"Choice processing in emotionally difficult decisions": Correction.

Reports an error in the article "Choice Processing in Emotionally Difficult Decisions' by Mary Frances Luce, James R. Bettman, and John W. Payne (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 1997, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 384–405; see record 1997-03378-007). In Table 7 on page 396, the high conflict/low trade-off difficulty mean for the PATTERN variable was printed as -0.13, but the actual mean is 0.13. A portion of the original abstract follows: Extends the standard effort-accuracy approach to explaining task influences on decision processing by arguing that coping goals will interact with effort-minimization goals for negatively emotion-laden decision tasks. These coping goals may involve both a desire to process in a thorough, accurate manner and a desire to avoid particularly distressing aspects of processing. The authors hypothesized and found in 3 experiments that decision processing under increasing negative emotion both becomes more extensive and proceeds more by focusing on one attribute at a time. In particular, increased negative emotion leads to more attribute-based processing at the beginning of the decision process. The results are inconsistent with views that negative emotion acts only as an incentive or only as a source of decision complexity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Radiation from curved single-mode fibres

A study of propagation in curved single-mode fibres shows that the transmission loss increases sharply below a critical bend radius. However the radiation does not leak away uniformly with distance but in a series of discrete well-defined rays.     

Analytic solution for the birefringence produced by thermal stress in polarization-maintaining optical fibers

Polarization-maintaining optical fibers are usually made by inducing a large anisotropic thermal stress in the core so that it appears highly birefringent. A simple analytic solution has been found for the birefringence in terms of the cross-sectional distribution of the high-expansion material used to create the thermal stress. The analysis is able to predict optimal structures which efficiently utilize the available stress and thus maximize the birefringence. It is shown that the optimum structure has a cross-sectional geometry resembling a bow-tie. Design rules are given whereby the dimensions may be chosen and these are verified in a simple experiment.     

Allocation of freeway ramp metering volumes to optimize corridor performance

A simple macroscopic freeway traffic corridor model is formulated for the purpose of developing optimal allocations of freeway on-ramp metering volumes. The model represents a freeway and a single parallel "equivalent surface street," both unidirectional, which are interconnected by freeway on-ramps. Since a choice of routes is included in the problem formulation, the fairly standard methodology of "traffic assignment" is employed to predict how drivers will react to the on-ramp metering. An explicit traffic assignment algorithm which includes ramp queueing is developed. Both the corridor and traffic assignment models are restricted to stationary traffic patterns. Two specific corridor performance criteria, freeway travel rate and total travel-time rate, are formulated in terms of the model variables. Then the problem of choosing ramp metering volumes to optimize a performance criterion is posed. A computationally efficient suboptimal dynamic programming scheme is developed and illustrated by an example.     

The relationship between overinclusive thinking, perceptual rigidity, and the discrimination learning of new concepts.

Compared 19 newly admitted psychiatric inpatients who showed overinclusive thinking on the Payne Object Classification Test with 24 patients matched for age, IQ, and abstraction ability who were not overinclusive. In a concept-attainment experiment, contrary to prediction, overinclusive Ss did not learn overinclusive concepts. There were no significant differences between the groups. However, overinclusive Ss, as predicted, showed an abnormal lack of "Einstellung" rigidity as measured by a flexibility score from the Brengelmann Picture Recognition Test. The overinclusion score of the object classification test correlated highly (.90) with this flexibility score. (French summary) (16 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction factors for the determination of optical-fibre refractive-index profiles by the near-field scanning technique

Numerical calculations are presented of the correction factor for use with the near-field scanning method of index profile determination. It is shown that a single curve can be applied to a range of possible profiles, and a numerically obtained average curve is given.     

Space psychology and the inner sanctums.

Comments that a report by Rohles in the "American Psychologist" (1960, 15, 668-669) describes a facility for training animals in order to obtain behavioral data in space flight. The present authors feel that such a facility is indeed potentially an important part of psychology's effort in manned space flight programs. However, Rohles's report is said to contain factual errors which create the impression that, up until now, psychology has been asleep on the launching pad. The authors refer primarily to the first two paragraphs of the report, and will comment on three points. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cystic tumours of the breast

A retrospective survey of cystic tumours of the breast seen at the North Middlesex and St Bartholomew's Hospitals, London, has been undertaken to determine their incidence and clinical features. During the years 1967-76 4530 histological examinations were carried out on breast tissue and 1277 breast cancers diagnosed. Intracystic papillary tumours, both benign and malignant, were the least uncommon of cyst tumours, but the malignant type accounted for 0.55% of all the breast cancers. Aspects suggesting the possible presence of an intracystic tumour are discussed.     

Construction and preliminary evaluation of an Aspergillus flavus reporter gene construct as a potential tool for screening aflatoxin resistance

Effective preharvest strategies to eliminate aflatoxin accumulation in crops are not presently available. The molecular biology of aflatoxin biosynthesis has been extensively studied, and genetic and molecular tools such as reporter gene systems for the measurement of fungal growth have been developed. A reporter construct containing the Aspergillus flavus beta-tubulin gene promoter fused to Escherichia coli beta-glucuronidase (GUS) has been shown to be a reliable tool for the indirect measurement of fungal growth in maize kernels. Since cost-saving alternative methods for the direct measurement of aflatoxin levels are needed to facilitate more widespread field and laboratory screening of maize lines, a new reporter gene construct involving the promoter region of the omtA gene of the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway was constructed and tested. Expression of GUS activity by this construct (omtA::GUS) was correlated with aflatoxin accumulation in culture. In the fungal transformant GAP26-1, which harbors this construct, aflatoxin production and GUS expression on sucrose-containing medium showed the same temporal pattern of toxin induction. Furthermore, GUS expression by GAP26-1 was shown to be associated with aflatoxin accumulation in maize kernels inoculated with this strain. Our results suggest that this and other reporter gene pathway promoter constructs may provide superior alternatives to direct aflatoxin quantification with respect to time, labor, and materials for the screening of maize lines for resistance to aflatoxin accumulation.