An intraventricular infusion model for inducing morphine dependence in rats: Quantitative assessment of precipitated withdrawal.

Describes an experimental model of morphine dependence in which male Sprague-Dawley rats were made dependent upon morphine by intraventricular infusion. Morphine dependence was quantified by a series of withdrawal signs that were induced by the intraperitoneal administration of the morphine antagonist naloxone (5 mg/kg). The infusion of different concentrations of morphine resulted in the production of physical dependence, the severity of which was directly correlated with the concentration of morphine infused. A weak to moderate degree of dependence characterized by such withdrawal signs as teeth chattering, whole-body shakes, and vocalization was produced by infusions of morphine less than 5 μg/hr. A strong degree of physical dependence characterized by additional dominant withdrawal signs such as jumping and launching was produced by the infusion of 50 μg/hr morphine. The morphine pellet model that most closely approximated this degree of dependence was a 3-pellet model in which a single 75-mg morphine pellet was implanted at 48-hr intervals. Abstinence precipitated by removal of the morphine-containing osmotic minipumps was characterized primarily by teeth chattering and whole-body shakes that persisted for at least 48 hrs. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Medical students' and residents' gender bias in the diagnosis, treatment, and interpretation of coronary heart disease symptoms.

Two competing hypotheses explaining gender bias in cardiac care were tested. The first posits that women's coronary heart disease (CHD) symptoms are simply misinterpreted or discounted. The second posits that women's CHD symptoms are misinterpreted when presented in the context of stress. In two studies, medical students and residents randomized to 2 (male vs. female) × 2 (stress vs. nostress) experiments read vignettes of patients with CHD symptoms and indicated their diagnosis, treatment, and symptom origin interpretation. Both studies disconfirmed the first hypothesis and strongly supported the second. Only when stress was added did women receive significantly lower CHD diagnoses and cardiologist referrals than men and did the origin interpretation of women's CHD symptoms (e.g., chest pain) shift from organic to psychogenic. Neither participants' gender nor their attitude toward women influenced assessments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Canarium schweinfurthii Engl.: Chemical composition of the fruit pulp

Canarium schweinfurthii Engl. (Burseraceae) is a wild tree found mostly in Africa, which produces fruit similar to olives and which is barely used. On a dry matter basis, the fruit pulp from Côte d’Ivoire (the Ivory Coast) was found to contain 5.6% protein, 30–50% fat, 8.2% starch, 11.8% cellulose and 8.3% ash (the highest mineral elements being potassium, 1.2% and calcium, 0.4%). The melting and solidification points of the extracted fat (44.5°C and 35.2°C, respectively) are higher than those of all the commercial and otherCanarium-species oils. This oil shows low iodine, peroxide and carotene values (36, 17 meq-g and 2 mg, respectively). The fatty acid composition of the oil revealed a high content of oleic (89.4%) or stearic (67.7–84.0%) acids in the liquid, semi-solid and solid forms of the oil. Consequently, the content of these two acids is much higher inCanarium schweinfurthii oil than in any other vegetable oil. The three forms (liquid, semi-liquid and solid) of the oil depend on the maturity of the fruit and these stages will be investigated further in future work.     

Maternal characteristics measured prenatally are predictive of ratings of temperamental "difficulty" on the Carey Infant Temperament Questionnaire.

In several recent reports, the Carey Infant Temperament Questionnaire has been criticized as a measure of infant temperament. Instead, the dimensions of temperament and the diagnostic categories (i.e., "easy" vs. "difficult" temperament) derived from maternal responses to the questionnaire items have been associated with maternal demographic and personality characteristics and with maternal child-rearing attitudes assessed before the birth of the infant. In this article, results of previous research are reconsidered in light of suggestions and criticisms offered by several temperament researchers. In two new studies the revision of the Infant Temperament Questionnaire (ITQ) was used to assess infant temperament, and personality and/or attitudinal data from the mother were obtained prenatally. Results were consistent across all studies. Prenatally assessed characteristics of the mother, especially anxiety, significantly distinguish mothers whose responses to the ITQ items result in diagnosis of temperamental difficulty for their infants from those whose infants are diagnosed as temperamentally easy during the first 8 months of life. The data suggest that both the original and revised Carey infant temperament scales fail discriminant validity tests and are therefore of only limited use in identifying temperamentally difficult infants. (67 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Analysis of Storm-Damage Factors for Low-Rise Structures

This paper presents an analysis of damage factors for low-rise structures exposed to hurricane winds. The intent is to provide a systematic approach for estimating wind damage and loss for a population of structures over a wide range of conditions, by beginning with several logical hypotheses and developing these into expressions for damage. The resulting equations have been validated with limited data from Hurricanes Betsy and Andrew.     

Training professional psychologists for the twenty-first century.

The continued growth and development of professional psychology may ultimately stand or fall on the integrity of the educational system that prepares future generations of practitioners. Currently, the educational enterprise is unduly hampered by several significant impediments. These impediments are identified and resolutions are proposed that would, if implemented, greatly enhance psychology's ability to assume its rightful place as a major autonomous profession that is properly positioned to address some of the nation's pressing social needs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of induced affect and covert rehearsal in the acquisition of stress management coping skills.

Direct and generalized effects of cognitive-behavioral coping skills program for test anxiety were assessed. Either covert rehearsal or induced affect was used as the coping skills rehearsal procedure. Both training conditions produced significant reductions in test anxiety, but induced affect yielded a larger test-anxiety decrease than did covert rehearsal, and greater improvement in academic test performance when compared with a control condition. Covert rehearsal, on the other hand, exhibited stronger generalization of treatment effects to general trait anxiety. In the induced-affect condition, improved test performance was highly correlated with reductions in state anxiety. No such relation was found following covert rehearsal, which suggests that the two rehearsal techniques may optimally promote the acquisition and utilization of different classes of coping skills. Consistent with predictions derived from a coping skills model, generalization effects were found on measures of generalized self-efficacy and locus of control for both treatment conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of deliberative and implemental mind-sets on illusion of control.

In Experiment 1, Ss worked on 2 identical apparatuses in an attempt to turn on the target light by pressing or not pressing a button. In Experiment 2, the 1st experimental group was asked to complete a mental exercise that requested the deliberation of an unresolved personal problem, whereas a 2nd experimental group was requested to plan the implementation of a personal goal. Ss in both groups were then asked to find out how to turn on the target light on an apparatus that produced frequent noncontingent outcomes. A control group worked on this contingency task without any pretreatment. The control judgments of the 1st experimental group were much more accurate than those of the 2nd experimental group or the control group. Overall findings suggest that people who are trying to make decisions develop a deliberative mind-set that allows for a realistic view of action–outcome expectancies, whereas people who try to act on a decision develop an implemental mind-set that promotes illusionary optimism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)