The role of time in neuropsychological performance: Investigation and application in an alcoholic population

The role of time as a factor in neuropsychological performance has been relatively neglected in the literature to date. Cognitive functioning in 76 male and 67 female alcoholics and 48 male and 49 female controls was examined using overall accuracy measures and time measures on a neuropsychological test battery. Alcoholics as a whole performed poorer than controls on both measures. When accuracy and time measures were combined to form an Efficiency Index (Accuracy/Time), alcoholics were significantly less efficient than controls. Discriminant function analysis of accuracy measures, the measures most commonly used in evaluating neuropsychological performance, significantly predicted alcoholics' performance as did the Efficiency Index. The study illustrates the value of the consideration of time in addition to traditional accuracy measures as a sensitive and significant factor in performance.     

How Gaming May Become a Problem: A Qualitative Analysis of the Role of Gaming Related Experiences and Cognitions in the Development of Problematic Game Behavior

This study focuses on the role of gaming expectancies, motives and the experiences of gamers in the development of video game behavior, from normal to problematic behavior. Qualitative interviews were conducted among 21 male gamers between 17 and 28 years of age, to get more of an insight into their excessive gaming patterns. Participants were recruited in several ways such as by distributing flyers and posting messages on gaming websites. Participants were included if they were between 14 and 26 years of age and if they had experienced game related behavior problems at the time of the study or in the past. Two processes emerged from the results that seem to contribute to the transition to an excessive gaming pattern. First, the duration of each single game session may become longer. Second, a game session may be started up more and more frequently. Gamers have several motives and expectancies that play a role in this process of increasing gaming time. Is seems that a combination of these gaming motives can lead to an increase in gaming time. Especially online role playing games were related to excessive gaming and the social mechanisms in these games seem to work as an intensifier for other motives.     

Nitrogen Dioxide Inhalation And Lung Antibodies

A self-refrigerated suit using dry ice as cooling agent and allowing the wearer to move about freely is described. Its efficiency during exposure to heat (dry bulb temperature, t_a = 46 C; wet bulb temperature, t_wb = 35 C) and heavy physical work on a treadmill has been demonstrated by experiments on 26 subjects. The heart rate is reduced and the body temperature is decreased. The way in which this self-refrigerated suit reduces the heat load is discussed and the usefulness of its application is emphasized.     

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli isolates from pediatric population in Pakistan

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) are a leading cause of diarrhea among children. The objective of this study was to define the frequency of EAEC among diarrheal children from flood‐affected areas as well as sporadic cases, determine multidrug resistance, and evaluation of virulence using an in vivo model of pathogenesis. Stool samples were collected from 225 diarrheal children from 2010 to 2011 from flood‐affected areas as well as from sporadic cases in Pakistan. Identified EAEC isolates were characterized by phylogrouping, antibiotic resistance patterns including the extended‐spectrum beta lactamase spectrum, single nucleotide polymorphism detection in gyrA and parC, and virulence potential using wax worm, G. mellonella. A total of 35 (12.5%) confirmed EAEC isolates were identified among 225 E. coli isolates. EAEC isolates displayed high resistance to tetracycline, ampicillin, and cefaclor. A total of 34.28% were ESBL positive. Single nucleotide polymorphism detection revealed 37.14% and 68.57% isolates were positive for SNPs in gyrA (A₆₆₀‐T₆₆₀) and parC (C₃₃₀‐T₃₃₀), respectively. Phylogrouping revealed that B2 phylogroup was more prevalent among all EAEC isolates tested followed by D, A, B1, and non‐typeable (NT). Infection of G. mellonella with EAEC showed that killing infective dose was 100% higher than E. coli DH5 alpha control. EAEC are prevalent among Pakistani children with diarrhea, they are highly resistant to antibiotics, and predominantly fall into B2 phylogroup. Epidemiologic surveillance of EAEC and other E. coli pathotypes is critical to assess not only the role of these pathogens in diarrheal disease but also to determine the extent of multidrug resistance among the population.