A comparison of administration procedures for the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure: Flowcharts versus pen switching.

The Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF) is commonly used to assess visuospatial skills, visuoconstruction, visual memory, and executive functioning. Two different methods are traditionally used to record the order in which the figure is drawn: the flowchart method and the pen-switching method. Although it has been suggested that pen switching may interfere with performance, to date no research has been conducted to assess whether ROCF performance significantly differs due to administration method. As part of routine neuropsychological evaluation, 100 inpatients and outpatients were randomly assigned to either method. Using the Boston Qualitative Scoring System and the traditional 36-point scoring method, the authors unexpectedly found that the pen-switching group generally performed better than the flowchart group, and productions drawn with pen switching were also significantly faster to score. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Newcasters' facial expressions and voting behavior of viewers: Can a smile elect a president?

Two studies examined the association between newscasters' facial expressions and the voting behavior of viewers. In Exp I, with 45 undergraduates, the facial expressions exhibited by network newscasters while referring to the 1984 presidential candidates prior to the election were investigated. Results indicate that 1 of the 3 newscasters exhibited significantly more positive facial expressions when referring to Reagan than when referring to Mondale. In Exp II, a telephone survey of approximately 200 individuals was conducted to determine whether voting behavior was associated with the nightly news program watched. It was found that voters who regularly watched the newscaster who exhibited the biased facial expressions were significantly more likely to vote for the candidate that the newscaster had smiled upon. Three explanations for the results are discussed: (1) Viewing the newscasters' biased facial expressions caused the viewers' voting preferences; (2) the viewers' voting preferences determined their viewing of biased newscasters' facial expressions; or (3) some other variable accounted for the findings. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Too Small to Notice? Constructions of Childhood and Discourses of 'Race' in Predominantly White Contexts

This paper is organised around three possible meanings that can be given to the question 'Too small to notice?' in relation to racism and anti-racism in the early years of schooling (up to the age of eight). Firstly, are young children too small to have notice taken of their serious concerns and questions? Secondly, are young children too small to notice and/or engage with racism and difference? And thirdly, is racism too small a problem in predominantly white early years contexts? Using anti-racist education as a case study, the paper argues that dominant constructions of childhood and discourses of developmental psychology make it difficult to undertake education for social justice in the early years of schooling.     

The effect of bi-directional recycle streams on extractor operations

Economic operation of extraction processes often requires that the solvents be returned to the process for reuse after the solute products have been removed from them. Complete separation of the solute from the solvent is seldom accomplished so that small quantities of solute are returned to the extractor with the solvent. An algorithm is developed and implemented which describes the effect of bi-directional solute recycle on the operation of an extractor. This algorithm enables the operator and designer to quantify the effect of recycle and to optimize the operations of extraction and solvent purification as a combined operation.     

Affinity chromatography of human plasma and platelet factor XIII on organomercurial agarose

A method for affinity chromatography of plasma and platelet factor XIII has been developed, based on known structural characteristics of these molecules. Plasma factor XIII is composed of a and b subunits which are held together by noncovalent interactions; platelet factor XIII has only a subunits. a subunit contains free sulfhydryl groups, while in b subunit all the cystines form disulfide bonds. The affinity gel is an organomercurial agarose with p-chloromercuribenzoate as the reactive group. Both the zymogen and activated forms of a subunit reversibly bind to the ligand by forming covalent mercaptide bonds and are eluted by reducing agents. b subunit does not bind to the affinity gel and is held to it only through interaction with a subunit. Affinity chromatography can be used to purify plasma and platelet factor XIII and to study interactions of the subunits. Experiments on the affinity chromatography of purified plasma factor XIII in several stages of activation agree with earlier observations that activation is a two-step procedure in which b subunit is not quantitatively released from the complex until the final stage of activation by Ca2+.     

Locus of control as a modifier of the relationship between stressors and moods.

In the search for moderators of negative life events, locus of control (LOC) has been thought to be one of the more potentially important personality variables. Recent research has substantiated this hypothesis to a limited degree. The present 3 experiments with 216 undergraduates presents stronger indications for the utility of variables. LOC measures (Rotter's Internal–External LOC Scale) interacted with recalled negative life events in predicting mood states that were assessed weekly over a period of several weeks. Multiple regression analyses indicated that negative life events that had occurred during the high school years had a lingering effect on the current mood states of the more external Ss. On the other hand, more recent negative life events resulted in mood disturbances for all Ss regardless of LOC scores, although externals were equally distraught in the absence of negative events. Multiple correlations between negative life events, LOC, and mood scores attained sizable magnitudes. Positive life events, on the other hand, had relatively slight effects on subsequent mood disturbance. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differences in rural and urban driver-injury severities in accidents involving large-trucks: an exploratory analysis

This study explores the differences between urban and rural driver injuries (both passenger-vehicle and large-truck driver injuries) in accidents that involve large trucks (in excess of 10,000 pounds). Using 4 years of California accident data, and considering four driver-injury severity categories (no injury, complaint of pain, visible injury, and severe/fatal injury), a multinomial logit analysis of the data was conducted. Significant differences with respect to various risk factors including driver, vehicle, environmental, road geometry and traffic characteristics were found to exist between urban and rural models. For example, in rural accidents involving tractor-trailer combinations, the probability of drivers' injuries being severe/fatal increased about 26% relative to accidents involving single-unit trucks. In urban areas, this same probability increased nearly 700%. In accidents where alcohol or drug use was identified as being the primary cause of the accident, the probability of severe/fatal injury increased roughly 250% percent in rural areas and nearly 800% in urban areas. While many of the same variables were found to be significant in both rural and urban models (although often with quite different impact), there were 13 variables that significantly influenced driver-injury severity in rural but not urban areas, and 17 variables that significantly influenced driver-injury severity in urban but not rural areas. We speculate that the significant differences between rural and urban injury severities may be at least partially attributable to the different perceptual, cognitive and response demands placed on drivers in rural versus urban areas.     

Second-generation laser firefly clusters: improved scheme for distributed sensing in the atmosphere

We present an improved concept of laser firefly clustering for atmospheric probing, elaborating on previous published work. The laser firefly cluster is a mobile, flexible, and versatile distributed-sensing system, whose purpose is to profile the chemical and the particulate composition of the atmosphere for pollution monitoring, meteorology, detection of contamination, etc. The fireflies are deployed in situ at the altitude of interest and evoke a backscatter response from aerosols and molecules in the immediate vicinity by using a coded laser signal. The enhanced, second-generation system affords better performance at lower energy cost and has a considerably increased scope of application. A numerical example demonstrates the potential of the innovative system.     

A quin-diagonal algorithm to describe mass transfer and backmixing in extraction

Specific algorithms are especially effective and economical when used to solve sets of linear-algebraic equations when the coefficients of the equations are adjacent to the diagonal elements. The Thomas algorithm is well known and has been used in many areas of chemical engineering when “tridiagonal” sets of equations are encountered. A similar algorithm is developed for use when the coefficients take a quin(5)-diagonal configuration. Its application to multistage mass transfer operations is demonstrated and the effects of deviation from equilibrium and backmixing are illustrated for multistage extraction operations.