Benefits of all work and no play: The relationship between neuroticism and performance as a function of resource allocation.

The authors evaluate a model suggesting that the performance of highly neurotic individuals, relative to their stable counterparts, is more strongly influenced by factors relating to the allocation of attentional resources. First, an air traffic control simulation was used to examine the interaction between effort intensity and scores on the Anxiety subscale of Eysenck Personality Profiler Neuroticism in the prediction of task performance. Overall effort intensity enhanced performance for highly anxious individuals more so than for individuals with low anxiety. Second, a longitudinal field study was used to examine the interaction between office busyness and Eysenck Personality Inventory Neuroticism in the prediction of telesales performance. Changes in office busyness were associated with greater performance improvements for highly neurotic individuals compared with less neurotic individuals. These studies suggest that highly neurotic individuals outperform their stable counterparts in a busy work environment or if they are expending a high level of effort. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social skills training for withdrawn unpopular children with physical disabilities: A preliminary evaluation.

Examined changes in self-concept, perceptions of support from close friends and classmates, and loneliness in 11 8.6–14.6 yr old withdrawn unpopular children with cerebral palsy or spina bifida who had been involved in a social skills training program. The program targeted 5 basic skills: interpersonal problem solving, verbal and nonverbal communication, initiating interactions with peers, conversational skills, and coping with difficult others. To assess the impact of the program, Ss were evaluated before the intervention, after the 10-wk intervention, and at a 6-mo follow-up. Findings indicate that group social skills training may be effective in decreasing feelings of loneliness and increasing perceptions of social acceptance in children who are withdrawn and unpopular at school. Ss' feelings of loneliness were associated with lower ratings of social acceptance and lower ratings of classmate support. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of the indigenous microflora of minimally processed lettuce on the survival and growth of Listeria innocua

Interactions between the natural background microflora of shredded lettuce and Listeria innocua (in lieu of Listeria monocytogenes ) were studied. The effect of increasing the initial size of indigenous populations (from 10³ to 10⁶–10⁷ CFU g⁻¹) was tested for its ability to reduce L. innocua growth on shredded lettuce. Co-culture experiments were performed in model media, where bacterial isolates from the indigenous microflora were tested for possible inhibitory effects. Varying the size of the indigenous populations had no effect on L. innocua survival or growth. However, interactions with individual species and mixed populations from lettuce did affect the survival and growth of L. innocua in model media. In general, mixed populations diminished L. innocua growth. In the undiluted lettuce medium, the various species tested individually either reduced or did not affect the growth of L. innocua . However, when the medium was diluted, some species extended the survival of L. innocua . Competition between the indigenous microflora and L. innocua resided mostly with the Enterobacter spp. and not with the pseudomonads. Enterobacter cloacae was particularly effective in reducing L. innocua growth. Lactic acid bacteria also reduced L. innocua growth in undiluted media. It is concluded that interactions with the natural background microflora may play an important role in determining the dynamics of Listeria populations on shredded lettuce.     

Sudden Gains in Cognitive Therapy for Depression: A Replication and Extension.

Of 76 clients receiving 8-20 sessions of cognitive therapy (CT) in a joint university and a national health service clinic, 31 experienced sudden gains that appeared very similar to those first reported in clinical trials of CT by T. Z. Tang and R. J. DeRubeis (1999) and subsequently replicated in other studies. The sudden gains appeared less stable in the present study's more routine clinical practice settings than they were in the clinical trials. Life events did not appear to account for sudden gains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Convergent validity of the CORE measures with measures of depression for clients in cognitive therapy for depression.

Clients (N = 77) undergoing cognitive therapy for depression were assessed before treatment with the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), which encompasses domains of subjective well-being, problems, functioning, and risk of harming self or others, along with the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), and a measure of avoidant (Cluster C) personality problems (Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-Avoidant [IIP-Av]). The CORE-OM and the BDI-II were strongly correlated with each other and showed coherent and similar patterns of correlations with the HRSD, the BHS, and the IIP-Av. Sixty-one of the clients were repeatedly assessed during treatment with alternating versions of the CORE Short Form and with the BDI-II. Results strongly supported the convergent validity of the CORE measures with the BDI-II in across-clients comparisons of means scores and rates of improvement and in across-sessions comparisons within clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Therapist session intentions in cognitive–behavioral and psychodynamic–interpersonal psychotherapy.

Theories of psychotherapy are implemented by therapists' intentional actions within sessions. This study examined the structure and construct validity of the Therapist Session Intentions (TSI) form. Ten therapists rated their therapeutic intentions following each of 2,305 therapy sessions of cognitive–behavioral or psychodynamic–interpersonal therapy in the Second Sheffield Psychotherapy Project. Seven conceptually coherent clusters of intentions, or therapeutic foci, were identified: treatment context, session structure, affect, obstacles, encouraging change, behavior, and cognition-insight. Contrasting patterns of therapeutic focus across treatments and changes in focus across sessions within treatments appeared conceptually coherent. Correlations across a subsample of sessions confirmed correspondences of the TSI foci with dimensions found previously in observers' ratings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Browning of salted sun-dried fish

The lipid of traditional salted, sun-dried fish is highly susceptible to oxidation during processing and storage at tropical ambient temperatures (25–30°C), leading to browning and potential loss of nutritional and economic value of the product. Determinations of extractable fluorescence and soluble brown colour have been found to be relevant indicators of the high degree of lipid oxidation in such fish. Studies on model systems consisting of aerated fish oil and a range of components natural to fish confirmed that, at 25°C, the products of lipid oxidation reacted with phospholipids and amino acids to produce significant fluorescence. Similarly, proteins and amino acids interacted with lipid oxidation products to produce browning, although at 25°C, this only occurred in the presence of water. Temperatures above 50°C are required for the development of browning of aerated fish oil alone. The level of free amino acids in salted, sun-dried fish was found to decrease during storage which correlates with amino acid involvement in fluorescence and colour production. The fluorescence/colour can be related mechanistically to the development of lipid oxidation products and hence provides a realistic basis for their acting as indicators of extensive lipid oxidation.     

Freeze–thaw gelation of hen's egg yolk low density lipoprotein

The freeze–thaw gelation of hen's egg yolk low density lipoprotein (l.d.l.) has been examined by viscometry, agarose gel filtration, electron spin resonance spectroscopy, electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The data indicate that the core lipids, the hydrocarbon chains of interfacial lipids of l.d.l. and the sulphydryl, imino, amino and tyrosine groups in the side chains of l.d.l. peptides are not directly involved in the gelation mechanisms. The gelation is caused by non-specific aggregation due to cross-linking of peptides and/or phospholipid polar head groups of adjacent l.d.l. particles. During freezing, interparticle contacts are formed and strengthened as transformation of solvent water into ice increases the concentration of the particles. Salt and sugar additives inhibit large increases in concentrations of l.d.l. during freezing and prevent gelation by helping to increase solvation of interfacial regions of the l.d.l. particles. Agents that induce large viscosity increases in the l.d.l. sols before freezing may act by producing a local conformational change in l.d.l. protein and/or disrupting lipid–protein bonds.     

The phenolics of ciders: Bitterness and astringency

The bitterness and astringency of defined procyanidin fractions from bittersweet English ciders were assessed using a paired-comparison tasting technique. The results demonstrate that, while no one procyanidin can be uniquely identified with bitterness or astringency, bitterness is associated with oligomeric procyanidins reaching a maximum with the epicatechin tetramer whereas astringency is characteristic of higher-molecular-weight procyanidins. The effect of presentation media on taste response was also studied. High sugar and buffer strength suppressed the perceived bitterness, whereas ethanol increased bitterness but simultaneously decreased astringency. It is shown that the observed taste differences between two bittersweet ciders and the taste-modifying effect of ethanol can be explained satisfactorily by current theories of taste.     

The determination of protein,fat and moisture in bread by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy

Near infrared (n.i.r.) reflectance spectroscopy has been employed for the determination of protein, fat and moisture in sliced white bread. N.i.r. reflectance at six wavelengths was measured using circular samples from each of six alternate slices taken from one half of each of 30 loaves of different composition. The six readings for each loaf at each wavelength were averaged and used to produce calibrations which, on prediction of the compositions of a further 30 loaves sampled in the same way, gave rise to standard deviations of differences between n.i.r. and standard procedures of 0.20% for protein, 0.18% for fat and 0.51% for moisture. Calibrations derived from the other halves of the loaves, which had been air-dried and ground to a powder, resulted in similar standard deviation of differences for protein and fat.