Sex similarities and differences in preferences for short-term mates: What, whether, and why.

Are there sex differences in criteria for sexual relationships? The answer depends on what question a researcher asks. Data suggest that, whereas the sexes differ in whether they will enter short-term sexual relationships, they are more similar in what they prioritize in partners for such relationships. However, additional data and context of other findings and theory suggest different underlying reasons. In Studies 1 and 2, men and women were given varying "mate budgets" to design short-term mates and were asked whether they would actually mate with constructed partners. Study 3 used a mate-screening paradigm. Whereas women have been found to prioritize status in long-term mates, they instead (like men) prioritize physical attractiveness much like an economic necessity in short-term mates. Both sexes also show evidence of favoring well-rounded long- and short-term mates when given the chance. In Studies 4 and 5, participants report reasons for having casual sex and what they find physically attractive. For women, results generally support a good genes account of short-term mating, as per strategic pluralism theory (S. W. Gangestad & J. A. Simpson, 2000). Discussion addresses broader theoretical implications for mate preference, and the link between method and theory in examining social decision processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychopathy and suicide: A multisample investigation.

Evidence suggests that behavioral aspects of psychopathy are associated with suicidal behavior, whereas the affective and interpersonal aspects are not. The authors tested the robustness of this bifurcated association across 1,711 persons and 12 samples of adult and juvenile criminal offenders, forensic psychiatric patients, and civil psychiatric patients. The authors observed a small but significant partial correlation (.13) between the behavioral/impulsive lifestyle features of psychopathy and suicidality, but no effect for affective/interpersonal features. Several method and sample features (mental disorder; psychopathy and suicidality measurement format) significantly strengthened or weakened this association. The authors conclude that it is not possible to speak of "the" association between psychopathy and suicide, but that this relationship appears to be partially dependent on methodological (i.e., self-report vs. clinician-administered psychopathy measures) and sample composition (i.e., age; mental illness) factors. Recommendations for practice are provided, including that clinicians should not consider psychopathy a buffer against suicidal behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of PMMA and SU-8 resist moulds for embossing of PZT to produce high-aspect-ratio microstructures using LIGA process

 In this paper results are presented from a range of experiments to explore the feasibility of inserting a ceramic material PZT (lead zirconium titanate) into different kinds of high-aspect-ratio resist moulds. Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and SU-8 on silicon substrates and free-standing SU-8 membranes with micro-cavities or through-holes (defined by X-ray lithography) have been used as moulding medium. Processing conditions for the resist materials including pre-bake, exposure, post-bake, development and stripping have been compared. The advantages of different types of resist mould for the LIGA process has been evaluated. Additionally a comparison of photosensitivity of PMMA and SU-8 has been carried out. Using a range of load pressures (5 to 60 MPa), appropriate conditions for PZT embossing into resist moulds have been determined (ensuring minimum void formation in the final PZT structures). In the final form, SU-8 moulds have been removed by laser ablation. This is the first reporting of high-aspect-ratio ceramic microstructures fabricated using a combination of SU-8 moulds and PZT embossing. Received: 10 August 2001/Accepted: 24 September 2001     

Continuous self-improvement: systems thinking in a personal context

BACKGROUND: Continuous quality improvement (CQI) thinking and tools have broad applicability to improving people's lives--in continuous self-improvement (CSI). Examples include weight loss, weight gain, increasing exercise time, and improving relationship with spouse. In addition, change agents, who support and facilitate organizational efforts, can use CSI to help employees understand steps in CQI. A STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH: Team members should be involved in both the definition of the problem and the search for the solution. How do everyday processes and routines affect the habit that needs to change? What are the precursors of the event? Clients list possible solutions, prioritize them, and pilot test the items selected. One needs to change the daily routines until the desired behavior is accomplished habitually and with little external decision. DISCUSSION: CSI is successful because of its emphasis on habits embedded in personal processes. CSI organizes support from process owners, buddies, and coaches, and encourages regular measurement, multiple small improvement cycles, and public reporting.     

Designing safe job rotation schedules using optimization and heuristic search

Job rotation is one method that is sometimes used to reduce exposure to strenuous materials handling; however, developing effective rotation schedules can be complex in even moderate sized facilities. The purpose of this research is to develop methods of incorporating safety criteria into scheduling algorithms to produce job rotation schedules that reduce the potential for injury. Integer programming and a genetic algorithm were used to construct job rotation schedules. Schedules were comprised of lifting tasks whose potential for causing injury was assessed with the Job Severity Index. Each method was used to design four job rotation schedules that met specified safety criteria in a working environment where the object weight, horizontal distance and repetition rate varied over time. Each rotation was assigned to a specific gender/lifting capacity group. Five versions of the integer programming search method were applied to this problem. Each version generated one job rotation schedule. The genetic algorithm model was able to create a population of 437 feasible solutions to the rotation problem. Utilizing cluster analysis, a rule set was derived from the genetic algorithm generated solutions. These rules provided guidelines for designing safe job rotation schedules without the use of a computer. The advantages and limitations of these approaches in developing administrative controls for the prevention of back injury are discussed.     

BSCCO Superconductors: Hole-Like Fermi Surface and Doping Dependence of the Gap Function

We use the gradient of the energy-integrated angle resolved photoemission (ARPES) intensity in order to define precisely the Fermi surface (FS) in BSCCO superconductors. We show that, independent of the photon energy, the FS is a hole barrel centered at (, ). Then, the superconducting gap along the FS is precisely determined from ARPES measurements on overdoped and underdoped samples of Bi2212. As the doping decreases, the maximum gap increases, but the slope of the gap near the nodes decreases. Though consistent with d-wave symmetry, the gap with underdoping cannot be fit by the simple cos(k _x) – cos(k _y) form. A comparison of our ARPES results with available penetration depth data indicates that the renormalization of the linear T suppression of the superfluid density at low temperatures due to quasiparticle excitations around the d-wave nodes is large and doping dependent.     

Role of entrepreneurial task motivation in the growth of technologically innovative firms.

The Miner Sentence Completion Scale—Form T (MSCS—T) and an innovative technology survey were administered to applicants for development grants under the National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research Program. Data were obtained from 118 entrepreneurs who had founded their firms and from a comparison group of 41 manager/scientists who had submitted applications but were not founders. Measures of firm growth were developed from the innovative technology survey to serve as dependent variables. The MSCS—T has been developed to measure the motivational variables of a task theory that closely parallels achievement motivation theory. Task motivation exhibited a substantial relationship with the indexes of firm growth; it also differentiated between entrepreneurs and nonentrepreneurs. Thus, this article presents a new research direction that differs substantially from previous efforts to use the hierarchic theory of managerial motivation and the MSCS—Form H to study the motivation of entrepreneurs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)