Navigating personal and relational concerns: The quest for equilibrium.

The authors' personal-relational equilibrium model suggests that people come to seek equilibrium in their dedication to personal and relational concerns in that these 2 important needs cannot always be gratified simultaneously. The authors proposed that the experience of personal-relational disequilibrium motivates attempts to restore equilibrium and that achieving equilibrium promotes life satisfaction. Four studies revealed good support for the model. In Study 1, a manipulation of anticipated future disequilibrium (vs. equilibrium) as a result of overdedication to either the personal or relational domain caused reduced motivation to address concerns in that domain and increased motivation toward the complementary domain. In Study 2, narratives describing disequilibrium experiences (vs. equilibrium experiences) exhibited increased motivation to restore equilibrium and reduced life satisfaction. In Study 3, diary reports of everyday disequilibrium were associated with increased same-day motivation to restore equilibrium, reduced same-day life satisfaction, and increased next-day dedication of effort to the complementary domain. In Study 4, experiences of disequilibrium predicted reduced well-being 6 months later. Collectively, these findings extend knowledge of how people regulate themselves toward equilibrium in pursuing 2 fundamental human concerns. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of number of views to the viewing experience with autostereoscopic 3‐D displays

Abstract— The observers' 3‐D viewing experience when the way the content is created and shown on an autostereoscopic 3‐D display alternate is evaluated. The observer's depth impression, and the perceived contour accuracy and image naturalness or peskiness of the content shown on a 3‐D display, has been investigated. In addition, the consequences of the way the content is created to the results from the optical characterization for the same display have been studied. The alternation of the content was realized in two different ways. Firstly, the number of views for creating the image was varied. Two, five, and 14 views were used; the main focus being on testing the same display and treating it as an ordinary two‐view and a 14‐view display with inter‐sub‐view crosstalk. Also, the intermediate condition where five views with non‐uniform view‐specific crosstalk were used has been investigated. Secondly, the way the content is created was varied by using images with computer‐generated content and photos. The effect of these parameters on viewing experience as such and especially the effect of 3‐D crosstalk on the viewing experience were studied.     

Getting older, getting better? Personal strivings and psychological maturity across the life span.

Measures of psychological maturity based on personal strivings (R. A. Emmons, 1989) were administered to 108 adults aged 17–82. On the basis of organismic-theoretical assumptions regarding maturity, age was hypothesized to be positively associated with K. M. Sheldon and T. Kasser's (1995, 1998) two goal-based measures of personality integration. E. Erikson's (1963) assumptions regarding maturity were the basis for the hypothesis that older people would tend to list more strivings concerning generativity and ego integrity and fewer strivings concerning identity and intimacy. Finally, on the basis of past research findings, maturity and age were hypothesized to be positively associated with subjective well-being. Results supported these hypotheses and also showed that measured maturity mediated the relationship between age and well-being. Thus, older individuals may indeed be more psychologically mature than younger people and may be happier as a result. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Humor: The psychology of living buoyantly.

Reviews the book, Humor: The psychology of living buoyantly by Herbert M. Lefcourt (see record 2000-14400-000). Lefcourt traces the changing concerns of psychology, and the reason why the psychological study of humour has often been trivialized as an unlikely candidate for research support in the past. The author charts his own personal odyssey in the field, one in which he is drawn to the study of human strengths rather than human frailties. An early chapter sets us up for the remaining chapters by reminding us how we experience humour in everyday life. Verbatim anecdotes from students in previous seminars offer vignettes which allow the reader to grasp the situation vicariously and to see how and why the humour of the situation could have arisen. It is here that Lefcourt confides that his is a functionalist psychological perspective, and that he views humour as a characteristic that has been useful to our species. Here one comes to the crux of the argument for most readers. Is humour, then, a coping strategy, ultimately devised in our evolutionary ramblings, as a protective cushion against the jagged impact of stressful experiences? The middle part of this book explores this hypothesis in a variety of experimental settings, all designed to assess the moderating role of humour in the face of stress. This is a useful, even uplifting, book about the human search for emotional well-being. Its academic value in outlining the history and current thrust of work in the field of humour is obvious, but this reviewer appreciated its bold attempt to provide a more personal view of human adaptation to life's stressful requirements. Very simply, this is a book that resonates with one's understanding of life beyond the research laboratory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Duchenne smile, emotional experience, and autonomic reactivity: A test of the facial feedback hypothesis.

This study examined the modulatory function of Duchenne and non-Duchenne smiles on subjective and autonomic components of emotion. Participants were asked to hold a pencil in their mouth to either facilitate or inhibit smiles and were not instructed to contract specific muscles. Five conditions--namely lips pressing, low-level non-Duchenne smiling, high-level non-Duchenne smiling, Ducherme smiling, and control--were produced while participants watched videoclips that were evocative of positive or negative affect. Participants who displayed Duchenne smiles reported more positive experience when pleasant scenes and humorous cartoons were presented. Furthermore, they tended to exhibit different patterns of autonomic arousal when viewing positive scenes. These results support the facial feedback hypothesis and suggest that facial feedback has more powerful effects when facial configurations represent valid analogs of basic emotional expressions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural psychology, a new look: Reply to Bond (2002), Fiske (2002), Kitayama (2002), and Miller (2002).

M. H. Bond (2002) (see record 2002-00183-002), A. P. Fiske (2002) (see record 2002-00183-003), S. Kitayama (2002) (see record 2002-00183-004), and J. G. Miller (2002) (see record 2002-00183-005) joined D. Oyserman, H. M. Coon, and M. Kemmelmeier (2002) (see record 2002-00183-001) in highlighting limitations of the individualism-collectivism model of culture. Concern is warranted; nevertheless, individualism-collectivism helps structure discourse on the influence of culture on the mind. To avoid level-of-analysis entanglements, Oyserman et al propose an integrative model that includes distal, proximal, and situated cultural features of societies and internalized models of these features, highlights the importance of subjective construal, and uses evolutionary perspectives to clarify the basic problems cultures address. Framed this way, it is clear that, depending on situational requirements, both individualism- and collectivism-focused strategies are adaptive; thus, it is likely that human minds have adapted to think both ways. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Identifying correlates of breaks in occupational sitting: a cross-sectional study

Office workers are commonly targeted in interventions to modify their sitting behaviour, yet there is limited evidence of the correlates of breaks in sitting to inform intervention development. This study identifies the individual, workplace and spatial configuration correlates of the frequency of breaks in sitting (number/hour) in office workers (n?=?5531) stratified by office type (private-enclosed, shared, open plan). All behaviours and potential correlates were measured via self-report using an online cross-sectional survey. Regression analyses revealed age was the only socio-demographic characteristic associated with frequency of breaks in sitting in all office types. Greater job autonomy and local connectivity were positively associated with frequency of breaks in sitting in shared and open-plan offices. In open-plan offices co-worker proximity was negatively associated with frequency of breaks in sitting. Co-worker visibility was positively associated with frequency of breaks in sitting in all office types. This study demonstrates that individual, workplace and spatial configuration factors are all associated with the frequency of breaks in sitting and that these relationships differ by office type. These observations extend prior studies that have only examined correlates at a single level (e.g. the individual). This evidence could be useful to guide future interventions in the design of workplaces to increase breaks in sitting and workers’ physical activity.     

基于Contourlet视觉模型和奇异值分解的图像质量评价

针对基于像素值的图像质量评价方法忽视图像结构信息和需要完全参考图像等问题,提出了一种基于Contourlet域奇异值分解CW-SVD,部分参考图像质量评价方法(contourlet weighted singular value decomposition)。在Contourlet域中,利用奇异值向量对图像结构的表征能力,结合人眼视觉敏感性确定每个子带的视觉权重,得到每个子带的评价测度,再综合得出图像的最终评价指标。实验表明,该方法应用于4种类型的降质图像质量评价时,比峰值信噪比(PSNR、MSSIM)等算法具有更好的稳定性和更好的主客观评价一致性。     

公交线网目标优化各目标系数的确定方法研究

指出在公交线网优化时不同的城市面临着不同的公交问题,优化设计时对各个目标的侧重也是不一样的,针对公交优化的线性模型的特点,对模型中相关的修正系数提出应用EM主观赋权法来确定,解决了目标优化时不同等级目标权重的确定问题。     

Feeding fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) seed as a potential appetite stimulant for Holstein dairy calves: Effects on growth performance and health

This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of increasing dietary doses of fennel seed powder (FSP) on growth performance and health status in calves. Holstein calves (n = 48; 3 d of age; 36.3 ± 1.06 kg BW; mean ± SE) were allocated randomly to diets containing 0 (FSP0), 1.5 (FSP1.5), or 3 g/d (FSP3) FSP in milk (morning feeding; during the first month) and then in the starter feed (top-dressed; from d 31 until weaning on d 71). The calves remained in the trial until d 81. Weight gain and final BW were greater in FSP-supplemented calves compared with control calves. Heart girth and hip width gained more in FSP-supplemented calves compared with control calves. Body weight gain and frame growth were not affected by calf sex. The calves receiving FSP had a lower chance of having elevated rectal temperature (≥39.4°C) and a lower probability of suffering from diarrhea or pneumonia. The chance of having diarrhea, but not pneumonia, was greater in female calves. The chance of medication occurrence for diarrhea and pneumonia was not affected by FSP and calf sex. The FSP3 calves had shorter days with elevated rectal temperature (≥39.4°C) compared with the FSP1.5 (1.2 d; SEM = 0.10) and FSP0 (2.9 d; SEM = 0.10) calves. Days with diarrhea but not its frequency and medication days was shorter (4 d; SEM = 0.10) in the FSP-supplemented calves. Control calves experienced more days with pneumonia compared with calves fed FSP1.5 (3.1 d; SEM = 0.08) and FSP3 (5.4 d; SEM = 0.08). Calves fed FSP3 experienced shorter days (2.3 d; SEM = 0.08) with pneumonia compared with calves fed FSP1.5. Feeding FSP tended to decrease (1.6 d; SEM = 0.10) medication days for pneumonia compared with control group. The duration (2.2 d; SEM = 0.10) and medication days (1.3 d; SEM = 0.15) for diarrhea were higher in female calves compared with the male calves. Compared with the control calves, feeding 3 g/d of FSP may be more beneficial in improving the weight gain and skeletal growth (heart girth and hip width) and in reducing the susceptibility to and duration of diarrhea and pneumonia in dairy calves.