Verbal behavior by black and white leaders of biracial groups in two different environments

Investigated whether or not Black and White leaders of racially mixed groups use different comment patterns when supervising their groups. 96 Southern college students and 288 US Navy recruits, each divided equally among male Blacks and Whites, worked on 2 laboratory tasks in 3-person groups and were rated on R. F. Bales's (1950) Interaction Process Analysis categories by 2 trained observers. It is concluded that the leaders in the 2 settings did not employ significantly different patterns of positive social-emotional, directive, nondirective, and negative social-emotional comments. Leaders did not differentially distribute these comments to themselves, all group members, or individuals within the groups. When leader behaviors, irrespective of race, were compared between settings, some differences were found. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes to acoustic communication systems in human-altered environments.

Animal communication systems have become closely tuned to local habitat conditions as populations have adjusted to different long-term environmental pressures. However, many habitats are now rapidly changing because of anthropogenic modification. Maintenance of effective communication systems in greatly altered environments will depend on communicative responses on both evolutionary and ontogenetic time scales. Consideration of potential acoustic challenges caused by human-generated habitat modification has important implications for basic research and conservation biology. First, the observed signal structure of individuals in altered environments may not match the normally hypothesized call structure. Second, species that either possess little ability to adapt quickly on an evolutionary time scale or have little plasticity in their communicative systems may be unable to respond to large anthropogenic alterations in their acoustic environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

非自治异结构混沌系统同步及其在保密通信中的应用

根据非自治控制思想、异结构广义投影同步和Lyapunov稳定性定理,构造控制器使得2个异结构的混沌系统在短时间内实现同步,证明了混沌同步的稳定性,并将此同步系统应用到掩盖保密通信中.MATLAB数值仿真结果表明,该混沌系统能够实现稳定地同步,且在保密通信中,有用信号均能从接收端有效地恢复出来.     

不同环境中胞外多糖产生菌的初步研究

从不同的环境中采集样品,采用LB平板稀释法和苯胺蓝法分析样品中胞外多糖产生菌的丰度并分离胞外多糖产生菌;以发酵产糖量分析进行复筛,对产糖量较高的菌株进行常规生理生化分析和16SrDNA序列分析.结果表明:不同环境中胞外多糖产生菌的数量和类别有较大差异,其中活性污泥中胞外多糖产生菌数量最多;复筛得到89个菌株,选择其中8个产糖量较高的菌株进行生理生化实验和16SrDNA序列分析,结果显示:4个菌株属于芽孢杆菌属,另外4个可能属于新的细菌菌株.     

Total and viable airborne bacterial load in two different agricultural environments using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and culture: a prototype study

Airborne exposure to bacterial components found in agricultural environments can lead to pulmonary inflammation. Total (viable and nonviable) bacterial load was monitored in a stable and a dairy by a new approach, gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry measurement of muramic acid, a component of gram positive and gram negative bacterial peptidoglycan. Also used to assess the gram negative bacterial load were 3-hydroxy fatty acids, markers of bacterial lipopolysaccharide. Culture, an established procedure for assessing the viable bacterial portion of airborne dust, served as a basis for comparison. The muramic acid and 3-hydroxy fatty acid concentrations (total C12:0, C14:0, and C16:0) showed a correlation with an R2 of 0.81. Dust and muramic acid levels also correlated. However, although relative muramic acid levels were lower in the stable than the dairy, colony forming units (CFU) were considerably higher in the stable. The total bacterial load (estimated from muramic acid values) for both the stable and dairy was also higher than would have been predicted from culture. These results suggest that nonculture based approaches and culture provide complementary but independent measurements of airborne biopollution.     

Reactance in relation to different supervisory environments and counselor development.

The purpose of this study was to examine counselor trainees' preference for structure in supervision as moderated by level of experience, reactance potential, and the content of supervision. Reactions of 78 practicum counselors to two of four audiotaped supervision sessions which varied on (a) amount of supervisor structure and (b) supervision content (suicidal client or client with relationship issues) were assessed. Beginning students preferred the structured supervision. The preference of structure for advanced students was moderated by reactance and content. For the relationship content, advanced students who were high on reactance preferred the low-structure supervision, while those with low reactance preferred the high-structure condition. In suicide content condition, advanced students preferred the structured supervision regardless of their level of reactance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Racial/ethnic differences in breast cancer outcomes among older patients: Effects of physician communication and patient empowerment.

Objectives: To examine racial/ethnic disparities in older women's health-related quality of life (QoL) and type of breast cancer treatment as mediated by physician-level and individual-level variables. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of a population-based, consecutive sample identified through the Los Angeles Cancer Surveillance Program of Latina (n = 99), African American (n = 66), and White (n = 92) women aged 55 years or older (N = 257) between 3 and 9 months after primary breast cancer diagnosis and at least 1 month posttreatment. An exploratory, empirically developed latent variable model tested the relationships among demographic and physician-related variables, patient attitudes, and health-related outcomes. Health-related outcomes included QoL measures and receipt of breast conserving surgery (BCS). Results: Latinas reported less BCS and poorer QoL compared with Whites. Physician communication that can empower patients, in terms of patient efficacy in patient?physician interactions and breast cancer knowledge, mitigated racial/ethnic disparities in receipt of BCS. Physician emotional support was not related to patient cognitive empowerment and treatment outcomes. Medical mistrust in minority women was related to less self-efficacy and less positive coping, as well as, both directly and indirectly, to reduced QoL. Latinas reported poorer QoL in the tested model. Conclusion: Physician communication style, specifically information giving and participatory decision making, may empower older women with breast cancer and help mitigate racial/ethnic disparities in surgical treatment received. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of certain language and communication environments in early childhood on the development of language in deaf individuals

Four groups of deaf subjects between the age of 10-0 and 18-11 years were tested, employing the Test of Syntactic Ability, and the language subtests of the Stanford Achievement Test, in a study of the influence of early language and communication environment on later syntactic language ability. The groups, 18 subjects in each, were dichotomized by whether the parents were hearing or deaf and further subgrouped by the language ability of the parents if the parents were deaf, and by the amount and intensity of oral preschool training provided by the parents if the parents were hearing. The groups were labeled by the type of language used with them in infancy and early childhood: manual English, average manual, intensive oral, and average oral. Results showed significant superiority of the manual English group over the two oral groups on five of the six major test structures of the Test of Syntactic Ability. On the Stanford Achievement Test, the manual English group performed significantly better than the other three groups on all four subtests. The two manual groups performed significantly better than the two oral groups on every test measure employed.     

不同气体环境下激光诱导击穿光谱实验条件优化

激光诱导击穿光谱(LIBS)分析性能受实验条件的影响较大,为此重点研究了空气、Ar气和He气3种不同气体环境下,激光能量、采光延时和气压等实验参数对铁合金中Fe原子谱线特性的影响。结果表明,相同实验条件下,Ar气中激光等离子体的寿命最长且谱线强度最强;相较于空气与He气,Ar气中激光诱导击穿阈值最低,谱线强度随激光能量的增长更早达到饱和;分析谱线在低气压下有更小的线宽,有利于复杂LIBS谱图中谱线的识别;谱线强度随气压的变化规律与激光强度有关,当激光强度较大,谱线始终处于饱和状态时,谱线强度随气压的增大而增加,当激光强度较弱,谱线未处于饱和状态时,谱线强度随气压的增加先增加后减小。     

不同气体环境下激光诱导击穿光谱实验条件优化

激光诱导击穿光谱(LIBS)分析性能受实验条件的影响较大,为此重点研究了空气、Ar气和He气3种不同气体环境下,激光能量、采光延时和气压等实验参数对铁合金中Fe原子谱线特性的影响。结果表明,相同实验条件下,Ar气中激光等离子体的寿命最长且谱线强度最强;相较于空气与He气,Ar气中激光诱导击穿阈值最低,谱线强度随激光能量的增长更早达到饱和;分析谱线在低气压下有更小的线宽,有利于复杂LIBS谱图中谱线的识别;谱线强度随气压的变化规律与激光强度有关,当激光强度较大,谱线始终处于饱和状态时,谱线强度随气压的增大而增加,当激光强度较弱,谱线未处于饱和状态时,谱线强度随气压的增加先增加后减小。     

Agency/empowerment in clinical practice.

Discusses concepts of agency and free will from the perspective of clinical practice and feminism. Following a definition of agency that locates it in a relational context (i.e., agency/empowerment), the problematized nature of subjective experience is explored from both a feminist and a psychoanalytic perspective. These considerations set the stage for examining the contradictions and dilemmas of clinical practice devoted to individual change and improving lives as well as political values and ideology devoted to social change, suggesting the history of incest in Western culture and practice as an example. The need to act/practice despite uncertainty is acknowledged, relating the position of the practitioner to the responsibilities of being a parent. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of electronic mail on communication in two health sciences institutions

A study was done during 1991-1992 to determine the perceived impact of electronic mail (E-mail) relative to other forms of communication in health sciences institutions. E-mail subscribers at two major health sciences institutions were sent 2919 surveys, and 823 (28%) completed survey instruments were returned. A significant positive impact of E-mail was found relative to other forms of communication (e.g., paper, phone) with regard to E-mail messaging, response rates, influence, value, formality, perceptions, errors in communication, cost-effectiveness, communication style, and other factors. Areas where no differences were found between communication mechanisms were also revealing. Technical problems, maintenance, and confidentiality of E-mail messaging were not found to be significant problems. Trends, value, and impact of E-mail use in health sciences institutions are also discussed.     

Selection of relevant cues in volume discrimination by golden hamsters reared in different environments.

11 gold hamsters were reared from birth to adulthood in a spatially diversified environment, and their performances were compared with those of 13 Ss housed in standard laboratory cages. The task was to discriminate between 2 cubic volumes of differing size (from inside). Ss were presented with a test situation in which 1 or more walls (or parts of walls) of the volumes had been cut out. Results show that "enriched" Ss made learning transfers to more diversified test situations, whereas "standard" Ss appeared mainly to take the nearest parts of the stimuli into account. (French abstract) (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparative affective reactivity of different types of communication disturbances in schizophrenia.

Twenty-nine schizophrenic outpatients provided speech samples on affectively positive and negative topics. These samples were assessed for several different types of communication failures by using the Communication Disturbances Index. Frequencies of overinclusive references, ambiguous word meanings, and ambiguous referents increased in the affectively negative condition; frequencies of missing referents and instances of syntactic unclarity did not change across affective conditions. Degree of overall affective reactivity of speech was associated with severity of the core positive schizophrenic syndrome. These findings support the idea that different types of schizophrenic communication disturbances are associated with different underlying pathophysiological processes, that some are more reactive to affect than others, and that affective reactivity of these symptoms is associated with the positive schizophrenic process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expressive skill in two pianists: Metrical communication in real and simulated performances.

Two pianists (one with 40 yrs experience, the other with 12 yrs experience) gave repeated performances of 2 melodies, each of which was metrically ambiguous in that alternative placement of notational symbols for meter was possible. Dimensions of performance were recorded by computer, which allowed the discovery of significant differences in expressive treatment between the metrical alternatives. A comparison of the 2 melodies revealed a set of 6 general principles that accounted for 97 of 118 of the differences. Although both pianists worked mainly within these principles, several quantifiable differences were discovered between the performers that could account for both perceived style difference and the effectiveness of metrical communication. The communicative effectiveness of the performances of 1 melody was assessed by playing computer generated simulations of the performances to 18 undergraduate music majors, who were asked to discriminate between 2 metrical versions. The simulations presented the different dimensions of performance variation independently. Results indicate that variations in loudness and touch carried the main communicative burden (although with different weighting for the 2 performers) and that timing variations (interonset interval) were not effective in either performer's case. (French abstract) (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Muscle growth in two genetically different lines of swine

Skeletal muscle growth in two genetic lines of pigs that differed in total muscle content was studied at live weights of 23, 45, 68, 91, 104, 118 kg. Total physically separable muscle and cross-sectional area of the longissimus dorsi muscle were greater in the muscular than in the obese genetic lines. Above 45 kg, animals in the muscular genetic line had less total separable fat than animals in the obese line, but the two lines did not differ in total physically separable fat at 23 and 45 kg live weight. Hence, these two genetic lines may differ in weight at which maturity is reached as much as in inherent propensity for obesity. Longissimus muscle form the muscular line had more water, less protein, and less lipid than longissimus from the obese line. DNA and RNA concentration, total DNA and RNA content, and RNA/DNA ratio of the pituitary and liver did not differ between the two genetic lines. Above 68 kg, longissimus from the muscular line had higher DNA and RNA concentrations than longissimus from the obese line; this difference did not exist between 23 and 68 kg. RNA/DNA ratio of the longissimus muscle was greater and protein-to-DNA and protein-to-RNA ratios in longissimus were lower in the muscular than in the obese line. Total DNA content of physically separable muscle increased 2.0 (obese) to 2.7 (muscular)-fold between 23 and 118 kg; hence, number of muscle nuclei increases during growth. Total DNA content of physically separable muscle was greater in the muscular than in the obese line and was the measurement most highly related to total muscle content.     

Right-ventricular function as assessed by two radionuclide techniques: concise communication

The gated semiautomated first pass and non-gated manual first pass methods of right ventricular ejection fraction calculation were compared. It was found that the gated first pass study was the simplest and fastest to process and was overall judged to give at least as much information as the other technique.