A validity study of two projective object representations measures.

Two projective measures of object representations, the Concept of the Object on the Rorschach (H. Rorchach, 1942) and the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scales (D. Westen, 1993) were compared with each other, with measures of intelligence (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised; D. Wechsler, 1981), and measures of pathology (Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory [T. Millon, 1983], Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory [S. R. Hathaway & J. McKinley, 1983] Axis 11 diagnoses). Analyses focused on the construct validity of object representations and the implications of structural and affective aspects of object representations for psychopathology. Results support the construct validity of object representations and an affective, but not a cognitive–structural, linkage between object representations and pathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Numerical analysis of a sling support arrangement for GRP composite pressure vessels

A flexible sling support arrangement for horizontal glass reinforced plastic pressure vessels is examined using advanced finite element methods. A mathematical model is produced employing a suitable analysis capable of representing the non-linear behaviour of a sling supported GRP vessel. This system is used to examine the phenomena occurring at the interface between the vessel and the supporting belt. Each component is initially considered some distance apart and then brought together using three-dimensional contact surfaces. External loads are thereafter applied to the combined model. Although several numerical difficulties arise due to the difference in flexibility between the vessel shell and the sling support, these are overcome and the resulting vessel strains and contact interface pressures show good agreement with experimental work. The magnitudes of the strains at the location of the saddle horn are significantly reduced. Results of a parameter study are also presented which show the effect of the sling position together with the influence of the wrap-round angle and a number of recommendations are made with respect to design.     

Psychological responses to BRCA1 mutation testing: Preliminary findings.

The short-term psychological responses of 60 adult women tested for a BRCA1 gene mutation associated with a high risk of breast and ovarian cancer were investigated. Participants were members of a large kindred enrolled in an ongoing prospective study of the psychosocial impact of genetic testing. Initial results from participants who completed both the pretest baseline and the 1-2 week posttest follow-up interviews are reported. Gene mutation carriers manifested significantly higher levels of test-related psychological distress, as measured by the Impact of Event Scale, when compared with noncarriers. The highest levels of test-related distress were observed among mutation carriers with no history of cancer or cancer-related surgery. Although general distress (state anxiety) declined after testing, carriers were more distressed than noncarriers at follow-up. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Models of helping and coping, responsibility attributions, and well-being in community elderly and their helpers.

The analysis of P. Brickman et al (see record 1982-30315-001), which separates attribution of a problem's cause and solution, was tested in 4 studies. Young and elderly adults' (n?=?210) well-being was related only to taking responsibility for solutions. The elderly compared with the young adults assumed less responsibility for problem cause and solution. They also preferred helping and coping models that assume low self-responsibility for solutions (e.g., medical model). This result was replicated with Meals on Wheels clients (n?=?51). An intragenerational helping pattern was found in Study 3. Lay helpers (n?=?63) helped mainly same-age recipients. Elderly and middle-aged helpers compared with young adults preferred using a medical model. Overall, a cohort bias in model preference was suggested. In Study 4, problem type and recipient age moderated attributions and model choice of young and middle-aged Ss (n?=?92). Relevance to the control literature and ethical and clinical implications of a medical-model bias are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Physicochemical and toxicological properties of commercial carbon blacks modified by reaction with ozone

Ozonation of two commercial carbon blacks (CBs), Printex 90 (P90) and Flammruss 101 (F101), was carried out and changes in their morphology, physical properties, and cytotoxicity were examined. The hypothesis examined was that different methods of manufacture of CBs influence their chemical reactivity and toxicological properties. Structural changes were examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR). Introduction of surface oxygen functionality upon ozonation led to changes in surface charge, aggregation characteristics, and free radical content of the CBs. However, these changes in surface functionality did not alter the cytotoxicity and release of inflammation markers upon exposure of the CBs to murine macrophages. Interaction of macrophages with F101 resulted in higher levels of inflammatory markers than P90, and the only structural correlation was with the higher persistent radical concentration on the F101.     

An integrated measurement and modeling methodology for estuarine water quality management

This paper describes research undertaken by the authors to develop an integrated measurement and modeling methodology for water quality management of estuaries. The approach developed utilizes modeling and measurement results in a synergistic manner. Modeling results were initially used to inform the field campaign of appropriate sampling locations and times, and field data were used to develop accurate models.Remote sensing techniques were used to capture data for both model development and model validation. Field surveys were undertaken to provide model initial conditions through data assimilation and determine nutrient fluxes into the model domain. From field data, salinity relationships were developed with various water quality parameters, and relationships between chlorophyll a concentrations, transparency, and light attenuation were also developed. These relationships proved to be invaluable in model development, particularly in modeling the growth and decay of chlorophyll a. Cork Harbour, an estuary that regularly experiences summer algal blooms due to anthropogenic sources of nutrients,was used as a case study to develop the methodology. The integration of remote sensing, conventional fieldwork, and modeling is one of the novel aspects of this research and the approach developed has widespread applicability.     

Parallel implementation of synthetic aperture radar algorithms

Two sequences of operations necessary for implementation of high resolution image formation in strip and spotlight modes of the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) are presented. The sequences are mapped onto a mesh-connected SIMD architecture. The mapping includes not only parallel implementation of all the basic computation steps, but also all the necessary data transformation and communication operations. Detailed estimates of the processing times are provided for Hughes Research Laboratories Systolic/Cellular architecture.This work was partially supported by NSF grant No MIP-8714689