Failures of retrieval and comparison constrain change detection in natural scenes.

In a change detection paradigm, a target object in a natural scene either rotated in depth, was replaced by another object token, or remained the same. Change detection performance was reliably higher when a target postcue allowed participants to restrict retrieval and comparison processes to the target object (Experiment 1). Change detection performance remained excellent when the target object was not attended at change (Experiment 2) and when a concurrent verbal working memory load minimized the possibility of verbal encoding. (Experiment 3). Together, these data demonstrate that visual representations accumulate in memory from attended objects as the eyes and attention are oriented within a scene and that change blindness derives, at least in part, from retrieval and comparison failure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of environmental context in mapping invasive plants with hyperspectral image data

Lepidium latifolium (perennial pepperweed) is a noxious Eurasian weed invading riparian and wetland areas of the western US. Effective management of Lepidium requires detailed, accurate maps of its distribution, as may be provided by remote sensing, to contain existing infestations and eradicate incipient populations. We mapped Lepidium with 3 m spatial resolution, 128-band HyMap image data in three sites of California's San Francisco Bay/Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta Estuary (Rush Ranch in Suisun Marsh and the Greater Jepson Prairie Ecosystem and the Cosumnes River Preserve in the Delta). These sites are markedly different in terms of hydrology, salinity, species composition, and structural and landscape diversity. Aggregated classification and regression tree models (CART), incorporating the results of mixture tuned matched filter (MTMF) analyses and spectral physiological indexes, were used to map Lepidium at the three sites. This approach was sufficiently flexible and robust to detect Lepidium with similar accuracies (~ 90%) at both Rush Ranch and Jepson Prairie, but was unsuccessful at Cosumnes River Preserve. Comparisons of the behavior of the MTMFs and the CARTs between sites reveal the importance of environmental context in species mapping. Rush Ranch presents the simplest conditions for mapping Lepidium: it is the wettest and least diverse site and Lepidium is spectrally distinct from co-occurring species. At Jepson Prairie, several co-occurring species closely resemble Lepidium spectrally. Nevertheless, hyperspectral data provide sufficient spectral detail to resolve Lepidium even at this challenging site, which is facilitated by phenological separation from the matrix of annual grasses. At Cosumnes River Preserve, however, Lepidium is neither spectrally nor phenologically distinct, and consequently could not be mapped successfully. Evidence suggests that the success of a remote sensing analysis declines as site complexity increases (species, structural, and landscape diversity; spectral variability; etc.), although this relationship is complex, indirect, and may be phenology-dependent.     

In-kind and out-of-kind penalties: Preference and valuation.

Utilitarian and economic theories of deterrence hold that the relation of the penalty to the misdeed should be irrelevant. In 5 experiments using hypothetical cases, judgments of penalties depended on whether this relation was in kind (IK) or out of kind (OK). When victims were identifiable, IK penalties were higher than OK and preferred to OK. Subjects seemed to confuse penalties and compensation. When there were no identifiable victims (e.g., environmental damage), IK penalties were preferred, but OK penalties were higher. Here, OK judgments were more uncertain, and subjects preferred to err on the side of overpunishing. The results can be explained in terms of overgeneralization of usually useful heuristics. Alternative hypotheses concerning aggression and scale compatibility are rejected. The findings have implications for the setting of penalties in legal cases (e.g., the Exxon Valdez) and for lay theories of punishment in nonlegal settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modeling the thin-slab continuous-casting mold

A three-dimensional mathematical model has been developed to compute the thermomechanical state in the mold of thin-slab continuous casters. The thin-slab mold differs from those used in conventional slab casters in that the upper portion of the broad side walls defines a funnel-shaped chamber which allows the nozzle to be submerged into the liquid metal. The chamber converges with distance down the mold, reducing to the rectangular cross section of the finished casting near the mold exit. The new mold, along with casting speeds up to 6 m/min, allows slabs to be cast 50–60 mm thick, compared with 150 to 350 mm in conventional continuous slab casting. However, the mold shape and high casting speed lead to higher mold temperatures and shorter mold life than are found in conventional slab casters. In this article, we develop mathematical models of the process to determine the role of various process parameters in determining the mold life. Finite-element analysis is used to determine the temperatures in the mold and cast slab, and these data are then used in an elastic-viscoplastic analysis to investigate the deformation of the mold wall in service. Cyclic inelastic strains up to 1.75 Pct are found in a region below the meniscus along the funnel edge. These large strains result from the combination of locally high temperatures coupled with geometric restraint of the mold. The deformation leads to short mold life because of thermal fatigue cracking of the mold. The computed locations and time to failure of the mold in fatigue agree very well with observations of the appearance of mold surface cracks in an operating caster. The models are also used to develop an improved mold design. Formerly Research Assistant, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL     

Representation and selection of relative position.

Part 1 concerns representation: Pop-out for a target that can be distinguished from the distractors only by the relative position of its components was demonstrated, thereby showing that simple shape information is represented preattentively. Findings are discussed in terms of early- vs late-selection debate and in terms of theories of search and texture segregation. Part 2 concerns selection: Strong learning in a varied-mapping paradigm was demonstrated, and it was shown that preattentive shape information can be used for selection. Finally, an account of the learning, namely the group scale hypothesis, is suggested and a final experiment to test it is presented. Results confirm and extend the emphasis placed by J. Duncan and G. W. Humphreys's (1989) attentional engagement theory on grouping processes in visual search. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Benzylation of thiophene using zinc and iron chloride modified montmorillinite clay

Montmorillinite clays, modified with either Zn(II) or Fe(III) chlorides have been used to catalyze the Friedel-Crafts alkylation of thiophene. High yields (ca. 80%) of 2- and 3-benzylthiophene mixtures were obtained using either catalyst in chlorobenzene or nitrobenzene solvent at 80°C. The ratio of 2–3-products was found to be controlled by their relative stability. Reactions were most rapid in nitrobenzene solution (<5 min) and resulted in formation of the 2-isomer as the only mono-substituted product. This is believed to be the first example in which an alkylation of thiophene has been limited to one regio-isomer.     

News Media Use and Adolescents' Attitudes about Nuclear Issues: An American-Soviet Comparison

Both Soviet and American youth show a great concern about the possible effects of nuclear war, with heavy media users in both countries more optimistic, but the relation was stronger among Soviet students.     

Post-traumatic stress disorder and smoking: a systematic review.

We conducted a systematic review of what is known about the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and smoking to guide research on underlying mechanisms and to facilitate the development of evidence-based tobacco treatments for this population of smokers. We searched Medline, PsychINFO, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and identified 45 studies for review that presented primary data on PTSD and smoking. Smoking rates were high among clinical samples with PTSD (40%-86%) as well as nonclinical populations with PTSD (34%-61%). Most studies showed a positive relationship between PTSD and smoking and nicotine dependence, with odds ratios ranging between 2.04 and 4.52. Findings also suggest that PTSD, rather than trauma exposure itself, is more influential for increasing risk of smoking. A small but growing literature has examined psychological factors related to smoking initiation and maintenance and the overlapping neurobiology of PTSD and nicotine dependence. Observational studies indicate that smokers with PTSD have lower quit rates than do smokers without PTSD. Yet a few tobacco cessation treatment trials in smokers with PTSD have achieved quit rates comparable with controlled trials of smokers without mental disorders. In conclusion, the evidence points to a causal relationship between PTSD and smoking that may be bidirectional. Specific PTSD symptoms may contribute to smoking and disrupt cessation attempts. Intervention studies that test behavioral and pharmacological interventions designed specifically for use in patients with PTSD are needed to reduce morbidity and mortality in this population.     

Effect of Lateral Cracks on Fracture Toughness Determined by the Surface-Crack-in-Flexure Method

The surface-crack-in-flexure (SCF) method uses a Knoop indenter to create small, semielliptical surface precracks in beam specimens. Lateral cracks may interfere with the primary median crack and cause errors of up to 10% in determination of fracture toughness, particularly for materials for which the fracture toughness is ∼3 MPa·m^1/2 or less. Although the residual-stress-damage zone is ground or polished away by hand by removing 4.5–5 times the indentation depth, this amount may not be sufficient to completely remove the lateral cracks in low-fracture-toughness materials. A series of tests were conducted on sintered alpha silicon carbide with different amounts of material removed after indentation. Once the lateral cracks were fully removed, the SCF results concurred with single-edged-precracked-beam and chevron-notched-beam data collected in accordance with ASTM Designation C1421. A simple remedy for the SCF method is to examine the outer ground surface for remnants of lateral cracks before fracture and to remove more material if necessary.