Taking a Person-Centered Approach to Personality: A Latent-Profile Analysis of the HEXACO Model of Personality

Our study applies a person-centered approach to the HEXACO model of personality using latent profile analysis (LPA). While the traditional variable-centered approach assumes that the relations among variables within a population are homogenous, the person-centered approach identifies subgroups within samples that have similar scores on several variables of interest, in this case, the six factors of personality. Data from two independent samples were collected at a large North American university. The results of LPA revealed five distinct and interpretable profiles that replicated and were found to be consistent across both samples. We discuss how our findings attest to the meaningfulness of personality profiles, and suggest additional ways in which a person-centered approach might be applied in personality research

Analgesic effects of intravenous flunixin and intrafunicular lidocaine or their combination for castration of lambs.

Abstract Objective: To analyse the effectiveness of intrafunicular lidocaine and intravenous flunixin for reducing pain and signs of stress in lambs undergoing surgical castration. Design: Randomised controlled trial. Setting: One university teaching hospital in Italy. Participants: 30 healthy male lambs, 9-12 weeks old. Intervention: Allocation to five groups: a control group (C), undergoing general anaesthesia but not castration; a surgery group (S), undergoing orchiectomy without analgesic treatment; a surgery-lidocaine group (SL), undergoing orchiectomy and receiving intrafunicular 2 per cent lidocaine solution; a surgery-flunixin group (SF), undergoing orchiectomy and receiving intravenous flunixin; a surgery-flunixin-lidocaine group (SFL), undergoing orchiectomy and receiving both intrafunicular lidocaine and intravenous flunixin. Main outcome measures: Nociception and stress were assessed through intraoperative indicators, serum cortisol concentration, glycaemia, behaviour, immune response and clinical evaluation of the heart rate (HR), respiratory rate and rectal temperature after surgery. Results: Groups S and SL showed increased values of intraoperative HR, mean arterial pressure and postoperative cortisol concentration. In group SFL, cortisol values were similar to those of group C. No other difference could be detected. Conclusions: The combination of intravenous flunixin and intrafunicular lidocaine reduced the pain and discomfort of lambs castrated under general anaesthesia. Intrafunicular lidocaine alone did not prevent pain or discomfort associated with castration

The synthesis, characterization and targeting ability of nano-scale enrichment polymer layers

Thin polymer films have been utilized as enrichment layers for evanescent waveguide chemical sensors and other analytical techniques. This is due to the fact that the chemical nature of polymers is ideal for trapping chemically similar organic molecules making analysis more convenient. Specifically, research in this area of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detection, focused has been given to identifying a single polymer film of micron scale thickness to target one analyte. This work focuses on the design and use of multiple polymers in one enrichment layer to target VOCs to facilitate detection. Two distinct layered enrichment systems were synthesized via the “grafting to” approach. The end application is to apply these polymers onto mid-infrared transparent evanescent wave micro-disk or micro-ring resonators. Analysis of the polymer affinity to VOCs and to act as enrichment layers is determined by the thickness increase caused by swelling of the film when exposed to the analyte vapor. Detection analysis was done using attenuated total reflection (ATR) FT-IR spectroscopy. The polymer layered systems were characterized by atomic force microscopy, ellipsometry and infrared spectroscopy. Studies of pure analyte vapors and mixtures were conducted in saturated conditions

Observation of Photoion Backward Emission in Photoionization of He and N2

We experimentally investigate the effects of the linear photon momentum on the momentum distributions of photoions and photoelectrons generated in one-photon ionization in an energy range of 300 eV $\leq~E_\gamma~\leq$ 40 keV. Our results show that for each ionization event the photon momentum is imparted onto the photoion, which is essentially the system's center of mass. Nevertheless, the mean value of the ion momentum distribution along the light propagation direction is backward-directed by $-3/5$ times the photon momentum. These results experimentally confirm a 90 year old prediction.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

High-Energy Molecular-Frame Photoelectron Angular Distributions: A Molecular Bond-Length Ruler

We present an experimental and theoretical study of core-level ionization of small hetero- and homo-nuclear molecules employing circularly polarized light and address molecular-frame photoelectron angular distributions in the light's polarization plane (CP-MFPADs). We find that the main forward-scattering peaks of CP-MFPADs are slightly tilted with respect to the molecular axis. We show that this tilt angle can be directly connected to the molecular bond length by a simple, universal formula. The extraction of the bond length becomes more accurate as the photoelectron energy is increased. We apply the derived formula to several examples of CP-MFPADs of C 1s and O 1s photoelectrons of CO, which have been measured experimentally or obtained by means of ab initio modeling. The photoelectron kinetic energies range from 70 to 1000~eV and the extracted bond lengths agree well with the known bond length of the CO molecule in its ground state. In addition, we discuss the influence of the back-scattering contribution that is superimposed over the analyzed forward-scattering peak in case of homo-nuclear diatomic molecules as N$_2$

Epidemiological patterns of asbestos exposure and spatial clusters of incident cases of malignant mesothelioma from the Italian national registry

Abstract BACKGROUND: Previous ecological spatial studies of malignant mesothelioma cases, mostly based on mortality data, lack reliable data on individual exposure to asbestos, thus failing to assess the contribution of different occupational and environmental sources in the determination of risk excess in specific areas. This study aims to identify territorial clusters of malignant mesothelioma through a Bayesian spatial analysis and to characterize them by the integrated use of asbestos exposure information retrieved from the Italian national mesothelioma registry (ReNaM). METHODS: In the period 1993 to 2008, 15,322 incident cases of all-site malignant mesothelioma were recorded and 11,852 occupational, residential and familial histories were obtained by individual interviews. Observed cases were assigned to the municipality of residence at the time of diagnosis and compared to those expected based on the age-specific rates of the respective geographical area. A spatial cluster analysis was performed for each area applying a Bayesian hierarchical model. Information about modalities and economic sectors of asbestos exposure was analyzed for each cluster. RESULTS: Thirty-two clusters of malignant mesothelioma were identified and characterized using the exposure data. Asbestos cement manufacturing industries and shipbuilding and repair facilities represented the main sources of asbestos exposure, but a major contribution to asbestos exposure was also provided by sectors with no direct use of asbestos, such as non-asbestos textile industries, metal engineering and construction. A high proportion of cases with environmental exposure was found in clusters where asbestos cement plants were located or a natural source of asbestos (or asbestos-like) fibers was identifiable. Differences in type and sources of exposure can also explain the varying percentage of cases occurring in women among clusters. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates shared exposure patterns in territorial clusters of malignant mesothelioma due to single or multiple industrial sources, with major implications for public health policies, health surveillance, compensation procedures and site remediation programs

Caratteristiche alla macellazione di agnelli leggeri allevati tradizionalmente in Abruzzo

La produzione di carne ovina nel nostro Paese sta vivendo una drammatica contrazione (-49,4% dal 1990al 2003) a fronte di un aumento evidente di carni importate, spesso vendute come “locali”. Nella regioneAbruzzo viene ancora diffusamente praticato l’allevamento semi-estensivo di ovini, di razzaAppenninica o derivati, per la produzione di un “agnello leggero” macellato, intorno ai 60 giorni di vita,in occasione delle festività pasquali o natalizie. Questa produzione, abbastanza caratterizzata in terminidi tecnologia di allevamento, non lo è altrettanto in termini qualitativi. La presente indagine si è postacome obiettivo di valutare gli elementi di omogeneità e riconoscibilità di questa produzione tali dapoterla configurare come tipica, garantendone una visibilità di mercato. Allo scopo sono stati utilizzati80 agnelli di razza Appenninica o nati da incrocio Bergamasca x Appenninica, provenienti dai partiautunnali e primaverili non gemellari di 4 allevamenti della provincia di Teramo. Gli animali (50%maschi e 50% femmine), monitorati in vita, raggiunta l’età di macellazione stabilita dagli usi locali (60d), sono stati sacrificati senza alcuna sosta pre-macellazione rilevando per ciascuno il peso vivo, quellodella carcassa a caldo, della pelle col vello, del digerente e della corata. Inoltre, con l’ausilio di unesperto valutatore, tutte le carcasse sono state classificate secondo la Tabella comunitaria diclassificazione degli agnelli leggeri (griglia mediterranea di valutazione, Reg. CEE n. 2137/92 e n.461/93). A 24h dalla macellazione si è quindi provveduto a pesare le carcasse a freddo e ad eseguire lasezionatura secondo la metodica ASPA. Il peso vivo all’età di macellazione (60d), distribuito in modonormale, si è attestato attorno al valore medio di 19,46 kg, con una deviazione standard di 3,40 kg adevidenziare una discreta variabilità del parametro. La differenza di peso tra maschi e femmine (20,28 kgvs 18,69 kg) è risultata statisticamente significativa (P=0,041), in accordo con quanto riscontrato da altriAutori, già a 40d di età, in soggetti di razza Appenninica. La resa a caldo ha presentato un valore mediodel 55,8% ± 2,90, in linea o superiore a quello riscontrato da altri Autori, con un andamentosignificativamente diverso tra i sessi (56,5% vs 55,2%; P=0,042 per maschi e femmine rispettivamente).L’incidenza del digerente si è dimostrata molto variabile probabilmente quale conseguenza di pianialimentari differenti tra gli allevamenti e del diverso effetto della linea genetica. Anche la distribuzionedelle carcasse nelle categorie previste della griglia mediterranea di valutazione ha mostrato una notevolevariabilità. In particolare, il 14,47% di esse ha superato il limite dei 13 kg non rientrando quindi nellatipologia dell’agnello leggero. Del 30,26%, ricaduto nella categoria B (7,1÷10 kg), quasi la metà dellecarcasse (43,48%) ha mostrato uno stato di ingrassamento insufficiente ed è stato classificato di IIqualità, così come il 100% di quelle collocate nella categoria A (≤ 7 kg) che erano tuttavia presenti inquantità minima (2,63% del totale). Poco più della metà delle carcasse (52,63%) si è infine collocatonella categoria C (peso fra i 10,1 e i 13 kg) rientrando per la totalità nella classificazione di I qualità. Aprescindere dalla categoria, il 18,42% del totale delle carcasse è stato classificato di II qualità,prevalentemente a causa di un’adiposità inadeguata. I tagli derivanti dalla sezionatura hanno evidenziatouna proporzione non dissimile fra le diverse categorie fatta eccezione della maggiore incidenza delcoscio nei soggetti leggeri (cat. A) in accordo con quanto evidenziato da altri Autori. Appare quindinecessario definire con maggiore precisione degli obiettivi produttivi per l’agnello abruzzese, puntandoalla produz[...

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder in the heart late after heterotopic transplantation: Autopsy findings

We report the case of 52-year-old heart transplant recipient positive for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and CD3 polymorphic post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD). At age 39 years, the patient underwent heterotopic heart transplantation for end-stage ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy in a setting of irreversible pulmonary hypertension. He was asymptomatic for 13 years after transplantation. During the intervening period, he sustained an episode of rejection without apparent sequelae. Immunosuppression consisted of cyclosporine, azathioprine, and corticosteroids

Post-transplantlymphoproliferative disorder in the heart late after heterotopic transplantation:autopsy findings

We report the case of 52-year-old heart transplant recipient positive for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and CD3 polymorphic post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD). At age 39 years, the patient underwent heterotopic heart transplantation for end-stage ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy in a setting of irreversible pulmonary hypertension. He was asymptomatic for 13 years after transplantation. During the intervening period, he sustained an episode of rejection without apparent sequelae. Immunosuppression consisted of cyclosporine, azathioprine, and corticosteroids