Effects of a short-term exercise program on caloric consumption.

33 women (aged 18–32 yrs) were randomly assigned to either a high-intensity exercise group, a low-intensity exercise group, or a waiting-list control group. All Ss recorded food intake during specified weeks before, during, and following the 7-wk exercise program. Results suggest that exercisers do not compensate for energy expenditure by increasing caloric intake and that choosing between low- and high-intensity exercise does not differentially alter caloric intake. Nevertheless, maximization of negative energy balance or weight loss may be best achieved by exercise programs of high frequency and intensity. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Causal versus diagnostic contingencies: On self-deception and on the voter's illusion.

Two experiments tested the notion that people select actions that are diagnostic of favorable outcomes even though the actions do not cause those outcomes. In Exp I, 38 undergraduates immersed their forearm into a chest of circulating cold water before and after physical exercise. Depending on condition, Ss learned that a long life expectancy was associated with either increases or decreases in tolerance to cold water after the exercise. As predicted, Ss showed changes in tolerance on the 2nd trial in the direction correlated with a long, healthy life. In Exp II, 315 undergraduates encountered 1 of 2 theories about the sort of voters who determine the margin of victory in an election. Only one of the theories would enable voting Ss to imagine that they could induce other like-minded persons to vote. As predicted, more Ss indicated that they would vote given that theory than given a theory in which the S's vote would not be diagnostic of the electoral outcome, although the causal impact of the S's vote was the same under both theories. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of alcohol and behavior contingencies on human aggression.

Determined the mediating effects of alcohol and behavior contingencies on aggression in male social drinkers. 72 18–35 yr old Ss were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 groups in a 3?×?2 factorial design. To control for alcohol and expectation effects, one third of the Ss received alcoholic beverages, one third received placebo drinks, and another third was not administered any beverages. Aggression was assessed by the intensity and duration of shocks administered to a bogus partner in a modification of the Buss aggression procedure. Half of the Ss were exposed to aversive contingencies correlated with their aggressive responses, and half received random aversive contingencies. The inebriated Ss were significantly more aggressive than the sober Ss. The former Ss displayed an equally aggressive pattern under both contingency conditions, whereas the nonintoxicated Ss displayed a differential response pattern affected by the contingency type. These findings are attributed to the disrupting effect of alcohol on information processing and to the mediating effect of contingencies on the nonintoxicated individuals' aggressive behavior. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effective properties of cemented granular materials

An analytical model is developed to describe the effective elastic properties of a cemented granular material that is modeled as a random packing of identical spheres. The elastic moduli of grains may differ from those of cement. The effective bulk and shear moduli of the packing are calculated from geometrical parameters (the average number of contacts per sphere and porosity), and from the normal and tangential stiffnesses of a two-grain combination. The latter are found by solving the problems of normal and tangential deformation of two elastic spherical grains cemented at their contact. A thin cement layer is approximated by an elastic foundation, and the grain-cement interaction problems are reduced to linear integral equations. The solution reveals a peculiar distribution pattern of normal and shear stresses at the cemented grain contacts: the stresses are maximum at the center of the contact region when the cement is soft relative to the grain, and are maximum at the periphery of the contact region when the cement is stiff. Stress distribution shape gradually varies between these two extremes as the cement's stiffness increases. The solution shows that it is mainly the amount of cement that influences the effective elastic properties of cemented granular materials. The radius of the cement layer affects the stiffness of a granular assembly much more strongly than the stiffness of the cement does. This theoretical model is supported by experimental results.     

Effects of supplemental protein source on intraruminal fermentation, protein degradation, and amino acid absorption

Cannulated steers were used to determine the effects of supplemental soybean meal, heated soybean meal, fish meal, and a combination of fish meal, heated soybean meal, and corn gluten meal on intraruminal protein degradation and absorption of AA from the small intestine. Organic matter digestion in the reticulo-rumen was greater in steers fed diets supplemented with soybean meal, but whole tract digestibility was not affected by protein source. Total and bacterial CP flows to the abomasum were lower in steers fed diets supplemented with fish meal than in steers fed diets supplemented with heated soybean meal or the combination supplement. Dietary CP flow was 33.5% higher in steers fed diets supplemented with heated soybean meal than in steers fed diets supplemented with soybean meal, fish meal, or the combination supplement. Less essential and nonessential AA flowed to the abomasum and were absorbed from the small intestine of steers receiving diets supplemented with soybean meal. Digestibility of small intestine AA was 21.9% lower in steers receiving the soybean meal treatment. Abomasal flows of Met and Thr and absorption of Lys, Met, and Thr were increased in steers fed diets containing heated soybean meal, fish meal, and the combination supplement. These results suggest that the supply of AA deficient in microbial CP (Lys, Met, and Thr) can be increased and that absorbed AA balance can be changed markedly by selection of rumen escape protein supplements.     

Affect, generalization, and the perception of risk.

Investigated the role of affect in judgments of risk in 4 experiments. 557 Ss were recruited on college campuses and read paragraphs modeled after newspaper reports that described fatal or nonfatal accidents or (Exp III) positive events. Ss were later asked to estimate the chances of specific fatal or nonfatal accidents happening to them and/or to the population in general. Experimental manipulations of affect induced by report of a tragic event produced a pervasive increase in Ss' estimates of the frequency of many risks and other undesirable events. Contrary to expectation, the effect was independent of the similarity between the report and the estimated risk: An account of a fatal stabbing did not increase the frequency estimate of homicide more than the estimates of unrelated risks such as natural hazards. An account of a happy event that created positive affect produced a comparable global decrease in judged frequency of risks. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rapid evaluation of oxidation catalysts supported on activated carbon

Electron spin resonance and thermal analysis have been used to investigate the catalytic oxidation of organic vapors adsorbed on activated carbon. Particular attention is given to determination of the temperature interval between oxidation of the adsorbate and burnoff of the carbon, and to the study of the oxidation states of the catalyst during repeated adsorption-oxidation cycles.     

Attribution and alcohol-mediated aggression.

48 males participated in an aggression task after receiving either alcoholic or placebo beverages and after being told that they had received either a high or a low dose of alcohol. All Ss in the alcohol group actually received the same dose. Measures of aggression were the intensity and duration of shock given to a bogus partner in a RT-pain perception task and a score on a posttask attitude questionnaire. Blood alcohol readings were taken 3 times during the session, and a locus of control scale was administered before and after drinking. For Ss in the alcohol conditions, blood alcohol levels averaged .079% before the task and .085% afterwards. Alcohol resulted in higher aggression scores only on the questionnaire measure, and an interaction between drug and attribution was found for the measure of shock duration. Attribution alone resulted in greater aggression on the measure of shock intensity. Ss in groups where the attribution was discrepant with the drug condition were the most aggressive on the measures of shock intensity and duration. These Ss became more external, reflecting a high correlation between their aggression and a stimulus tone. Results suggest that a person's increased aggressiveness when intoxicated results from an interaction between alcohol and an altered responsivity to provoking stimuli. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)