Differential effects of courtship and mating on receptivity and brain metabolism in female red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis pareitalis).

In the female red-sided garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis), the loss of receptivity following intromission during mating can be prevented by injection of a local anesthetic (tetracaine) in the cloacal region prior to courtship and mating. Females that were courted and then mated had significantly higher uptake of radio-labeled [1?C]2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) in the preoptic area (25%) and significantly lower uptake in the ventromedial hypothalamus (-20%) compared with females that were courted but not mated. Tetracaine-treated females had accumulation patterns similar to courted but unmated females and to females exposed only to other females. These results suggest that in the female red-sided garter snake, sensory input from the cloaca during mating alters patterns of metabolism in those brain areas most often associated with female sexual behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modelling of steel fiber-reinforced concrete under multi-axial loads

Fifty-four plain concrete and steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) plate specimens containing 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5% of hooked fibers were tested under biaxial compression. The experimental results obtained were used to verify a failure surface developed earlier by the authors for SFRC under multi-axial loads. An equation has also been proposed in this study to predict the strain at failure for SFRC under multi-axial loads, ε_ci. The proposed failure criterion and equation to predict ε_ci were incorporated into a constitutive model in a well-established finite-element software, ABAQUS. Experiments of SFRC plate specimens under multi-axial loads and beams under two-point load were modeled to illustrate the application of the failure surface to SFRC under varying load conditions. Good agreement between analytical and experimental results is observed.     

Longitudinal relations in repeated observations of mother–child interaction from 1 to 2? years.

36 males and 41 females in White, 2-parent families were observed at home either 4 (63 Ss) or 12 (14 Ss) times in the age period 12–30 mo. Their natural social interactions with the mother were recorded in notebooks and coded into categories of child- and mother-initiated physical, affectionate, verbal, visual, responsive, and proximal contact. These interactions were examined to show developmental continuity and change, individual stability over time, and within-time relations. Comparisons in interaction patterns were made between boys and girls and Ss judged "securely" or "insecurely" attached. Findings show the following: The mother was the predominant initiator of interaction, but her predominance declined over the 1?-yr investigation. Mother–S physical contact and proximity declined from 12 to 30 mo (especially for sons and securely attached Ss), whereas the S's communication (verbal interaction and responsiveness) increased. The mother's attention and communication first increased and then decreased. These changes are discussed in relation to the development of Ss' communication ability and autonomy. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessment of cognitive bias in depression.

Describes a procedure for the assessment of depressive distortion, a construct hypothesized by A. T. Beck (1967, 1976) to be a central mechanism in the cause and maintenance of dysphoria and other symptoms of depression. The questionnaire assesses Ss' interpretations of events depicted in brief stories and measures presence of a tendency to select the most negative, pessimistic, or self-deprecating response options. The psychometric properties of the procedure are reported, and validity issues are addressed. There was a consistent relation between scores on the Beck Depression Inventory and depressive–distortion scores across samples of 590 college students, 29 outpatients in therapy for depression, and 20 inpatients. From test–retest data, it appears that Ss with high scores on both depression and distortion had the highest levels of depression 8 wks after initial testing. Although the results confirm Beck's hypothesis of a characteristic cognitive bias in depression, research is needed to analyze the role of bias in maintaining depressed mood and to clarify the nature of the bias. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal communication: Predictors of outcome at follow-up in a sample of children at high and low risk for depression.

Separate lines of investigation have shown the increased risk of dysfunction for children of depressed women and impaired interaction between depressed mothers and their children. The link between the two was examined in 57 children at high and low risk for depression. Children of unipolar depressed, bipolar depressed, chronically medically ill, and normal, mothers were evaluated at a 6-mo follow-up. Hierarchical regression analyses suggested a relation between maternal interaction behavior on 2 dimensions, task focus and affective quality, and children's subsequent depression and school behavior; academic performance was related only to affective quality of interaction. Chronic stress was predictive of more negative, critical maternal behavior, whereas depressed mood was associated with less task involvement. Maternal interactions are viewed as a marker of a complex, mutual process involving interpersonal relationships in an adverse environmental context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship of mother and child variables to child outcomes in a high-risk sample: A causal modeling analysis.

Children of depressed mothers are at risk for psychopathology, but most studies have failed to examine mediators of the effects, mutual influence of children and mothers on each other, and effects of children's own characteristics. Children, aged 8 to 16, of 64 mothers with recurrent unipolar or bipolar affective disorders, chronic medical illness, or no disorder were assessed on initial and 6-month follow-up measures. Structural equation modeling tested a model in which children's outcomes 6 months later were caused by maternal functioning (including depression symptoms, role adjustment, and observed positive interaction) and characteristics of the child. A reciprocal relationship was predicted between maternal functioning and child characteristics (including quality of interactions with the mother, self-concept, and age). Results supported the model; although maternal functioning is related to symptoms and dysfunction in children, characteristics of the child also contribute to maternal functioning in a cycle of negative mutual influence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Requirements Engineering and Technology Transfer: Obstacles, Incentives and Improvement Agenda

For many years, research results in requirements engineering (RE) have been developed without much interaction with, or impact on, industrial practice. Why is it so difficult to introduce RE research results into mainstream RE practice? This paper attempts to provide answers to this question by describing obstacles that researchers and practitioners have encountered when they attempted technology transfer. In addition, major incentives for using RE methods are discussed, along with ideas for improving current RE practice. The paper summarises, clarifies and extends the results of two panel discussions, one at the Twelfth Conference on Advanced information Systems Engineering (CAiSE’00) and the other at the Fourth IEEE Conference on Requirements Engineering (ICRE’00).     

Electroless metal plating of microtubules: Effect of microtubule-associated proteins

Microtubules (MTs) are self-assembled proteinaceous filaments with nanometer scale diameters and micrometer scale lengths. Their aspect ratio, the reversibility of their assembly and their ability to be metallized by electroless plating make them good candidates to serve as templates for the fabrication of nanowires. We have shown that microtubule-associated-proteins (MAPs) play a critical role in maintaining the MT stability during Pt-catalyzed electroless Ni plating. MAP-stabilized MTs metallized for one minute in a Ni-acetate-based electroless-plating bath are coated with a metal film only several nanometers thick. The MAPs appear to lead to the formation of nanometer-wide metal bridges between the MTs. The metal coatings are constituted of small Pt clusters (3 nm), distributed and oriented randomly, embedded in an amorphous nickel matrix.