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Disaster mental health training programs have begun to include mindfulness instruction, though better understanding of providers’ mindfulness training expectancies and the differences that disaster exposure might make in their personal practice and clinical utilization of mindfulness is needed to support the feasibility and acceptability of this training in challenging disaster settings. This study examined training expectancies and utilization of a manualized mindfulness meditation and mantra program (Inner Resources for Stress) among N = 68 counselors and psychologists living in the Philippines beginning 12 weeks after Typhoon Haiyan. They attended a 4-h workshop conducted in Manila, Philippines, followed by an 8-week home study program. Following the workshop, a majority had high expectancies that the training would help with survivor and self-care. Higher disaster exposure (β = 0.32) and training expectancies (β = 0.25), but not baseline stress symptoms, were associated with higher perceived usefulness of the training for disaster work. Growth curve analyses demonstrated significantly different trajectories of weekly mindfulness practice for disaster-exposed versus nonexposed participants, with a flatter slope for disaster-exposed participants, though both groups had significant increases in practice time across the 8 weeks (d = 1.71). Higher total number of minutes of mindfulness practice was associated with lower depression severity (β = − 0.34), but not anxiety, at 8 weeks post-training. Participants perceived the training as credible and useful for disaster work and self-care and reported active personal and professional use of the techniques, suggesting that mindfulness training shows promise as a disaster intervention component.

The coagulation effect of a continuous-wave neodymium-YAG (Nd-YAG) laser and of a high-power (500 W) pulsed (3–500 ms) microcomputer-controlled Nd-YAG laser are compared in rat liver in vivo. In a series of 68 animals, surface temperature was measured with an infrared camera, and necrosed volume was assessed histologically 24 h after laser irradiation. The high-power pulsed Nd-YAG laser presents two interesting features. First, it gives a better control of surface temperature. Second, a controlled sequence of high-power short pulses produces a predictable coagulated volume which can be comparable to that obtained with continuous-wave Nd-YAG or argon lasers.

Ss judged the size of circles by the methods of magnitude estimation and magnitude production, with or without a standard figure present. The presence of the standard raised the exponent of the power law. The effect was largely independent of the position of the standard in the range of stimuli. It is argued that the standard’s effect was not mediated by a difference in apparent size between perceived and remembered standards, a change in Ss’ response strategies, a decrease in sequential dependencies, or other previously identified bias effects.

Thermal lasers are used in many specialties. Clinical use of lasers is complicated by variations in tissue characteristics or hazards such as movement. Pionners in this field, relying on experimental work, have mastered the therapeutic use of lasers. Nevertheless, teaching such poorly defined technique has proved to be very difficult. To widespread the use of lasers, it is necessary to work in new directions. The goal is to give the practitioner a real medical tool, which should be cheap, easy and safe to use.

A Raman microprobe technique was used for the identification of intracellular particles of a pesticide added to a culture of the ciliate protozoanColpidium campylum. 2 methods, a wet and a dry, can be used for sample preparation. In both cases it was possible to find characteristic lines of 2 pollutants: 4′,4′-dichlorodiphenyl andβ-endosulfan. Some technical problems were encountered: the dry method causes drastic cellular alteration; the cell can move and go out of laser focus in the wet method.