence problems with and without comorbid substance use. The patients were assessed trough the TDS-100, SCL-90-R, BIS-11 questionnaires and a semi-structured interview adapted from the SCID-I interview. The groups were created based on the substance use at the moment of the assessment. The results reveal that the group of women with occasional use of drugs shows higher severity in the Accommodation scale measured trough the TDS-100 and in the comorbid psychopathology measured by the SCL-90R (Interpersonal Sensitivity, Anxiety, Hostility, Paranoid ideation, Psychoticism y GSI). Finally, the group with drug use obtained significantly higher scores in the Motor Impulsiveness subscale measured by the BIS-11

Spectroscopic ellipsometry study of Cu2ZnSnSe4 bulk crystals

Using spectroscopic ellipsometry we investigated and analyzed the pseudo-optical constants of Cu2ZnSnSe4 bulk crystals, grown by the Bridgman method, over 0.8-4.5 eV photon energy range. The structures found in the spectra of the complex pseudodielectric functions were associated to E0, E1A, and E1B interband transitions and were analyzed in frame of the Adachi's model. The interband transition parameters such as strength, threshold energy, and broadening were evaluated by using the simulated annealing algorithm. In addition, the pseudo-complex refractive index, extinction coefficient, absorption coefficient, and normal-incidence reflectivity were derived over 0.8-4.5 eV photon energy rang

Optical properties of ZnMgO films grown by spray pyrolysis and their application to UV photodetection

This work presents a comprehensive optical characterization of Zn1−xMgxO thin films grown by spray pyrolysis (SP). Absorption measurements show the high potential of this technique to tune the bandgap from 3.30 to 4.11 eV by changing the Mg acetate content in the precursor solution, leading to a change of the Mg-content ranging from 0 up to 35%, as measured by transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The optical emission of the films obtained by cathodoluminescence and photoluminescence spectroscopy shows a blue shift of the peak position from 3.26 to 3.89 eV with increasing Mg incorporation, with a clear excitonic contribution even at high Mg contents. The linewidth broadening of the absorption and emission spectra as well as the magnitude of the observed Stokes shift are found to significantly increase with the Mg content. This is shown to be related to both potential fluctuations induced by pure statistical alloy disorder and the presence of a tail of band states, the latter dominating for medium Mg contents. Finally, metal–semiconductor–metal photodiodes were fabricated showing a high sensitivity and a blue shift in the cut-off energy from 3.32 to 4.02 eV, i.e., down to 308 nm. The photodiodes present large UV/dark contrast ratios (102 − 107), indicating the viability of SP as a growth technique to fabricate low cost (Zn, Mg)O-based UV photodetectors reaching short wavelengths

Precise measurement of the W-boson mass with the CDF II detector

We have measured the W-boson mass MW using data corresponding to 2.2/fb of integrated luminosity collected in proton-antiproton collisions at 1.96 TeV with the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. Samples consisting of 470126 W->enu candidates and 624708 W->munu candidates yield the measurement MW = 80387 +- 12 (stat) +- 15 (syst) = 80387 +- 19 MeV. This is the most precise measurement of the W-boson mass to date and significantly exceeds the precision of all previous measurements combined

Measurement of the t t-bar production cross section in the dilepton channel in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The t t-bar production cross section (sigma[t t-bar]) is measured in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV in data collected by the CMS experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 inverse femtobarns. The measurement is performed in events with two leptons (electrons or muons) in the final state, at least two jets identified as jets originating from b quarks, and the presence of an imbalance in transverse momentum. The measured value of sigma[t t-bar] for a top-quark mass of 172.5 GeV is 161.9 +/- 2.5 (stat.) +5.1/-5.0 (syst.) +/- 3.6(lumi.) pb, consistent with the prediction of the standard model.Comment: Replaced with published version. Included journal reference and DO

Azimuthal anisotropy of charged particles at high transverse momenta in PbPb collisions at sqrt(s[NN]) = 2.76 TeV

The azimuthal anisotropy of charged particles in PbPb collisions at nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV is measured with the CMS detector at the LHC over an extended transverse momentum (pt) range up to approximately 60 GeV. The data cover both the low-pt region associated with hydrodynamic flow phenomena and the high-pt region where the anisotropies may reflect the path-length dependence of parton energy loss in the created medium. The anisotropy parameter (v2) of the particles is extracted by correlating charged tracks with respect to the event-plane reconstructed by using the energy deposited in forward-angle calorimeters. For the six bins of collision centrality studied, spanning the range of 0-60% most-central events, the observed v2 values are found to first increase with pt, reaching a maximum around pt = 3 GeV, and then to gradually decrease to almost zero, with the decline persisting up to at least pt = 40 GeV over the full centrality range measured.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Combined search for the quarks of a sequential fourth generation

Results are presented from a search for a fourth generation of quarks produced singly or in pairs in a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5 inverse femtobarns recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2011. A novel strategy has been developed for a combined search for quarks of the up and down type in decay channels with at least one isolated muon or electron. Limits on the mass of the fourth-generation quarks and the relevant Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements are derived in the context of a simple extension of the standard model with a sequential fourth generation of fermions. The existence of mass-degenerate fourth-generation quarks with masses below 685 GeV is excluded at 95% confidence level for minimal off-diagonal mixing between the third- and the fourth-generation quarks. With a mass difference of 25 GeV between the quark masses, the obtained limit on the masses of the fourth-generation quarks shifts by about +/- 20 GeV. These results significantly reduce the allowed parameter space for a fourth generation of fermions.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Search for the standard model Higgs boson in the H to ZZ to 2l 2nu channel in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

A search for the standard model Higgs boson in the H to ZZ to 2l 2nu decay channel, where l = e or mu, in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV is presented. The data were collected at the LHC, with the CMS detector, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 inverse femtobarns. No significant excess is observed above the background expectation, and upper limits are set on the Higgs boson production cross section. The presence of the standard model Higgs boson with a mass in the 270-440 GeV range is excluded at 95% confidence level.Comment: Submitted to JHE