The Relationship Between Sensation Seeking & Conformity

Two hundred male, Introductory Psychology students were tested using the A:L and SSS. Forty-two students were then selected using approximately the upper, lower, and middle 7\u277 of the distribution of scores on the total SSS as cut-of: points. The Asch Conformity Test (ASCII) was then administered to each of those 42 subjects. It was hypothesized that high sensation seekers (based on total scale score, SSS) would behave in a nonconforming manner and that low sensation seekers would more readily conform to social pressures as measured by the ASCH. It was also hypothesized that when the effects of dominance and autonomy (as measured by the ACL) were discounted, the SSS would continue to predict nonconformity in the subjects. The results obtained through the use of Pearson product-moment correlations suggest that nonconformity is not significantly related to sensation seeking (as measured by the total SSS score). However, a significant relationship was found to exist between Thrill and Adventure Seeking ( AS, one of the SSS subscales) and nonconformity. \u27!hen the effects of dominance and autonomy (ACL) were eliminated through the use of partial correlations, TAS continued to predict nonconformity in the subjects

Enhancing OTD Clinical Pathophysiology Course Curriculum

To build upon the foundation of the OTD Clinical Pathophysiology course as to promote student-centered teaching and learning as well as course application to future occupational therapy clinical practic

Towards the Integration of Object-Oriented Constructs within Structured Query Language (SQL)

This paper explores the possibility of coupling SQL with a semantic data model. For this study, the primary objective was to build a working prototype of a program that allows a database designer to define data objects and their respective interrelationships using the Object-oriented Semantic Association Model (OSAM*). The prototype isolates from the designer the low level commands (i.e., CREATE TABLE, CREATE INDEX) which comprise the SQL data definition language (DOL). Once the objects are defined by the designer, the prototype generates the relational database table definitions without the designer having to directly use the SQL DOL

Nonempirical Density Functionals Investigated for Jellium: Spin-Polarized Surfaces, Spherical Clusters, and Bulk Linear Response

Earlier tests show that the Tao-Perdew-Staroverov-Scuseria (TPSS) nonempirical meta-generalized gradient approximation (meta-GGA) for the exchange-correlation energy yields more accurate surface energies than the local spin density (LSD) approximation for spin-unpolarized jellium. In this study, work functions and surface energies of a jellium metal in the presence of ``internal'' and external magnetic fields are calculated with LSD, Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) GGA, and TPSS meta-GGA and its predecessor, the nearly nonempirical Perdew-Kurth-Zupan-Blaha (PKZB) meta-GGA, using self-consistent LSD orbitals and densities. The results show that: (i) For normal bulk densities, the surface correlation energy is the same in TPSS as in PBE, as it should be since TPSS strives to represent a self-correlation correction to PBE; (ii) Normal surface density profiles can be scaled uniformly to the low-density or strong-interaction limit, and TPSS provides an estimate for that limit that is consistent with (but probably more accurate than) other estimates; (iii) For both normal and low densities, TPSS provides the same description of surface magnetism as PBE, suggesting that these approximations may be generally equivalent for magnetism. The energies of jellium spheres with up to 106 electrons are calculated using density functionals and compared to those obtained with Diffusion Quantum Monte Carlo data, including our estimate for the fixed-node correction. Finally we calculate the linear response of bulk jellium using these density functionals, and find that not only LSD but also PBE GGA and TPSS meta-GGA yield a linear-response in good agreement with that of the Quantum Monte Carlo method, for wavevectors of the perturbing external potential up to twice the Fermi wavevector.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

Human subjects protection issues in QUERI implementation research: QUERI Series

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Human Subjects protections approaches, specifically those relating to research review board oversight, vary throughout the world. While all are designed to protect participants involved in research, the structure and specifics of these institutional review boards (IRBs) can and do differ. This variation affects all types of research, particularly implementation research.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In 2001, we began a series of inter-related studies on implementing evidence-based collaborative care for depression in Veterans Health Administration primary care. We have submitted more than 100 IRB applications, amendments, and renewals, and in doing so, we have interacted with 13 VA and University IRBs across the United States (U.S.). We present four overarching IRB-related themes encountered throughout the implementation of our projects, and within each theme, identify key challenges and suggest approaches that have proved useful. Where applicable, we showcase process aids developed to assist in resolving a particular IRB challenge.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There are issues unique to implementation research, as this type of research may not fit within the traditional Human Subjects paradigm used to assess clinical trials. Risks in implementation research are generally related to breaches of confidentiality, rather than health risks associated with traditional clinical trials. The implementation-specific challenges discussed are: external validity considerations, Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, risk-benefit issues, the multiple roles of researchers and subjects, and system-level unit of analysis.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Specific aspects of implementation research interact with variations in knowledge, procedures, and regulatory interpretations across IRBs to affect the implementation and study of best methods to increase evidence-based practice. Through lack of unambiguous guidelines and local liability concerns, IRBs are often at risk of applying both variable and inappropriate or unnecessary standards to implementation research that are not consistent with the spirit of the Belmont Report (a summary of basic ethical principles identified by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research), and which impede the conduct of evidence-based quality improvement research. While there are promising developments in the IRB community, it is incumbent upon implementation researchers to interact with IRBs in a manner that assists appropriate risk-benefit determinations and helps prevent the process from having a negative impact on efforts to reduce the lag in implementing best practices.</p

The Small Unit Cell Reconstructions of SrTiO3 (111)

We analyze the basic structural units of simple reconstructions of the (111) surface of SrTiO3 using density functional calculations. The prime focus is to answer three questions: what is the most appropriate functional to use; how accurate are the energies; what are the dominant low-energy structures and where do they lie on the surface phase diagram. Using test calculations of representative small molecules we compare conventional GGA with higher-order methods such as the TPSS meta-GGA and on-site hybrid methods PBE0 and TPSSh, the later being the most accurate. There are large effects due to reduction of the metal d oxygen sp hybridization when using the hybrid methods which are equivalent to a dynamical GGA+U, which leads to rather substantial improvements in the atomization energies of simple calibration molecules, even though the d-electron density for titanium compounds is rather small. By comparing the errors of the different methods we are able to generate an estimate of the theoretical error, which is about 0.25eV per 1x1 unit cell, with changes of 0.5-1.0 eV per 1x1 cell with the more accurate method relative to conventional GGA. An analysis of the plausible structures reveals an unusual low-energy TiO2-rich configuration with an unexpected distorted trigonal biprismatic structure. This structure can act as a template for layers of either TiO or Ti2O3, consistent with experimental results as well as, in principle, Magnelli phases. The results also suggest that both the fracture surface and the stoichiometric SrTiO3 (111) surface should spontaneously disproportionate into SrO and TiO2 rich domains, and show that there are still surprises to be found for polar oxide surfaces.Comment: 14 pages, 4 Figure

Ab-initio density-functional lattice-dynamics studies of ice

We present the results of first-principles computational studies of the dynamical properties of hexagonal ice using both the ab-initio pseudopotential method and the full-potential augmented plane-wave method. Properties obtained using both the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and the meta-GGA in density-functional theory are compared. The lattice-dynamical properties of the structures are obtained using a finite-difference evaluation of the dynamical matrix and force-constant matrix from atomic forces. Phonon dispersion is evaluated by the direct determination of the force-constant matrix in supercells derived from the primitive molecule unit cells with the assumption that force constants are zero beyond the second molecular nearest neighbors. The k-dependent phonon frequencies are then obtained from the force-constant matrix and dispersion relations, and the Brillouin-zone integrated density of states is evaluated. The importance of phonon dispersion in the various regions of the phonon spectra is then assessed and compared to existing neutron-scattering data. Frozen-phonon calculations are used to compare phonon frequencies evaluated in both the GGA and meta-GGA

An integrative approach combining ion mobility mass spectrometry, X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy to study the conformational dynamics of α1-antitrypsin upon ligand binding

Native mass spectrometry (MS) methods permit the study of multiple protein species within solution equilibria, whilst ion mobility (IM)-MS can report on conformational behaviour of specific states. We used IM-MS to study a conformationally labile protein (α1-antitrypsin) that undergoes pathological polymerisation in the context of point mutations. The folded, native state of the Z variant remains highly polymerogenic in physiological conditions, despite only minor thermodynamic destabilisation relative to the wild-type variant. Various data implicate kinetic instability (conformational lability within a native state ensemble) as the basis of Z α1-antitrypsin polymerogenicity. We show the ability of IM-MS to track such disease-relevant conformational behaviour in detail by studying the effects of peptide binding on α1-antitrypsin conformation and dynamics. IM-MS is therefore an ideal platform for the screening of compounds that result in therapeutically-beneficial kinetic stabilisation of native α1-antitrypsin. Our findings are confirmed with high resolution X-ray crystallographic and NMR spectroscopic studies of the same event, which together dissect structural changes from dynamic effects caused by peptide binding at a residue specific level. IM-MS methods therefore have great potential for further study of biologically-relevant thermodynamic and kinetic instability of proteins and provide rapid and multidimensional characterisation of ligand interactions of therapeutic interest. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved