Showing papers by "Duquesne University published in 1991"

The Effects of Weaponry on Human Violence

Abstract: This article assesses the impact of weapons, especially firearms, on three types of outcomes of threatening or hostile interactions : (1) whether a threatening situation escalates to an actual physical attack, (2) wether the attack is completed, i.e., results in an injury, and (3) wether the injury inflicted results in death. Data on violent incidents among strangers, taken from the 1979-1985 National Crime Surveys and the 1982 Supplementary Homicide Reports, were used to estimate bivariate probit equations with a correction for sample selection bias. Results indicate that deadly weapons, including firearms, appear to inhibit attack and, in the case of an attack, to reduce the probability of injury, whereas, once an injury occurs, they appear to increase the probability of death. The overall net effect of the availability of guns on the probability of the victim's death is very close to zero

Jung and phenomenology

Abstract: Jung and Phenomenology is a classic text in the field of Jungian scholarship. Originally published in 1991, it continues to be essential to conversations regarding the foundations of Jungian thought. This Classic Edition of the book includes a brand new introduction by the author. Jung described his own approach as phenomenological, particularly as it contrasted with Freud’s psychoanalysis and with medical psychiatry. However, Jung’s understanding of phenomenology was inconsistent, and he writes with an epistemological eclecticism which leaves him often at cross purposes with himself. In Jung and Phenomenology, Brooke systematically addresses the central ideas of Jung’s thought. The major developments in the post-Jungian tradition are extensively integrated into the conversation, as are clinical issues, meaning that the book marks a synthesis of insights in the contemporary Jungian field. His reading and interpretation of Jung are guided by the question of what it is that Jung is trying to show but which tends to be obscured by his formulations. Examining the meaning of Jung’s theoretical ideas in concrete existential terms, Jung and Phenomenology is essential reading for psychoanalysts, psychologists and students interested in the Jungian tradition and existential phenomenology.

Development and evaluation of sustained-release ibuprofen-wax microspheres. I. Effect of formulation variables on physical characteristics

Abstract: A congealable disperse phase encapsulation method was used to prepare sustained-release ibuprofen-wax microspheres Microspheres prepared with paraffin wax, such as ceresine and micro-crystalline waxes, using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as dispersant had a tendency to aggregate, but the addition of wax modifiers (stearyl alcohol and glyceryl monostearate) greatly reduced aggregation Optimum modifier and dispersant concentrations were 20% (w/w) and 5% (w/v), respectively The particle size distribution of the microspheres was log-normal An increase in modifier, dispersant concentration, emulsification stirring speed, or temperature shifted the size distribution toward finer particles Microcrystalline wax required a higher emulsification temperature and produced finer particles than ozokerite wax The recovery of drug from the different microsphere formulations varied between 71 and 92% Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the single components and physical mixtures showed endothermic peaks at the respective melting-point ranges The DSC of the ceresine and microcrystalline wax microspheres was similar to rescans of ternary mixtures of components of the microspheres with less prominent and lower melting temperatures than individual components or physical mixtures

Pudendal motor and premotor neurons in the male rat: a WGA transneuronal study.

Abstract: Anatomical studies using retrograde neuronal tracers were carried out to identify pudendal motoneurons and putative lumbosacral interneurons involved in the generation of penile reflexes in the adult male rat (Sprague-Dawley). In agreement with previous studies, injection of the direct neuronal tracers, horseradish peroxidase or fluoro-gold, into the left M. bulbospongiosus (dorsal division) resulted in direct retrograde labeling of motoneurons only in the ipsilateral dorsomedial (DM) nucleus. In contrast, similar injections of the transneuronal tracer, wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), resulted in direct retrograde labeling of ipsilateral DM motoneurons as well as transneuronal labeling of contralateral DM motoneurons and of bilaterally located putative spinal interneurons. The WGA-labeling was determined to be transneuronal by a series of nerve cut experiments. The direct retrograde WGA-labeling of ipsilateral DM motoneurons and the transneuronal WGA-labeling of contralateral DM motoneurons and bilateral putative spinal interneurons occurred with different time courses. Direct retrograde labeling of ipsilateral DM motoneurons was seen at 20 hours survival and persisted up to 7 days survival. The shortest survival period for detecting transneuronal labeling of contralateral DM motoneurons and putative interneurons was 2 days. Transneuronal WGA-labeling of contralateral DM motoneurons was transient in that the intensity of label increased from 2 to 3 days survival but was markedly reduced at 7 days survival. At the same time, the number of WGA-labeled putative interneurons increased with longer survival times up to 7 days. WGA-labeled putative interneurons were located primarily in regions receiving dendritic projections from WGA-labeled DM motoneurons and, in particular, (1) the ventral gray matter between the DM and dorsolateral nuclei and (2) near the central canal and extending dorsally to the dorsal gray commissure. The rapid and extensive transneuronal transport between DM nuclei suggests that direct synaptic coupling may mediate coordinated, bilateral activation of DM motoneurons.

Spectrophotometric prediction of the dissolution rate of carbamazepine tablets.

Abstract: A near-infrared (IR) spectrophotometer, integrating optics, and parallel-vector supercomputer are employed to develop a mathematical model that predicts the dissolution rate of individual intact tablets from near-IR spectra (r2 = 0.985). Each tablet can be analyzed nondestructively by the spectrophotometer in less than 1 min. The model permits hundreds of near-IR wavelengths to be used in the determination of dissolution rate, leading to increased accuracy.

Antibiotic prophylaxis in cranial base surgery.

Abstract: The role of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis was investigated in 95 patients undergoing 100 clean-contaminated cranial base surgeries. A variety of antibiotic regimens were employed. Potential risk factors for local infection were analyzed. Seven patients (7%) developed infections at the surgical site (meningitis, intracranial abscess, cellulitis/abscess, and osteomyelitis). Antibiotic prophylaxis for 24 hours or less was associated with a significantly increased risk of infection (p less than 0.04). Prolonged antibiotic prophylaxis (greater than 48 hours) was not more efficacious than prophylaxis for 48 hours. The surgical approach, type of reconstruction, duration of surgery, and use of drains were not significantly correlated with wound infection. The risk of intracranial infection following cranial base surgery is low despite the presence of bacterial contamination intraoperatively. Broad-spectrum coverage of gram-positive and gram-negative organisms for at least 48 hours is recommended. Attention to surgical technique is important in preventing infectious complications.

Advances and Perspectives in Near-Infrared Spectrophotometry

Abstract: Near-infrared spectrophotometric analysis is a rapid technique that typically uses the reflectance of a solid sample at several wavelengths to determine the sample's composition. A computerized modeling process is generally used to correct for background and sample-matrix interferences. The modeling process employs a training set of samples to, in effect, “teach” the computer to recognize relationships between minute spectral features and sample composition. The contents of the training-set samples must be determined initially by some other reference method before applying the near-IR technique. The model developed from near-IR spectra and reference values gives the sample composition using a number of linear equations. Each of these equations expresses a particular component concentration as a weighted sum of the signals observed at a number of near-IR wavelengths. Instruments used for near-IR spectrophotometry can be as simple as a filter photometer or a grating monochromator. The broad spectra...

A morphometric study of the lungs of different sized bats: correlations between structure and function of the chiropteran lung.

Abstract: 1. The lungs of four species of bats, Phyllostomus hastatus (PH, mean body mass, 98 g), Pteropus lylei (PL, 456 g), Pteropus alecto (PA, 667 g), and Pteropus poliocephalus (PP, 928 g) were analysed by morphometric methods. These data increase fivefold the range of body masses for which bat lung data are available, and allow more representative allometric equations to be formulated for bats. 2. Lung volume ranged from 4.9 cm3 for PH to 39 cm3 for PP. The volume density of the lung parenchyma (i.e. the volume proportion of the parenchyma in the lung) ranged from 94% in PP to 89% in PH. Of the components of the parenchyma, the alveoli composed 89% and the blood capillaries about 5%. 3. The surface area of the alveoli exceeded that of the blood-gas (tissue) barrier and that of the capillary endothelium whereas the surface area of the red blood cells as well as that of the capillary endothelium was greater than that of the tissue barrier. PH had the thinnest tissue barrier (0.1204 microns) and PP had the thickest (0.3033 microns). 4. The body mass specific volume of the lung, that of the volume of pulmonary capillary blood, the surface area of the blood-gas (tissue) barrier, the diffusing capacity of the tissue barrier, and the total morphometric pulmonary diffusing capacity in PH all substantially exceeded the corresponding values of the pteropid species (i.e. PL, PA and PP). This conforms with the smaller body mass and hence higher unit mass oxygen consumption of PH, a feature reflected in the functionally superior gas exchange performance of its lungs. 5. Morphometrically, the lungs of different species of bats exhibit remarkable differences which cannot always be correlated with body mass, mode of flight and phylogeny. Conclusive explanations of these pulmonary structural disparities in different species of bats must await additional physiological and flight biomechanical studies. 6. While the slope, the scaling factor (b), of the allometric equation fitted to bat lung volume data (b = 0.82) exceeds the value for flight VO2max (b = 0.70), those for the surface area of the blood-gas (tissue) barrier (b = 0.74), the pulmonary capillary blood volume (b = 0.74), and the total morphometric lung diffusing capacity for oxygen (b = 0.69) all correspond closely to the VO2max value. 7. Allometric comparisons of the morphometric pulmonary parameters of bats, birds and non-flying mammals reveal that superiority of the bat lung over that of the non-flying mammal.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Influence of air temperature on ventilation rates and thermoregulation of a flying bat

Abstract: To assess the involvement of the ventilatory system in thermoregulation during flight, breathing frequencies and tidal volumes were measured from three Phyllostomus hastatus undertaking steady wind tunnel flights at a constant speed over a range of air temperatures (Ta) from 17.7 to 31.1 degrees C. Mean breathing frequency was independent of Ta, and tidal volume increased only modestly with increasing Ta. Consequently, minute ventilation rate increased insignificantly over the range of Ta values investigated. Mean rectal temperature showed a direct linear relation to Ta and increased significantly from 39.1 to 41.9 degrees C over the range of Ta values investigated. The highest rectal temperatures measured from flying P. hastatus are approximately 3 degrees C less than those of flying birds. In contrast to flying birds, flying P. hastatus does not modulate its rate of respiratory evaporative heat loss to any significant extent in response to environmental heat stress and only loses an estimated 14% of its metabolic heat load by this route. Cutaneous heat loss channels must therefore be very important to these animals. Some reasons for the observed differences in the thermoregulatory responses of flying bats and birds are discussed as well as the relative advantages and limitations of each group's solutions to their thermoregulatory challenges.

Strength of Religious Affiliation and Life Satisfaction

Abstract: This study examines the impact of the strength of religious affiliation on attitudes toward life satisfaction. The data are taken from the 1984 NORC survey. All things considered, religious persons should be happier, more satisfied, and more fulfilled than the nonreligious. This general assertion is tested with respect to happiness, family satisfaction, health satisfaction, and life excitement. The predicted association holds generally for happiness, family satisfaction, and life excitement. These three associations are confirmed under several, but not all, of the control conditions. Health satisfaction, by contrast, appears to be independent of the strength of an individual's religious affiliation. This study, based on data from the 1984 National Opinion Research Center (NORC) survey, examines the impact of the stregnth of religious affiliation on attitudes toward life satisfaction. Moberg (1972) found that religious activity is positively related to life satisfaction and morale. Not only does society as a whole develop its own system of beliefs and values to serve as guides for action, but each individual also needs to find a system of values to serve as a guide for personal activity. All need some absolute values to live by (Yinger, 1963), and in turn these values offer answers to problems of both life and death. In a review of the role of religion, Roberts (1990) underscores its importance in providing meaning and understanding for the individual. If religion does offer meaning and understanding, it should enhance the individual's subjective sense of well-being. Given these assumptions, religious affiliation should have a demonstrable impact on perceived satisfaction with life. All things considered, religious persons should be happier, more satisfied, and more fulfilled than the nonreligious. The following relationships can be hypothesized regarding the impact of religious affiliation on human satisfaction in general, as measured by attitudes toward happiness, family satisfaction, health satisfaction, and life excitement.

The psychology of anxiety: A phenomenological description.

Abstract: The psychology of anxiety continues to be debated by researchers, as well as therapists. By investigating it with phenomenological methods, I have been able to determine its three existential preconditions; the way in which an anxious situation announces a crisis of one's efforts to surpass one's unacceptable incompleteness; being anxious as being impeded, if not fundamentally blocked, and moving beyond being anxious as either ambivalently reaffirming the viability of the projects and relations in which one was already invested, or as transformatively accepting those projects and relations as fundamentally uncertain and hence, as open to future determination.

Structural, Magnetic, and Spectroscopic Characterization of the Pyridine Complexes of Copper(II) Triphenylacetate: A Dimeric Copper(II) Triphenylacetate–Pyridine Complex with Distorted Trigonal Bipyramidal Geometry Around Copper

Abstract: The synthesis and characterization of three copper(II) triphenylacetate-pyridine complexes are reported along with their magnetic and spectral properties: [Cu2(O2CCPh3)4(py)2]·C6H6 (1), [Cu2(O2CCPh3)4(py)2] (2), and Cu(O2CCPh3)2·2py (3). Crystal structure analyses of 1 and 3 have revealed unusual geometries around copper: 1, triclinic, space group P\bar1 with a=19.558(7) b=16.605(6), c=14.997(5) A, α=14.55(2)°, β=97.11(2)°, γ=111.65(2)°, and Z=2; 3, monoclinic, space group P21⁄c with a=8.931(1), b=12.602(1), c=19.578(1) A, β=118.17(0.4)°, and Z=2. The coordination sphere around each copper in the dimeric complex 1 is a highly distorted trigonal bipyramid with bridging triphenylacetato ligands spanning the apical and equatorial positions, resulting in a long Cu–Cu distance of 3.086(1) A. Temperature-dependent magntic susceptibility measurements on 1 indicate that the two coppers are antiferromagnetically coupled with −2J=187 cm−1. The structure of the monomeric complex 3 is unusual in that the out-of-plane...

The Synthetic Drug 3-Methylfentanyl: Identification and Quantitation of Powdered Samples

Abstract: Paraphernalia, residue in plastic bag corners, and powdered street samples analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) revealed the presence of cis and trans isomers of 3-methylfentanyl (3-MF). The isomers were differentiated by their retention times and by the smaller abundance ratios of ions at m/z 160 and 203 to the base ion of 259 for the more stable trans isomer. Quantitation of powdered samples was accomplished using a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer with a HP5 column (25 m by 0.20 mm) and ketamine as an internal standard. Two cut street samples revealed higher percentages of the more potent cis isomer (0.26 and 0.37%) than the trans isomer (0.15 and 0.16%). With an average purity of 0.47% (4.7 µg/mg), about 100 µg of 3-MF would be present in a typical 20-mg packet, in comparison with 2000 µg of heroin with an average street composition of 10%. Since the potency of 3-MF is about 1000 times that of heroin, the 3-MF samples should have been diluted another 50-fold to contain about 0.1 µg/mg. The difficulty of cutting and inexperience with 3-MF contributed to the rash of overdoses in our area.

Subjectivity and The Ontology of History

Abstract: The ontology of history has only become a philosophical problem relatively recently within modern philosophy as a result of the change in the meaning of "ontology" and reflection on the idea of history. The practice of history, the writing of historical documents, is very old and already well developed in ancient Greece, for instance in the writings of the Greek historians such as Thucydides and Hesiod. But philosophical reflection on history only began much later. It is significant that at the beginning of the modern tradition, Descartes still understood history as a fabula mundi, since from his philosophical angle of vision a specific theory of historical knowledge was neither necessary nor possible. As part of the much discussed post-structuralist turn to post modernism, at present numerous writers, most prominently Derrida and Habermas, but also Foucault, and others have become apprentices in the new trade of overcoming metaphysics. For such thinkers, the understanding of "metaphysics" derives mainly and uncritically from Heidegger's view. According to Heidegger, who distinguished between beings, or entities, and their Being, that is the Being of beings, what he calls the Seinsfrage, in his early formulation the question of the meaning of Being, has been forgotten since the Early Greeks. In his view, since the pre-Socratics, certainly as early as Aristotle, another, inauthentic view of metaphysics arose, namely the conception of being as an entity, which has since dominated the discussion. But the original, authentic conception of metaphysics lies hidden behind the continued accretion of the later, false tradition, which must be "destroyed" in order to revive the correct approach.

Paradoxes of maternal mourning.

Abstract: It has been customary to conceptualize mourning as a phasic or stage phenomenon (Lindemann 1944; Parkes 1972; Bowlby 1980; Knapp 1986). Such a conceptualization has proved to be of tremendous didactic value, especially in terms of succinctly organizing and communicating the major affects, behaviors, and reactions of mourning. It is, however, my belief, based upon clinical experience with many forms of bereavement, that the phenomenon of mourning is not comprised of clearly delineated stages and phases. I have come to conceptualize the phenomenon of mourning the death of a loved person as involving the bereaved's struggle with a series of more or less unresolvable paradoxes rather than as a progression through stages that possess relatively distinct and predictable beginning and ending points. The specific paradoxes encountered by a bereaved person differ, of course, in accordance with the relationship that was lost (mother, father, spouse, child, or sibling), the developmental stage of the bereaved (childhood, adolescence, adulthood, or maturity), the type of death (sudden or prolonged), and the cause of death (illness, murder, suicide, or accident). In this paper, I will address those paradoxes that seem specific to maternal mourning - that is, to mothers who are mourning the death of a child. Language: en

Alienation, the self, and television: Psychological life in mass culture

Abstract: The psychological reality of contemporary experience is that of alienation. Marcuse has referred to this profound alienation as the one dimensional character of mass culture. Virtually all possible experiences are leveled to the common denominator of the status quo which in turn becomes the norm with which individuals identify and in terms of which they seek fulfillment. Romanyshyn's phenomenological interpretation of psychological life, as a reality of lived reflection, provides the basis for an analysis of the dynamics of this alienation as it is cultivated by the mass media, specifically television. The constellation of television conditioned imagination and consumption oriented lifestyles results in a forgery of genuine psychological experience in which the self is disfigured and its transcendent possibilities are repressed.

Group support system product comparisons

Abstract: The paper provides product profiles and a comparison of alternative group support systems (GSS). Following a description of the underlying philosophies, perspectives, and evolution of GSS software, comparative criteria are developed based on aspects of people, data, software, and hardware. Twelve candidate systems from three types of GSS software are compared using these criteria and the implications of these comparisons are discussed. The overall objective is to encourage both academics and practitioners to consider the many interrelated components associated with different GSS that would impact selection in an organizational context. >

Oxidative degradation of petroleum products via a non-peroxyl radical chain pathway. Electron transfer initiated oxidation (ETIO) revisited

Abstract: The oxidative deterioration of petroleum products (change in physical/chemical properties upon prolonged storage under “ambient” conditions) is a complex, yet fascinating problem. For gasoline and jet fuel, a peroxyl radical chain oxidation mechanism is most likely operative during oxidative deterioration. For oxidatively reactive diesel fuel and asphalt, the available experimental evidence suggests that oxidative degradation is not a classical peroxyl radical chain. It is proposed that ETIO is consistent with the available experimental data for oxidatively reactive diesel fuels and asphalt. This paper will critically review pertinent literature dealing with the oxidative degradation of fuel products with focus upon evidence that illustrates the distinction between ETIO and peroxyl radical chain mechanism of oxidative deterioration.

Therapeutic Strategies for Myasthenia Gravis

Abstract: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a complex autoimmune neurologic disorder of unknown etiology, characterized by fluctuating skeletal muscle weakness most commonly involving the muscles of the head, neck, and upper extremities. Autoantibodies directed against acetylcholine receptors on the postjunctional membrane decrease the numbers of functional acetylcholine receptors and cause membrane alterations, resulting in neuromuscular transmission failure. Diagnosis is established by history and physical examination, the "Tensilon Test," and acetylcholine receptor antibody titers. Treatment modalities include drug therapy, thymectomy, and plasmapheresis. The drugs most commonly employed are anticholinesterases, corticosteroids, and immuno-suppressive agents. Cyclosporine and intravenous immunoglobulin are promising investigational treatments. The purpose of the article is to review current concepts in the pathophysiology, immunopathology, diagnosis, and treatment of MG. Special emphasis is placed on the autoimmune form of the disease and the drugs employed in its management. Standard regimens as well as some experimental treatment modalities are reviewed.

Effect of different binders on release characteristics of theophylline from compressed microspheres

Abstract: Microspheres with 60% w/w drug loading were prepared by the solvent-evaporation method using cellulose acetate butyrate as the encapsulating polymer and micronized anhydrous theophylline as the cor...

Synthesis and biological activity of 5,11-methylenetetrahydro-5- deazahomofolic acid.

Abstract: The synthesis of 5,11-methylene-5-deazatetrahydrohomofolate (5), a stable, semirigid mimic of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate (4) is reported as a potential inhibitor of thymidylate synthases (TS). The key intermediate 3-amino-1-oxo-tetrahydropyrimido[4,5-c] [2,6]naphthyridine (6) was obtained by the regiospecific cyclocondensation of 2,4,6-triaminopyrimidine with ethyl 1-benzyl-3-oxo-4-piperidinecarboxylate followed by halogenation (of the resulting lactam 9) and catalytic hydrogenolysis. Selective reduction of 6 followed by arylation with tert-butyl p-fluorobenzoate, saponification, and coupling with diethyl L-glutamate followed by saponification afforded the target compound 5. The title compound was tested as an inhibitor of the growth of Manca human lymphoma cells and also as an inhibitor of TS from Manca cells and Lactobacillus casei and was found to be inactive. In addition, compound 5 also failed to inhibit glycinamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase from L. casei and from Manca cells.

Local Leadership and Local Militancy: The Nanticoke Strike of 1899 and the Roots of Unionization in the Northern Anthracite Field

Abstract: The anthracite coal strike of 1902 is one of the best known episodes in the history of American labor. Some 150,000 mine workers from northeastern Dauphin County through the counties of Schuylkill, Northumberland, Carbon, Columbia, Luzerne, and Lackawanna to the southeastern corner of Susquehanna County stayed away from work for more than five months under the leadership of John Mitchell, president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA). They returned only after President Theodore Roosevelt intervened by encouraging the corporate leaders who operated the mines to accept arbitration-as the UMWA had long been willing to do-before a commission appointed by the President. While the union did not receive official recognition from the employers, it did win substantial wage increases for its members and, by surviving, insured that it would play a central role in the industry's battles for decades to come. Somewhat less well known, but perhaps of equal strategic significance for the unionization of the anthracite fields, is the industrywide strike of 1900. In that walkout, about as many mine workers struck for six weeks to win a wage increase of 10 percent that corporate leaders were pressured to offer by Senator Marcus Alonzo Hanna, President William McKinley's confidante and campaign manager in his November re-election bid. Hanna and McKinley wanted to end the industrial turmoil of that year quickly, lest it disturb the rather dubious, but widely held impression, that Republican rule had returned the nation to prosperity.' The solidarity that made these strikes possible did not arise magically as UMWA leaders called on the mine workers to leave their jobs. It had been built piecemeal in one small strike after another, walkouts which generally concerned grievances over work rules and involved only one or several mines. Anthracite mine workers had struck over local issues on a great many occasions, but for most of the 1880s and 1890s, no union had been ready to support and organize their militancy.2 The UMWA itself was not really strong enough to provide substantial support to anthracite mine workers until after its unprecedented victory in the nationwide bituminous strike of 1897. As a result of that walkout the union won