Effects of appearance-based intervention on sun protection intentions and self-reported behaviors.

Two appearance-based interventions designed to increase sun protection intentions and behaviors were evaluated. Sixty-eight college students in Experiment 1 and 76 beachgoers in Experiment 2 were randomly assigned to receive or not receive a photoaging (premature wrinkling and age spots) information intervention and, separately, to receive or not receive a novel ultraviolet (UV) photo intervention that makes the negative-appearance consequences of UV exposure more salient. Both experiments indicated that the UV photo intervention significantly increased intentions to use sunscreen in the future. A follow-up conducted with the beach sample indicated that UV photo information also produced greater protective behaviors for incidental sun exposure and that the combination of UV photo and photoaging information resulted in substantially lower reported sunbathing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Costello syndrome: two cases with embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma

Costello syndrome is a well delineated mental retardation syndrome of unknown aetiology in which the occurrence of benign tumours, especially papillomata, is recognised. We report two children in whom the diagnosis of Costello syndrome was made in the first months of life, who both developed a retroperitoneal embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. Although not previously reported, the occurrence of this relatively uncommon childhood tumour in two girls with Costello syndrome suggests that an increased risk of malignancy may be part of this condition. The genetic basis of this susceptibility requires further clarification.     

Understanding the corrosion behaviour of the magnesium alloys EV31A,WE43B,and ZE41A

The corrosion rates of the Mg alloys immersed in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution saturated with Mg(OH)₂ were in the following increasing order: WE43B (0.23 mm/y) < EV31A (0.88 mm/y) < pure‐Mg (1.6 mm/y) < ZE41A (8.5 mm/y). The average corrosion rate for WE43B was somewhat lower than the intrinsic corrosion rate of Mg as shown by high‐purity Mg, attributed to (a) no corrosion acceleration by the small second phase particles, and (b) a more protective surface film. The high corrosion rates of ZE41A were attributed to the presence of a coarse semicontinuous T‐phase, which served as strong cathodic sites.     

Exploring the link between racial discrimination and substance use: What mediates? What buffers?

The relation between perceived racial discrimination and substance use was examined in 2 studies that were based on the prototype-willingness model (Gibbons, Gerrard, & Lane, 2003). Study 1, using structural equation modeling, revealed prospective relations between discrimination and use 5 years later in a panel of African American adolescents (M age 10.5 years at Time 1 [T1]) and their parents. For both groups, the relation was mediated by anger and/or hostility. For the adolescents, it was also mediated by behavioral willingness, and it was moderated by supportive parenting. Study 2 was a lab experiment in which a subset of the Study 1 adolescents (M age = 18.5 years) was asked to imagine a discriminatory experience, and then their affect and drug willingness were assessed. As in the survey study, discrimination was associated with more drug willingness, and that relation was again mediated by anger and moderated by supportive parenting. Implications of the results for research and interventions involving reactions to racial discrimination are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Formal specification and design time testing

It is shown how design time testing can be used in conjunction with formal specification. Emphasis is placed on the benefits of using an executable specification language OBJ, of having a design controlled by requirements specification, and of adherence to the regularity and uniformity hypotheses in dynamic validation. It is shown that such an approach offers positive benefits by providing early design validation and a controlled, disciplined design process     

Sex guilt in abortion patients.

Mosher's Forced-Choice Sex Guilt Inventory was administered to 45 clients of a university problem pregnancy counseling service who were planning to have abortions and to 47 sexually active nonpregnant university coeds. Sex guilt was found to be significantly higher for abortion Ss than for nonpregnant Ss. It was also found that for each type of contraceptive, abortion Ss had higher sex guilt than nonabortion Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Effect of Non‐Gluten Proteins on the Staling of Bread

As part of our studies on the mechanisms of bread staling, starch bread was used as a research tool that enables us to gain insights into the individual contributions that starch and gluten have on staling. Reconstitution experiments have demonstrated that bread of equivalent specific loaf volume stales at the same rate irrespective of protein concentration, or type of protein. However, other properties of bread, such as specific loaf volume, may be altered by specifically changing the protein component in the flour.     

Parents, peers, and prototypes: Antecedents of adolescent alcohol expectancies, alcohol consumption, and alcohol-related life problems in rural youth.

Most research on alcohol consumption has considered the impact of social influences, such as parental and peer factors, separately from more cognitive factors, such as alcohol expectancies. No research to date has prospectively considered the antecedents to alcohol expectancies and how they may relate to other alcohol-related cognitions (e.g., risk images). Using a recently developed model of health behavior in a longitudinal study with a sample of 357 adolescents and their parents, the current study investigated the combined impact of social, parental, and cognitive factors on alcohol expectancies, consumption, and alcohol-related life problems. Results suggest that parental and social factors are antecedents to expectancies and that cognitive factors mediate the impact of parental influence on consumption. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mechanisms controlling pork quality development: The biochemistry controlling postmortem energy metabolism

Pale, soft and exudative (PSE) pork represents considerable economic losses for the industry due to its limited functionality and undesirable appearance. During the past several decades, exhaustive research covering various aspects of the food chain has established genotyping procedures, recommended handling practices, and quality indicators in order to reduce the incidence of inferior pork quality. Despite these efforts, there is still a relatively high occurrence of PSE pork. Development of pork quality attributes is largely governed by the rate and extent of postmortem pH decline. The combination of high temperature at low pH or abnormally low ultimate pH causes denaturation of sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins, resulting in paler color and reduced water holding capacity. The pH decline is closely related to muscle energy availability and demand at or around slaughter. The postmortem degradation of glycogen through glycogenolysis and glycolysis provides ATP to help meet energy demand and decreases pH by generating lactate and H+. Therefore, the flux of metabolites through glycolysis, the involvement of energy signaling pathways that modulate glycolytic activity, and the inherent metabolism of different fiber types are critical factors influencing pH decline and pork quality. Further, recent work implicates adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) as a major energy sensor for the cell, and thus may be involved in the control of postmortem metabolism. The intent of this paper is to review the biochemistry controlling postmortem energy metabolism in pig muscle and explore new information generated using genetic mutations in order to define the fundamental mechanisms controlling the transformation of muscle to meat.