Relational aggression, gender, and peer acceptance: Invariance across culture, stability over time, and concordance among informants.

It has been proposed that overt physical and verbal aggression are more prevalent among boys and that covert aggression in the context of interpersonal relationships is more typical of girls. The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend American research on this topic to Italy. Italian elementary school pupils (n?=?314) and their teachers provided nominations for aggression and prosocial behavior on 2 occasions within a single school year. Both peer and teacher nominations were highly stable, though there was very poor concordance between them. Peer nominations for both overt and relational aggression were linked to peer rejection. Contrary to expectations, boys scored higher than girls in both overt and relational aggression. Nevertheless, on the basis of the gender composition of extreme groups, the authors conclude that the distinction between overt and relational aggression is as useful in facilitating research on aggressiveness among girls in Italy as it is in the United States. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Geometric modules in animals' spatial representations: A test with chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus).

Recent work has shown that in place-finding tasks rats rely on the geometric relations between the goal object and the shape of the environment. We tested young chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) on similar tasks in a reference memory paradigm to determine whether differences exist between species in the ability to use geometric and nongeometric spatial information. The main findings were that chicks: (a) encoded and used both geometric and nongeometric (featural) information; (b) did not use the overall spatial arrangement of the features; (c) relied primarily on nongeometric cues when faced with contradictory information. Two mechanisms are evident in chicks' spatial representations: a metric frame for encoding the spatial arrangement of surfaces as surfaces and a cue-guidance system for encoding conspicuous landmarks near the target. The possibility of hierarchical organization and species differences in these two mechanisms are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Moving Particles Through a Finite Element Mesh

We present a new numerical technique for modeling the flow around multiple objects moving in a fluid. The method tracks the dynamic interaction between each particle and the fluid. The movements of the fluid and the object are directly coupled. A background mesh is designed to fit the geometry of the overall domain. The mesh is designed independently of the presence of the particles except in terms of how fine it must be to track particles of a given size. Each particle is represented by a geometric figure that describes its boundary. This figure overlies the mesh. Nodes are added to the mesh where the particle boundaries intersect the background mesh, increasing the number of nodes contained in each element whose boundary is intersected. These additional nodes are then used to describe and track the particle in the numerical scheme. Appropriate element shape functions are defined to approximate the solution on the elements with extra nodes. The particles are moved through the mesh by moving only the overlying nodes defining the particles. The regular finite element grid remains unchanged. In this method, the mesh does not distort as the particles move. Instead, only the placement of particle-defining nodes changes as the particles move. Element shape functions are updated as the nodes move through the elements. This method is especially suited for models of moderate numbers of moderate-size particles, where the details of the fluid-particle coupling are important. Both the complications of creating finite element meshes around appreciable numbers of particles, and extensive remeshing upon movement of the particles are simplified in this method.     

A comparative analysis of the therapeutic focus in cognitive–behavioral and psychodynamic–interpersonal sessions.

This study compared therapeutic foci in a sampling of 30 cognitive-behavioral and 27 psychodynamic-interpersonal manual-driven treatments for depression. High- and low-impact sessions were coded for each client, with the Coding System of Therapeutic Focus. Results indicated that psychodynamic-interpersonal sessions focused more on such variables as emotion, patterns, incongruities, the impact that others made on clients, clients' expected reaction of others, the tendency to avoid therapeutic progress, therapists themselves, clients' parents, and links between people and time periods in clients' lives. Cognitive-behavioral sessions placed greater emphasis on external circumstances and clients' ability to make decisions, gave more support and information and encouraged between-session experiences, and focused more on the future. Relatively few differences emerged as a function of session impact. Results are discussed in terms of the different and similar theoretical conceptions of the change process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Global and local processing of hierarchical visual stimuli in tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella).

Capuchin monkeys' (Cebus apella) relative accuracy in the processing of the global shape or the local features of hierarchical visual stimuli was assessed. Three experiments are presented featuring manipulations of the arrangement and the density of the local elements of the stimuli. The results showed a clear advantage for local level processing in this species, which is robust under manipulations of the density of the local elements of the stimuli. By contrast, the density of the component elements linearly affected accuracy in global processing. These findings, which support those from other studies in which a local superiority emerged in animals, challenge the generality of early claims concerning the adaptive value of global advantage in the processing of hierarchical visual patterns. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Normative data for the MMPI-2 in child custody litigation.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2 (MMPI-2) norms based on 508 child custody litigants are presented. Defensive underreporting and self-favorability were often exhibited along with an elevation on the Over-Controlled Hostility (O–H) scale. Highest mean clinical scale scores were Hysteria, Paranoia, and Psychopathic Deviate. Differences were not found among mothers, fathers, and stepparents, indicating that a single set of norms is suitable. Findings highlight the importance of context specificity in personality assessment. Proper interpretation of personality inventories in child custody disputes needs to consider both the norms of the standardization sample and the litigants' reference norms. It was not possible, to determine from the MMPI-2 per se whether a defensive approach overestimates mental health in a psychologically healthy population or conceals symptomatology in psychologically disturbed persons. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anticancer Activity of Two Novel Hydroxylated Biphenyl Compounds toward Malignant Melanoma Cells

Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is still one of the most difficult cancers to treat despite recent advances in targeted and immune therapies. About 50% of advanced melanoma do not benefit of such therapies, and novel treatments are requested. Curcumin and its analogs have shown good anticancer properties and are being considered for use in combination with or sequence to recent therapies to improve patient outcomes. Our group previously published the synthesis and anticancer activity characterization of a novel curcumin-related compound against melanoma and neuroblastoma cells (D6). Here, two hydroxylated biphenyl compounds—namely, compounds 11 and 12—were selected among a small collection of previously screened C2-symmetric hydroxylated biphenyls structurally related to D6 and curcumin, showing the best antitumor potentiality against melanoma cells (IC₅₀ values of 1.7 ± 0.5 μM for 11 and 2.0 ± 0.7 μM for 12) and no toxicity of normal fibroblasts up to 32 µM. Their antiproliferative activity was deeply characterized on five melanoma cell lines by performing dose-response and clonal growth inhibition assays, which revealed long-lasting and irreversible effects for both compounds. Apoptosis induction was ascertained by the annexin V and TUNEL assays, whereas Western blotting showed caspase activation and PARP cleavage. A cell cycle analysis, following cell treatments with either compound 11 or 12, highlighted an arrest in the G2/M transition. Taking all this evidence together, 11 and 12 were shown to be good candidates as lead compounds to develop new anticancer drugs against malignant melanoma.     

Academic intrinsic motivation in elementary and junior high school students.

Investigated in 3 studies the significance of academic intrinsic motivation (AIM) for children's education. Ss for Studies 1–3 were 77 4th graders and 64 7th graders; 260 Ss in Grades 4–7; and 166 White middle-class Ss in Grades 5–8, respectively. Ss were administered an AIM inventory and an inventory of academic anxiety (AA). As predicted, AIM was found to be significantly and positively correlated with Ss' school achievement and perceptions of academic competence and negatively correlated with AA. Findings support the view that AIM is differentiated into school subject areas and is also a general orientation toward school learning. Relations between motivation and perception of competence and anxiety were differentiated by subject area, whereas achievement was more pervasively related to general motivation. Mathematics motivation, however, emerged as a unique predictor of mathematics achievement. The significance of AIM as differentiated into subjects and as a general orientation is discussed. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An appraisal of cognitive therapy.

Describes the development of cognitive therapy (CGT) for depression in the 1960s and 1970s and its application to diverse clinical populations. The question of how CGT works, in terms of both active therapeutic ingredients and mechanisms of change within the individual, is addressed. The limitations of CGT are discussed, as well as recent developments and modifications of the therapy that have evolved in response to these perceived limitations and that will bring it closer to other therapy approaches. The review concludes with some directions for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)