Selecting a doctoral program in professional psychology: Some comparisons among PhD counseling, PhD clinical, and PsyD clinical psychology programs.

Directors of American Psychological Association-accredited doctoral programs in counseling psychology (95% response) and clinical psychology (99% response) provided data regarding number of applications, credentials of incoming students, rates of acceptance, and the theoretical orientations and research areas of the faculty. The acceptance rates of PhD clinical and PhD counseling psychology programs were comparable (6% vs. 8%), despite the higher number of applications (270 vs. 130) to clinical programs. Compared with clinical students, counseling students were more likely to represent ethnic minorities and have master's degrees, but were otherwise similar in academic credentials. Clinical faculty were more likely to be involved in research with pathological populations and associated with medical settings, whereas counseling faculty were more involved in research concerning career processes, human diversity, and professional issues. These results should alert applicants and their advisors to robust differences across these specializations and should enhance matching between programs and students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pace and continuity of television programs: Effects on children's attention and comprehension.

16 15-min children's TV programs varying in continuity (high vs low), pace (high vs low), and animation (cartoon vs live production) were made from broadcast material and shown to 80 children from kindergarten and 1st grade and 80 children from 3rd–4th grade. Ss viewed 2 of the programs and were then tested for recall. The recall task required sequential seriation of still photos taken from the program. Older Ss attended longer and reconstructed sequences better than younger Ss. High-continuity (story) programs led to greater attention and better recall than low-continuity (magazine) programs. Low-paced shows were recalled better than high-paced shows. Older Ss recalled best when shown either low pace or story format or both. Young Ss showed additive increments in recall due to low pace and high continuity. Regression analyses indicated higher correlations between attention and recall for animated stories than for other types of programs, an effect attributed to their relatively high stereotypy in the medium. Results are interpreted as indicating evidence for development of active, schematic processing of TV by children and for strategic attending by older children, based on perceived processing demands. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Injuries and use of protective equipment among college in-line skaters

In-line skating injuries and protective gear use were explored in a sample of college students (n = 217). A minority of respondents wore protective gear. One third of skaters had experienced at least one minor injury, and a smaller percentage had experienced fractures or head injuries. Most minor injuries occurred during the first 1–2 times skating, while more serious injuries tended to occur after at least 50 times on in-line skates. Psychosocial predictors of protective gear use were explored. Four major Health Belief Model constructs (perceived barriers to wearing gear, perceived susceptibility to injury, perceived severity of injury, and perceived benefits of wearing gear) were significant predictors of protective gear use. The Health Belief Model, tested using regression and structural equation modelling, predicted gear typically worn, frequency of gear use, and injuries received while in-line skating. Implications for increasing protective gear use are described.     

Sleeping and waking-state measurement of erectile function in an aging male population.

Sleeping and waking-state erectile ability and sexual adjustment in 58 men aged 50 to 79 years were evaluated using the "Snap Gauge" measure of nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT). The data indicated that 50% of the sample failed to demonstrate nocturnal erections of sufficient rigidity to activate the Snap-Gauge. Nevertheless, these men did not differ from those who did activate the device on 11 out of 13 self-report measures of daytime sexual functioning. The two exceptions to the negative findings were significant differences in frequency of morning erections and sexual desire. The findings cast further doubt on the neurophysiological equivalence of sleep and waking-state erections and on the clinical utility of NPT monitoring for differentiating psychogenic from organically based erectile dysfunction in aging men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The biology and evolution of polyspermy: insights from cellular and functional studies of sperm and centrosomal behavior in the fertilized egg

Recent studies of centrosome biogenesis, microtubule dynamics, and their management point to their role in mediating conditions such as aging and cancer. Centrosome dysfunction is also a hallmark of pathological polyspermy. Polyspermy occurs when the oocyte is penetrated by more than one sperm and can be pathological because an excess of centrosomes compromises development. However, in some taxa, multiple sperm enter the egg with no apparent adverse effect on zygote viability. Thus, some taxa can manage excess centrosomes and represent cases of non-pathological polyspermy. While these two forms of polyspermy have long been known, we argue that there is limited understanding of the proximate and ultimate processes that underlie this taxonomic variation in the outcome of polyspermy and that studying this variation could help uncover the control and role(s) of centrosomes during fertilization in particular, but also mitosis in general. To encourage such studies we: 1) describe taxonomic differences in the outcome of polyspermy, 2) discuss mechanistic aspects of reproductive biology that may contribute to the different consequences of polyspermy, and 3) outline the potential selective events that could lead to the evolution of variation in polyspermy outcomes. We suggest that novel insights into centrosome biology may occur by cooperative studies between reproductive and evolutionary biologists focusing on the mechanisms generating variation in the fitness consequences of polyspermy, and in the taxonomic distribution of all these events. The consequent discoveries of these studies may lead to informative insights into cancer and aging along with other centrosome-related diseases and syndromes.     

Incorporation of homogeneous, nanoscale MnO2 within ultraporous carbon structures via self-limiting electroless deposition: implications for electrochemical capacitors

The self-limiting reaction of aqueous permanganate with carbon nanofoams produces conformal, nanoscopic deposits of birnessite ribbons and amorphous MnO2 throughout the ultraporous carbon structure. The MnO2 coating contributes additional capacitance to the carbon nanofoam while maintaining the favorable high-rate electrochemical performance inherent to the ultraporous carbon structure of the nanofoam. Such a three-dimensional design exploits the benefits of a nanoscopic MnO2-carbon interface to produce an exceptionally high area-normalized capacitance (1.5 F cm-2), as well as high volumetric capacitance (90 F cm-3).     

Mapping the future of supply chain management: a Delphi study

Supply chain management, a field that developed from business practice and research, is undergoing a major transformation. It is changing from tactical in nature (where the major focus is on cost and delivery) to a field that is strategic in nature. However, the future issues and challenges facing managers and executives are just now becoming understood. This paper reports these issues by drawing on the findings generated by a three-phase study consisting of a literature review, a two-round Delphi study, and a workshop. Unique in this Delphi study is that it brings together leading practitioners in supply chain management with leading supply chain management researchers. The findings show that while the focus of the current tactical supply chain view is relatively limited to issues of delivery, risk, and leadership, the supply chain view of the future (i.e., five years from now) is more complex and demanding. The findings also show that there is generally no difference between researchers and practitioners in terms of how they view the issues. Finally, the study uncovers major obstacles that must be resolved before the strategic potential of future-state supply chains can be realised.