Behavioral preferences in response to social injustice: The effects of group permeability and social identity salience.

Examined features of an intergroup context that can affect people's preferred responses to a situation of social injustice. 90 undergraduates were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions of group permeability (open, token, or closed) and 1 of 2 conditions of social identity salience (not salient or salient). It was predicted on the basis of social identity theory that individualistic responses would be preferred to a collective response when group boundaries were more open but not when they were closed. It was also expected that under conditions of group impermeability, collective behavior would be preferred to a greater extent by individuals for whom social identity was salient than by individuals for whom it was not salient. The results, which generally supported these hypotheses, are discussed in terms of social psychological theories of intergroup relations and also with regard to their potential practical implications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Estimating the Natural Illumination Conditions from a Single Outdoor Image

Given a single outdoor image, we present a method for estimating the likely illumination conditions of the scene. In particular, we compute the probability distribution over the sun position and visibility. The method relies on a combination of weak cues that can be extracted from different portions of the image: the sky, the vertical surfaces, the ground, and the convex objects in the image. While no single cue can reliably estimate illumination by itself, each one can reinforce the others to yield a more robust estimate. This is combined with a data-driven prior computed over a dataset of 6 million photos. We present quantitative results on a webcam dataset with annotated sun positions, as well as quantitative and qualitative results on consumer-grade photographs downloaded from Internet. Based on the estimated illumination, we show how to realistically insert synthetic 3-D objects into the scene, and how to transfer appearance across images while keeping the illumination consistent.     

GC-MS detected difunctional carboxylic acids released by driedCladophora at the pH of lake ontario and the st. lawrence river

A study to identify the acidic components ofCladophora glomeata active againstAedes triseriatus larvae was extended to a mixture obtained by extracting the dried powdered alga in aqueous suspension at pH 8.5. The presence of 1,9-nonanedioic, 1,10-decanedioic, 1,11-undecanedioic and 4-ketononanoic acids was determined by GC-EIMS and GC-CIMS and confirmed by analytical coinjection GC. The presence of 5-pentyldihydro-2(3H)-furanone, a minor component, was also indicated. The group of major acidic constituents is different from those obtained by extracting driedCladophora with methanol. In contrast to the C₁₀–C₁₄ monocarboxylic acids, which hadLD ₅₀ values<20 ppm againstA. triseriatus, none of the dicarboxylic acids of the series G₄–C₁₄, C₁₆, and C₂₂ were active; nor were 4-ketononanoic acid and 5-pentyldihydro-2(3H)-furanone active.     

Photooxidation of Hg(0) in artificial and natural waters

The oxidation of volatile aqueous Hg(0) in aquatic systems may be important in reducing fluxes of Hg out of aquatic systems. Here we report the results of laboratory and field experiments designed to identify the parameters that control the photooxidation of Hg(0)(aq) and to assess the possible importance of this process in aquatic systems. The concentrations of elemental and total Hg were measured as a function of time in both artificial and natural waters irradiated with a UV-B lamp. No change in Hg speciation was observed in dark controls, while a significant decrease in Hg(0) was observed in UV-B irradiated artificial solutions containing both chloride ions and benzoquinone. Significant photooxidation rates were also measured in natural samples spiked with Hg(0)(aq); the photooxidation of Hg(0) then follows pseudo first-order kinetics (k = 0.6 h(-1)). These results indicate that the previously observed Hg(II) photoreduction rates in natural waters could represent a net balance between Hg(0) photoreduction and Hg(0) photooxidation. As calculated from Hg(0) photooxidation rates, the dominant Hg(0) sink is likely to be photooxidation rather than volatilization from the water column during summer days.     

Racial identity, racial attitudes, and race socialization among Black Canadian parents.

The primary aim of this study was to examine the influence of racial identity on the socialization strategies used by Black parents to deal with issues of racism and discrimination. The Multidimensional Model of Racial Identity (MMRI) was used to capture the complexity of Black identity and to provide a framework for the study of the socialization process. Ninety-one Black Canadian parents responded to measures of racial identity (e.g., identity centrality, racial ideologies), racial appraisals (e.g., concern for stereotyping), and socialization practices (e.g., preparation for bias). Racial identity measures were hypothesised to predict racial appraisals and socialization behaviours, while racial appraisals were expected to predict socialization behaviours. Furthermore, racial salience was expected to moderate the relationship between racial ideologies (e.g., nationalist ideology) and socialization behaviours. Although this latter hypothesis was not supported, the Sellers model did provide a useful theoretical framework for understanding the socialization practices of Black Canadian parents. Parents were more likely to socialize their children when they endorsed a humanist ideology and when they perceived their children as being likely targets of stereotyping and discrimination. These findings underscore the need for multidimensional measures of identity to obtain a more complete picture of the socialization process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ultrastructural and immunological demonstration of the nodulation of the European Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn. host plant by the North-American Alnus crispa var. mollis Fern. root nodule endophyte

The inoculation of the European Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn. host plant by a crushed-nodule inoculum, prepared with the North-American Alnus crispa var. mollis Fern. root nodule, was successful. Fluorescein- and ferritin-labelled antibodies, specific against the A. crispa var. mollis root nodule endophyte (Lalonde et al. 1975), demonstrated the idenity of this endophyte in the resulting nodules. The nodulation process of this abnormal host-endophyte system was studied by light and electron microscopy. An excretion of host blebs containing electron-dense polysaccharide material, resulting in the formation of exo-encapsulation threads containing presumptive endophytic bacterial cells, was associated with deformed root hairs. Originating from an exoencapsulation thread, the endophyte penetrates the root hair cell and then migrates as a hypha toward the cortical cells of the root. Its migration in the cortical cells of the primary nodule results in the induction of a lateral root which develops as the true nodule. The ultrastructure of the A. crispa var. mollis endophyte developing in the primary and true nodule of the abnormal A. glutinosa host was similar to the one induced inside its normal A. crispa var. mollis host. The actinomycetal intruder was a branched and septate hypha able to produce septate vesicles. The endophyte was always encapsulated in an electron-dense polysaccharide material surrounded by a host plasma membrane envelope. However, in this abnormal host-endophyte system, the number of primary nodules formed per root system was drastically reduced, and their appearance was delayed by 1 to 2 weeks. The delayed nodules were effective in fixing nitrogen and able to support satisfactory plant growth in a nitrogen-free medium.     

Aniline in vegetable and fruit samples from the Canadian total diet study

An isotope dilution method based on solvent extraction followed by GC–MS analysis was developed and used to determine aniline in vegetable and fruit samples collected from the Canadian total diet study. Aniline was not detected in any of the 23 vegetable samples from the 2005 total diet study at a method detection limit of 0.01 mg kg^–1. Among the 16 fruit samples, it was detected only in apple samples, with an average concentration of 0.278 mg kg^–1. Aniline was not detected in apple samples collected in the 2002, 2003, 2006 or 2007 total diet studies, but it was detected in the apple samples collected from the 2001 and 2004 studies, at concentrations of 0.085 and 0.468 mg kg^–1, respectively. The average aniline concentration for the 2001, 2004 and 2005 apple samples was 0.277 mg kg^–1. Good repeatability of the method was observed with replicate analysis of apple samples, with relative standard deviations (RSD) ranging 3.8–21% and an average of 11%.     

Phytoremediation of effluents from aluminum smelters: a study of Al retention in mesocosms containing aquatic plants

Four mesocosms were exposed to circumneutral and aluminum (Al)-rich wastewater during two successive summers (2000, 2001). The goals of the study were to measure the bioaccumulation of dissolved Al by the aquatic plants Typha latifolia, Lemna minor, Nuphar variegatum and Potamogeton epihydrus, and to evaluate their importance in the retention of Al by the mesocosms. In 2000, inlet concentrations of total monomeric Al were reduced by 56% and 29% at the Arvida and Laterrière mesocosms, respectively, whereas in 2001 inlet dissolved Al concentrations in the inlet decreased by 40% and 33%. L. minor had the highest Al uptake rate (0.8--17 mg Al g(-1)d(-1)). However, because T. latifolia (cattails) yielded the highest biomass, it was responsible for 99% of the Al uptake, largely in its root tissue. In 2001, Al uptake by macrophytes accounted for 2--4% and 15--54% of the total Al retained by the Laterrière and Arvida mesocosms, respectively. In the Laterrière mesocosms, Al uptake by cattails could account for 12% and 18% of the dissolved Al retained by both mesocosms. In contrast, dissolved Al was not significantly reduced in the Arvida enclosures, yet cattails did accumulate Al in their roots. Further research is needed to identify the species community composition that would optimize dissolved Al retention.     

Acellular comet assay: a tool for assessing variables influencing the alkaline comet assay

In this study, an acellular modification to the alkaline comet assay to further evaluate key variables within the assay that may influence the outcome of genotoxicity studies is described. This acellular comet assay can detect differences of 0.2 Gy of (60)Co gamma-ray radiation between 0 and 1 Gy and differences of 1 Gy between 0 and 8 Gy; thus, this assay is applicable for a wide range of DNA damage levels. It is also shown that DNA damage from different radiation energies was not significantly different from (60)Co gamma-ray. This assay displayed a statistical increase in DNA damage due to uncontrolled exposure to natural light; however, the slope of the dose-response curve for light-exposed samples was similar to that for samples protected from light. A comparison of the alkaline comet assay with the acellular comet assay allowed for the intrinsic repair capacity of the alkaline comet assay to be quantified.