Using mechatronics to teach mechanical design and technical communication

It is commonly accepted that hands-on experiences increase both learning and enjoyment during coursework. Mechatronics projects provide both interesting and relevant hands-on experiences for a wide range of topics including design processes, basic mechatronics concepts, technical communication, and working in a group environment. ME2110: Creative Decisions and Design at Georgia Tech integrates mechatronics and technical communication into a sophomore level mechanical design class. This paper describes the course in detail, highlighting the course goals and layout, tools provided to the students, industry involvement, and the main challenges of administering such a course.     

Positive psychology principles applied to consulting psychology at the individual and group level.

This article describes the application, at the team and individual level, of findings from the positive psychology research. An overview of this research is presented focusing on several areas generally included in the positive psychology domain: flow, appreciative inquiry, the broaden and build theory, and other strategies for increasing the experience of positive emotions and the identification and deployment of strengths. The authors propose that these applications show promise in consulting psychology engagements and may have merit when utilized by practitioners themselves. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hemodialysis in the United Kingdom

Hemodialysis was a neglected aspect of nephrology in the UK. At the request of the Renal Association, the first UK Haemodialysis Masterclass was organized in 2007. The articles in this supplement arose from that meeting. Here, an overview of UK hemodialysis services and nephrology training is presented as background. Government‐funded dialysis should be provided to all UK citizens who require it. In 2005, there were 17,645 patients receiving hemodialysis, 5057 on peritoneal dialysis and 19,074 with kidney transplants, looked after by 359 nephrologists working in 73 National Health Service renal units. Renal replacement therapy incidence and prevalence remain comparatively low, at 108 and 694 per million population, respectively. Whether this represents inadequate provision or genuinely lower need remains unclear. The Renal Association sets clinical practice guidelines for dialysis, and audits performance via the UK Renal Registry. Postgraduate medical education is undergoing radical change in the UK. This is driven by the reduction in trainee doctors' working hours to 48 hr/week (mandated by the European Working Time Directive), and the governments' wish to reduce the duration of training, but also by a desire to formalize training, Our challenge is to continue to produce talented clinical nephrologists educated in breadth and depth, despite the reduced emphasis on clinical experience and omission of period of scientific research. The future for hemodialysis services in the UK is, however, promising with an expansion in the number of specialists and dialysis centers, and a growing interest in dialysis practice and research.     

与时俱进 加快发展高职教育 推动我国工业化快速发展

当前,我国正在实施工业化的发展战略,要加快工业化的发展,必须大力发展和加强高等职业教育。在高等职业教育发展上,要实现从注重量到既注重量更注重质的转变;在培养方式上,要实现从只重技能到既重视技能又重视可持续发展能力培养的转变;在培养目标上,要实现从培养学生能力到培养复合型人才的转变。     

Review of Arthur R. Jensen (2006)--Clocking the mind: Mental chronometry and individual differences.

Reviews the book Clocking the Mind: Mental chronometry and individual differences by Arthur Jensen (see record 2006-20276-000). Mental chronometry, as Arthur Jensen stresses, is the study of reaction time (RT) in its various guises, contexts, and applications. As with respect to much of experimental psychology (cognitive and other), there is a venerable past here lying in the background, providing a wide-ranging context in which to embed our current (that is, our 40-odd year) preoccupation with RT as a primary dependent measure in cognitive psychology. This recent book, Clocking the Mind: Mental Chronometry and Individual Differences (published by Elsevier), weds both differential psychology's concern with the measurement of individual differences in RT (e.g., Austin, Deary, Gibson, McGregor, & Dent, 1998) and experimental psychology's concern with "the effects of manipulating various external conditions on variation in the measurements of RT" (p. 1). The reader of this journal will most probably be more familiar with the latter use of RT in the literature, especially when embedded within such familiar experimental tasks as those tapping both Garner and Stroop effects (Pansky & Algom, 1999). The book should be perused with care in order to ensure the further profitable use of RT in both experimental and differential lines of research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

One Hundred Years of Social Psychology Quantitatively Described.

This article compiles results from a century of social psychological research, more than 25,000 studies of 8 million people. A large number of social psychological conclusions are listed alongside meta-analytic information about the magnitude and variability of the corresponding effects. References to 322 meta-analyses of social psychological phenomena are presented, as well as statistical effect-size summaries. Analyses reveal that social psychological effects typically yield a value of r equal to .21 and that, in the typical research literature, effects vary from study to study in ways that produce a standard deviation in r of .15. Uses, limitations, and implications of this large-scale compilation are noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Absence makes the adaptations grow fonder: Proportion of time apart from partner, male sexual psychology, and sperm competition in humans (Homo sapiens).

Sperm competition occurs when the sperm of multiple males concurrently occupy the reproductive tract of a female and compete to fertilize an egg. We used a questionnaire to investigate psychological responses to the risk of sperm competition for 237 men in committed, sexual relationships. As predicted, a man who spends a greater (relative to a man who spends a lesser) proportion of time apart from his partner since the couple's last copulation reported (a) greater sexual interest in his partner, (b) greater distress in response to his partner's sexual rejection, and (c) greater sexual persistence in response to his partner's sexual rejection. All effects were independent of total time since the couple's last copulation and the man's relationship satisfaction. Discussion addresses limitations of the current research and situates the current results within the broader comparative literature on adaptation to sperm competition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Un éditorial sur le développement et le rayonnement de la psychologic québécoise et francophone.

The purpose of this brief editorial is to discuss psychology in Québec and some of the foremost researchers who have had a recognized world-wide impact on psychology. Following a brief review of historical facts describing the evolution of psychology in Québec, and of issues related to communicating psychology in French, the contribution of certain distinguished individuals is highlighted. These persons either have played a critical role in international organisations, or have produced scientific work that is widely recognized by their peers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in the Application of Psychology: Edwin A. Fleishman.

The 2004 Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in the Application of Psychology was awarded to Edwin A. Fleishman, for his significant contributions to the science and applications of psychology, which he has sustained over his remarkable career. He is cited for his research, which has had a profound influence on our understanding of human capabilities, their measurement, their development, and their application in the world of work. Through his many influential leadership roles, as president of the International Association of Applied Psychology and three divisions of the American Psychological Association, and as editor of the Journal of Applied Psychology, he has helped shape our profession. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)