12,320 research outputs found
Is executive impairment associated with schizophrenic syndromes? A meta-analysis
Original article can be found at: http://journals.cambridge.org/ Copyright Cambridge University Press. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291708003887A key neuropsychological proposal in schizophrenia is that negative and disorganization symptoms are associated with different patterns of impairment on executive tasks. Reporting correlations between positive, negative or disorganization symptoms and any type of executive test were meta-analysed. The influence of moderating factors was also examined, including age, treatment and stage of illness and whether symptoms were relapsing or persistent. The magnitudes of the correlations were compared with those for general intellectual impairment. Pooled correlations between executive impairment and both negative symptoms and disorganization were significant in the small-to-moderate range. That for positive symptoms (āreality distortionā), however, was close to zero. The pattern of correlations among different executive tests differed significantly for negative symptoms and disorganization. Patients with stable clinical pictures showed significantly higher correlations with executive impairment than those with relapsing and remitting illnesses. Both negative symptoms and disorganization also correlated significantly with general intellectual function as indexed by current IQ. Meta-analysis supports the view that negative symptoms and disorganization are associated with partially dissociable patterns of executive impairment. However, co-existent general intellectual impairment has been an important confounding factor in the studies to date.Peer reviewe
Mapping the Evolution of Optically-Generated Rotational Wavepackets in a Room Temperature Ensemble of D
A coherent superposition of rotational states in D has been excited by
nonresonant ultrafast (12 femtosecond) intense (2 10
Wcm) 800 nm laser pulses leading to impulsive dynamic alignment.
Field-free evolution of this rotational wavepacket has been mapped to high
temporal resolution by a time-delayed pulse, initiating rapid double
ionization, which is highly sensitive to the angle of orientation of the
molecular axis with respect to the polarization direction, . The
detailed fractional revivals of the neutral D wavepacket as a function of
and evolution time have been observed and modelled theoretically.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. A. Full
reference to follow.
Facial emotion processing in schizophrenia : a non-specific neuropsychological deficit?
Original article can be found at : http://journals.cambridge.org/ Copyright Cambridge University PressBackground: Identification of facial emotions has been found to be impaired in schizophrenia but there are uncertainties about the neuropsychological specificity of the finding. Method: Twenty-two patients with schizophrenia and 20 healthy controls were given tests requiring identification of facial emotion, judgement of the intensity of emotional expressions without identification, familiar face recognition and the Benton Facial Recognition Test (BFRT). The schizophrenia patients were selected to be relatively intellectually preserved. Results: The patients with schizophrenia showed no deficit in identifying facial emotion, although they were slower than the controls. They were, however, impaired on judging the intensity of emotional expression without identification. They showed impairment in recognizing familiar faces but not on the BFRT. Conclusions: When steps are taken to reduce the effects of general intellectual impairment, there is no deficit in identifying facial emotions in schizophrenia. There may, however, be a deficit in judging emotional intensity. The impairment found in naming familiar faces is consistent with other evidence of semantic memory impairment in the disorder.Peer reviewe
On the dependence of the avalanche angle on the granular layer thickness
A layer of sand of thickness h flows down a rough surface if the inclination
is larger than some threshold value theta which decreases with h. A tentative
microscopic model for the dependence of theta with h is proposed for rigid
frictional grains, based on the following hypothesis: (i) a horizontal layer of
sand has some coordination z larger than a critical value z_c where mechanical
stability is lost (ii) as the tilt angle is increased, the configurations
visited present a growing proportion $_s of sliding contacts. Instability with
respect to flow occurs when z-z_s=z_c. This criterion leads to a prediction for
theta(h) in good agreement with empirical observations.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure
Prolonged Remission of Cushing\u27s Disease Following Bromocriptine Therapy
A 33-year-old woman developed hypercorticism of fulminant onset following delivery of a full-term, normal child. An ectopic hormone-producing neoplasm was excluded by extensive studies. Pituitary dependent hypercorticism of intermediate lobe origin was suggested on the basis of onset following pregnancy, failure of Cortisol suppression by high-dose dexamethasone, hyperresponsiveness of prolactin to thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation, and reduction in adrenocorticotropin titers following oral administration of bromocriptine. Initial remission of disease achieved with bromocriptine was followed by recurrence on discontinuation of the agent. However, complete remission which occurred following a prolonged course of bromocriptine has persisted for a total of 22 months
Searches for New Quarks and Leptons Produced in Z-Boson Decay
We have searched for events with new-particle topologies in 390 hadronic Z decays with the Mark II detector at the SLAC Linear Collider. We place 95%-confidence-level lower limits of 40.7 GeV/c^2 for the top-quark mass, 42.0 GeV/c^2 for the mass of a fourth-generation charge - 1/3 quark, and 41.3 GeV/c^2 for the mass of an unstable Dirac neutral lepton
Measurement of Z Decays into Lepton Pairs
We present measurements by the Mark II experiment of the ratios of the leptonic partial widths of the Z boson to the hadronic partial width. The results are Ī_(ee)/Ī_(had)=0.037_(-0.012^()+0.016),Ī_(ĀµĀµ)/Ī_(had)=0.053-_(0.015)^(+0.020), and Ī_(ĻĻ)/Ī_(had)=0.066_(-0.017)^(+0.021), in good agreement with the standard-model prediction of 0.048. From the average leptonic width result, Ī_(ll)/Ī_(had)=0.053_(-0.009)^(+0.010), we derive Ī_(had)=1.56_(-0.24)^(+0.28) GeV. We find for the vector coupling constants of the tau and muon v_Ļ^2=0.31Ā±0.31_(-0.30)^(+0.43) and v_Ī¼^2=0.05Ā±0.30_(-0.23)^(+0.34)
The consequence of excess configurational entropy on fragility: the case of a polymer/oligomer blend
By taking advantage of the molecular weight dependence of the glass
transition of polymers and their ability to form perfectly miscible blends, we
propose a way to modify the fragility of a system, from fragile to strong,
keeping the same glass properties, i.e. vibrational density of states,
mean-square displacement and local structure. Both slow and fast dynamics are
investigated by calorimetry and neutron scattering in an athermal
polystyrene/oligomer blend, and compared to those of a pure 17-mer polystyrene
considered to be a reference, of same Tg. Whereas the blend and the pure 17-mer
have the same heat capacity in the glass and in the liquid, their fragilities
differ strongly. This difference in fragility is related to an extra
configurational entropy created by the mixing process and acting at a scale
much larger than the interchain distance, without affecting the fast dynamics
and the structure of the glass
A qualitative evaluation of healthy weight services in a local authority in England
Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the healthy weight services in one local authority in England, where obesity levels have been above the national average since 2006. Design We conducted process and outcome evaluation using a qualitative methodology. Data were generated in focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with clients, practitioners, healthcare professionals and volunteers. Results Ninety-one individuals from six services participated in the evaluation. Staff competencies and empowerment outcomes were identified as areas of strength. However, despite examples of excellent practice and enthusiastic recommendations from clients, access and referral processes were areas of weakness. Conclusion In England, local authorities have an important role to play in tackling obesity. It is crucial that they are provided with the tools to be able to implement healthy weight interventions effectively. A whole-systems approach presents a real opportunity for staff in local authorities and public health to work collaboratively and innovatively towards the same goal of continuous improvement in obesity management
Associations between the combined physical activity environment, socioeconomic status, and 1 obesity: a cross-sectional study
Aims:
This study investigates associations between the combined physical activity environment and obesity and explores any sub-group effects by individual-level socioeconomic status.
Methods:
In a large cross-sectional cohort (nā=ā22,889) from the Yorkshire Health Study, body mass index was calculated using self-reported height and weight and obesity was defined as a body mass indexāā„ā30. The physical activity environment was split into āunfavourable physical activityā, āmoderately favourable physical activityā and āfavourable physical activityā environments. This was based on the count of parks and physical activity facilities within a 2ākm radial buffer centred on home addresses. A favourable physical activity environment was defined as having ā„1 physical activity facility and ā„1 park, unfavourable as having no physical activity facility and park and any other combinations defined as moderately favourable. Logistic regression (odds ratios) identified associations with obesity.
Results:
Relative to āunfavourable physical activity environmentsā, individuals within favourable physical activity environments were less likely to be obese (odds ratioā=ā0.90; 95% confidence intervalā=ā0.82ā0.97), and there was no effect for moderately favourable environment. Furthermore, once stratified by education level, this relationship was only present for those of higher education.
Conclusion:
Our findings provide novel UK evidence and is one of the first papers internationally that highlights the importance of considering the interplay of individual-level socioeconomic factors when investigating associations between the physical activity environment and obesity
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