Knowing your audience: the contingency of landscape design interpretations

To address visual communication issues in landscape planning and design processes, an analytical framework that enables the study and possible anticipation of the interpretation of visual design representations is presented here. This framework consists of a hybrid theory of Peircean social semiotics and Laclaudian post-foundational discourse analysis (PDA). The semiotics of Peirce, through the concept of the interpretant, enable the conceptualization of the discourses that make up the socio-political contexts of design projects as so-called ‘interpretive habits’. This framework is demonstrated by partly reconstructing the socio-political context of Rebuild by Design, a design competition organized in the wake of hurricane Sandy in New York. It is suggested through this demonstration that the sign systems and discursive networks that influence the interpretations of design images by different stakeholders can be partially uncovered during the design process itself. By recognizing these interpretive habits during specific phases of the design process, planners and designers could potentially better anticipate the productive and counter-productive interpretations of their design representations.     

Special issue editorial: The art and science of trauma-focused training and education.

In spite of the importance of trauma education, efforts on the part of the Division 56 Education and Training Committee to identify higher education programs that emphasize trauma reveal surprisingly few programs (e.g., see http://www.apatraumadivision.org/ resources/apa_doctoral_sites.pdf). Lack of trauma education at undergraduate and graduate levels increases the urgency to develop effective training for postgraduate professionals. Compounding the problem of integrating effective trauma education and training at all stages of professional development, relatively little information about pedagogy is shared in our professional journals. This special issue addresses that gap by presenting articles focused on practices, theory, and data from a wide range of training/education settings (e.g., community clinics, VA settings, classrooms) focused on diverse forms of trauma exposure (e.g., disaster, military, child abuse/neglect, violence against women). The breadth of the topics and ideas conveyed in these articles reveals that we have many stakeholders whose interests lie in the development of high quality education and training practices, from higher education programs involving undergraduate and graduate students to practitioners seeking continuing education and managers/supervisors transforming health care delivery systems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The semiotics of landscape design communication: towards a critical visual research approach in landscape architecture

In landscape architecture, visual representations are the primary means of communication between stakeholders in design processes. Despite the reliance on visual representations, little critical research has been undertaken by landscape architects on how visual communication forms work or their socio-political implications. In this theoretical paper, we argue that such research is of great importance. We explain how concepts of visual and critical social theory such as visual semiotics, simulacra and simulation, and power/knowledge can be used to critically reflect on landscape architectural representations. We further propose to study these representations at different stages of meaning-making by using visual methodologies such as visual discourse analysis, iconographical content analysis and social semiotic analysis. We conclude that these research approaches have the potential to explain issues such as dominant power structures, miscommunication between participants, and visual path-dependencies during landscape design processes.     

Coparenting: A link between marital conflict and parenting in two-parent families.

Coparenting is examined as an explanatory link between marital conflict and parent–child relations in 2-parent families. Data were collected from 3 samples (pilot sample, n?=?220 mothers; preadolescent sample, n?=?75 couples; preschool sample, n?=?172 couples) by using the Coparenting Questionnaire (G. Margolin, 1992b) to assess parents' perceptions of one another on 3 dimensions—cooperation, triangulation, and conflict. Main effects for child's age and for parents' gender were found for cooperation, and an interaction between parent and child gender was found for triangulation. Regression analyses were consistent with a model of coparenting mediating the relationship between marital conflict and parenting. Discussion addresses the theoretical and clinical importance of viewing coparenting as conceptually separate from other family processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alternative and low sulfur fuel options: boundary lubrication performance and potential problems

Studies of alternative fuels at Penn State include biodiesel, dimethyl ether (DME) and low sulfur diesel fuels. The fuel studies include bench tests, laboratory engine tests and vehicle tests. DME was evaluated in a campus shuttle bus operating on its regular campus route. A 25:75 vol% mixture of DME and diesel fuel was used. Laboratory engine tests of oxygenated fuels, including biodiesel, resulted in significant particulate reductions. However, some alternative fuels exhibit low lubricity. Bench tests comparing friction and wear characteristics of the fuels are described.     

Psychological effects of thought acceleration.

Six experiments found that manipulations that increase thought speed also yield positive affect. These experiments varied in both the methods used for accelerating thought (i.e., instructions to brainstorm freely, exposure to multiple ideas, encouragement to plagiarize others' ideas, performance of easy cognitive tasks, narration of a silent video in fast-forward, and experimentally controlled reading speed) and the contents of the thoughts that were induced (from thoughts about money-making schemes to thoughts of five-letter words). The results suggested that effects of thought speed on mood are partially rooted in the subjective experience of thought speed. The results also suggested that these effects can be attributed to the joy-enhancing effects of fast thinking (rather than only to the joy-killing effects of slow thinking). This work is inspired by observations of a link between "racing thoughts" and euphoria in cases of clinical mania, and potential implications of that observed link are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Blind jealousy? Romantic insecurity increases emotion-induced failures of visual perception.

Does the influence of close relationships pervade so deeply as to impact visual awareness? Results from two experiments involving heterosexual romantic couples suggest that they do. Female partners from each couple performed a rapid detection task where negative emotional distractors typically disrupt visual awareness of subsequent targets; at the same time, their male partners rated attractiveness first of landscapes, then of photos of other women. At the end of both experiments, the degree to which female partners indicated uneasiness about their male partner looking at and rating other women correlated significantly with the degree to which negative emotional distractors had disrupted their target perception during that time. This relationship was robust even when controlling for individual differences in baseline performance. Thus, emotions elicited by social contexts appear to wield power even at the level of perceptual processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching clinical psychology graduate students about traumatic stress studies.

Although clinical psychology graduate seminars in traumatic stress are needed, teaching these courses carries unique challenges and opportunities. This paper describes the rationale, purpose, and process of developing a specialized course in traumatic stress. This course is used as a model for discussing implementation considerations that could be applied in other graduate programs. Course construction, teaching challenges, and potential solutions are presented. In particular, a process for addressing the affective and intellectual integration of material is emphasized. Attempts to assess the quality and outcomes of teaching activities are provided to illustrate future directions for improving trauma-related pedagogy and research that evaluates such pedagogy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of high dose rate, low dose rate, and high dose rate fractionated radiation for optimizing differences in radiosensitivities in vitro

In an attempt to clarify the biological nature of a human endogenous retrovirus (HERV), HERV-R, which is a single-copy type of HERVs and is conserved as a full-length viral sequence, the expression of HERV-R mRNA in normal autopsied systemic organs was examined by Northern blot analysis. The expression showed different levels among individuals, with the adrenal glands expressing the highest level of HERV-R among all organs tested, except for the placenta. In various adrenal tumors, HERV-R was expressed at high levels in all cortical adenomas but less so in pheochromocytomas. In situ hybridization revealed the expression of HERV-R to be localized in all layers of the adrenal cortex, but not in the medulla. This high-level expression of HERV-R in the adrenal cortex may possibly relate to differentiation and/or steroid production by adrenocortical cells.     

Highly Scalable,Closed‐Loop Synthesis of Drug‐Loaded,Layer‐by‐Layer Nanoparticles

Layer‐by‐layer (LbL) self‐assembly is a versatile technique from which multi­component and stimuli‐responsive nanoscale drug‐carriers can be constructed. Despite the benefits of LbL assembly, the conventional synthetic approach for fabricating LbL nanoparticles requires numerous purification steps that limit scale, yield, efficiency, and potential for clinical translation. In this report, a generalizable method for increasing throughput with LbL assembly is described by using highly scalable, closed‐loop diafiltration to manage intermediate purification steps. This method facilitates highly controlled fabrication of diverse nanoscale LbL formulations smaller than 150 nm composed from solid‐polymer, mesoporous silica, and liposomal vesicles. The technique allows for the deposition of a broad range of polyelectrolytes that included native polysaccharides, linear polypeptides, and synthetic polymers. The cytotoxicity, shelf life, and long‐term storage of LbL nanoparticles produced using this approach are explored. It is found that LbL coated systems can be reliably and rapidly produced: specifically, LbL‐modified liposomes could be lyophilized, stored at room temperature, and reconstituted without compromising drug encapsulation or particle stability, thereby facilitating large scale applications. Overall, this report describes an accessible approach that significantly improves the throughput of nanoscale LbL drug‐carriers that show low toxicity and are amenable to clinically relevant storage conditions.