Stable Oxygen and Carbon Isotopic Compositions of Lates stappersii Otoliths from Lake Tanganyika,East Africa

In this study, we measured growth trends in oxygen and carbon isotopic ratios in whole sagittal otoliths from three adult centropomid fish (Lates stappersii) from each of three sub-basins of Lake Tanganyika, East Africa. Sampling density was 20 to 50 samples per otolith. Both δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values increase with age. The δ¹⁸O data suggest that otoliths were precipitated near the expected equilibrium with the ambient environment (ca. +3.5‰) and support a migration pattern from surface waters during larval stages to deeper waters (40 to 80 m) for mature fish. Relatively high δ¹⁸O values in the southern sub-basin are consistent with cooler temperatures in the region during seasonal upwelling. The δ13C increase from otolith core to edge is large (up to 4‰) and is interpreted as due to ontogenetic changes in diet and contributions from a decrease in the proportion of respired CO₂ incorporated into otolith carbonate as metabolic rates of the fish dropped with maturity. The data seem to successfully reveal life strategy and migration patterns of L. stappersii, document regional differences in lake conditions, and provide a record of temperature within the water column during which the fish lived. Higher resolution studies and analyses of historical samples could be used to constrain modern and past growth patterns, and to reconstruct past temperature gradients and productivity patterns in the lake.     

Ignition temperatures of dust layers: Flaming and non-flaming

Combustible dusts, based on tests conducted in the Setchkin Furnace on five representative dusts, are shown to have two distinct layer minimum ignition temperatures, designated MIT_non-flaming and MIT_flaming. The MIT_non-flaming is the one usually reported in the literature; the MIT_flaming is determined by starting at a much higher temperature and working downwards. MIT_flaming can yield a different ranking of dust flammability than MIT_non-flaming. The MIT_flaming appears to be more closely correlated to the MIT of dust clouds and to the test prescribed for flammable solids in the US Code of Federal Regulations than the MIT_non-flaming.     

The Climate for Creativity and Change in Teams

This article reports the results of a study conducted to examine the ability of the Situational Outlook Questionnaire (SOQ^TM) to effectively discern climates that either encourage or discourage creativity and the ability to initiate change in a team setting. The purpose of the study is to examine the concurrent criterion–related validity of the SOQ. The article explores the characteristics in an organisational climate that promote teamwork and some of the tripwires one needs to be aware of in the formation and management of teams. Nine dimensions of the climate for creativity and change as measured by the Situational Outlook Questionnaire are put forward and defined in relation to teams. The methodology and results of the study are reported. The results show that when subjects (N7equals;154) complete the SOQ based on their recollection of a best– and worst–case team experience, the measure is able to consistently and significantly discriminate between the two types of experiences. Conclusions, implications, and areas for future research to further examine the validity of the SOQ are explored.     

Analysis of clinical trial data: The problem of outcome overlap.

The immediate goal of any clinical trial is to determine to which of a specified set of treatments future patients are to be assigned, particularly when analyzing data from clinical trials. When the outcome distributions of Experimental (E) and Control (C) treatments overlap, differences between treatment group means are not conclusive and may not be very informative, so a display of the overlapped frequency distributions and a summary measure of the probability of a random patient in E doing better than a random patient in C are needed. When outcome distributions overlap, the question of statistical model becomes crucial even when there are very significant differences between group means and very large effect sizes. Determining what patient variables interact with treatments is the route to optimal assignment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A correlation between attendance and grades in a first-year psychology class.

Performed a correlational analysis of attendance records and grades in a 1st-yr psychology class. 103 undergraduates were informed that the attendance records would not affect their grades in the course. A positive correlation was found between attendance and final grades in the course. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Computational modeling and elementary process analysis in visual word recognition.

An attempt is made to isolate the assumptions that make a connectionist approach to visual word recognition distinctive. These include the commitment to distributed representations, the claim that there is no distinction between lexical and nonlexical systems in the naming task, and the claim that it is possible to map from orthography to meaning without using localized representations. It is argued that merely demonstrating that a network model can perform these tasks is not sufficient and that a detailed theory of how the network performs its tasks must accompany the simulation, because a simulation is not equivalent to an explanation. It is argued that further progress requires detailed modeling and experimental study of the elementary processes assumed to be involved in networks and that it is premature to dismiss alternative models of lexical access such as serial search models. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role of Specimen Geometry in the Effect of Fiber Orientation on the Thermal Conductivity of a Uniaxial Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Aluminoborosilicate Glass-Matrix Composite

A study concerning the effect of fiber orientation on the thermal conductivity of a uniaxial carbon-fiber-reinforced borosilicate glass was conducted. For thin specimens, and thick specimens with specimen sides cut parallel to the fiber direction, the dependence of thermal conductivity on fiber orientation showed excellent agreement with theoretical behavior predicted for a composite infinite in extent. In contrast, the thermal conductivity data for rectangular thick specimens fell well below the data for the thin and angled specimens. For fiber orientation of 45° and higher, at which the heat was directed toward the side of the specimen rather than across, the thermal conductivity values showed excellent agreement with theoretical behavior predicted for a finite composite strip with insulated sides.