Novel Durable Antimicrobial Ceramic with Embedded Copper Sub-Microparticles for a Steady-State Release of Copper Ions.

Using pottery clay, porous ceramic stones were molded and then decorated with copper sub-microparticles inside the pores. Copper added antimicrobial functionality to the clay-based ceramic and showed ability in disinfecting water. Populations of both Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae in contaminated water were reduced by >99.9% in 3 h when exposed to an antimicrobial stone. This antimicrobial performance is attributed to a slow release of copper into water at both room and elevated temperatures. Copper is leached by water to produce ion concentrations in water at a level of 0.05-0.20 ppm after 24 to 72 h immersion tests. This concentration is reproducible over a number of cycles >400. To our knowledge, this is the first formulation of copper sub-microparticles inside the porous structure of commercial-sized ceramic stones that can disinfect bacteria-contaminated water over a period of at least several months.

Test-Retest Reliability of Single Transverse versus Panoramic Ultrasound Imaging for Muscle Size and Echo Intensity of the Biceps Brachii.

This study compared test-retest reliability and sensitivity to change for muscle size and echo intensity (EI) measurements from single transverse (EIST) versus panoramic (EIP) ultrasound (US) images of the biceps brachii. Forearm flexor muscle thickness and EIST and biceps brachii muscle cross-sectional area and EIP were quantified from single transverse and panoramic US images in 14 men (age = 21.8 ± 2.5 y [mean ± standard deviation]) on two separate days. The intra-class correlation coefficients, coefficients of variation, and minimum differences for muscle thickness, EIST, muscle cross-sectional area and EIP ranged from 0.78 to 0.99, from 2.26% to 3.29%, and from 6.26% to 9.12%, respectively. These findings suggested that single transverse imaging and panoramic US imaging are comparable, reliable techniques for quantifying muscle size and EI of the biceps brachii. Single transverse images may be simpler to obtain; thus, future studies may choose to quantify muscle size and EI from a single transverse US image in the biceps brachii.

Confirmatory factor structure of anxiety and depression: evidence of item variance across childhood.

The distinctiveness of anxiety and depressive symptoms in children has previously been questioned based on their high degree of comorbidity, shared risk factors, and treatment response. Developing children may show an unstable presentation of anxiety and depressive symptoms that would complicate interpretation of studies of comorbidity. The present study examined the measurement stability of anxiety and depressive symptoms across time and sex using a large epidemiologic sample of children. A nationally representative cohort of 1329 children (624 girls and 705 boys) aged four to seven in 1994 were drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). Using eight years of prospective data we examined whether a one or two factor structure of anxiety (five items) and depressive (four items) symptoms would be invariant across time and sex. Despite item variability within each factor across time, confirmatory factor analysis revealed distinct factors for anxiety and depression that were stable across time and sex. Results provide support that covariation between anxiety and depression is not likely the result of measurement overlap. However, items indicating factors of anxiety and depression in the NLSY may not be sufficient to permit developmentally-sensitive measurement of these factors.

The relationship between anxiety disorders in adults and recalled childhood teasing.

This study investigated the relationship between retrospective accounts of childhood teasing and anxiety disorders as well as the relationship between experiences of teasing and more global psychological well-being. Participants (N=377) with social anxiety disorder (SAD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (PD) were compared on levels of self-reported teasing history using the Teasing Questionnaire-Revised (TQ-R; Storch et al., 2004). Teasing frequency scores were higher for the SAD group compared to both PD and OCD groups. Across all groups, teasing scores were significantly related to increased social anxiety, depression, stress, and greater impairment in functioning. Teasing frequency accounted for unique variance in severity of SAD symptoms even after controlling for concurrent mood, anxiety and stress. These results support and extend previous findings linking childhood teasing to anxiety disorders in adulthood.

Does perfectionism mediate or moderate the relation between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors?

A link between perfectionism and disordered eating has been documented in previous studies. The purpose of the current study was to expand our knowledge of the specific role of perfectionism in disordered eating by examining perfectionism as a mediator or a moderator in the relation between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating (assessed using the EAT-26 and its subscales, and the Binge Scale). We sampled a large ethnically diverse sample of university women (N=520) using two measures of perfectionism: the Eating Disorder Inventory Perfectionism subscale (EDI-P) and the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (H-MPS). In general, socially prescribed and self-oriented perfectionism, but not other-oriented perfectionism, were correlated with disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, except binge eating. Furthermore, perfectionism was found to partially mediate and moderate the relation between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating, however the strength of these associations differed depending on both the particular measure of perfectionism (EDI-P versus H-MPS) and the specific dimension of perfectionism (self-oriented, socially prescribed, other-oriented) used in the analyses. The findings are discussed in relation to the need for more informed and theoretically sound models of the development and maintenance of disordered eating.

The measurement of "eating-disorder-thoughts" and "eating-disorder-behaviors": Implications for assessment and detection of eating disorders in epidemiological studies.

To test a theoretically driven second-order factor model of eating disorders, with eating-disordered thoughts and eating-disordered behaviors representing the higher order factors, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis using a female university student sample (N=1816). The 'Thought' latent construct was comprised of indicators representing fear of fat and dissatisfaction with body shape/weight and the latent construct 'Behavior' was comprised of indicators representing binging, purging and restricting. From the thought and behavior latent factors, composite groups were created by varying the level of thoughts and behaviors (high, moderate, and few/or none). We examined the independent contributions of thoughts and behaviors on a measure of psychopathology (depression). A second-order model of "eating disorder thoughts" and "eating disorder behaviors" was supported by the data, based on model fit, factor loadings, and model parsimony. Mean scores on depression were clinically significant for groups engaged in any level of eating disorder behavior whereas thoughts contributed to risk for depression only at the extreme end. Because of the disproportionate representation of eating disorder thoughts (high) and eating disorder behaviors (low) in non-clinical populations, the measurement and detection of eating disorders may be enhanced by measuring thoughts separate from behaviors.

Shyness, sociability, and eating problems in a non-clinical sample of female undergraduates.

Previous empirical studies have shown that the personality trait of shyness, either alone or in combination with varying levels of sociability (i.e., a socially-conflicted profile--high shyness with high sociability) to be a reliable predictor of various psychopathologies, including substance abuse and mood disorders. Extending these findings to other forms of dysregulated behaviours, we examined multiple measures of eating problems in relation to self-reported shyness and sociability in a sample of 520 undergraduate females (M = 20.7 years). Analyses revealed a consistent significant main effect for shyness across all measures of disordered eating. These findings extend earlier work on shyness to another form of psychopathology (i.e., eating problems) not previously examined in a non-clinical sample.

Experimental effects of receiving negative weight-related feedback: a weight guessing study.

The effects of receiving negative verbal weight-related feedback on the mood, self-esteem, and body image of restrained and unrestrained eaters were investigated. Female undergraduate students either reported their current weight (no feedback) or had their weight guessed as 15 lb higher than their actual weight (negative feedback) by an experimenter who presented herself as either an undergraduate (peer) or graduate student (non-peer). Participants overall had higher anxiety and felt "fatter" in the negative feedback condition. When this feedback came from a peer they felt fatter, more dissatisfied with their bodies, and, for restrained eaters, more depressed, as compared to when it came from a non-peer. These results provide empirical evidence that negative weight-related feedback produces adverse psychological consequences for young women, especially restrained eaters, and suggest the importance of peers' perceptions of weight.

Trajectories and predictors of indirect aggression: results from a nationally representative longitudinal study of Canadian children aged 2-10.

The purposes of this study were to model the development of indirect aggression among a nationally representative sample of 1,401 Canadian children aged 4 at T2, 6 at T3, 8 at T4 and 10 at T5, and to examine predictors of trajectory group membership from T1 (age 2) child, familial, and parenting variables. Using a semi-parametric group-based modeling approach, two distinct trajectories were identified: "increasing users" comprising of 35% of the sample and "stable low users" comprising of 65% of the sample. Using logistic regression analyses to distinguish these two groups, we found that for girls, more frequent, increasing use of indirect aggression was associated with prior prosocial and physically aggressive behavior, low SES and low parental social support at age 2. For boys, increasing use of indirect aggression was associated with prior parenting issues at age 2-inconsistency and less positive parent-child interactions. Although this study provides unique information regarding the early development of indirect aggression and its predictors, more longitudinal research is needed to fully understand its development.

Relation between childhood peer victimization and adult perfectionism: are victims of indirect aggression more perfectionistic?

Using two independent samples and two different measures of perfectionism, this study investigated the hypothesized relation between retrospective accounts of perceived peer-inflicted emotional abuse during childhood and perfectionism in adulthood. Emotional victimization ('indirect' aggression) is characterized by behavior in which mental harm is inflicted on victims through exclusionary acts, gossiping, and rumor spreading. Study one: Self-reported questionnaires of indirect victimization [DIAS; Bjorkqvist, Lagerspetz, and Osterman, 1992] and perfectionism [multidimensional perfectionism scale; Hewitt and Flett, 1991] were administered to 162 (mean age=20.14 years) female undergraduate psychology students. Results support the predicted positive relationship between recalled indirect peer victimization and current socially prescribed/self-oriented perfectionism. Study two: self-reports of indirect peer victimization and perfectionism (eating disorder inventory-perfectionism) were collected from 196 (mean age=19.5 years) female undergraduate students. Again, recalled indirect peer victimization was a statistically significant predictor of current socially prescribed/self-oriented perfectionism whereas recalled direct (physical, verbal) peer victimization held no relation. Discussion addresses the implications of these results, which hold importance for both the bullying and perfectionism literatures.

Neuroticism and introversion: a risky combination for disordered eating among a non-clinical sample of undergraduate women.

Recent evidence suggests that people who score low on measures of sociability may be at risk for certain types of psychopathology, including mood and anxiety disorders. In an attempt to extend these findings to other forms of psychopathology, we examined levels of neuroticism and extraversion in relation to eating problems in a non-clinical sample of undergraduate women. The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI), and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) were completed by 196 first-year undergraduate females. We found that high neuroticism was related to high scores on both of the EDI subscales (Bulimia and Drive for Thinness) as well as high scores on the EAT-26 measure, replicating previous work. In addition, neuroticism served as a moderator such that lower extraversion (i.e., introversion) was related to greater disordered eating, but only for those women who scored high on neuroticism. Thus, a combination of neuroticism and introversion may be a risk-factor for symptoms of eating disorders in a non-clinical sample of university women.