加拿大阿尔伯塔省艺术博物馆

The new Art Gallery of Alberta was conceived as an engaging and stimulating center for contemporary art in Edmonton.Celebrating its prominent location on Sir Winston Churchill     

Response to McNally and Breslau (2008).

Replies to comments by McNally and Breslau (see record 2008-05553-016) on the current authors' article (see record 2007-07130-003). McNally and Breslau expressed skepticism about the validity of multiple, independent studies showing that thousands of persons who were not directly exposed to the 9/11 attacks nevertheless developed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. They mistakenly asserted that these studies are all based on acute symptoms, whereas in fact several studies document symptoms at six months and beyond, post-9/11. Throughout their comment, they reframed the 9/11 experience of persons across the country as a virtual trauma. This is a strategy not usually seen in scientific discourse. The critical point of our review is that many people can develop concerns about safety and other issues following a terrorist attack, and these can be fueled by the media and other influences. It was not our claim that concerns about flying, being in tall buildings, or visiting public monuments after the attacks were necessarily pathological. However, it is difficult to understand why McNally and Breslau (2008) wanted to minimize this and other extraordinary ripple effects of the 9/11 attacks in the first place. Our aim was to develop a model that might be useful in trying to understand and reduce the economic and psychological costs of terrorism. Should we not, as mental health professionals, contribute our expertise toward alleviating this level of fear and its consequences? (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sources and Sinks of Escherichia coli in Benthic and Pelagic Fish

Escherichia coli and fecal coliform bacteria were isolated from five benthic and four pelagic fish species to determine their role in the fecal contamination of recreational waters. All fish were collected during fall 2006 from Southworth Marsh in the Duluth-Superior Harbor, a public beach that is commonly posted to minimize water contact due to high E. coli levels. Although fecal coliform bacteria were isolated from each fish species, they were only isolated from 66% and 72% of the individual benthic and pelagic fish, respectively. While 42% of the fecal coliforms from benthic fish were E. coli, only 4% of these bacteria from pelagic fish were E. coli. Cluster analysis showed different fish species harbored identical strains of E. coli and some fish contained multiple E. coli strains. The potential source for 65% of the E. coli isolates obtained from fish were identified by using the HFERP DNA fingerprinting method and libraries of E. coli DNA fingerprints from warm-blooded animals and environmental isolates collected in the area. The E. coli strains whose source could be identified were most similar to strains isolated from sediments, Canada geese, mallard ducks, and wastewater. None of the fish E. coli had DNA fingerprints matching those from any water or beach sand isolates. Although our results demonstrate that benthic fish contain E. coli, it may be more appropriate to consider these fish as a vector of E. coli from other sources, rather than a new source of E. coli contamination in aquatic environments.     

Working-memory capacity as long-term memory activation: An individual-differences approach.

One explanation of the correlation often observed between working-memory span scores and reading comprehension is that individuals differ in level of activation available for long-term memory units. Two experiments used the fan manipulation to test this idea. In Exp 1, high- and low-working-memory Ss learned a set of unrelated sentences varying in the number of shared concepts (fans) and then performed speeded recognition for those sentences. Low-working-memory Ss showed a larger increase in recognition time as fan increased. When the slope of the fan effect was partialled out of the relationship between working-memory span and verbal abilities, the relationship was reduced to nonsignificance. In Exp 2, Ss learned thematically related sentences that varied in fan. Low-span Ss showed the positive fan effect typically found with thematically unrelated sentences, whereas high-span Ss showed a negative fan effect. The results are discussed in terms of a general capacity theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender, social competence, and symptomatology in schizophrenia: A longitudinal analysis.

The relationship between gender and social skill measured by performance on a role play test was examined in a sample of 57 schizophrenics, 33 affective disorder patients, and 20 nonpatient controls. Female schizophrenics were more skilled than male schizophrenics, but no gender differences were present in the affective patients or the controls. Longitudinal analyses conducted on the schizophrenic group indicated that the superior social skill of women was stable over the year following a symptom exacerbation. Symptoms and social adjustment improved for both men and women over the year, but did not differ according to gender. The implications of the results for gender differences in the long-term outcome of schizophrenia are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

ELECTROCHEMICAL ANALYSIS USING ANGULAR POLARIZATION MODULATED ATIR SPECTROMETRY AND FLUOROMETRY

The absence of suitable in situ methods for obtaining electrical (charge-potential) and chemical information at electrode/electrolyte interfaces has represented a serious experimental incapacity in a broad range of fundamental and applied areas. This paper addresses the use of attenuated total internal reflection spectrometry and total internal fluorometry in conjunction with system modulation, both electrical cell control and spatially selective optical polarization, to probe this experimentally difficult region. Although applications of these techniques to electrolyte/solid electrode interfaces under equilibrium conditions will be described, emphasis will be given to interfacial characteization under current densities that significantly depart from equilibrium. The experimental configurations and difficulties in such measurements will also be addressed.     

Apomorphine and amphetamine produce differential effects on the speed and success of reaction time responding in the rat

Apomorphine, a nonselective, direct-acting dopamine agonist, and amphetamine, a nonselective indirect-acting dopamine agonist, were compared for their effects on the reaction time response in rats. Animals were shaped to release a lever in response to an auditory/visual stimulus to avoid mild foot shock. The characteristics of the reaction time response of primary interest were percent successful avoidance and response latency. Apomorphine (0, 1, and 5 mg/kg, IP) significantly decreased successful avoidance, but had no effect on response latencies. Thus, the decrease in successful avoidance was not a direct result of longer latencies. Amphetamine (0, 0.5, and 1 mg/kg, IP) produced a different pattern of effects on the reaction time response. Successful avoidance was not affected by amphetamine treatment. However, response latencies were dose-dependently decreased in response to amphetamine. These results demonstrate that dopamine receptor stimulation by different dopamine agonists produces a different pattern of effects on the characteristics of the reaction time response. In addition, these results demonstrate that successful avoidance can be modulated independently of response latencies.     

Design of low-leakage power supply transformers for high-precisionelectronic instruments

In most electronic instruments, the magnetic interference generated by the power supply transformer induces noise in the measuring circuitry, limiting the overall precision of the instrument and significantly reducing its accuracy at low-level measurements. A method for reducing the intensity of the noise-signal, which is based on a low-leakage design of the power supply transformer, is presented, and its effectiveness is demonstrated through testing of a prototype designed and built according to the design procedure given here. Finite-element analysis is used to predict the magnetostatic performance of the transformer design prior to building a prototype. It is demonstrated that the finite-element analysis is an effective tool for saving time and resources in developing transformer prototypes