Situational coping and coping dispositions in a stressful transaction.

After reporting dispositional coping styles, 125 undergraduates reported situational coping and 4 classes of affect (from threat, challenge, harm, and benefit appraisals) 2 days before an exam, after the exam but before grades were posted, and after posting of grades. Coping did not predict lower levels of future distress; indeed, some coping seemed to induce feelings of threat. Feelings of harm before the exam induced several kinds of coping after the exam, mostly dysfunctional. Confidence about one's grade was a better predictor of emotions throughout than was coping. Dispositional coping predicted comparable situational coping at low-moderate levels in most cases. Coping dispositions did not reliably predict emotions, however, with these exceptions: Dispositional denial was related to threat, as was dispositional use of social support; dispositional use of alcohol was related to both threat and harm. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Structure-toxicity relationships for aminoalkanols: a comparison with alkanols and alkanamines

The relative toxicity (log IGC50(-1)) of 49 selected aliphatic amines and aminoalkanols was evaluated in the static Tetrahymena pyriformis population growth impairment assay. Excess toxicity, indicated by potency greater than predicted for non-polar narcotic alkanols, was associated with both classes of test chemicals. Moreover, the aminoalkanols were found to be more toxic than the corresponding alkanamines. A high quality 1-octanol/water partition coefficient (log K(ow)) dependent quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR), logIGC50(-1) = 0.78 (log K(ow)) - 1.42; r2 = 0.934, was developed for alkanamines. This QSAR represented the amine narcosis mechanism of toxic action. No quality QSAR was developed for the aminoalkanols. However, several structure-toxicity features were observed for this class of chemicals. Two-amino-1-hydroxy derivatives being more toxic than the corresponding derivatives, where the amino and hydroxy moieties were separated by methylene groups. Hydrocarbon branching next to the amino moiety resulted in decreased toxicity. Aminoalkanol alters lipid metabolism in T. pyriformis.     

Predicting successful completion of an aftercare program following treatment for alcoholism: The role of dispositional optimism.

In this study we investigated several variables as potential predictors of success in completing a transition program after treatment for alcoholism. Subjects were 54 men who had completed a 30-day treatment program and who were subsequently admitted to a 90-day inpatient aftercare program. The outcome measure was successful completion of this latter program. Predictor variables were dispositional optimism, hassles, uplifts, and several demographic variables. Optimism was positively associated with successful outcome. The simple association between uplifts and outcome also approached significance, but in the opposite to expected direction. Discriminant analyses used both of these variables, as well as age and education level, as predictors of successful outcome. There was no evidence of a role for hassles. Discussion centers on the importance of dispositional optimism as a predictor of successful adaptation in a variety of behavioral domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-consciousness and self-assessment.

Investigated the effect of self-consciousness on Ss' tendencies to seek out or avoid ability-diagnostic information by giving 30 male and 44 female undergraduates bogus feedback on task performance, initially indicating that they had either moderately high or low levels of "surgency" (an ability with which they were relatively unfamiliar). Ss were allowed to choose the composition of a 2nd surgency task by selecting test items from among several categories. For some items, but not others, performance norms were ostensibly available, allowing Ss to evaluate the adequacy of their performance on those items. Results show that private self-consciousness interacted with initial outcome so that seeking norms (after success) and avoidance of norms (after failure) occurred only among Ss who were relatively high in private self-consciousness (as measured several weeks earlier by a self-consciousness scale). (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response of logarithmic amplifiers to noise signals

Tuned logarithmic amplifiers have shown a response to noise and radar clutter contrary to accepted theory in that the spread of the output probability-density function increases with increasing inputs. This effect is due to conversion of phase to amplitude modulation in the filters, and a remedy is described.     

Depression and cognitive style: Comparisons between measures.

Discusses 4 devices developed recently to measure cognitive styles associated with depression that appear to have an underlying similarity—an attributional style questionnaire developed by M. F. Seligman et al (see PA, Vol 88:6218); a model of characterological self-blame developed by R. Janoff-Bulman (see record 1981-01320-001); a cognitive-bias questionnaire developed by C. Hammen (1981); and an attitudes-toward-self (ATS) scale developed by C. S. Carver and R. J. Ganellen (see record 1983-32781-001). Each measure appears to reflect a tendency for respondents to infer a general lack of self-worth (or a continued likelihood of bad events) on the basis of a single discrete failure. The present research was a comparative test of one of these scales against the other 3 in terms of associations with Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores. Though all instruments were significantly correlated with the BDI, partial correlations revealed that the generalization (ATS) scale was a more robust predictor of BDI than were the measures of characterological self-blame, cognitive bias, and attributional style. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Two dimensional modelling of the homogenizing effects of flow obstructions in two fluid flow

It is well known that obstructions in two fluid flow have the effect of homogenizing the two fluid mixture, resulting not only in a more uniform phase distribution, but also in a significant reduction of the ratio of fluid velocities. This paper shows that these effects can be modelled using a two fluid computer program, and compares results to those obtained in a recent experiment.     

Evolution of the GPGP/TÆMS Domain-Independent Coordination Framework

The GPGP/TÆMS domain-independent coordination framework for small agent groups was first described in 1992 and then more fully detailed in an ICMAS'95 paper. In this paper, we discuss the evolution of this framework which has been motivated by its use in a number of applications, including: information gathering and management, intelligent home automation, distributed situation assessment, coordination of concurrent engineering activities, hospital scheduling, travel planning, repair service coordination and supply chain management. First, we review the basic architecture of GPGP and then present extensions to the TÆMS domain-independent representation of agent activities. We next describe extensions to GPGP that permit the representation of situation-specific coordination strategies and social laws as well as making possible the use of GPGP in large agent organizations. Additionally, we discuss a more encompassing view of commitments that takes into account uncertainty in commitments. We then present new coordination mechanisms for use in resource sharing and contracting, and more complex coordination mechanisms that use a cooperative search among agents to find appropriate commitments. We conclude with a summary of the major ideas underpinning GPGP, an analysis of the applicability of the GPGP framework including performance issues, and a discussion of future research directions.     

Private and public self-attention, resistance to change, and dissonance reduction.

Three experiments with 257 undergraduates investigated the effects of self-directed attention on dissonance reduction. Ss were induced to write counterattitudinal essays. In Exp I, mirror presence during either an attitude premeasure or the counterattitudinal behavior led to reduced attitude change. Exp II explored whether the discrepancy between present and prior research was due to the manner in which self-attention was manipulated. Ss were exposed either to a mirror or to a TV camera and were asked to report both their post-behavioral attitudes and their perceptions of their counterattitudinal behavior. Consistent with the results of the 1st study, Ss in the mirror condition again showed the least amount of attitude change. They did, however, reduce dissonance by altering their perceptions of their behavior. Consistent with prior findings, Ss in the camera condition tended to reduce dissonance by changing their attitudes, but did not distort their behavior. Exp III conceptually replicated these results by selecting Ss on the basis of their chronic levels of private and public self-consciousness. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)