Behavioral laterality in captive bonobos (Pan paniscus).

Behavioral laterality was studied in a captive group of 11 bonobos (Pan paniscus). In an observational method a significant left lateral bias in carrying and a right lateral bias in leading limb were found. Direction of lateral bias in carrying and leading limb was enhanced when Ss maintained a bipedal posture. Analysis of bimanual feeding behavior revealed a significant right-hand bias for eating when the Ss were holding food with their left hand. In an experimental method a significant shift toward greater right-hand use was found when Ss were required to maintain a bipedal, rather than a quadrupedal, posture. There was no evidence of lateral bias for measures of face touching, self-touching, or gestures. The results are discussed in the context of previous reports of primate laterality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

XIV. Yeast sequencing reports. Sequence of MKT1, needed for propagation of M2 satellite dsRNA of the L-A virus of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

MKT1 is required for m aintenance of K₂ above 30°C in strains with the L-A-HN variant of the L-A double-stranded RNA virus of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We report that MKT1 encodes a 92 979 Da protein with serine-rich regions and the retroviral protease signature, DTG, but with no substantial homology to proteins presently in the databases. This sequence is available from GenBank under Accession Number U09129.     

Improving graduate student performance in cognitive assessment: The saga continues.

Investigators have concluded that excessive numbers of errors in test administration and scoring are routinely committed by both graduate students and practicing psychologists. Developing new methods for teaching assessment is viewed as a major means of improving competency. Unlike previous studies, this investigation examined the impact of both lecture and laboratory interventions designed to improve graduate student performance in assessment. Interventions consisted of weekly lecture quizzes and a variety of laboratory interventions. The results suggest that the interventions used can significantly improve students' lecture and laboratory performance when compared with controls. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developing culturally sensitive psychodynamic case formulations: The effects of Asian cultural elements on psychoanalytic control-mastery theory.

Examined the effects of traditional Asian cultural norms, family roles, and values upon the psychodynamic formulation of a 25-yr-old Asian American man. The main tenets of control-mastery theory (CMT; J. Weiss et al [1986]), a cognitive approach to psychoanalytic psychotherapy, are presented, and its plan formulation method is discussed. The need for a more comprehensive consideration of Asian culture, Asian-American identity formation, and acculturative stress in clinical case formulations is presented. Theory modifications are discussed that should help to reconcile differences between the Western values inherent in CMT and traditional Asian approaches to psychotherapy and mental health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of cognitive rehabilitation on the neuropsychological status of patients in drug abuse treatment who display neurocognitive impairment.

72 patients engaged in residential drug abuse treatment who also had cognitive impairment were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups. One group of patients received 2 hrs of computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation per week over a 6-mo period; a 2nd group received 2 hrs of progressive muscle relaxation per week over a 6-mo period; a 3rd group was taught typing on a computer; and a 4th group received no treatment beyond that provided by the program. All patients were tested with a neuropsychological test battery at admission and at monthly intervals thereafter for 6 mo. Results show that Ss in the cognitive rehabilitation group demonstrated a faster rate of cognitive recovery during the first 2 mo of treatment and had more efficient cognitive functioning over the first 4 mo of residence. These patients were also rated as more "appropriately participatory" in the treatment program by the clinical staff. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Retrospective Versus Prospective Statements and Outcome of Presidential Elections

This study investigates retrospective and prospective voting from a communication perspective, looking to see whether there is relationship between election outcome and the relative emphasis U.S. presidential candidates place on retrospective (past) versus prospective (future) utterances in campaign messages. The sample includes a variety of presidential campaign messages (acceptance addresses, primary and general television spots, debates, direct mail advertising) from several campaigns (1948–2004) by numerous candidates. In the primary phase of the campaign, there is no difference between winners and losers in relative emphasis on retrospective and prospective statements. However, in the general phase of the presidential campaign, winners use a significantly larger proportion of retrospective (and a smaller proportion of prospective) utterances than losers. Furthermore, the relationship between emphasis on retrospective utterances and election outcome was larger for incumbents than challengers (but significant for both types of candidates). These findings support retrospective voting in the general, but not the primary, campaign.     

Component-Based is Architecture

Advances in distributed architectures and the Internet have had a strong influence on the use of component technologies. The authors discuss the organizational and technical requirements for an effective and economically viable component-based approach.     

Evaluation of criteria for selecting temperature control trays in distillation columns

The use of tray temperatures to infer compositions is widespread in distillation control. A number of criteria have been proposed for selecting which trays to hold at constant temperature. The most commonly used are (1) choosing a tray where there are large changes in temperature from tray to tray (“slope” of the temperature profile), (2) finding the tray where there is the largest change in temperature for a change in the manipulated variable (“sensitivity”), (3) using singular value decomposition (SVD) analysis, (4) selecting the tray where the temperature does not change as feed composition changes while producing the desired distillate and bottoms purities and (5) choosing the tray that produces the smallest changes in product purities when it is held constant in the face of feed composition disturbances.This paper provides a quantitative comparison of the effectiveness of these five alternative criteria. Several systems are considered, ranging from ideal binary to azeotropic multi-component. Results show that SVD analysis provides a simple and effective method for selecting temperature control tray location.     

Promise is Debt, Threat Another Matter: The Effect of Credibility on the Interpretation of Conditional Promises and Threats.

Evidence from reasoning tasks shows that promises and threats both tend to receive biconditional interpretations. They also both display high speaker control. On the face of it, the only difference seems to be the positive or negative signing of the consequent. In a promise, the speaker tries to persuade the hearer to do something by holding out the prospect of a particular reward; in a threat, the speaker tries to refrain the hearer from doing something by holding out the prospect of a particular punishment. This paper investigates the respects in which conditional promises and threats differ further by means of an inference task. The credibility of the consequent was manipulated in order to examine whether the acceptability ratings of inferences based on promises and on threats would be equally affected. The results of the inference task and an analysis of the reasons people give for their answers suggest that the credibility of promises is less affected by the use of excessive consequents than the credibility of threats. In other words, promise remains debt, whereas threat is another matter. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fluid Oscillation in the drop tower

An interfluid meniscus oscillates within a cylindrical container when suddenly released from earth's gravity and taken into a microgravity environment. Oscillations damp out from energy dissipative mechanisms such as viscosity and interfacial friction. Damping out of the oscillations by the latter mechanism is affected by the nature of the interfacial junction between the fluid-fluid interface and the container wall. Perfluoromethylcyclohexane and isopropanol in glass were the materials used for the experiment. The wetting condition of the fluids against the wall changes at the critical wetting transition temperature. This change in wetting causes a change in the damping characteristics. This paper is based on a presentation made in the symposium “Experimental Methods for Microgravity Materials Science Research” presented at the 1988 TMS-AIME Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, January 25–29, 1988, under the auspices of the ASM/MSD Thermodynamic Data Committee and the Material Processing Committee.