Reports for 1982 of the Regional Associations.

Reports for 1982 are listed for the following regional association meetings: Sixty-Second Annual Meeting of the Western Psychological Association; Fifty-Second Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association; Fifty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association; Twenty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association; Twenty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Southwestern Psychological Association; Twenty-Second Annual Meeting of the New England Psychological Association; Fifty-Third Annual Meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association; and Seventy-Fourth Annual Meeting of the Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Estimating boreal forest species type with airborne polarimetric synthetic aperture radar

We have applied a non-parametric classifier (k nearest neighbour) to two calibrated orthogonal passes of airborne polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (POLSAR) image data over boreal forest for the purpose of discriminating canopy tree species of predefined stands. We found that a single classifier based on a single feature space (i.e. one set of POLSAR variables for all species) was less accurate than a hierarchical two-stage classifier that used different POLSAR variables for each species. We designed a two-stage classifier that first grouped stands into broad classes: pine, spruce and deciduous, and then classified each sample within the broad classes into individual species. We found that the most effective feature spaces had two or three dimensions. The two-stage classifier attained overall accuracies of between 60% and 75%.

We provide a first use of an equivalency test applied to remote-sensing classification. We use Lloyd's test of equivalency to find equivalent classifiers and thus infer informative POLSAR variables. The POLSAR variables that were most informative varied between the two passes and between the various elements of the hierarchical classifier. For the initial three-class classifier the most informative POLSAR variables were the two circular polarization ratios, several of Touzi's Stokes vector variables, HHVV coherence, several texture measures such as the variance of several scattering coefficients and the order parameter of the K-distribution and characteristics of the polarization signature pedestal. These results demonstrate that C-band POLSAR has great potential for mapping boreal forest cover either on its own or in concert with other geospatial data.     

Effects of clinical practice on psychologists: Treating depressed clients, perceived stress, and ways of coping.

Do psychologists become depressed themselves from working with depressed clients, as J. C. Coyne's ( 1976) dysphoric mood induction would predict? An assessment of psychologists' moods before and after sessions with depressed clients over a 3-week period showed no such effect. Rather, it appeared that the use of specific coping strategies by these psychologists in dealing with the stress of working with depressed clients (mainly planful problem solving and self-controlling) prevented the therapists from becoming depressed. Clinical practice is frequently stressful, and it is recommended that psychotherapists engage in problem-focused coping strategies to lessen the effect of this stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Carotid and femoral artery wall thickness and stiffness in patients at risk for cardiovascular disease, with special emphasis on hyperhomocysteinemia

Recent developments in ultrasound technology enable the noninvasive measurement of structural and functional vessel wall changes. Until now, the effect of homocysteine on the arterial wall has remained unclear: reports on intima-media thickness (IMT) yield conflicting results, whereas data on vessel wall stiffness are lacking. Because several cardiovascular risk factors result in an increased IMT or stiffness, different groups at risk for atherosclerotic disease, with special emphasis on hyperhomocysteinemia, were studied. Nineteen patients homozygous and 14 subjects heterozygous for cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) deficiency, 21 patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), 15 patients with essential hypertension, 20 smokers, and 28 control subjects were studied. The IMT values (both right and left) of the common carotid artery (CCA), bulb (BUL), internal carotid artery (ICA), and common femoral artery (CFA) were measured in millimeters by high-resolution ultrasound (Biosound). The distensibility (DC, in 10(-3). kPa-1) and compliance (CC in mm2. kPa-1) coefficients of the CCA (right and left) and CFA (right) were determined by a wall track system (Pie Medical). The mean IMT of the posterior wall in the CCA was 0.70+/-0.09 mm in healthy controls. For patients with vascular disease, FH, and hypertension and in smokers, the mean CCA IMT was larger, whereas no major differences in IMT were observed in patients either homozygous or heterozygous for CBS deficiency. The DC and CC in the right CCA were 23.5+/-6.9 (10(-3). kPa-1) and 0.9+/-0.3 (mm2. kPa-1) in healthy subjects, slightly lower in patients homozygous for CBS deficiency, and clearly lower in patients with vascular disease, FH, and hypertension. No positive correlation was found between plasma homocysteine level and either IMT, CC, or DC. Because smoking was a confounder in each risk group, a stepwise regression analysis was carried out to assess the contribution of each risk factor on IMT and arterial wall stiffness. Age explained most of the variation in IMT of the CCA (coefficient of determination R2 of 0.34), whereas R2 values for serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol, smoking (pack-years), and systolic blood pressure were 0.08, 0.07, and 0.06, respectively. Homocysteine did not contribute to variation in IMT in both the CCA and CFA. Age and smoking contributed to the variation in IMT in the CFA. The variation in DC and CC in the right CCA and right CFA could in part be explained by age, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and blood pressure. Plasma homocysteine concentration explained only a small proportion of the variation in DC in the CCA (R2=0.02) and in CC in the CFA (R2=0.04). In this study, no relationship was found between homocysteine level and the thickness of the arterial wall, with only a marginal influence on stiffness.     

Double-blind, placebo-controlled study of intravenous prostacyclin on hemodynamics in severe Raynaud's phenomenon: the acute vasodilatory effect is not sustained

In 12 patients with severe Raynaud's phenomenon (RP: ischemic ulcers or intractable pain despite use of narcotic analgetics), we studied the acute and long-term hemodynamic effects of epoprostenol on systemic and finger skin circulation. Epoprostenol was infused intravenously (i.v., initial infusion rate of 2 ng/kg/min, with a subsequent increase of 2 ng/kg/min every 30 min to the individually tolerated maximal dose of 8 ng/kg/min) in a triple, 5-h, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study. During epoprostenol infusion, systolic blood pressure (SBP) remained stable, while diastolic BP (DBP) decreased (-8 mm Hg, p < 0.02), with a simultaneous increase in heart rate (HR + 14 beats/min, p < 0.001). Forearm blood flow (FBF) increased and forearm vascular resistance (FVR) decreased during epoprostenol as compared with placebo infusion (p < 0.01). Epoprostenol caused a significant increase in fingertip skin temperature (p < 0.01) as well as in laser Doppler flux (p < 0.02) before and after a standardized cooling test of the hand as compared with placebo. The increase in transcutaneous oxygen tension reached significant difference only during recovery (p < 0.02). No long-term improvement was noted during two additional cooling tests performed 1 and 6 weeks after the completed epoprostenol or placebo triple-infusion cycle. Repeated long-lasting epoprostenol infusion immediately improves the microcirculation, but these effects are not sustained after 1 week.     

Diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis, an overview

This article reviews the role of dendritic cells in cutaneous immunity. Langerhans cells (LC) found in the epidermis are the best-characterized dendritic cell population. They have the ability to process antigen in the periphery, transport it to the draining lymph nodes (DLN) where they are able to cluster with, and activate, antigen-specific naive T cells. During migration LC undergo phenotypic and functional changes which enable them to perform this function. There are other less well-characterized dendritic cells including dendritic epidermal T cells, dermal dendrocytes and dermal "LC-like' cells. Although there is no evidence that dendritic epidermal T cells (DETC) can present antigen or migrate to lymph nodes, they do influence the intensity of cutaneous immune responses to chemical haptens. Antigen-presenting cells (APC) in the dermis may provide alternative routes of antigen presentation which could be important in the regulation of skin immune responses. Therefore, dendritic cells are vital for the induction of immune responses to antigens encountered via the skin. LC are particularly important in primary immune responses due to their ability to activate naive T cells. The faster kinetics of secondary responses, and the ability of nonprofessional APC to induce effector function in previously activated cells, suggest that antigen presentation in the DLN may be less important in responses to previously encountered antigens. In these secondary responses, dendritic and nondendritic APC in the skin may directly induce effector functions from antigen-specific recirculating cells.     

Scientist–practitioner activities among psychologists of behavioral and nonbehavioral orientations.

268 members of the American Psychological Association's Division of Clinical Psychology returned questionnaires (out of 500 sent) assessing professional activities. Both university and nonuniversity behaviorists as compared with nonbehaviorists in these same settings were more active with regard to (a) journal publications, (b) published chapters/books, and (c) formal papers/symposia/colloquia presentations. University nonbehaviorists, however, provided more clinical supervision, and nonuniversity nonbehaviorists engaged in considerably more direct client contact than did those of a behavioral orientation in these settings. Results are discussed with regard to scientist–professional activities and training in behavior modification. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of treatment rationale and problem severity on perceptions of psychological problems and counseling approaches.

Examined the effects of different treatment rationales and problem severity on 240 undergraduates' attitudes concerning various counseling approaches, psychological problems, and counselor characteristics. Ss were exposed to 1 of 4 different rationale conditions (psychoanalytic, behavioral, rational emotive, or a no-rationale control) described for the treatment of psychological problems (snake phobia, test anxiety, depression, or schizophrenia), which varied in severity; Ss then completed ratings on a number of measures. Results reveal that although attitudes concerning the different treatment rationales did not vary as a function of problem severity, exposure to a rationale enhanced rated willingness to enter counseling and promoted a more accurate perception of the nature of psychological problems and the requirements of treatment. Findings are discussed in terms of the importance of assessing clients' initial attitudes regarding treatment and providing precounseling information promoting accurate and positive expectations. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reports for 1981 of the Regional Associations.

Presents reports of the following Annual Meetings: Western Psychological Association; Midwestern Psychological Association; Eastern Psychological Association; Rocky Mountain Psychological Association; Southeastern Psychological Association; Southwestern Psychological Association; New England Psychological Association; and the Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)