The effect of perceptual load on attention-induced motion blindness: The efficiency of selective inhibition.

Recent visual marking studies have shown that the carry-over of distractor inhibition can impair the ability of singletons to capture attention if the singleton and distractors share features. The current study extends this finding to first-order motion targets and distractors, clearly separated in time by a visual cue (the letter X). Target motion discrimination was significantly impaired, a result attributed to the carry-over of distractor inhibition. Increasing the difficulty of cue detection increased the motion target impairment, as distractor inhibition is thought to increase under demanding (high load) conditions in order to maximize selection efficiency. The apparent conflict with studies reporting reduced distractor inhibition under high load conditions was resolved by distinguishing between the effects of "cognitive" and "perceptual" load. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coal liquids distillation tower corrosion: chloride analysis of solvent refined coal process samples

Severe chloride corrosion incidents have occurred in the distillation area of major direct coal liquefaction plants. Chloride analyses have been carried out for samples collected at various process streams of one of these plants (the Wilsonville, Alabama SRC-1 pilot plant) in order to define the pathway of corrosive species to the distillation area. These analyses show that the major fraction of the chloride in the atmospheric distillation tower is carried there in the higher-boiling process streams. The chloride level at a particular point in the atmospheric distillation tower may be several times that of the tower feed liquid; this concentration contributes to the catastrophic corrosion experienced in these towers. This chloride concentration provides an explanation for the occurrence of the corrosion in the last distillation tower in the process stream, rather than in the tower(s) first contacted by the chloride containing distillate stream. It also accounts for the observed localization of the corrosion within narrow regions of the atmospheric distillation tower. The chloride concentration and the chloride pathway are factors which designers of coal liquefaction distillation processes need to consider in a design that will keep corrosion to a manageable level.     

Health Care, National Health Insurance, and Psychology.

The role of psychologists as health care providers and the parameters of reimbursement for health care services are timely and controversial issues. A landmark decision was reached in this controversy in the 1980 appeal of a Virginia suit by clinical psychologists in which the court ruled that Blue Shield's refusal to directly reimburse psychologists was a violation of antitrust law. Thus, the requirement that psychologists bill through physicians was not upheld. In recent years a specific aspect of this controversy involved psychologists' roles in potential national health insurance programs. A limited study (appearing in the "National Register of Health Services Providers in Psychology" 1976-1978) of clinical psychologists' attitudes toward national health insurance suggests that Congress and psychologists may have disparate views. In addition to favoring national health insurance, over 85% of psychologists surveyed responded that consumers would benefit from such a program with mental health coverage. Only 16% agreed that such a program would constitute a subsidy of the rich by the poor (Albee, 1977). Several areas of conflicting or confusing responses in this study may reflect legitimate reasons for concern by Congress regarding institution of national health insurance. Belief that providers would benefit from mental health coverage in a national health insurance program was shared by 80% of respondents. Ninety-five percent of respondents identified the inclusion or exclusion of clinical psychologists in such a national health insurance as affecting the future of the profession. Curiously, over 50% of respondents agreed that primary care physicians should be reimbursed for mental health services, although such physicians have received no formal training in psychological services. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In situ spectral monitoring of mRNA translation in embryonic stem cells during differentiation in vitro

Raman microspectroscopy was used to determine biochemical markers during the differentiation of embryonic murine stem cells (mES) in vitro. Such markers are useful to determine the differentiation status of ES cells cultured on biomaterials. Raman spectra of mES cells as undifferentiated, spontaneously differentiated (4 days), and differentiated cells via formation of embryoid bodies (16, 20 days) were analyzed. Unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis were used to determine biochemical differences between mES cells in various states of differentiation. The undifferentiated cells were characterized by high scores of the first principal component (PC1, 49% variance). Similarity between the PC1 loading and the Raman spectrum of RNA indicated a high concentration of RNA in mES cells compared to differentiated cells. The ratio between the peak areas of RNA and proteins was used as a measure of mRNA translation. Using the same peak area ratio, it was possible to differentiate even between mES as undifferentiated and in early stages of differentiation (4 days). These findings were correlated with biological studies reporting high levels of nontranslated mRNA during early embryonic development. Therefore, the RNA translation obtained from the Raman spectra can be used as marker of differentiation state of mES cells.     

Dual holographic interferometry for measuring the three velocity components in a fluid plane

A technique that allows one to measure simultaneously the three velocity components in a fluid plane is presented. One obtains the quantitative information from only one holographic recording by combining two different reconstruction processes. As both processes use an interferometric comparison of two waves, we refer to this technique as dual holographic interferometry. The far-field fringe pattern that is obtained when reconstruction is made with an expanded laser beam allows one to determine the in-plane velocity components. The image-field fringe pattern that is obtained when a pointwise laser beam is used for reconstruction contains information about an out-of-plane velocity component. As the two reconstruction processes have different sensitivities, two different ways to combine them are proposed. The system has been demonstrated in a fluidlike solid object and in a convective flow.     

Counselor Rating Form—Short version: Further validation and comparison to the long form.

Initial validation data on the Counselor Rating Form—Short Version (CRF—S; J. D. Corrigan and L. D. Schmidt; see record 1983-09385-001), a revised version of the Counselor Rating Form (CRF; A. Barak and M. B. LaCrosse; see record 1976-07806-001), were positive. The present study, with 215 college students, largely replicated the methodology, and simultaneous collection of data on the CRF and the CRF—S allowed for direct comparisons between the 2 instruments. Results generally add to the validation of the CRF—S, but it was not successful in facilitating greater use of the lower end of the 7-point rating scale. Differences in counselor ratings suggest that the 2 instruments might be measuring slightly different constructs. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Beck Depression Inventory and Research Diagnostic Criteria: Congruence in an Older Population.

This study examined the congruence between conventional cutoff scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and selected diagnostic classifications of the Research Diagnostic Criteria in a sample of 102 elders seeking psychological treatment. Only 16.67% were misclassified by customary BDI cutoff scores. Minor Depressive Disorders were less clearly identified than Major Depressive Disorders or nondepressed status. Similar results were obtained in a second sample of elders not seeking treatment. Findings support the utility of the BDI as a screening instrument for identification of clinically depressed elders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of a microchip device coupled with mass spectrometry for ligand screening of a multi-protein target

Nanoflow electrospray mass spectrometry has been applied previously to investigate noncovalent protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions. Here we evaluate a commercial microchip device for this application. We show that the microchip can be used to obtain mass spectra of the noncovalent tetramer transthyretin. The device showed a 10-fold increase in signal stability compared with a nanoflow capillary and a high level of nozzle-to-nozzle reproducibility. Binding of the natural ligand thyroxine was clearly observed, and a range of small molecules proposed as inhibitors of transthyretin amyloidosis were shown to be effective in stabilizing the tetramer. We propose that measuring the ability of small molecules to stabilize protein complexes using this automated microchip technology will enable high-throughput screening of multi-protein complexes by mass spectrometry.     

First impressions: A multicultural content analysis of professional psychology program Web sites.

With the ascension of the Internet as an information resource, Web sites are likely to be the first exposure applicants have to specific programs. The authors evaluated professional psychology program Web sites for ethnic and sexual orientation minority content, discovering that diversity content of Web sites was considerably less than in previously examined paper application materials. Clinical psychology programs were more likely to state a commitment to diversity training while counseling psychology programs were more likely to state a diversity minor/track. School psychology programs had the lowest diversity content on their Web pages. This article explores how graduate psychology program Web sites communicate multicultural information and offers recommendations on using the World Wide Web as a cost-effective tool to attract a diverse student body. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)