Psychotherapy trainees' experience of counterproductive events in supervision.

The authors conducted interviews with 13 psychotherapy trainees about a counterproductive event that occurred in individual supervision, which was defined as any experience that was hindering, unhelpful, or harmful in relation to the trainee's growth as a therapist. A qualitative analysis revealed that trainees typically attributed their experiences of counterproductive events to their supervisors dismissing their thoughts and feelings. All trainees experienced a negative interaction with their supervisors following the counteractive event, yet most did not believe their supervisors were aware of the event's counterproductive nature. All trainees believed the counterproductive event weakened the supervisory relationship and led to a change in the way they approached their supervisors. Although trainees typically thought the counterproductive events negatively affected their work with clients, most did not disclose their counterproductive experience with their supervisors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in executive control across the life span: Examination of task-switching performance.

A study was conducted to examine changes in executive control processes over the life span. More specifically, changes in processes responsible for preparation and interference control that underlie the ability to flexibly alternate between two different tasks were examined. Individuals (N?=?152) ranging in age from 7 to 82 years participated in the study. A U-shaped function was obtained for switch costs (i.e., the time required to switch between tasks compared with a repeated-task baseline), with larger costs found for young children and older adults. Switch costs were reduced with practice, particularly for children. All age groups benefited from increased preparation time, with larger benefits observed for children and older adults. Adults benefited to a greater extent than children when the interval between the response to one task and the cue indicating which task to perform next was lengthened, which suggested faster decay of interference from the old task set for adults than for children. A series of hierarchical analyses indicated that the age-related variance in task-switching performance is independent, at least in part, from the age-related variance in other cognitive processes such as perceptual speed and working memory. The results are discussed in terms of the development and decline of executive control processes across the life span. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal relations between children's exposure to TV violence and their aggressive and violent behavior in young adulthood: 1977-1992.

Although the relation between TV-violence viewing and aggression in childhood has been clearly demonstrated, only a few studies have examined this relation from childhood to adulthood, and these studies of children growing up in the 1960s reported significant relations only for boys. The current study examines the longitudinal relations between TV-violence viewing at ages 6 to 10 and adult aggressive behavior about 15 years later for a sample growing up in the 1970s and 1980s. Follow-up archival data (N=450) and interview data (N=329) reveal that childhood exposure to media violence predicts young adult aggressive behavior for both males and females. Identification with aggressive TV characters and perceived realism of TV violence also predict later aggression. These relations persist even when the effects of socioeconomic status, intellectual ability, and a variety of parenting factors are controlled. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Recent advances and future directions in the biopsychosocial assessment and treatment of arthritis.

This article provides an overview of the emerging literature on biopsychosocial assessment and treatment for two of the most common forms of arthritis: osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The article is divided into 3 parts. In the 1st part, the basic elements of the biopsychosocial approach to assessing and treating persons having arthritis is described. In the 2nd part the authors evaluate studies of biopsychosocial approaches to the assessment of arthritis pain and disability. Six research areas are reviewed: learned helplessness, depression, stress, pain coping, self-efficacy, and the social context of arthritis. The 3rd part of the article reviews studies that testing the efficacy of biopsychosocial treatment approaches for persons having osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Smoking cessation treatment on the Internet: content, quality, and usability.

The explosive growth in access to the Internet suggests that the Internet may be a viable channel through which we can reach and treat the large population of smokers who are unlikely to use other modes of intervention. We applied national guidelines from the U.S. Public Health Service to assess the quality of interventions for smoking cessation that are available on the Internet. The Public Health Service guidelines were codified into two instruments to record and to rate quality of the intervention contents. Usability guidelines established by the National Cancer Institute were used to develop an instrument to assess Web site usability. Of the 202 Web sites identified in searches, 77% did not provide direct intervention over the Internet and were excluded from analyses. A total of 46 Web sites were included in our review. Usability assessments showed mixed results. Web sites were visually well organized and used consistent graphical design; however, reading difficulty averaged above the 8th-grade level. Over 80% of Web sites provided no coverage of one or more of the key components of tobacco treatment recommended in the guidelines. Ironically, areas receiving the least coverage were those most amenable to the interactive capabilities of the Internet, such as providing tailored, personalized advice to quit and arranging follow-up contact. Smokers seeking quality tobacco dependence treatment on the Internet may have difficulty distinguishing among the numerous Web sites available. Web sites that provide direct treatment often fail to fully implement treatment guidelines and do not take full advantage of the interactive and tailoring capabilities of the Internet.     

Ethical beliefs about burnout and continued professional practice.

Investigated psychologists' ethical beliefs about continued professional practice in psychology when the practitioner is experiencing burnout or impairment. 94 psychologists completed a demographic questionnaire, an attitude survey, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Relationships among Ss' ethical beliefs, professional practices, and measured levels of burnout were examined, and these elements were found to correlate significantly. Results also suggest that psychologists perceive burnout to be a form of impairment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Educators' attitudes toward working mothers.

In an exploratory study of educators' sex-role perceptions, 411 teachers, administrators, and pupil personnel workers were administered the Attitudes Toward Working Mothers Scale. Administrators and teachers were found to have significantly less positive attitudes toward working mothers than did pupil personnel workers. Within each of the groups, males had the least positive attitudes. Marital status, maternal employment history, and child-bearing status were unrelated to these attitudes. Replication on a second sample (330 Ss) produced similar findings. (58 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Opening and Filling Carbon Nanotubes

Various strategies for the opening and filling of carbon nanotubes with encapsulated materials are described and discussed. Methods for the purification of the filled nanotubes are also presented.     

Addition of precipitated calcium carbonate filler to thermoplastic polyurethane adhesives

Precipitated calcium carbonate filler (PCC) was added to a thermoplastic polyurethane adhesive (TPU). The addition of PCC produced a moderate increase in the rheological and viscoelastic properties of TPU due to the poor dispersion of filler (i.e. found to be clusters) and the weak interactions between the PCC nanoparticles and the polymer chains. The interactions were noticed by ATR-IR spectroscopy by displacement of the bands at 3326, 1729 and 1061 cm⁻¹ to higher wave number of the polyurethane. Furthermore, the first glass transition temperature of the polyurethane was found to decrease by adding PCC filler. The crystallinity of the soft segments in the TPU was decreased by adding PCC because of the disruption of the degree of phase separation in the polymer. The initial adhesive strength in PVC/TPU adhesive/PVC joints increased noticeably by adding PCC filler, the greater the amount of filler in the TPU, the greater the initial adhesive strength found. Finally, the highest final adhesive strength (72 h after joint formation) was obtained in the joint produced with the TPU containing 10 wt% PCC.     

Up-Regulation of Lipoxygenase,Phospholipase, and Oxylipin-Production in the Induced Chemical Defense of the Red Alga <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gracilaria chilensis</Emphasis> against Epiphytes

The red alga Gracilaria chilensis is commercially farmed for the production of agar hydrocolloids, but some susceptible algae in farms suffer from intense epiphyte growth. We investigated the induced chemical defense response of G. chilensis against epiphytes and demonstrated that an extract of an epiphyte-challenged alga can trigger a defense response. The hormonally active metabolites were purified by RP-HPLC. Treatment with the extract or the purified fraction changed the chemical profile of the alga and increased resistance against epiphyte spores. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR and enzyme assays demonstrated that this metabolic response occurs after an increase in lipoxygenase and phospholipase A2 activity. Although this suggests the involvement of regulatory oxylipins, neither jasmonic acid nor the algal metabolite prostaglandin E2 triggers comparable defense responses.