Not yet human: Implicit knowledge, historical dehumanization, and contemporary consequences.

Historical representations explicitly depicting Blacks as apelike have largely disappeared in the United States, yet a mental association between Blacks and apes remains. Here, the authors demonstrate that U.S. citizens implicitly associate Blacks and apes. In a series of laboratory studies, the authors reveal how this association influences study participants' basic cognitive processes and significantly alters their judgments in criminal justice contexts. Specifically, this Black-ape association alters visual perception and attention, and it increases endorsement of violence against Black suspects. In an archival study of actual criminal cases, the authors show that news articles written about Blacks who are convicted of capital crimes are more likely to contain ape-relevant language than news articles written about White convicts. Moreover, those who are implicitly portrayed as more apelike in these articles are more likely to be executed by the state than those who are not. The authors argue that examining the subtle persistence of specific historical representations such as these may not only enhance contemporary research on dehumanization, stereotyping, and implicit processes but also highlight common forms of discrimination that previously have gone unrecognized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Efficacy of behavioral management and patient education on vascular access cleansing compliance in hemodialysis patients.

Compared 4 treatment conditions (patient education [PED], behavioral management [BMG] with monetary incentive, PED/BMG, and attention control [ATC]) on their ability to enhance compliance with vascular access cleansing (VAC) procedures in 56 hemodialysis patients (aged 29–81 yrs). Observers rated VAC behavior at pretreatment, posttreatment, 1-mo follow-up, and 1-yr follow-up. PED/BMG, BMG, and PED Ss gave significantly more correct answers on VAC knowledge questionnaires at posttreatment than the ATC Ss. PED/BMG and BMG Ss completed significantly more VAC steps at posttreatment and 1-mo follow-up than did PED and ATC Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology interns as patient suicide survivors: Incidence, impact, and recovery.

The authors investigated incidence, impact, and methods of coping with patient suicide during the training years of psychology graduate students. All 54 interns in clinical psychology at the Boston VA in 1983–1988 were surveyed. One in 6 Ss had experienced a patient's suicide at some time during their training. The group who experienced a patient's suicide and a group who experienced a patient's suicide attempt both reported high levels of stress on the Impact of Event Scale. Trainees with patient suicides reported stress levels equivalent to that found in patient samples with bereavement and higher than that found with professional clinicians who had patient suicides. Trainees most frequently turned to supervisors for both support and formulation of the suicide. Preparatory efforts at suicide education were found to be minimal and inadequate. Recommendations for assisting the trainee who experiences a patient's suicide are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anger management style and emotional reactivity to noxious stimuli among chronic pain patients and healthy controls: The role of endogenous opioids.

Objective: Previous work suggests that elevated trait anger-out exacerbates pain responses in part through endogenous opioid dysfunction. The authors examined whether this opioid dysfunction affects not only perceived pain intensity, but also emotional responses to being hurt. Design: 79 chronic low back pain (LBP) patients and 46 healthy controls received opioid blockade (8 mg naloxone i.v.) and placebo in randomized, counterbalanced order in separate sessions. During each session, participants sequentially experienced finger pressure pain and ischemic forearm pain tasks, with emotional state assessed at baseline and postpain. Main Outcome Measures: Blockade effects indexing opioid modulation of emotional reactivity were derived by subtracting placebo from blockade condition emotional reactivity. Results: Significant Participant Type × Anger-Out interactions on blockade effects indicated that in LBP participants but not in controls, greater anger-out was associated with deficient opioid modulation of anxiety, anger, and fear reactivity to noxious stimulation. Across participant types, greater anger-in was associated with impaired opioid modulation of anxiety and fear reactivity. Anger-in opioid effects were partially due to overlap with general negative affect. Conclusions: Opioid dysfunction associated with trait anger-out may affect not only perceived pain intensity, but also pain-related suffering in individuals with chronic pain conditions. Implications for understanding the health effects of anger management styles are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

13.3% efficient solution deposited Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells processed with different sodium salt sources

In this work, we obtain the highest reported power conversion efficiency (13.3%) for sulfur‐free CIGSe solar cells by solution processing. Intentional sodium incorporation is achieved directly by dissolving sodium salts in the ink. The effect on solar cell properties of three sodium sources is investigated: NaCl, NaHCO₂, and NaSCN. A comparison is made with absorbers grown on soda‐lime glass substrates and in the absence of sodium sources. The incorporation via sodium salts yields significantly better results, which is attributed to enhanced‐sodium availability. A comparison with identically annealed sputtered metal precursor layers capable of delivering 15.1% module efficiency suggests that the cell results are limited by the selenization procedure. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Photoelastic Measurement of High Stress Profiles in Ion-Exchanged Glass

Photoelastic fringes were directly measured to fully characterize high magnitude, steep compressive stress gradients in an ion-exchanged glass, trade named Ion-Armor™. Initially, using a thick (9.9 mm) rectangular bar and circular polariscope arrangement the overall residual stress profile in a bulk specimen was determined. However, due to the relatively large thickness of the specimen, the high density of fringes (steep stress gradient) close to the edge of the specimen became too diffused to allow an accurate count of fringe order. A thinner (0.71 mm) specimen was then used along with a polarizing light microscope to enhance the fringe contrast. This arrangement yielded approximately four isochromatic fringes, representing a maximum surface compressive stress of 984 MPa, which rapidly decreased to ~300 MPa within 25 μm depth from the strengthened surface. Also, the case-depth of the ion-exchange process was found to be 0.8 mm. Thus, the technique was able to directly capture the extremely high residual compressive stresses generated in an ion-exchanged glass. The current technique utilized for residual stress measurement is more objective and straightforward to implement than what is specified in ASTM standard C-1422, particularly for those specimens having steep stress gradients just below the strengthened surface.     

Postmodern sandplay: An introduction for play therapists.

In this article we apply postmodern insights to sandplay therapy. In doing so, we seek to move sandplay therapy from its traditional base of an endeavor at problem solving: a therapeutic method to aid one's diagnosis and address concerns over functioning. Rather, we offer an approach to sandplay therapy from a base of postmodern thought. As has been done in the field of family therapy with solution-building therapy (De Jong & Berg, 2002) and narrative therapy (White, 2007), postmodern insights transform this therapeutic method into a narrative endeavor concerned with the articulation of identity as the means to foster change in the client. Sandplay offers a safe and secure site where the articulation of this new, empowered identity begins to get crafted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Uranium Exploration in the United States

The United States Atomic Energy Commission looks to the private prospector and the mining industry to assure the success of our uranium exploration program. We believe that industry is certain to increase its activity in the field rapidly as the economic importance of uranium to its operations is more fully realized. The contribution made by educational institutions and by other government agencies in developing and distributing information is recognized by the Commission as an important phase of the program.

Progress is being made in the discovery of ore and the development of ore-finding techniques on the Colorado Plateau, which is the most important uranium-producing region in the United States. Other areas of primary and secondary uranium mineralization, such as the Colorado Front Range, the newly discovered deposits in the Sunshine Mine in Idaho, the Marysvale, Utah, area, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, show promise for future production. Evaluation of potential low-grade uranium ores such as the phosphate rocks of Florida and the northwestern states, and the black shales of Tennessee and Kentucky, has been substantially completed.

The Commission's exploration program will, we believe, assure the United States of a growing supply of domestic uranium ore. Together with the results of the Canadian exploration activities, which are most encouraging, our program should provide increasing resources of this all-important material, and should further reduce our dependence on supplies from overseas.