Achievement motivation, achieving styles, and morale in the elderly.

This research extends the literature on variables predictive of morale from the often-researched demographic, physical, and social factors to the psychological variables of achievement motivation and achieving styles. A sample of 115 older adults completed the Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire, the L-BLA Achieving Styles Inventory, and the PGC (Philadelphia Geriatric Center) Morale Scale. Regression analysis indicated that five variables were predictive of morale: (a) direct achieving style, (b) instrumental achieving style, (c) health, (d) social participation, and (e) age. The instrumental achieving style and age were inversely related to morale, although the direct and instrumental achieving styles were the two best predictors of morale. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The radical empiricism of William James and philosophy of history.

William James's philosophy of history is explored in his classic psychological and philosophical works and in 2 articles he devoted specifically to the topic. Historical issues are set forth in terms of James's individualism, pragmatism, and radical empiricism. It is argued that a Jamesian philosophy of history provides a reasoned and believable middle way between the extremes of realism and constructionism. James believed that historical change is brought about both by the contributions of individuals and by forces in cultures and the environment that help shape the direction of things. Finally, the author explores implications of James's pluralism for history and his quarrel with absolutistic conceptual schemes that attempt to reduce all things to 1 thing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Odor from rats tasting a signal of illness.

Rats running in a runway emit discriminable odors when encountering reward (R) or nonreward (N) goal events, and subsequent rats use these odors as discriminative stimuli to alter their approach speeds. In the present studies, a third goal event, aversively conditioned denatonium saccharide (A), was introduced. In Experiment 1, rats evidently emitted an odor when encountering the A goal event, because in the presence of this A odor subsequent conspecifics slowed their approach to the goal, much like their behavior on N trials. In Experiment 2, when N odor signaled R goal events and A odor signaled A goal events, rats approached quickly to N but slowly to A, indicating that they could discriminate N and A odors at the given concentrations. These studies indicate that rats emit an odor when confronted with a signal of impending illness and that this odor seems readily discriminable from R and N odors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Discrimination learning during the first year: Stimulus and positional cues.

In four studies, 3-, 6-, and 9-month-old human infants were tested in a discrimination learning task in which visual fixation to a particular stimulus or lateral position was reinforced with an auditory stimulus. In Experiment 1, all age groups exhibited acquisition, extinction, and reinstatement of fixation to the reinforced target or position. Experiment 2 revealed that 3-month-olds retained the positional discrimination but not the stimulus discrimination after a 5-min delay between acquisition and extinction; older infants retained both types of discriminations. In Experiments 3 and 4 we investigated a possible developmental shift in the dominance of positional versus stimulus cues by training infants on displays in which stimulus and position were confounded and then by dissociating the cues on test trials. Results from both experiments indicated positional cue dominance for young infants and stimulus cue dominance for older infants. The findings are discussed in terms of differences in the attentional demands elicited by proprioceptive versus exteroceptive cues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A glimpse iside — FBI destroyed critical Bin Laden surveillance data

Below is a factual snapshot of the FBI blunder where virtual information regarding Al Quaeda associates was captured and subsequently destroyed.     

An alternative method of curve interpolation

Given a point data set that contains several fairly unevenly distributed random points, this paper presents a new paradigm of curve interpolation to fit a curve to the data with end tangent vector constraints. The method uses a base curve, which is subjected to constrained shape manipulations to achieve interpolation, while maintaining end point and end tangent constraints. The algorithm is not sensitive to the distribution or to the randomness of the data, as long as the points represent fairly simple shapes, as in reverse engineering of properly segmented points, or in shape design using simple segments. The method is iterative in nature and allows various forms of adjustments to achieve good results.     

Complex response of a sand-bed stream to upstream impoundment

Mangrove Creek Dam, the eighth highest dam in NSW, Australia has induced a complex response of the downstream, sand-bed channel. Since dam closure on 1 October 1981, mean daily flows and the peak instantaneous discharge of floods have been reduced greatly (up to 94 per cent) and nearly 100 per cent of the incoming sediment load has been trapped behind the Dam. The magnitude of the hydrologic effects decreases with distance downstream. River response varies in direct proportion to the magnitude of the altered hydrologic regime and includes alternating but localized bed aggradation and degradation as well as channel contraction. Contraction has occurred by a combination of in-channel bench construction, the formation and bank attachment of longitudinal bars and bank deposition. Leptospermum polygalifolium has rapidly colonized these in-channel deposits and will result in the stabilization of benches. Armouring has not been a significant feedback process to date because of the limited degradation and low gravel supply. It is postulated that the above trends will continue, thus converting the former large, straight, active sand-bed channel into a small, sinuous, well- vegetated sand-bed stream.     

Solubility Limits of La and Y in Aluminum Oxynitride at 1870°C

The solubility limits of important dopants (La and Y) in aluminum oxynitride (AlON) were measured using wavelength-dispersive spectroscopy (WDS) mounted on a scanning electron microscope, from samples quickly cooled from 1870°C. To provide saturated AlON, samples were prepared with dopant concentrations well above the solubility limit, which was confirmed by the appearance of secondary phases using X-ray diffraction, backscattered electron micrographs, and WDS. Measurements were conducted on polished samples without thermal or chemical etching. The results indicate solubility limits of 498±82 and 1775±128 ppm for La and Y in AlON at 1870°C, respectively. The solubility limit of Mg in AlON at 1870°C was found to be >4000 ppm. The relation between solubility limit and cation size is briefly discussed.