Transgenerational effects of the holocaust: Externalization of aggression in second generation of holocaust survivors.

Examined the psychological characteristics of the children of holocaust survivors. 38 males and females in their late 20's were interviewed; the parents of 19 Ss were holocaust survivors, and the parents of the other 19 Ss were in Israel during World War II and did not suffer directly. It was hypothesized that reactions of the children of the holocaust survivors would include guilt rather than external aggression and a tendency not to externalize aggressive impulses in reaction to frustrating events. The Ss' reactions to a projective test were analyzed, and the responses provide support for the major hypothesis. Results show that sons and daughters of holocaust survivors were less likely to externalize aggression than were those in a control group. This finding is supported by the content analysis of the structured interview conducted with the Ss in both groups. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Symbolic and numeric knowledge integration in multiple fault troubleshooting

Many expert system researchers have reported in recent years that situation-action symbolic production rules frequently fail to provide adequate knowledge representation schemes without resorting to numeric computation. However, despite the need to integrate symbolic and quantitative computation into one coherent framework of knowledge, surprisingly few architectures have been proposed for achieving this goal. This paper explores the integration of qualitative and numeric processing in expert systems. We address the topic with respect to the construction of expert systems that perform the tasks of design and multiple fault troubleshooting. This paper shows that these tasks can be handled effectively when an appropriate interface is established between the heuristic and the numeric knowledge-based components. Specifically, we demonstrate how to interface heuristic knowledge with non-linear optimization models in order to allow an expert system greater expressiveness. An actual example is presented from the machining domain.     

Influence of Reaction Parameters on the Hydrogenolysis of Hydroxymatairesinol Over Carbon Nanofibre Supported Palladium Catalysts

The density functional theory (DFT/B3LYP) calculations were applied to investigate the interaction of a Pt₆ particle with the ZSM-5 zeolite framework. The electronic structure of the metal particle is strongly affected by the interaction with basic framework oxygens and acid sites of the zeolite support. Adsorption on basic sites (E_ads = 6 kcal/mol) favors the formation of the electron enriched metal cluster. Interaction of the platinum cluster with the acid site characterized by stabilization energy of 47 kcal/mol results in oxidation of the metal particle and suppression of Brønsted acidity of the support. The hypothesis is put forward that the oxidized platinum particle can function as an active site for the alkane isomerisation on platinum supported high silica zeolites.     

Exceptions that prove the rule--Using a theory of motivated social cognition to account for ideological incongruities and political anomalies: Reply to Greenberg and Jonas (2003).

A meta-analysis by J. T. Jost, J. Glaser, A. W. Kruglanski, and F. J. Sulloway (2003) concluded that political conservatism is partially motivated by the management of uncertainty and threat. In this reply to J. Greenberg and E. Jonas (2003), conceptual issues are clarified, numerous political anomalies are explained, and alleged counterexamples are incorporated with a dynamic model that takes into account differences between "young" and "old" movements. Studies directly pitting the rigidity-of-the-right hypothesis against the ideological extremity hypothesis demonstrate strong support for the former. Medium to large effect sizes describe relations between political conservatism and dogmatism and intolerance of ambiguity; lack of openness to experience; uncertainty avoidance; personal needs for order, structure, and closure; fear of death; and system threat. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of nicotine, lobeline, and mecamylamine on sensory gating in the rat

In normal subjects, if an acoustic startle stimulus is immediately preceded by a small brief change in background noise intensity, the magnitude of the subsequent startle response is decreased. This prepulse inhibition (PPI) of an acoustic startle response has been shown to be associated with sensorimotor gating. PPI is disrupted in schizophrenic patients and has been linked to attentional disorders characteristic of this disease. We tested the effects of (-)-nicotine, (0.19, 0.62, and 1.9 mumol/kg IP) (equivalent to 0.03, 0.1, and 0.3 mg/kg base) and the nicotinic cholinergic receptor (nAChR) channel blocker, mecamylamine (5.0 and 50 mumol/kg IP) (equivalent to 1.0 and 10.0 mg/kg) on PPI of the acoustic startle response in the rat. Nicotine increased the PPI at the lowest prepulse signal levels but not at the stronger levels. Mecamylamine was without effect at 5.0 mumol/kg, but the 50 mumol/kg dose decreased the inhibition at both weak and strong prepulse (PP) levels. Mecamylamine (5.0 mumol/kg) pretreatment did not block the (-)-nicotine-induced increase in PPI. Lobeline (0.19, 0.62, 1.9, and 6.2 mumol/kg IP) (equivalent to 0.071, 0.23, 0.71, and 2.3 mg/kg) was without effect. These results are consistent with a mecamylamine-insensitive effect of nicotine to improve gating in normal rats. The nAChR subtype involved in producing nicotine's increase of PPI needs further investigation.     

Performance analysis of Drever-Hall laser frequency stabilizationusing a proportional+integral servo

In this paper, we derive analytical expressions for finite gain, finite bandwidth laser frequency locking systems. The common case of Drever-Hall (FM sideband) locking to a Fabry-Perot cavity is discussed, using a proportional+integral (PI) controller as an example. The effects of nonnegligible loop time-delay on stability are discussed, and an optimal design procedure for a frequency locking system is given     

Outcome of different treatment mixes in a multidimensional neuropsychological rehabilitation program.

Within a clinical demonstration program, 59 traumatically brain-injured patients were treated with 1 of 3 mixes of treatment. Mix 1 included cognitive remediation (CGR), small-group interpersonal (SGI) communication training, therapeutic community activities, and personal counseling. Mix 2 was similar to Mix 1 but stressed SGI exercises and eliminated CGR. Mix 3 emphasized CGR and eliminated SGI exercises. The efficacy of the treatment mixes was evaluated with performance on neuropsychological tests, improved independence in functional activities, measures of intra- and interpersonal functioning, and vocational outcome. Ss' participation in the program, irrespective of treatment mix, yielded improvements in (1) self-image, (2) quality of interpersonal relatedness and interaction, (3) involvement with others in naturalistic settings, and (4) vocational outcome. Overall, data point to the superiority of the balanced mix (Mix 1) over Mixes 2 and 3. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Secure Multi-Party Computation without Agreement

It has recently been shown that authenticated Byzantine agreement, in which more than a third of the parties are corrupted, cannot be securely realized under concurrent or parallel (stateless) composition. This result puts into question any usage of authenticated Byzantine agreement in a setting where many executions take place. In particular, this is true for the whole body of work of secure multi-party protocols in the case that a third or more of the parties are corrupted. This is because these protocols strongly rely on the extensive use of a broadcast channel, which is in turn realized using authenticated Byzantine agreement. We remark that it was accepted folklore that the use of a broadcast channel (or authenticated Byzantine agreement) is actually essential for achieving meaningful secure multi-party computation whenever a third or more of the parties are corrupted. In this paper we show that this folklore is false. We present a mild relaxation of the definition of secure computation allowing abort. Our new definition captures all the central security issues of secure computation, including privacy, correctness and independence of inputs. However, the novelty of the definition is in decoupling the issue of agreement from these issues. We then show that this relaxation suffices for achieving secure computation in a point-to-point network. That is, we show that secure multi-party computation for this definition can be achieved for any number of corrupted parties and without a broadcast channel (or trusted pre-processing phase as required for running authenticated Byzantine agreement). Furthermore, this is achieved by just replacing the broadcast channel in known protocols with a very simple and efficient echo-broadcast protocol. An important corollary of our result is the ability to obtain multi-party protocols that remain secure under composition, without assuming a broadcast channel.