Family structure and the externalizing behavior of children from economically disadvantaged families.

This study examined the relations among family structure, caregiver relationship history, aspects of environmental adversity, and teacher reports about the externalizing behaviors of 6- and 7-year-old children from economically disadvantaged families. Family structure contrasted intact families, stepfamilies, single-parent families, and cohabiting families. Problem behaviors were more frequent for children from unmarried families than from married families and were more frequent for boys than for girls from cohabiting families. Relationship history reduced the effects for family structure. Children's adjustment varied with both the current status and past stability of caregiver intimate relationships for disadvantaged families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Close friendships among senior adults.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the relative contributions of personal, affective, and social exchange characteristics to satisfaction with the best friendship. Senior adults (N?=?76) described and evaluated their best friendships in terms of positive and negative affect, equity, reciprocity of social support, and satisfaction. The individual's endorsement of communal and exchange orientations were included as personal characteristics. The study confirms that a communal orientation enhances satisfaction with a best friendship and that conflict and negativity detract from it. Social exchange characteristics were not related to friendship satisfaction. The need to reevaluate the role of social exchange in close relationships is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Therelations between cluster indexes of risk and promotion and the problem behaviors of 6- and 7- year old children from economically disadvantaged families.

This study examined the relations between alternative explanations of poverty cofactors and promotion processes and teacher reports of the problem behaviors of 6- and 7-yr old children from economically disadvantaged families (N?=?159). The results showed that single index representations of risk and promotion variables predicted child aggressive behaviors but not child anxious/depressed behaviors. An addictive model of individual risk indicators performed similarly. Similar indexes representing clusters of parent adjustment variables and family instability variables, however, differentially predicted aggressive and anxious/depressed behaviors, respectively. The results suggest the importance of promotion processes and representing environmental adversity at varying levels of specificity for children from economically disadvantaged families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in self-esteem: A meta-analysis.

Two analyses were conducted to examine gender differences in global self-esteem. In Analysis I, a computerized literature search yielded 216 effect sizes, representing the testing of 97,121 respondents. The overall effect size was 0.21, a small difference favoring males. A significant quadratic effect of age indicated that the largest effect emerged in late adolescence (d?=?0.33). In Analysis II, gender differences were examined using 3 large, nationally representative data sets from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). All of the NCES effect sizes, which collectively summarize the responses of approximately 48,000 young Americans, indicated higher male self-esteem (ds ranged from 0.04 to 0.24). Taken together, the 2 analyses provide evidence that males score higher on standard measures of global self-esteem than females, but the difference is small. Potential reasons for the small yet consistent effect size are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cardiovascular concomitants in ultrasound production during cold exposure in infant rats.

Two experiments explored the cardiovascular consequences of extreme cold exposure and their relationship with ultrasound production in infant rats. Experiment 1 addressed the thermoregulatory and cardiovascular concomitants of ultrasound production during cold exposure in rats pretreated with saline or the ganglionic blocker chlorisondamine (5 mg/kg). For both groups, emission of ultrasound was associated with hypothermia and bradycardia. Experiment 2 explored whether the hypothermia experienced by pups in Experiment 1 is associated with increased blood viscosity, which is an important factor affecting venous return to the heart. Blood viscosity increased significantly as temperature decreased from 38°C to 22°C. These experiments suggest that, during extreme cold exposure, decreased cardiac output and increased blood viscosity combine to diminish venous return. The authors have hypothesized that pups respond to decreased return by recruiting the abdominal compression reaction, a physiological maneuver that propels blood back to the heart, resulting in emission of ultrasound as an acoustic by-product. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Automated Nucleic Acid Purification for Large Samples

Advancements in the fields of genomic screening, molecular pathology and clinical research have resulted in a major increase in the demand for high quality DNA and RNA. This escalating demand has resulted in a sample preparation bottleneck and an emphasis on the development of new technologies to automate the purification process. Gentra has developed the AUTOPURE LS™ nucleic acid purification instrument, a platform capable of high-throughput sample purification from large samples, such as 10 mL whole blood. This article presents data showing the equivalency of DNA purified using manual and automated processing.     

What Is Perseverated in Schizophrenia? Evidence of Abnormal Response Plasticity in the Saccadic System.

Although perseveration is sometimes attributed to defective set switching, the authors have recently shown that set-switching is normal in schizophrenia. In this article, the authors tested for persistent states of the saccadic response system, rather than set perseveration. Schizophrenic and healthy subjects performed antisaccades and prosaccades. The authors analyzed for 3 carry-over effects. First, whereas the latency of the current saccade correlated with that of the prior saccade in both groups, the correlations under mixed-task conditions declined in healthy but not in schizophrenic subjects. Second, antisaccades in penultimate trials delayed upcoming saccades in schizophrenic but not in healthy subjects. Third, schizophrenic subjects were more likely to erroneously perseverate the direction of a prior antisaccade but not a prior prosaccade. The authors concluded that, in schizophrenia, the effects of correct antisaccades are persistent not weak. Saccades in schizophrenia are characterized by perseveration of antisaccade-induced changes in the saccadic response system rather than failures to switch task set. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationships among aspects of student alienation and self concept.

This study investigated the relationships among previous experiences of student alienation and the various aspects of self concept. A total of 351 undergraduate students were administered the Student Alienation and Trauma Survey-Revised (SATS-R) and the Tennessee Self Concept Scale: Second Edition (TSCS:2). Students were asked to report on their worst experience in school, symptoms they had following this worst experience, and overall feelings about themselves. Results indicated a moderate negative correlation between self concept and student alienation. A stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that among the subtests of the SATS-R, Hopelessness, and General Maladjustment scores best predicted poor student self concept. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)