Fast and confident: Postdicting eyewitness identification accuracy in a field study.

The combined postdictive value of postdecision confidence, decision time, and Remember-Know-Familiar (RKF) judgments as markers of identification accuracy was evaluated with 10 targets and 720 participants. In a pedestrian area, passers-by were asked for directions. Identifications were made from target-absent or target-present lineups. Fast (optimum time boundary at 6 seconds) and confident (optimum confidence boundary at 90%) witnesses were highly accurate, slow and nonconfident witnesses highly inaccurate. Although this combination of postdictors was clearly superior to using either postdictor by itself these combinations refer only to a subsample of choosers. Know answers were associated with higher identification performance than Familiar answers, with no difference between Remember and Know answers. The results of participants' post hoc decision time estimates paralleled those with measured decision times. To explore decision strategies of nonchoosers, three subgroups were formed according to their reasons given for rejecting the lineup. Nonchoosers indicating that the target had simply been absent made faster and more confident decisions than nonchoosers stating lack of confidence or lack of memory. There were no significant differences with regard to identification performance across nonchooser groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Testing and modelling of a novel ceiling panel for maintaining space relative humidity by moisture transfer

Radiant ceiling panels are preferred over all-air systems because of their ability to lower energy consumption and maintain better comfort conditions. One disadvantage is their inability to moderate indoor humidity. To overcome this limitation, a new panel that can transfer heat and moisture is being developed. This research determines the performance of this panel under different temperature and humidity conditions. The effectiveness of the panel ranges from 15% to 28%, depending on the conditions. A computational fluid dynamics model of the panel has been developed using the commercial software, FLUENT. Good agreement is seen between experiments and the model for most cases. Comparing the change in humidity ratio of the air, the average difference is 5%.     

Daydreaming and curiosity in gifted and average children and adolescents.

307 gifted (CA 10–16 yrs; mean IQ 138.8) and 192 age-matched average Ss (IQ 100.8) completed the Imaginal Processes Inventory, the Children's Reactive Curiosity Scale, and the Academic Curiosity Scale. Demographic and IQ data were obtained from Ss' school records. Factor analysis of the data resulted in factors indicative of individual difference dimensions in daydreaming content and curiosity independent of demographic and IQ factors. Analyses of factor scores by grade level revealed decreasing linear trends over grade on the Guilt and Fear of Failure Daydreaming factor in both groups. Increasing trends over grade level were found for the Curiosity and Positive-Constructive Daydreaming factors in the gifted group. Average Ss showed a developmental decline in curiosity. Compared to average Ss, gifted Ss had higher Curiosity factor scores, lower Guilt and Fear of Failure Daydreaming scores, and higher scores on the Intelligence and Family Enrichment factor. The validity of the distinction between intellectual power and intellectual styles and the development of intellectual styles are discussed. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure and psychometric properties of the Injection Phobia Scale–Anxiety.

The present investigation examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Injection Phobia Scale–Anxiety (IPS-Anx). Principal components analysis of IPS-Anx items in Study 1 (n = 498) revealed a 2-factor structure consisting of Distal Fear and Contact Fear. However, CFA results in Study 2 (n = 567) suggest that a 1-factor structure may be more parsimonious. IPS-Anx scores demonstrated excellent reliability including test–retest over a 12-week period in Study 3 (n = 195). Supportive evidence for convergent and divergent validity of IPS-Anx scores was also found in Study 4 (n = 319), with strong associations with disgust propensity and sensitivity and weak associations with positive affect. Further evidence of validity was found in Study 5 (n = 1,674) because IPS-Anx scores discriminated those who have experienced fainting symptoms or avoided medical procedures from those without a history of such symptoms. In Study 6, data from Studies 2 through 5 were pooled, and the findings of Study 2 were replicated. The 1-factor model also fit the data well for men and women in Study 6. Lastly, IPS-Anx scores differentiated those with blood-injection-injury phobia (n = 39) from those without this phobia (n = 43) in Study 7. These findings suggest that the IPS-Anx has excellent psychometric properties, making it suitable for use in programmatic research on injection phobia. However, future research examining the validity of a short form of the scale with only the Contact Fear items may further improve the efficiency and utility of the IPS-Anx. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Design,Synthesis, and Characterization of a Photoactivatable Caged Prodrug of Imatinib

Imatinib is the first protein kinase inhibitor approved for clinical use and is a seminal drug for the concept of targeted therapy. Herein we report on the design, synthesis, photokinetic properties, and in vitro enzymatic evaluation of a photoactivatable caged prodrug of imatinib. This approach allows spatial and temporal control over the activation of imatinib triggered by ultraviolet light. The successful application of the photoactivation concept to this significant kinase inhibitor provides further evidence for the caging technique as a feasible approach in the kinase field. The presented photoactivatable imatinib prodrug will be highly useful as a pharmacological tool to study the impact of imatinib toward biological systems in greater detail.