Sex differences in the expression of depressive responses on the Beck Depression Inventory.

Suggests that although epidemiological data have documented sex differences in depression, the nature and origins of the differences are unclear. Depression in 972 male and 1,300 female unmarried college students was measured by the Beck Depression Inventory. No sex differences were found in the degree of depression, and yet, discriminant function analysis of the responses of the most depressed scorers yielded a significant and interpretable sex difference in the patterns of symptom expression. Depressed males were more likely to report an inability to cry, loss of social interest, a sense of failure, and somatic complaints. Females were characterized by indecisiveness and self-dislike. These patterns were not the same as sex-role-stereotyped responding in the total, predominantly nondepressed, sample. Speculations are made about the consequences of sex differences in depressive responses, including hypotheses about sex differences in experience with help-seeking and labeling. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depression, activity, and evaluation of reinforcement.

Reports results of 2 experiments which show that, contrary to an operant hypothesis of depression, mildly or moderately depressed college students who increased their participation in events they had rated as pleasurable did not become less depressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inferential distance and children's memory for pictorial sequences.

Three-item pictorial sequences were shown to a total of 60 5-, 6-, and 7-yr-old children who were told to remember the events. Ss were tested subsequently on their abilities to recognize old pictures and select new pictures that were consistent with previously viewed sequences. New pictures varied in the inferential distance between them and the original sequence. All Ss judged close inferences as consistent with the sequence more often than distant inferences. In general, there was a progressive developmental improvement in accurate recognition of old items and correct discrimination of new items. This pattern of results was found for judgments based on sequential compatibility and on recognition of exact pictures. The probability of inferring new relationships from old sequences increased across the 3 age groups when correct memory for original sequences was controlled. Results indicate a developmental improvement in inferential skills beyond age-related changes in memory for premise information. Furthermore, distance of inferences is an important dimension of the stimuli that can affect memory and comprehension judgments. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Poor interpersonal problem solving as a mechanism of stress generation in depression among adolescent women.

The authors examined C. Hammen's (1991) model of stress generation in depression and the role of interpersonal problem-solving strategies (IPS) in the stress generation process in a longitudinal sample of 140 young women who entered the study at ages 17–28. Structural equation modeling was used to test a model in which IPS and subsequent interpersonal stress mediated the relationship between initial and later depressive symptoms. Results supported the main prediction of the stress generation model: Interpersonal stress mediated the relationship between initial and later depressive symptoms. In addition, IPS predicted interpersonal stress. However, no association was found between depressive symptoms and IPS. An alternative model in which IPS moderated the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms was tested; it was not supported. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Confounding effects of aqueous-phase impinger chemistry on apparent oxidation of mercury in flue gases

Gas-phase reactions between elemental mercury and chlorine are a possible pathway to producing oxidized mercury species such as mercuric chloride in combustion systems. This study examines the effect of the chemistry of a commonly used sample conditioning system on apparent and actual levels of mercury oxidation in a methane-fired, 0.3 kW, quartz-lined reactor in which gas composition (HCl, Cl2, NOx, SO2) and quench rate were varied. The sample conditioning system included two impingers in parallel: one containing an aqueous solution of KCl to trap HgCl2, and one containing an aqueous solution of SnCl2 to reduce HgCl2 to elemental mercury (Hg0). Gas-phase concentrations of Cl2 as low as 1.5 ppmv were sufficient to oxidize a significant fraction of the elemental mercury in the KCl impinger via the hypochlorite ion. Furthermore, these low, but interfering levels of Cl2 appeared to persist in flue gases from several doped rapidly mixed flames with varied post flame temperature quench rates. The addition of 0.5 wt% sodium thiosulfate to the KCl solution completely prevented the oxidation from occurring in the impinger. The addition of thiosulfate did not inhibit the KCl impinger's ability to capture HgCl2. The effectiveness of the thiosulfate was unchanged by NO or SO2. These results bring into question laboratory scale experimental data on mercury oxidation where wet chemistry was used to partition metallic and oxidized mercury without the presence of sufficient levels of SO2.     

Adsorption of Hydroxypropyl Methyl Cellulose in an Aqueous System Containing Multicomponent Oxide Particles

The adsorption behavior of a hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) polymer in aqueous suspensions of alumina, silica, kaolin, and talc powders, two-component combinations, and one three-component combination was determined. Powders were well characterized by chemical analysis, XRD, DRIFT, SEM, particle size, surface area, and density analyses. The zeta-potential of each powder in aqueous suspension was determined over a range of pH to determine particle charging and the isoelectric point for each material. Alumina and silica powders having heavily hydroxylated surfaces were observed not to adsorb the HPMC polymer over a range of pH. The layer-type minerals talc, which was noticeably hydrophobic, and kaolin, which had differently hydrated basal planes, adsorbed the HPMC polymer but in different amounts per unit of surface area. In the two-component systems, HPMC polymer adsorption for systems of dispersed particles of like electrical charge (kaolin + silica, talc + silica or alumina, and kaolin + talc) was proportionate to the sum of the fraction x specific surface area x adsorption capacity for each particle type. In systems where particles had an opposite electrical charge (kaolin + alumina, kaolin + talc + alumina), the HPMC polymer adsorption was significantly lower than that calculated for a dispersed system. SEM analysis showed very fine, nonadsorbing alumina particles predominantly on the faces of the adsorbing kaolin particles that apparently masked polymer adsorption. Results suggested a hydrophobic mechanism for the HPMC polymer adsorption and adsorption on only one face of the kaolin particles.     

Efficiency scenarios of charcoal production and consumption – a village case study from Western Tanzania

Availability and access to energy is strongly linked to food security as cooking is needed to make foods ready for consumption. Without access to energy, there is no food security. In rural Tanzania, the population strongly depends on traditional biofuels such as firewood and charcoal. Under the pressure of population growth, energy demand will substantially increase in the next decades. The potential of improved efficiency in charcoal production and efficient cooking stoves were evaluated using scenario analysis. For quantitative data collection, a household survey was conducted in Laela village (2010). The sampling process was based on relative income classes (ICs) defined by local representatives and extending  from “rich” (IC 1) to “below self-sufficiency” (IC 4). Based on quantitative survey data, we calculated the quantity of pre-carbonised fuelwood associated with charcoal consumption for ICs in order to display specific consumption patterns. Further, we applied scenario analysis and projected charcoal consumption by 2030 including population growth (+3.41%/year), improved kiln efficiencies (11.1%–20%) and different dissemination rates of efficient stoves (0%–100%). Results of consumption patterns showed that fuelwood consumption in IC 1 was twice that of IC 4, when a conversion efficiency of 11.1% was applied. Calculations of the scenario analyses showed that overall energy consumption will almost double by 2030. The combined approach of a moderate improvement of conversion efficiency (15.6%) combined with a dissemination rate for energy efficient stoves of 50% would overcome the effect of population growth in projected energy consumption and offer a means of coping with future bioenergy demands.     

Alpha: From the International Style to the International Space Station

How has a Modernist predilection for the modular contributed to the design of Space Architecture? Leading space architects Constance Adams and Rod Jones highlight how by embracing a diligent modularity in the early 1980s, NASA initiated a design approach that has enabled replicability, flexibility and technological transparency, and has proved the International Space Station resilient in the face of multiple logistical, financial and political challenges.