Current Distribution in Helical Solenoids

A method is presented for calculating the current distribution and power loss in the individual turns of helical solenoids of nonmagnetic materials. Examples are presented pertaining to 5- and 14-turn coils with or without a circular billet located inside the solenoid. In addition, experimental results are included showing the excellent agreement between theory and practice.     

Distinctive late-life challenges: Implications for coping and well-being.

Two distinctive late-life challenges, community relocation and caring for an adult child with mental retardation, were studied to determine their influence on coping and well-being. These challenges differ in terms of their normativeness, duration, and whether they were expected. Data from 2 ongoing longitudinal studies (N?=?449) were used to test the hypotheses that women experiencing residential relocation would report higher well-being and use problem-focused coping more frequently than women with long-term caregiving responsibilities. As predicted, more positive changes in well-being across time were reported by the relocation sample, which also showed more problem-focused coping. Women in the caregiving sample, however, showed stronger relationships between coping and well-being, underscoring possible gains in expertise that accompany challenges of lengthy duration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being.

Reigning measures of psychological well-being have little theoretical grounding, despite an extensive literature on the contours of positive functioning. Aspects of well-being derived from this literature (i.e., self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth) were operationalized. Three hundred and twenty-one men and women, divided among young, middle-aged, and older adults, rated themselves on these measures along with six instruments prominent in earlier studies (i.e., affect balance, life satisfaction, self-esteem, morale, locus of control, depression). Results revealed that positive relations with others, autonomy, purpose in life, and personal growth were not strongly tied to prior assessment indexes, thereby supporting the claim that key aspects of positive functioning have not been represented in the empirical arena. Furthermore, age profiles revealed a more differentiated pattern of well-being than is evident in prior research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In the eye of the beholder: Views of psychological well-being among middle-aged and older adults.

Although the topic of psychological well-being has generated considerable research, few studies have investigated how adults themselves define positive functioning. To probe their conceptions of well-being, interviews were conducted with a community sample of 171 middle-aged (M?=?52.5 years, SD?=?8.7) and older (M?=?73.5 years, SD?=?6.1) men and women. Questions pertained to general life evaluation, past life experiences, conceptions of well-being, and views of the aging process. Responses indicated that both age groups and sexes emphasized an "others orientation" (being a caring, compassionate person and having good relationships) in defining well-being. Middle-aged respondents stressed self-confidence, self-acceptance, and self-knowledge, whereas older persons cited accepting change as an important quality of positive functioning. In addition to attention to positive relations with others as an index of well-being, lay views pointed to a sense of humor, enjoying life, and accepting change as criteria of successful aging. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The structure of psychological well-being revisited.

A theoretical model of psychological well-being that encompasses 6 distinct dimensions of wellness (Autonomy, Environmental Mastery, Personal Growth, Positive Relations with Others, Purpose in Life, Self-Acceptance) was tested with data from a nationally representative sample of adults (N?=?1,108), aged 25 and older, who participated in telephone interviews. Confirmatory factor analyses provided support for the proposed 6-factor model, with a single second-order super factor. The model was superior in fit over single-factor and other artifactual models. Age and sex differences on the various well-being dimensions replicated prior findings. Comparisons with other frequently used indicators (positive and negative affect, life satisfaction) demonstrated that the latter neglects key aspects of positive functioning emphasized in theories of health and well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Value transition and adult development in women: The instrumentality-terminality sequence hypothesis.

Tested the hypothesis that with increasing age there is a decreasing preference for values of instrumentality and a parallel increase in preference for values of terminality. 57 middle-aged and 62 old-aged females (mean ages, 43.1 and 70.4 yrs, respectively) completed the Rokeach Value Survey according to actual age or an assigned target age (middle-aged or old-aged). Data were analyzed using actual age, target age, class of values (instrumental vs terminal), and desirability (control) condition (personal vs social) as variables. Results show a main effect of Class Values and the predicted Target Age * Desirability Condition * Class of Values triple interaction. Findings support and expand previous research and also support the existence of self-acknowledged transitional or reorganizational phases in adulthood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exploring the Influence of Personality on Depressive Symptoms and Self-Esteem Across a Significant Life Transition.

This study investigates the influence of personality on adjustment to a particular life transition, community relocation. Participants were 285 women (average age=69.5) who were interviewed once before they moved, and then multiple times after the move. Within the context of this multiwave design, personality traits were used to predict changes in depressive symptoms (DS) and self-esteem (SE) across the move. Neuroticism and Openness to Experience predicted increases in DS over time, whereas Extraversion and Openness predicted increases in SE. Stressful reactions to the move and sense of mastery about the move partially mediated these effects. The study documents the dynamic influence of personality on positive and negative aspects of adjustment and investigates differing routes through which such effects occur. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Optimizing well-being: The empirical encounter of two traditions.

Subjective well-being (SWB) is evaluation of life in terms of satisfaction and balance between positive and negative affect; psychological well-being (PWB) entails perception of engagement with existential challenges of life. The authors hypothesized that these research streams are conceptually related but empirically distinct and that combinations of them relate differentially to sociodemographics and personality. Data are from a national sample of 3,032 Americans aged 25-74. Factor analyses confirmed the related-but-distinct status of SWB and PWB. The probability of optimal well-being (high SWB and PWB) increased as age, education, extraversion, and conscientiousness increased and as neuroticism decreased. Compared with adults with higher SWB than PWB, adults with higher PWB than SWB were younger, had more education, and showed more openness to experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)