Professional education and training: How satisfied are we? An exploratory study.

A survey of 497 interns, residents, and psychologists indicated general satisfaction with their career choices and training. A majority of respondents (about 68%) desired more training in career/workplace issues and 44% wanted additional training in the biological bases of behavior. Some believed that the financial and time commitments needed to become a psychologist might outweigh the long-term benefits. Limitations of the study including low sample size were discussed. Results were also discussed in terms of abbreviating the current training curriculum to maintain competitiveness in the workplace, and in terms of the costs versus benefits of becoming psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age differences in the performance of computer-based work.

Investigated the extent to which age had an impact on the performance of computer-based work. Three simulated real-world computer-interactive tasks that varied in complexity and pacing requirements were evaluated. Ss included 65 women, ranging in age from 25 to 70 yrs. The methodology encompassed physiological, subjective, and objective performance measures. Data indicated that previous computer experience and age had a significant impact on the performance of the 3 tasks. Increased age was associated with longer response times and a greater number of errors for all 3 tasks. Age also influenced perceptions of fatigue and task difficulty. The findings are discussed in terms of the implications for training and job design. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reading as a method of inquiry: Representations of the born global

There exists a tension between the texture and complexity of what we investigate in IB and how we often convey to others our interpretations through research representations. Constructing rich, meaning-laden representations of IB research demands greater attention to not only how we write, but also how we read. For illustration, three different ‘readings’ of a Born Global narrative are offered.     

Electrical Conductivity, Thermoelectric Power, and Optical Properties of Organo-Soluble Polyaniline Organic Semiconductor

The electrical conductivity, thermoelectric power (TEP), and optical properties of organo-soluble polyaniline doped with HCl have been investigated. The electrical conductivity and TEP of the sample increase with increasing temperature. The electrical conductivity and TEP results of the polymer suggest that it is a p-type semiconductor. The fundamental absorption edge in the polymer is formed by the direct allowed transitions, and the optical band gap value was found to be 2.79 eV. The absorption spectra for an acidic solution of the polymer indicate two new absorption bands, which are due to polaron formation. The polaron bands are responsible for the conductivity of the polymer. The TEP results indicate that the conductivity mechanism of the polymer is controlled by the large polaron hopping model.     

Further effects of role versus gender on interpersonal sensitivity.

Past research has shown that, regardless of sex, those in a subordinate role are more sensitive to how their leaders feel about them than are the leaders sensitive to their subordinates, suggesting that the stereotypically greater sensitivity of women might be explained by their traditionally subordinate role to men. The present study further investigated this phenomenon, specifically in a boss–employee situation. A total of 120 Ss interacted in 96 pairs (male, female, and mixed-sex). Results revealed no significant sex differences but indicated that subordinates were more sensitive to how their leaders felt about them (the subordinates), and leaders were more sensitive to how their subordinates felt about themselves. Findings are discussed in relation to role requirements of leader and subordinate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of spatial abilities and age in performance in an auditory computer navigation task

Age-related differences in spatial ability have been suggested as a mediator of age-related differences in computer-based task performance. However, the vast majority of tasks studied have primarily used a visual display (e.g., graphical user interfaces). In the current study, the relationship between spatial ability and performance in a non-visual computer-based navigation task was examined in a sample of 196 participants ranging in age from 18 to 91. Participants called into a simulated interactive voice response system and carried out a variety of transactions. They also completed measures of attention, working memory, and spatial abilities. The results showed that age-related differences in spatial ability predicted a significant amount of variance in performance in the non-visual computer task, even after controlling for other abilities. Understanding the abilities that influence performance with technology may provide insight into the source of age-related performance differences in the successful use of technology.     

The Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica

The Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica (LIMA) is the first true-color, high-spatial-resolution image of the seventh continent. It is constructed from nearly 1100 individually selected Landsat-7 ETM⁺ scenes. Each image was orthorectified and adjusted for geometric, sensor and illumination variations to a standardized, almost seamless surface reflectance product. Mosaicing to avoid clouds produced a high quality, nearly cloud-free benchmark data set of Antarctica for the International Polar Year from images collected primarily during 1999–2003. Multiple color composites and enhancements were generated to illustrate additional characteristics of the multispectral data including: the true appearance of the surface; discrimination between snow and bare ice; reflectance variations within bright snow; recovered reflectance values in regions of sensor saturation; and subtle topographic variations associated with ice flow. LIMA is viewable and individual scenes or user defined portions of the mosaic are downloadable at http://lima.usgs.gov. Educational materials associated with LIMA are available at http://lima.nasa.gov.     

A simple and rapid assay based on hot water extraction and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry for monitoring quinolone residues in bovine milk

A rapid, specific and sensitive procedure for determining residues of eight widespread used quinolone antimicrobials in bovine milk is presented. The method is based on the matrix solid-phase dispersion technique with hot water as extractant followed by LC/MS/MS. The entire sample treatment did not take more than 40 min. Hot water appeared to be an efficient extracting medium, since absolute recoveries of the analytes in milk were 77–90%. The method proved to be robust as matrix effects did not affect significantly the accuracy of the method, as evidenced by analyzing six different batches of milk. Using norfloxacin as surrogate analyte, the accuracy of the method at three different spike levels of the analytes in milk was 93–110% with RSDs not larger than 10%. On the basis of a S/N of 10, estimated LOQs of this method range from 0.3 to 1.5 ng/ml, well below the tolerance levels of quinolones in milk set by the European Union.     

An Approach to Disaggregating Total Household Water Consumption into Major End-Uses

The aim of this project is to assign domestic water consumption to different devices based on the information provided by the water meter. We monitored a sample of Barcelona and Murcia with flow switches that recorded when a particular device was in use. In addition, the water meter readings were recorded every 5 and 1 s, respectively, in Barcelona and Murcia. The initial work used Barcelona data, and the method was later verified and adjusted with the Murcia data. The proposed method employs an algorithm that characterizes the water consumption of each device, using Barcelona to establish the initial parameters which, afterwards, provide information for adjusting the parameters of each household studied. Once the parameters have been adjusted, the algorithm assigns the consumption to each device. The efficacy of the assignation process is summarized in terms of: sensitivity and specificity. The algorithm provides a correct identification rate of between 70 % and 80 %; sometimes even higher, depending on how well the chosen parameters reflect household consumption patterns. Considering the high variability of the patterns and the fact that use is characterized by only the aggregate consumption that the water meter provides, the results are quite satisfactory.