Study of digestive enzymes in marine fish, Terapon jarbua, from Pakistan.

Current analysis were performed to investigate the activity of various digestive enzymes, such as lipases, proteases and amylases in gut and their relationship to the other morphometric variables in a wild marine fish, Terapon jarbua. The descriptive data of the studied traits included fish weight, fish total length, gut weight, gut length, relative gut length, relative gut mass, Fulton's condition factor, standard length and Zihler's index. Gut length showed positive correlation with fish total length and gut weight, relative gut length (RGL) showed positive correlation with gut length. Relative gut mass (RGM) also showed positive correlation with total length (TL), gut weight (GW) and gut length (GL). Fulton's condition factor showed positive correlation with fish weight, while negative correlation with fish total length and relative gut mass. Standard length displayed positive correlation with gut weight and gut length while, it showed negative correlation with Fulton's factor. Zihler's Index displayed positive correlation with gut length, RGL and Zihler's RGM while, while showed negative correlation with Fulton's factor and fish weight. Lipase showed negative correlation with gut weight. Amylase and protease activity have no correlation with other studied traits. Lipase activity displayed negative significant correlation with gut weight. Lipase activity showed significantly negative effect on gut-weight. Amylase activity on y-axis (PC2) contributed 13% in variation but not significantly correlated with first two principal components. It showed non-significant negative correlation with fish weight, fish length and Fulton's factor while positive but not-significant correlation with other traits. Protease has positive and non-significant correlation with fish weight, RGL, Fulton's factor, lipase and amylase while non-significant negative correlation with all other traits.

How good are inpatients at feigning Miranda abilities?: An investigation of the Miranda Quiz, Inventory of Legal Knowledge, and Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology.

The current study represents the first investigation into feigned Miranda abilities using an inpatient population. We investigated the use of a very generic measure (i.e., the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology, or SIMS) as well as two specialized forensic feigning measures: the Miranda Quiz (MQ) and Inventory of Legal Knowledge (ILK). With a quasi-random assignment, 82 acute inpatients were evenly distributed to "feigning" and "genuine" groups. The recommended SIMS cut score > 14 performed poorly, misclassifying three-quarters of the genuine group as feigning. In general, sensitivities on the specialized scales were constrained by the general lack of severe decrements for the feigning group. However, specificities were strong to outstanding. In particular, the MQ floor effect showed some promise but was limited by its small number of items. The strongest potential was observed for the revised ILK scales, especially the Revised Clinical ILK (RC-ILK). When using single-point cut scores on two prior correctional samples, the RC-ILK produced excellent sensitivities (0.94 and 0.96) and outstanding specificities (0.98 and 0.99). Methodological issues and professional implications were discussed in the context of feigned Miranda abilities.

The sequential pathway between trauma-related symptom severity and cognitive-based smoking processes through perceived stress and negative affect reduction expectancies among trauma exposed smokers.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Smoking rates are markedly higher among trauma-exposed individuals relative to non-trauma-exposed individuals. Extant work suggests that both perceived stress and negative affect reduction smoking expectancies are independent mechanisms that link trauma-related symptoms and smoking. Yet, no work has examined perceived stress and negative affect reduction smoking expectancies as potential explanatory variables for the relation between trauma-related symptom severity and smoking in a sequential pathway model. Methods The present study utilized a sample of treatment-seeking, trauma-exposed smokers (n = 363; 49.0% female) to examine perceived stress and negative affect reduction expectancies for smoking as potential sequential explanatory variables linking trauma-related symptom severity and nicotine dependence, perceived barriers to smoking cessation, and severity of withdrawal-related problems and symptoms during past quit attempts. RESULTS: As hypothesized, perceived stress and negative affect reduction expectancies had a significant sequential indirect effect on trauma-related symptom severity and criterion variables. CONCLUSIONS AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Findings further elucidate the complex pathways through which trauma-related symptoms contribute to smoking behavior and cognitions, and highlight the importance of addressing perceived stress and negative affect reduction expectancies in smoking cessation programs among trauma-exposed individuals. (Am J Addict 2016;25:565-572).

Evaluation of effectiveness of chemical disinfectants in reducing bacterial growth on orthodontic instruments.

Infection control requires serious effort in all fields of dentistry including orthodontics. Though there are various means of sterilization and disinfection in dental office, chemical disinfection is the most preferred method among orthodontists. The purpose of this study is to evaluate different chemical sterilization and disinfection methods used in orthodontic offices, which would guide the orthodontists in infection control.