Being the best bearer of bad tidings.

Giving bad news is an unpleasant task, and the medical literature provides numerous guidelines for giving bad news well. However, what people mean by "giving bad news well" is less clear. What should be the goal when communicating bad news? The authors suggest that the goal of news-givers should be to guide recipients toward a desired response and the authors propose a theoretical framework, the Bad News Response Model, for delivering bad news that draws from research in health and social psychology. The model is applicable to all forms of bad news and specifies that three characteristics of the news (controllability, likelihood, and severity) influence which response (Watchful Waiting, Active Change, or Acceptance) will most often lead to the best quality of life for the recipient. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bad news transmission as a function of the definitiveness of consequences and the relationship between communicator and recipient.

There is ample evidence suggesting (e.g., A. Tesser & S. Rosen, 1975) that people are reluctant to transmit bad news. Research on rumors, on the other hand, suggests that people sometimes are less reluctant to transmit bad news. It is argued that differences between the 2 lines of research include the definitiveness of the consequences of the news and the relationship between communicator and recipient. The influence of these 2 factors on news transmission was investigated in 3 experiments. Results showed that bad news with indefinite consequences was transmitted more often than bad news with definite consequences and that both kinds of bad news were transmitted more often if the recipient was a friend rather than a stranger. Differences in feelings of moral responsibility to transmit the news largely accounted for both effects. The 2 factors did not affect the likelihood of good news transmission. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Microwaves studied for commercial ends

The Fraunhofer IFAM Institute in Dresden, Germany is installing a high-temperature microwave-sintering furnace with hybrid heating technology for IFAM's innovative sintering research programme.This is a short news story only. Visit www.metal-powder.net for the latest powder metallurgy industry news.     

Memory for news in young and old adults.

Memory for news stories was studied in 48 young and 48 old adults (20–40 and 60–80 years of age, respectively). Three stories selected from actual news programs were presented in print, audio, and TV formats for study. Young adults recalled a higher proportion of news content than old adults and performed better on source recognition tests. Presentation of the information in a TV format led to better performance than in an audio format for both young and old adults. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that approximately 86% of the age-related variance in news recall was mediated by measures of sensory acuity and processing speed, and commonality analysis revealed that 75% of the age-related variance was mediated jointly by acuity and speed. Findings support common-cause and generalized slowing views of memory impairment in old age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patents and intellectual property to be discussed in Luxembourg

The importance of intellectual property and the latest developments in electronic tools and the Internet for patent information are to be discussed in Luxembourg at two conferences in a three-day session later this month.This is a short news story only. Visit www.metal-powder.net for the latest powder metallurgy industry news.     

New tech centre

Metaldyne's Engine Group has opened a 14?000-sq foot European Technical Centre in Dieburg, Germany, to support advanced development of the Engine Group's products.This is a short news story only. Visit www.metal-powder.net for the latest metallurgy industry news     

Spring show

Mechanical processes for powder and bulk solids technologies will be showcased at Powtech 2004 from 16 - 18 March at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre in Germany.This is a short news story only. Visit www.metal-powder.net for the latest powder metallurgy industry news.     

Communicating developmental research results to the general public through television.

Describes a project in which developmental psychologists worked cooperatively with producers to create a series of 20 news features (60–250 sec episodes) that were broadcast on the local news of TV stations across the US. Topics included divorce, adolescent abuse, parent–infant attachment, and the visual capabilities of babies. Public relations specialists, an interviewer, and 2 developmental psychologists experienced in TV appearances provided suggestions for developmental psychologists on how to be more effective as sources for news programs, talk shows, and documentaries. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

BASF’s new focus

BASF’s industrial coatings unit is to restructure its operations and consolidate.This is a short news story only. Visit www.metal-powder.net for the latest powder metallurgy industry news.     

New software for XRD family

Holland-based analytical X-ray equipment manufacturer PANalytical has launched a new tool for quantitative analysis. The X'Pert Quantify operates with the company's X-ray diffraction systems, including those in the Legacy series up to 15 years old.This is a short news story only. Visit www.metal-powder.net for the latest metallurgy industry news     

Children's recall of television and print news: A media comparison study.

An experiment was conducted (a) to compare children's recall of news information presented either audiovisually or in print, and (b) to establish whether the relative effectiveness of both media in conveying the news is dependent on children's reading proficiency and expectation of a memory test. A sample of 152 4th and 6th graders was presented with a sequence of 5 children's news stories, either in their original televised form or in a printed version. In each condition, half of the children were led to expect a memory test, whereas the other children were not. The results of a cued-recall test indicated that children who had watched the news on television remembered more than those who had received the same news in print, regardless of their reading proficiency or expectation of a memory test. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stainless winners

According to American Metal Market, Ford is set to use a record number of PM stainless steel parts in new premium midsize saloons and sport wagons.This is a short news story only. Visit www.metal-powder.net for the latest powder metallurgy industry news.     

Vanadium market shows signs of life after oversupply

The closure of a vanadium production facility in Australia seems to have been enough to breathe some life back into the market in the first quarter of 2003 after a period of chronic oversupply and sub-economic prices.This is a short news story only. Visit www.metal-powder.net for the latest metallurgy industry news     

ALD — Osprey link brings new melt package to market

UK spray-forming specialists Osprey and German vacuum-melting experts ALD have signed an agreement that puts together a unique software/hardware package for customers using the patented Osprey process.This is a short news story only. Visit www.metal-powder.net for the latest powder metallurgy industry news.     

Specialists in the very small move into the market for big ideas

THE New York nanomaterials company that last month said it had made a breakthrough in the development of intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells is moving into the sphere of intellectual property.This is a short news story only. Visit www.metal-powder.net for the latest powder metallurgy industry news.     

New way to the LME

SDS Applications has launched the latest version of its Order Routing connecting to the London Metal Exchange.This is a short news story only. Visit www.metal-powder.net for the latest powder metallurgy industry news.     

Mark of excellence

Russell Finex has won the prestigious Total Processing and Packaging award from the Institution of Chemical Engineers. The award was made for innovation and design in the company's Horizontal eco self-cleaning filter.This is a short news story only. Visit www.metal-powder.net for the latest powder metallurgy industry news.     

Brisk business in the Asia-Pacific

A German furnace and gas atomiser manufacturer has been doing good business in the Asia-Pacific Region, selling one system to Japan and another to China.This is a short news story only. Visit www.metal-powder.net for the latest powder metallurgy industry news.     

Making the swing even sweeter

Golf club maker Bobby Grace Putters, of Clearwater, Florida, is using PM tungsten-copper and pure tungsten weights in its putters to expand the sweet spot.This is a short news story only. Visit www.metal-powder.net for the latest powder metallurgy industry news.     

Joint trading

Umicore and Arcelor have agreed to combine non-ferrous and ferro-alloy activities into a trading, marketing and distribution joint venture named Traxys.This is a short news story only. Visit www.metal-powder.net for the latest powder metallurgy industry news.