Performance as a function of increased minority hiring.

Examined the impact of increasing the percentage of hires (above the T. A. Cleary [1968] fair-hiring level) from minority groups with demonstrated lower average job performance. Increased minority hiring resulted in only a small performance loss, even when minority hiring exceeded the minority applicant representation. However, when minorities were hired at a rate equal to or greater than their applicant representation, the expected performance loss among the hired minorities was much greater than performance loss across all hires. More important, the discrepancy in performance between majority and minority hires increased as minority hiring increased. With minority hiring above the level of minority applicant representation, this discrepancy exceeded the population difference in performance between the 2 groups. These findings suggest additional considerations when raising minority hiring above minority applicant representation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Epoxidation of olefines with PDMS membranes containing zeolite occluded manganese diimine complexes

A new composite catalyst for selective epoxidation of olefins with tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP) is reported. The catalyst contains manganese diimine complexes (cis-Mn bis-2,2′-Bipyridyl), occluded within a NaY zeolite, in turn incorporated in a polydimethylsiloxane membrane (cis-[Mn(bpy)₂]²⁺-NaY-PDMS). The three-step synthesis consists of a Mn²⁺exchange of NaY, ligand sorption to form cis-[Mn(bpy)₂]²⁺-NaY and incorporation of the latter in a PDMS membrane. The major differences between [Mn(bpy)₂]²⁺-NaY as such and occluded in PDMS are observed in the sorption and catalytic characteristics. With the membrane system, the use of a solvent becomes obsolete. Whereas optimal cyclohexene oxidation with [Mn(bpy)₂]²⁺-NaY occurs with hydrogen peroxide in acetone, tBuOOH proves to be a better oxidant for [Mn(bpy)₂]²⁺-NaY-PDMS. The reactions in batch and fed-batch reactors are discussed. A simple regeneration procedure, monitored by FT-IR spectroscopy is proposed.     

A new eicosapentaenoic acid formed from arachidonic acid in the coralline red algaeBossiella orbigniana

Aqueous extracts of the coralline red algaeBossiella orbigniana have been shown to catalyze the enzymatic oxidation of arachidonic acid to a previously unreported ω6 eicosapentaenoic acid product. This unique fatty acid contains a conjugated tetraene with absorption maxima at 293, 306, and 321 nm, and was identified by spectral methods as 5(Z),8(Z),10(E),12(E),14(Z)-eicosapentaenoic acid. The compound was given the trivial name bosseopentaenoic acid. Under experimental conditions, production of bosseopentaenoic acid was linear up to 2 hr and dioxygen was consumed. Bosseopentaenoic acid, along with several other conjugated tetraenes, was also present in the algae endogenously as revealed by a comparison of the ultraviolet (UV) spectra and the high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) pattern of the purified product and the organic extract ofBossiella.     

Management of nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal stenosis in children

Nasopharyngeal stenosis and oropharyngeal stenosis are rare and challenging problems in the pediatric population. The most common etiology is currently the surgical trauma associated with adenotonsillectomy. Stenosis can vary from a thin band to a complete obstructing cicatrix. Presenting symptoms range from mild hyponasal speech to severe airway obstruction. We present a series of eight children with varying degrees of stenosis and associated symptoms. Choice of treatment varied with the severity of disease. In our series, successful interventions included triamcinolone acetonide injection, lysis of adhesions, rotational and advancement mucosal flaps, and jejunal free flap. Preoperative evaluation and individualized surgical repair are essential for successful treatment.     

The development and maturation of humanitarian psychology.

Humanitarian psychological support as an organized field is relatively young. Pioneers in the field were involved primarily in providing psychological support to refugees and internally displaced persons in conflict and nonconflict situations. This article describes basic principles for the design of psychological support programs and interventions. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) began a psychological support program in 1991. The IFRC chose psychological first aid as its model for implementation in developing countries. Psychological first aid fits all the principles for psychological support program design and is adapted to individual communities. The first generation of psychological support programs differed dramatically depending on the countries in which they were developed. A second generation of psychological support programs evolved in response to the earthquake/tsunami of December 26, 2004. The Inter-Agency Standing Committee international guidelines consolidated the advances of second-generation programs and provided a clear indication of the wide acceptance of the importance of psychological support. A glimpse is provided of the third generation of psychological support programs, and an admonition is made for a more empirical evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Space and time bounds on indexing 3D models from 2D images

Model-based visual recognition systems often match groups of image features to groups of model features to form initial hypotheses, which are then verified. In order to accelerate recognition considerably, the model groups can be arranged in an index space (hashed) offline such that feasible matches are found by indexing into this space. For the case of 2D images and 3D models consisting of point features, bounds on the space required for indexing and on the speedup that such indexing can achieve are demonstrated. It is proved that, even in the absence of image error, each model must be represented by a 2D surface in the index space. This places an unexpected lower bound on the space required to implement indexing and proves that no quantity is invariant for all projections of a model into the image. Theoretical bounds on the speedup achieved by indexing in the presence of image error are also determined, and an implementation of indexing for measuring this speedup empirically is presented. It is found that indexing can produce only a minimal speedup on its own. However, when accompanied by a grouping operation, indexing can provide significant speedups that grow exponentially with the number of features in the groups     

Moving up the corporate ladder: A longitudinal study of the leadership motive pattern and managerial success in women and men.

Using TAT data collected prior to entering management positions, sex differences in motive patterns related to leadership were examined in a 12-yr longitudinal study of 211 men and 180 women (aged 21–43 yrs at initial assessment) who entered a large utility corporation between 1977 and 1982. Ss were followed up in 1990 and recorded as to how far they had advanced in management level. While the results showed no sex differences in motivational predictors of attained management level, the content analysis revealed 2 distinct styles of power-related themes that distinguished the successful men from the successful women. The successful male managers were more likely to use reactive power themes while the successful female managers were more likely to use resourceful power themes. Differences between the sexes in the power themes were less pronounced among the managers who had remained in lower levels of management. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Models of visual word recognition: Sampling the state of the art.

A classification of models of visual word recognition is presented that facilitates formal comparisons between models of different formats. In light of the theoretical contributions to this special section, sets of criteria for the evaluation of models and strategies for model construction are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)