Dependence of the phase separation process on the relative onset of network formation in simultaneous interpenetrating polymer networks

Morphology development during the synthesis at room temperature of an interpenetrating polyurethane/poly(methyl methacrylate) network was investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering in relation with their relative kinetics of formation, determined by Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy. When the time lag between the onset of the two reactions is short, macroscopic phase separation occurs as the polyurethane network is incompletely formed. However, when the time lag increases, the poly(methyl methacrylate) forms into a more continuous network which limits the growth of phase separation to a close environment.     

Effects of general anesthetics on memory functions in man.

H. Jackson's concepts of nervous functions, implying that anesthetics first obliterate more recently developed functions, were applied to interpreting the effects of low concentrations of anesthetics on mnemonic functions in 4 experiments with 27 young adult males. It was proposed that there should be concentrations at which anesthetics affect verbal memory, sparing nonverbal visual memory, and Ss should show more acoustic than semantic confusions in long-term memory. These hypotheses were confirmed in Ss inhaling very low anesthetic concentrations and in Ss recovering from inhalation of high anesthetic concentrations. Nonverbal acoustic memory was also impaired, but not as much as verbal memory. At relatively higher concentrations, long-term registration of verbal material was abolished, leaving only short-term capacities. The data also provide independent evidence for separation of verbal and nonverbal memory and for acoustic processing of visually presented verbal material. (25 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Controlled release of propham from plastic granules

Urea–formaldehyde granules containing propham, a volatile herbicide, have been tested in the laboratory as well as in the field as a suitable controlled release system. The advantages of such a system compared to the present commonly used formulas are being demonstrated.     

Self-focused attention and negative affect: A meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis synthesized 226 effect sizes reflecting the relation between self-focused attention and negative affect (depression, anxiety, negative mood). The results demonstrate the multifaceted nature of self-focused attention and elucidate major controversies in the field. Overall, self-focus was associated with negative affect. Several moderators qualified this relationship. Self-focus and negative affect were more strongly related in clinical and female-dominated samples. Rumination yielded stronger effect sizes than nonruminative self-focus. Self-focus on positive self-aspects and following a positive event were related to lower negative affect. Most important, an interaction between foci of self-attention and form of negative affect was found: Private self-focus was more strongly associated with depression and generalized anxiety, whereas public self-focus was more strongly associated with social anxiety. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rumination and emotion-related biases in refreshing information.

The present research examined rumination-related biases in refreshing, a component process of memory updating that involves briefly thinking back to a just-activated thought or percept. In 2 studies, participants were presented with neutral words and with task-relevant (Study 1) and task-irrelevant (Study 2) emotional words. We predicted that brooding, a maladaptive subtype of rumination would be associated with biased refreshing. Compared with nonbrooders, brooders showed slowed refreshing (of emotional and neutral words) when relevant emotional words were presented. Moreover, whereas among nonbrooders only task-relevant emotional words impaired refreshing of neutral words, among brooders both relevant and irrelevant emotional words led to this impairment. These biases were not accounted for by depression, and they were specific to refreshing words rather than to perceptual processing of the words. These findings are discussed in relation to the magnitude and nature of emotional interference in rumination. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)