Measurement of empathy toward rape victims and rapists.

Developed the Rape Empathy Scale (RES), which measures empathy toward the rape victim and the rapist in a heterosexual rape situation. Reliability was assessed with 255 male and 384 female undergraduates and 72 male and 98 female jurors; cross-validation was analyzed with 159 male and 147 female undergraduates and 82 male and 104 female jurors. Significant differences between male and female RES scores were found, along with differences between scores of women who had and had not experienced a rape situation. RES scores were predictive of both students and jurors' ratings of defendant guilt and their recommended sentences for the defendant and their attributions of responsibility for the crime. Ss' RES scores were predictive of their social perceptions of the rape victim and defendant, and male jurors' RES scores were negatively correlated with their reported desire to rape a woman. Results are discussed in relation to the low conviction rate for sexual assault cases and the importance of juror selection as a vehicle for increasing the number of just convictions in rape cases. (72 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The liberating science and art of undergraduate psychology.

In this article the authors suggest that a historical perspective on higher education in America provides an essential context to understand changes in the curriculum. As members of the broader university community, psychologists have issued four reports on undergraduate education in the major since World War II. The authors argue that current debate in the American Psychological Association about curricular issues must begin with an appreciation for this historical evolution. They recommend, on the basis of their analyses of contemporary critiques of higher education, that calls for uniform undergraduate course requirements are not productive. Pluralistic curriculum models should be developed on the basis of (a) the culture of the individual institution, (b) an empirical assessment of student characteristics and expectations, and (c) faculty values about liberal arts outcomes and professional preparation. Psychology needs to rediscover its context as a renaissance discipline in the science and art of undergraduate education. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Oxolane-2,5-dione modified electrospun cellulose nanofibers for heavy metals adsorption

Functionalized cellulose nanofibers have been obtained through electrospinning and modification with oxolane-2,5-dione. The application of the nanofibers for adsorption of cadmium and lead ions from model wastewater samples is presented for the first time. Physical and chemical properties of the nanofibers were characterized. Surface chemistry during preparation and functionalization was monitored using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, carbon-13 solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and Brunauer Emmett and Teller. Enhanced surface area of 13.68 m² g⁻¹ was recorded for the nanofibers as compared to the cellulose fibers with a surface area of 3.22 m² g⁻¹. Freundlich isotherm was found to describe the interactions better than Langmuir: K_f = 1.0 and 2.91 mmol g⁻¹ (r² = 0.997 and 0.988) for lead and cadmium, respectively. Regenerability of the fiber mats was investigated and the results obtained indicate sustainability in adsorption efficacy of the material.     

Lipid binding in flour,dough and bread

A study was made of the binding of lipids during dough and breadmaking, using yeasted and unyeasted doughs, and work input levels during doughmaking of 2 to 6 Wh/lb (0.16 to 0.48 h.p. min/lb; 16 to 48 MJ/kg). Incorporation of bakery fat into dough increased the ratio of (total) “free” to “bound” lipids as compared with corresponding doughs without fat and the distribution was not significantly influenced by the time of addition of the fat during doughmaking. There was no significant change in phospholipid distribution as a result of the incorporation of bakery fat into dough. Neither total work input nor rate of work input were found to affect lipid binding significantly in (air-mixed) dough or in bread, within the range of work levels likely to be encountered in commercial practice in the U.K. Differences in the distribution of total lipid cannot account for the essential requirement for fat in mechanical development processes, where work input is usually about 5 Wh/lb, as compared with conventional processes, with work inputs of about 2 Wh/lb, where fat is an optional ingredient.     

Catalyst effects found in thermal and mass spectrometric analyses of polycarboxylic acids used as durable press reactants for cotton

Effective polycarboxylic acids (PCAs) crosslink cotton cellulose by an ester linkage and smooth-drying fabrics are produced. The presence of a catalyst improves the crosslinking reaction. A series of seven PCAs was examined by thermal analytical (TA) and mass spectrometric (MS) techniques. The focus of this research was to discover if catalyst effects were measurable by TA and MS and to seek additional support for a proposed mechanism of cellulose/organic acid reactivity via acid anhydride formation. Thermal analyses consisted of differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) and thermogravimetric (TG) procedures. MS analyses, using the electron impact mode, were performed by direct probe sample insertion. Observed catalyst effects included shifts in peak positions to lower temperature/time, and were noticeable primarily in MS-reconstructed ion current chromatograms and DSC thermograms. Two TG parameters, the amount of residue produced and the rates of weight loss, offer ways to predict the effectiveness of a PCA with respect to smooth-drying character. The presence of the catalyst influenced both measurements in desirable directions. Finally, the catalyst did not alter TG water loss data that support the proposed mechanism of reaction with cellulose via an anhydride intermediate.     

Turnover and fate of plasma free fatty acids in briefly-fasted lymphoma-bearing mice

Body fat loss during tumor growth may be due to increased mobilization of adipose triglycerides. Earlier work from this laboratory suggested that (i) lymphoma-bearing AKR mice have a circulating lipid mobilizing factor (LMF) which caused body fat loss during cancer growth; that (ii) fatty acids (FA) mobilized in these tumor-bearing (TB) mice were not oxidized to CO2 as in starved mice that lose their body fat; and that (iii) instead, the mobilized FA were sequestered by the lymphoma. We tested these hypotheses by injecting [1-14C]palmitate-albumin into lymphoma-bearing and control mice. We measured turnover of plasma FFA for 24 hr and predicted the cumulative conversion of tracer into breath 14CO2 (at 85 min) in the TB mice. Plasma FFA were mobilized more slowly in briefly fasted tumor-bearing mice than in controls with the same plasma FFA pool sizes. The fractional catabolic rate (FCR) (min-1) of plasma FFA turnover in both groups decreased during the night when the mice ate: postabsorptive controls, 1.07 (+/- 5.6%); fed controls, 0.25 (+/- 13%); postabsorptive TB, 0.53 (+/- 4.6%); fed TB, 0.29 (+/- 7.3%). Virtually all of the plasma FFA irreversible disposal in TB mice was accounted for as breath 14CO2 (30 to 40% I.D.), not as tumor lipids (1.1 +/- 0.22% I.D.). Thus, FFA oxidation to CO2 is the major fate of plasma FFA turnover in TB mice, and sequestration of FFA (palmitate) by tumor cells is a quantitatively minor process. The putative circulating LMF did not cause increased FFA mobilization in these lymphoma-bearing mice in the post-absorptive state.     

Developing Complete Conditional Probability Tables from Fractional Data for Bayesian Belief Networks

A Bayesian belief network (BBN) can be a powerful tool in decision making processes. Development of a BBN requires data or expert knowledge to assist in determining the structure and probabilistic parameters in the model. As data are seldom available in the engineering decision making domain, a major barrier in using domain experts is that they are often required to supply a huge and intractable number of probabilities. Techniques for using fractional data to develop complete conditional probability tables were examined. The results showed good predictability of the missing data in a linear domain by the piecewise representation method. By using piecewise representation, the number of probabilities to be elicited for a binary child node with k binary parent nodes is now 2k rather than 2k.     

Modelling diatom growth in turbulent waters

Algal models used as tools in the management of algal blooms may be inaccurate because representation of mixing processes is often oversimplified. A testable 3-D algal model for prediction of algal growth in turbulent surface waters was developed based on the Eulerian water quality model, HYDRO-3D. Out-door mesocosm experiments on the growth of the diatom Skeletonema costatum showed no evidence that diatom growth is significantly affected by light/dark fluctuations brought about by turbulent mixing, and no direct effects of turbulence on phytoplankton physiology were required in the algal model. The algal model was successfully calibrated and validated against mesocosm data and field data from Poplar Dock, London Docklands. Application of the model gave credible results for the hypothetical growth of S. costatum in Poplar Dock under a wide range of wind speeds and surface irradiances. However, differences between the results of a full 3-D simulation and a simplified 1-D representation of Poplar Dock were minimal, and no clear conclusions could be drawn on the superiority of 3-D models over 1-D models for simulation of complex flows in natural water bodies.