A comparison of Anglo- and Mexican-American college students on locus of control.

Data from 47 Anglo and 47 Mexican-American college students matched for sex and socioeconomic background show that Mexican-American Ss scored significantly less external on the full Rotter Internal-External Control Scale and on 2 of the 5 dimensional categories (respect and luck and fate). Findings not only contradict the stereotype that Mexican-Americans are fatalistic but also suggest that their culture contributes to a greater perception of internal control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dispersions of polymeric acrylic soaps: III. Hydrogen-bonding interactions in polymeric dispersions and polymer monolayers

The ability of low molecular weight acrylic acid copolymers to form self-dispersions of a maximum polymer content at partial, rather than complete, neutralisation has been qualitatively explained in terms of swelling of the particles with water. Studies on copolymers containing groups capable of strong interaction, such as amide or hydroxyl, combined with the tendencies of monolayers of related polymers to contract at particular pH values has suggested that an ion/polar group type of interaction is responsible for the decreased volume of the particles at the pH of maximum polymer content.     

Posttrial hippocampal, amygdaloid, and lateral hypothalamic electrical stimulation: Effects on short- and long-term memory of an appetitive experience.

52 Long-Evans male water-deprived rats were given 150 licks of a 10% sucrose solution, followed 4 sec later by 30 sec of low-intensity electrical brain stimulation applied in the dorsal hippocampus, amygdala, or lateral hypothalamus. Retention of the licking experience was then tested either 90 sec of 24 hrs after the lick experience by measuring the number of licks taken on an empty drinking tube. Ss that received hippocampal stimulation licked the empty tube less than the 17 controls did during the 24-hr, but not during the 90-sec, retention test. Data suggest that the hippocampus may be critically involved in processes (e.g., consolidation) mediating long-term, but not short-term, memory. Compared with controls, Ss that received amygdala stimulation did not exhibit any changes in licking at either retention test. Ss given lateral hypothalamic stimulation showed more licking compared with controls during the 90-sec, but not the 24-hr, test. Subsequent tests suggest that facilitation of short-term memory may have been influenced by stimulation-induced motivational changes. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Note-taking and passage style.

High-formality and low-formality versions of a passage were read by 120 undergraduate education students who either took notes for a presentation to professionals or to students, or simply read the text. A free-recall test showed superiority for notetakers and for those reading low-formality text. Despite passage style and type of instruction, Ss took essentially verbatim notes, but in recall, informal material was paraphrased significantly more than formal prose. A conditional probability analysis showed that an idea unit was more likely to be recalled if it had been written in notes than if it had only been read. Results support the encoding function of note-taking and its relation to informal prose. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Planar deformation of cohesionless granular media

A theory for planar deformation of cohesionless granular media is presented. Although this study follows closely the methodology used by Mandel (1947), Spencer (1964) and Mehrabadi and Cowin (1978) it differs in many respects from the contents of these papers. Both the angle of dilatancy and the orientation of the family of the velocity characteristics (slip lines) with respect to the direction of the principal axes of stress are assumed variant and dependent on the loading history of the element. The velocity and stress characteristics are assumed not to be coincidental (necessarily) and it is reasoned that deformation may proceed along one family of the slip lines only. A hypothesis regarding the symmetry of orientation of slip lines with respect to the principal stress directions and a second one regarding the minimal value for a so called ‘energy correction factor’ involving the ratio of the first invariant of the strain rate tensor to the second invariant strain rate deviation tensor is stated. It is shown that the adaptation of these hypotheses leads directly to St. Venant's principle: the coaxiality of the stress and the strain rate tensors. It should be stressed that coaxiality conclusion reached in this paper is in variance with the conclusions reached by the above authors (see also Spencer, 1981) and the conclusions of Christoffersen et al. (1981) who approached the problem more fundamentally using micromechanical modeling.     

A continuation approach to eigenvalue assignment

This paper describes a continuation approach to eigenvalue assignment. The method is a homotopy technique which embeds the control problem into a parameterized family of control problems. This parameterization describes a continuous deformation of a system with the desired spectrum into the original system. Based on this deformation, a differential equation is constructed whose solution trajectory has an end-point which is a constant output feedback matrix assigning the desired spectrum to the original system. The derivation of this differential equation and conditions which guarantee the existence of a solution are given. Also, two examples of its numerical implementation are detailed.     

Prediction of unilateral brain dysfunction using Wechsler test scores.

This study investigated whether oblique factor scores for Wechsler tests discriminate right- and left-hemisphere brain dysfunction more effectively than subtest or scale scores. A criterion sample of 60 psychomotor-seizure epileptics was divided into 2 equal cross- validation groups with comparable proportions of right and left Ss. 3 measures of lateralization were used, with a criterion cut-off of at least 2 measures lateralizing each S. A computer-programmed, "stepwise" regression analysis was performed utilizing a double cross-validation design. Regular scale scores proved more effective than factor scores, although the latter were nearly comparable using a different factor-extraction matrix. (22 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Recent adjustments in water use and treatment by U.S. manufacturers

This paper seeks to provide two types of information on the trends in water reuse and water treatment by manufacturers in the U.S. The first type of information is simply a display and discussion of these trends for the period 1964–1968 for the largest water using industries, based on the most recent comprehensive data. Sizable adjustments in reuse and treatment are found both in aggregate and for individual industries. The second type of information concerns the extent to which the adjustments in reuse and treatment observed over the period can be viewed as responses made to changes in the price of water to manufacturers, broadly defined. Tests of the price/quantity and price/treatment relations are made using regional observations on four major water using industries. The results show this to be a profitable approach to analyzing such adjustments, although the weakness of the data do not permit reliable quantification of the effects of the individual “price” variables.     

Effects of monetary rebates, feedback, and information on residential electricity conservation.

Assigned 129 participant households in Texas during the summer to 1 of 5 experimental conditions: A high monetary rebate condition in which Ss received conservation information, weekly written feedback on their electricity use, and monetary rebates amounting to a 240% price change in electricity; a low monetary rebate condition with the same structure as the high rebates except payments amounted to a 50% price change; a weekly feedback condition in which Ss also received information but no rebates; an information condition; and a control condition. The dependent measure was percentage reduction in electricity use based on actual weekly meter readings by the research staff. Only the high rebate condition significantly curtailed electricity use by about 12% over the course of the study. Elasticity estimates suggested limited responsiveness in electricity consumption to price changes. Questionnaire data showed a pattern in which actual reduction in electricity was associated with planning a conservation program, attending to feedback, and modifying air conditioning use. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)