Anger and social appraisal: A "spicy" sex difference?

The central objective of this study was to investigate the role of social appraisal in sex differences in anger expression. Anger expression was inferred from the amount of hot sauce given to the person who induced anger. Participants were randomly assigned to a social condition, in which they expected to meet this person, or to a nonsocial condition, in which they had no such expectation. Men and women differed in their anger expressions, despite the fact that they did not differ in anger experience. Women expressed anger to a lesser extent than men, but only in the social condition. Social appraisal partly mediated the relation between sex and anger expression. The role of social appraisal in emotion and appraisal theory is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is! Explaining Collective Action Tendencies Through Group-Based Anger and Group Efficacy.

Insights from appraisal theories of emotion are used to integrate elements of theories on collective action. Three experiments with disadvantaged groups systematically manipulated procedural fairness (Study 1), emotional social support (Study 2), and instrumental social support (Study 3) to examine their effects on collective action tendencies through group-based anger and group efficacy. Results of structural equation modeling showed that procedural fairness and emotional social support affected the group-based anger pathway (reflecting emotion-focused coping), whereas instrumental social support affected the group efficacy pathway (reflecting problem-focused coping), constituting 2 distinct pathways to collective action tendencies. Analyses of the means suggest that collective action tendencies become stronger the more fellow group members "put their money where their mouth is." The authors discuss how their dual pathway model integrates and extends elements of current approaches to collective action. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nodule detection in digital chest radiography: effect of nodule location

Most detection studies in chest radiography treat the entire chest image as a single background or divided into the two regions parenchyma and mediastinum. However, the different parts of the lung show great variations in attenuation and structure, leading to different amounts of quantum noise and scattered radiation as well as different complexity. Detailed data on the difference in detectability in the different regions are of importance. The purpose of this study was to quantify the difference in detectability between different regions of a chest image. The chest X ray was divided into six different regions, where each region was considered to be uniform in terms of detectability. Thirty clinical chest images were collected and divided into the different regions. Simulated designer nodules with a full-width-at-fifth-maximum of 10 mm but with varying contrast were added to the images. An equal number of images lacking pathology were included and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) study was conducted with five observers. Results show that the image contrast needed to obtain a constant value of A(z) (area under an ROC curve) differs by more than a factor of four between different regions.     

When Greta Garbo is easier to remember than Stefan Edberg: Influences of prior knowledge on recognition memory in Alzheimer's disease.

Investigated the effects of prior knowledge on recognition memory in patients with a mild Alzheimer's disease. Normal older adults and mildly demented patients were presented with dated and contemporary famous faces with name tags and were asked to generate unique statements about each person. Results indicate that both groups generated more statements about the dated than about the contemporary figures. Most important, both groups performed better with the dated than with the contemporary faces in an unexpected episodic face recognition task. This pattern of results suggests that both groups (1) possess more knowledge of dated than of contemporary famous individuals and (2) are able to utilize prior knowledge to enhance episodic remembering. Viewing these results in light of other recent work, it is concluded that differences between normal old and mildly demented individuals in the ability to utilize cognitive support for remembering may be differences in degree. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Electronic control of Ca2+ signalling in neuronal cells using an organic electronic ion pump

Cells and tissues use finely regulated ion fluxes for their intra- and intercellular communication. Technologies providing spatial and temporal control for studies of such fluxes are however, limited. We have developed an electrophoretic ion pump made of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(styrene sulphonate) (PEDOT:PSS) to mediate electronic control of the ion homeostasis in neurons. Ion delivery from a source reservoir to a receiving electrolyte via a PEDOT:PSS thin-film channel was achieved by electronic addressing. Ions are delivered in high quantities at an associated on/off ratio exceeding 300. This induces physiological signalling events that can be recorded at the single-cell level. Furthermore, miniaturization of the device to a 50-microm-wide channel allows for stimulation of individual cells. As this technology platform allows for electronic control of ion signalling in individual cells with proper spatial and temporal resolution, it will be useful in further studies of communication in biological systems.     

Beyond smile dynamics: Mimicry and beliefs in judgments of smiles.

The judgment that a smile is based on “true,” usually positive, feelings affects social interaction. However, the processes underlying the interpretation of a smile as being more or less genuine are not well understood. The aim of the present research was to test predictions of the Simulation of Smiles Model (SIMS) proposed by Niedenthal, Mermillod, Maringer, and Hess (2010). In addition to the perceptual features that can guide the judgment of a smile as genuine, the model identifies the conditions that the judgments rely on: (a) the embodiment of the facial expression and its corresponding state, and (b) beliefs about the situations in which genuine smiles are most often expressed. Results of two studies are consistent with the model in that they confirm the hypotheses that facial mimicry provides feedback that is used to judge the meaning of a smile, and that beliefs about the situations in which a smile occurs guides such judgments when mimicry is inhibited. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Metal emissions from brake linings and tires: case studies of Stockholm, Sweden 1995/1998 and 2005

Road traffic has been highlighted as a major source of metal emissions in urban areas. Brake linings and tires are known emission sources of particulate matter to air; the aim of the current study was to follow the development of metal emissions from these sources over the period 1995/ 1998-2005, and to compare the emitted metal quantities to other metal emission sources. Stockholm, Sweden was chosen as a study site. The calculations were based on material metal concentrations, traffic volume, particle emission factors, and vehicle sales figures. The results for metal emissions from brake linings/tire tread rubber in 2005 were as follows: Cd 0.061/0.47 kg/year, Cu 3800/5.3 kg/year, Pb 35/3.7 kg/year, Sb 710/0.54 kg/year, and Zn 1000/4200 kg/ year. The calculated Cu and Zn emissions from brake linings were unchanged in 2005 compared to 1998, indicating that brake linings still remain one of the main emission sources for these metals. Further, brake linings are a source of antimony. In contrast, Pb and Cd emissions have decreased to one tenth compared to 1998. The results also showed that tires still are one of the main sources of Zn and Cd emissions in the city.     

Experimental determination of the respiratory tract deposition of diesel combustion particles in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background

Air pollution, mainly from combustion, is one of the leading global health risk factors. A susceptible group is the more than 200 million people worldwide suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There are few data on lung deposition of airborne particles in patients with COPD and none for combustion particles.

Objectives

To determine respiratory tract deposition of diesel combustion particles in patients with COPD during spontaneous breathing.

Methods

Ten COPD patients and seven healthy subjects inhaled diesel exhaust particles generated during idling and transient driving in an exposure chamber. The respiratory tract deposition of the particles was measured in the size range 10?C500?nm during spontaneous breathing.

Results

The deposited dose rate increased with increasing severity of the disease. However, the deposition probability of the ultrafine combustion particles (< 100?nm) was decreased in COPD patients. The deposition probability was associated with both breathing parameters and lung function, but could be predicted only based on lung function.

Conclusions

The higher deposited dose rate of inhaled air pollution particles in COPD patients may be one of the factors contributing to their increased vulnerability. The strong correlations between lung function and particle deposition, especially in the size range of 20?C30?nm, suggest that altered particle deposition could be used as an indicator respiratory disease.