Letters

Rock Candy: A Story about Mineral Collecting. VHS format, 28 minutes; 1990; $40 (1), $25 (2–4), $20 (5 or more). Order from Joe Nagel, Geological Museum, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6T JW5. Reviewed by Russell Feather.

Water Baby: The Story of Alvin by Victoria A. Kaharl. Oxford University Press, New York. 356 pages (16 in color); 1990; $21.95 (hardbound). Reviewed by Steven C. Chamberlain.

The Klockmann Diary—The Quest for North Idaho's Legendary Continental Mine edited by Chris Bessler. Keokee Co. Publishing, Box 722, Sandpoint, ID 83864. 107 pages; 1990; $9.95, plus $2.00 shipping and handling (softbound). Reviewed by Lanny R. Ream.

Adventures with Rocks and Minerals: Geology Experiments for Young People by Lloyd H. Barrow. Enslow Publishing Co. 96 pages; 1991; $16.69 (hardbound). Reviewed by R. V. Dietrich.

Photography of Mineralogical, Paleontological and Archaeological Specimens, Jack A. Murphy and James F. Hurlbut (eds.). Denver Museum of Natural History. 98 pages; 1989; $15.00 (softbound). Order from Friends of Mineralogy, Denver Museum of Natural History, City Park, Denver, CO 80205; make checks payable to Friends of Mineralogy. Reviewed by Robert B. Cook.

Life as a Geological Force: Dynamics of the Earth by Peter Westbroek. W. W. Norton &; Co., New York. 240 pages; 1991; $21.95 (hardbound). Reviewed by Steven C. Chamberlain.

Stake Your Claim! How to Find Gold and Stake a Mining Claim by Mark S. Silva. High-Grade Publications, P. O. Box 995, Aptos, CA 95001. 105 pages; 1990; $14.95, plus $2.00 shipping and handling (softbound). Reviewed by Henry A. Truebe.     

Prenatal care utilization in New York City: comparison of measures and assessment of their significance for urban health

Short-term exposure to the air pollutant ozone results in severe injury to the nares, trachea, and centriacinus. Long-term exposure however, leads to a state of tolerance that is characterized by remodeling in the centriacinar airways and markedly reduced cell necrosis and inflammation. This remodeling consists of hypertrophy and hyperplasia of Clara cells with a 2- to 5-fold increase in the intracellular content of the major protein synthesized by the Clara cell, Clara cell secretory protein (CCSP). Previous in vitro studies suggest that CCSP may moderate inflammation and bind reactive cytotoxicants. This study tested whether acute and chronic exposure to ozone alters the normal level of expression of the CCSP gene. Rats were exposed to ozone, 1 ppm 8 h nightly, for up to 90 days. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated repopulation of the alveolar ducts with CCSP positive Clara cells and an increase in the intensity of immunoreactive CCSP within Clara cells. The results showed that (1) CCSP mRNA expression, GAPDH, and beta-actin do not change as a result of ozone injury, (2) mRNA levels are more variable as a result of ozone injury and (3) CCSP mRNA expression increases with age.     

Hypertension and pregnancy-related hypertension

Transient cerebral ischemia (5 min) releases unesterified fatty acids from membrane phospholipids, increasing brain concentrations of fatty acids for up to 1 h following reperfusion. To understand the reported anti-ischemic effect of Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761), we monitored its effect on brain fatty acid reincorporation in a gerbil-stroke model. Both common carotid arteries in awake gerbils were occluded for 5 min, followed by 5 min of reperfusion. Animals were infused intravenously with labeled arachidonic (AA) or palmitic acid (Pam), and rates of incorporation of unlabeled fatty acid from the brian acyl-CoA pool were calculated by the model of Robinson et al. (1992), using quantitative autoradiography and biochemical analysis of brain acyl-CoA. Animals were treated for 14 d with 50 or 150 mg/kg/d EGb 761 or vehicle. Ischemia-reperfusion had no effect on the rate of unlabeled Pam incorporation into brain phospholipids from palmitoyl-CoA; this rate also was unaffected by EGb 761. In contrast, ischemia-reperfusion increased the rate of incorporation of unlabeled AA from brain arachidonoyl-CoA by a factor of 2.3-3.3 compared with the control rate; this factor was further augmented to 3.6-5.0 by pretreatment with EGb 761. There is selective reincorporation of AA compared with Pam into brain phospholipids following ischemia. EGb 761 further accelerates AA reincorporation, potentially reducing neurotoxic effects of prolonged exposure of brain to high concentrations of AA and its metabolites.     

An experimental investigation of three methods of providing weight and price information to consumers.

Simulated a supermarket setting to evaluate 3 methods of presenting information to consumers: (a) current supermarket method (showing total price and net weight); (b) current supermarket method, but adding a computational device to aid in price calculations; and (c) current supermarket method, but providing also price per ounce of net weight of product. 75 undergraduates were randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 methods of presentation and asked to choose the most economical package for each of 9 product groups. Results indicate that presenting the additional information of price per ounce of net weight produced a significant increase in accuracy of choices, while significantly reducing the time required to make such choices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Biases resulting from the use of indexes: An application to attributional style and depression.

The use of arbitrary indexes, including the commonly used equal-weight index, leads to biases in many studies. The appropriate index depends on the research question (dependent variable) and the population, so no single index is correct for all studies. If an incorrect index is used, tests of the relation between the construct measured by the index and a dependent variable are biased. We present three tests for bias and show how an unbiased index can be calculated by using a multiple regression. Using data from a study of attributional style and depression in psychiatric inpatients, we found that the widely used equal-weight indexes of attributional style produce large (up to 112%) biases in the estimated coefficients. Similarly, the use of equal-weight indexes biases the hypothesis tests. Finally, contrary to Wainer's (1976) contention that the inappropriate use of equal-weight indexes does not greatly reduce the explanatory power of the estimating equation, we found that the use of an index lowers the R–2 33%. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceptions of the ideal community.

A stratified random sample of 4,619 adults living in 3 different-sized communities in Indiana responded to a mail survey assessing their orientations to the ideal residential community. Ratings of the importance of 11 attributes of a community were factor analyzed, yielding 3 dimensions: (a) Maintenance, (b) Personal Relations, and (c) Recreation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A smorgasbord of scientific affairs.

Presents a summary of proposals for advancing the scientific aims of an American Psychological Association division. Proposals fall into the categories of awards to individuals for scientific achievement, procedures for advancing theory and methodology, and procedures for sharing scientific materials and resources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Membership opinions about APA: A recent snapshot.

A 1986 survey of 2,100 American Psychological Association (APA) members, to which 78% responded, showed that members belonged to APA for varied reasons and that scientists, scientist-practitioners, and practitioners shared few common rationales for maintaining their membership. Most members belonged to other organizations in addition to APA, and less than 50% of those chose APA as their most important organizational membership. Whereas the APA Monitor and APA journals received a strong endorsement from respondents, the publication of Psychology Today was clearly controversial. The cost and size of the convention also were sources of dissatisfaction. Recommended changes in convention format included scheduling more keynote addresses and establishing area-specific conventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Four-point sheet resistance correction factors for thin rectangular samples

A conformal transformation technique is employed to determine the geometrical correction factor associated with four-point sheet resistance measurements of thin rectangular samples. Results are presented which are useful in identifying sample geometries for which the correction factor is insensitive to the placement of the four electrodes on the interior of the sample. The correction factors for corner-contacted rectangular samples (van der Pauw resistors) are shown to be highly sensitive to small variations in the length-to-width ratio, such as might be experienced when fabricating microelectronic structures. Experimental data which serve to confirm the validity of the analytical solution are provided for several cases of practical interest.