Relation between cooperation and empathy in young children.

The results of time-sampled, naturalistic coding and teacher and observer ratings of cooperative behavior in 32 preschoolers were correlated with N. D. Feshbach and K. Roe's (1968) measure of empathy. Whereas the coded measure of cooperation was unrelated to empathy, all 3 ratings of cooperation were positively and significantly related to empathy. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sparing of patterned alternation but not partial reinforcement extinction effect after prenatal chronic exposure to ethanol in infant rats.

The effects of in utero administration of ethanol on single patterned alternation (PA) and the partial reinforcement extinction effect (PREE) were studied in 15-day-old rat pups. This fetal-alcohol treatment had no effect on PA but eliminated the PREE by reducing persistence in extinction after partial reinforcement (PRF) training to its level after continuous reinforcement (CRF) training, which was not affected by the treatment. The results are discussed in terms of prenatal damage to the hippocampus and in relation to an earlier experiment (Lobaugh, Bootin, & Amsel, 1985), which found no effect of infant hippocampal lesions on PA but an elimination of the PREE, which, unlike the fetal-alcohol case, resulted from PRF-like persistence in extinction following CRF training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Symmetric moderately large deformations of a shallow spherical membrane by edge loads

The problem of moderately large axisymmetric deflections, due to edge loads, of a linearly elastic shallow spherical membrane containing a central circular hole is solved in closed form. Representative results are presented graphically and used to illustrate some of the interesting features of the solution.     

Relation between 22-kHz ultrasonic signals and sociosexual behavior in rats.

The copulatory performance of male rats, tested in a large seminaturalistic environment, was assessed to determine the relation between 22-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations and a range of sociosexual behaviors. The 7 sexually experienced Charles River male rats were tested until sexual exhaustion. Ultrasonic signals were shown to occur in a wider range of sociosexual circumstances than previously reported; for example, the calls occurred in particular social circumstances during the preejaculatory period as well as during the postejaculatory interval. There was no consistent evidence that the emission of this call during the postejaculatory period consistently functions to keep the female away from the male. The nature and occurrence of postejaculatory ultrasonic signals showed increasing variability in successive ejaculatory series. The results of this and previous studies are interpreted within a semiotic theory of communication. The 22-kHz call is described as a message that makes available the information that the sender is in a socially depressed and withdrawn state. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aging and illusory correlation in judgments of co-occurrence.

Examined the influence of aging on illusory correlation in judgments of co-occurrence. Ten older (aged 60–76 yrs) and 10 younger (aged 17–29 yrs) Ss judged the probability of co-occurrence for events associated with preexisting expectancies after receiving nonsalient or salient information about the true probabilities of co-occurrence of the events. Results showed that when current information on event co-occurrence was not salient, preexisting expectancies strongly influenced the judgments of both younger and older Ss. However, when this information was salient, younger Ss' judgments reflected more accurate adjustment to the probabilistic relationships in the information than did older Ss' judgments. This age difference may be related to changes in memory processes that accompany increasing age and to differences in judgment processes necessitated by these changes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Noise reduction in three-dimensional digital images

Two dimensional and three dimensional noise reduction techniques are used on real 3D images and compared. The comparison is based on the busyness of the resulting images and on their fidelity to the original images. The following methods, each with 2D and 3D versions, are reviewed: mean filtering, median filtering, nearest neighbor smoothing, selective averaging and maximum likelihood smoothing. The results suggest that the 3D techniques are more effective at removing noise and retaining image information content than the 2D techniques. The methods that produced the highest quality images were the nearest neighbor and maximum likelihood smoothing techniques. The mean and median filtering methods removed the most noise, but blurred the images. The selective averaging method provided intermediate results.     

Insurance matters for low-income adults: results from a five-state survey

Using survey data from 2,000 low-income adult respondents in each of five states, this DataWatch assesses how uninsured, low-income adults differ from low-income adults who have public or private insurance and how Medicaid expansions have affected insurance coverage patterns across states with different eligibility policies. Findings show that the proportion of low-income uninsured adults is two to three times higher in states that have not expanded Medicaid eligibility beyond relatively low welfare levels. Compared with persons who have either Medicaid or private insurance, uninsured persons report more difficulties getting needed care, are less likely to have a regular provider, and rate the care they do receive as lower quality.     

The trials and tribulations of a robotic screening core

It is well recognized within the pharmaceutical industry that high throughput screening is a valuable and rapid tool to identify novel chemical compounds that may lead to tomorrow''s drugs. High throughput screening involves testing as many chemical compounds as quickly as possible against a defined molecular or cellular ‘target’ (for example an enzyme) in the hope that interacting compounds may provide significant therapeutic benefits.At Wyeth-Ayerst Research, a Robotics and Automation Research Core Group has been established which serves as the in-house resource for high throughput screening. The robotics group has three missions: (1) develop and perform high throughput screens for customers in all therapeutic departments in the company; (2) educate customers in issues related to screen design; and (3) help customers to bring automated workstations into their laboratories. The mission, therefore, requires the effective use of automation, as well as building a strong collaboration with customers.The challenges that have been faced fall into two categories: technology limiting and customer relations. Technological challenges arise because it is necessary to develop and implement assays with very different formats and biochemical endpoints within extremely shortened time frames. The primary means to meet these challenges is with flexible robotics and flexible people. Challenges in the area of customer relations include setting realistic expectations, maintaining a sense of collaboration (and not merely service), educating investigators as to how to deal with the huge amount of data generated and seeking feedback. Effective and frequent communication, and an awareness of each individual''s perspective, are essential to provide the most appropriate service.     

Smoking abstinence, eating style, and food intake.

Individual differences in weight gain after smoking cessation may reflect differences in eating restraint that exist before cessation. It was hypothesized that abstinent smokers with high scores on the Eating Inventory Disinhibition Scale would be more likely to overeat than nonabstinent smokers with lower Disinhibition Scale scores. Forty smokers completed the Eating Inventory and the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Subjects were randomly assigned to 24-hr cigarette abstinence or to continued smoking. Subjects then participated in an ice cream tasting task, after which they were free to eat as much ice cream as they wanted. The hypothesis was confirmed. Exploratory analyses indicated that eating behavior items predicted the amount eaten and that weight fluctuation items did not. The POMS Confusion Scale scores were highest for abstinent subjects who scored high on the Disinhibition Scale. A parallel but nonsignificant relation was observed for POMS Tension Scale scores. The meaning of these data for the relation between smoking cessation and weight gain is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)