Comparison of the similarities and differences in the self-concepts of male alcoholics and addicts.

Compared self-concept scores from the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS) of 178 alcohol- and 156 drug-dependent male clients, divided into 4 age groups (under 24, 24–33, 34–44 and over 44 yrs old), in an abstinent, therapeutic community. A multivariate analysis of the TSCS scores indicated that substance abuse, when age and race were statistically controlled, yielded only 3 significant results (True–False ratio; Psychosis; and Personality Disorder). Data are interpreted as indicating greater similarity than difference for the alcohol- and drug-dependent men regarding self-concept. Data also indicate the value of using a multivariate rather than a bivariate design in examining the relationships between substance abuse patterns and self-concept. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The association between psychological distance and construal level: Evidence from an implicit association test.

According to construal level theory (N. Liberman, Y. Trope, & E. Stephan, in press; Y. Trope & N. Liberman, 2003), people use a more abstract, high construal level when judging, perceiving, and predicting more psychologically distal targets, and they judge more abstract targets as being more psychologically distal. The present research demonstrated that associations between more distance and higher level of construal also exist on a pure conceptual level. Eight experiments used the Implicit Association Test (IAT; A. G. Greenwald, D. E. McGhee, & J. L. K. Schwartz, 1998) to demonstrate an association between words related to construal level (low vs. high) and words related to four dimensions of distance (proximal vs. distal): temporal distance, spatial distance, social distance, and hypotheticality. In addition to demonstrating an association between level of construal and psychological distance, these findings also corroborate the assumption that all 4 dimensions of psychological distance are related to level of construal in a similar way and support the notion that they all are forms of psychological distance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

CauStereo: range from light in nature

Underwater, natural illumination typically varies strongly temporally and spatially. The reason is that waves on the water surface refract light into the water in a spatiotemporally varying manner. The resulting underwater illumination field forms a caustic network and is known as flicker. This work shows that caustics can be useful for stereoscopic vision, naturally leading to range mapping of the scene. Range triangulation by stereoscopic vision requires the determination of correspondence between image points in different viewpoints, which is often a difficult problem. We show that the spatiotemporal caustic pattern very effectively establishes stereo correspondences. Thus, we term the use of this effect as CauStereo. The temporal radiance variations due to flicker are unique to each object point, thus disambiguating the correspondence, with very simple calculations. Theoretical limitations of the method are analyzed using ray-tracing simulations. The method is demonstrated by underwater in situ experiments.     

Methods and preliminary results on enhanced boiling heat transfer in second generation microchannels

This paper reviews literature on conventional scale boiling enhancement techniques by means of reentrant cavities and discusses various avenues the knowledge obtained from that research can be used to enhance boiling in microchannels. Fabrication techniques developed by the Micro Thermal-Fluids Laboratory at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute together with the Advanced Microsystems Materials Laboratory at McGill University are discussed and preliminary data are given. These results demonstrate the potential for improving boiling heat transfer characteristics in microchannels and introduce next generation microchannel heat transfer technology.     

Processing picture--word stimuli: The contingent nature of picture and of word superiority.

Participants named (Experiments 1-2) or categorized (Experiments 3-4) the picture or the word of picture-word compounds that varied in the relative saliency of the 2 components and in the correlation between them over the experimental trials. Picture-word interference (PWI) was gauged through Stroop and Gamer effects. PWI was found to be malleable; its magnitude and very presence depending lawfully on the contextual variations introduced. The contingent nature of PWI is a fact to be reckoned with by theorists of picture-word processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Misleading interaction and curvilinear terms.

This article examines the relationships between interaction (product) terms and curvilinear (quadratic) terms in regression models in which the independent variables are correlated. The author uses 2 substantive examples to demonstrate the following outcomes: (a) If the appropriate quadratic terms are not added to the estimated model, then the observed interaction may indicate a synergistic (offsetting) relationship between the independent variables, whereas the true relationship is, in fact, offsetting (synergistic). (b) If the appropriate product terms are not added to the equation, then the estimated model may indicate concave (convex) relationships between the independent variables and the dependent variable, whereas the true relationship is, in fact, convex (concave). (c) If the appropriate product and quadratic terms are not examined simultaneously, then the observed interactive or curvilinear relationships may be nonsignificant when such relationships exist. The implications of these results for the examination of interaction and quadratic effects in multiple regression analysis are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of command style and group cohesiveness on the performance effectiveness of self-selected tank crews.

94 3-men crews of Israeli male soldiers were studied throughout their performance on routine military activities. Level of cohesiveness was determined through a self-selection sociometric procedure. Command style of tank commanders was assessed with questionnaires. Performance was appraised by unit commanders. Results show only interaction effects of cohesiveness and command style on performance effectiveness. Specifically, performance effectiveness was high in the following combinations: low cohesiveness with command style that emphasizes people orientation and high cohesiveness with emphasis on both task and people orientation. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Microalgae growth-promoting bacteria as "helpers" for microalgae: a novel approach for removing ammonium and phosphorus from municipal wastewater

A combination of microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris or C. sorokiniana) and a microalgae growth-promoting bacterium (MGPB, Azospirillum brasilense strain Cd), co-immobilized in small alginate beads, was developed to remove nutrients (P and N) from municipal wastewater. This paper describes the most recent technical details necessary for successful co-immobilization of the two microorganisms, and the usefulness of the approach in cleaning the municipal wastewater of the city of La Paz, Mexico. A. brasilense Cd significantly enhanced the growth of both Chlorella species when the co-immobilized microorganisms were grown in wastewater. A. brasilense is incapable of significant removal of nutrients from the wastewater, whereas both microalgae can. Co-immobilization of the two microorganisms was superior to removal by the microalgae alone, reaching removal of up to 100% ammonium, 15% nitrate, and 36% phosphorus within 6 days (varied with the source of the wastewater), compared to 75% ammonium, 6% nitrate, and 19% phosphorus by the microalgae alone. This study shows the potential of co-immobilization of microorganisms in small beads to serve as a treatment for wastewater in tropical areas.     

Multivariate Profile Charts for Statistical Process Control

The multivariate profile (MP) chart is a new control chart for simultaneous display of univariate and multivariate statistics. It is designed to analyze and display extended structures of statistical process control data for various cases of grouping, reference distribution, and use of nominal specifications. For each group of observations, the scaled deviations from reference values are portrayed together as a modified profile plot symbol. The vertical location of the symbol is determined by the multivariate distance of the vector of means from the reference values. The graphical display in the MP chart enjoys improved visual characteristics as compared with previously suggested methods. Moreover, the perceptual tasks required by the use of the MP chart provide higher accuracy in retrieving the quantitative information. This graphical display is used to display other combined univariate and multivariate statistics, such as measures of dispersion, principal components, and cumulative sums