Great psychologists and their times: Scientific insights into psychology's history: Book review.

This book (D. K. Simonton [2002]; see record 2002-17019-000) organizes a series of studies into a single volume on eminence in psychology. The reviewer contends that this is not a typical work on the history of psychology but prides itself as a work based largely on "historiometric methods" (with some results of psychometric studies included). Historiometrics is the use of archival data in almost any available form and bringing it to bear on questions of greatness or eminence in a particular field or fields. Hence, one can study the greatness of scientists, politicians, literary figures, and so on by counting their works, citations, analyzing the content of their works for various components, examining generational factors, biographical factors, personal factors, and so on. Technical details are few and the book reads somewhat like an advanced undergraduate textbook that of course enhances its accessibility but occasionally leads to rather superficial analyses. Despite these quibbles, it does stand as a solid representative of the historiometric tradition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some elements in domestic and imported fresh fruits marketed in the Netherlands

Summary Sodium, potassium, arsenic, selenium and tin have been determined in 38 different types of domestic and imported fresh fruits. All samples (n=242) were analysed for Na und K whereas a limited number of samples (n=85) of each fruit type was selected for the determination of As, Se and Sn. The median contents, in mass fractions of the edible portion, found for fresh fruits are: Na<0.001%; K 0.17%; As 4 g/kg; Se 2 g/kg and Sn< 0.05 mg/kg. The corresponding 90th percentile values are: Na 0,002%, K 0.34%; As 12 g/kg; Se 10 g/kg and Sn 0.10 mg/kg. Results for selenium reported here differ substantially from those given for a number of fresh fruits in the German Food Composition Tables 1986/1987. The average consumption of 129 g fresh fruit by Dutch citizens in the age category of 22–75 years contributes, in general, marginally to the total daily dietary intake of sodium, arsenic, selenium and tin. Fresh fruit can contribute substantially, up to 23%, to the average oral daily intake of potassium.

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Einige Mineralstoffe im einheimischen und importierten Frischobst vom niederländischen Markt

Zusammenfassung Natrium, Kalium, Arsen, Selen und Zinn wurden in 38 verschiedenen Sorten von in- und ausländischem Frischobst bestimmt. Alle Proben (n=242) wurden auf Na und K untersucht; während nur eine beschränkte Zahl von Proben (n=85) für die Bestimmung von As, Se und Sn ausgewählt wurde. Die Medianwerte, in Massenanteilen der eßbaren Portionen, betrugen für frisches Obst: Na<0,001%; K 0,17% As 4 g/kg; Se 2 g/kg und Sn<0,05 mg/kg. Die dazugehörigen Werte für den 90 Perzentil sind: Na 0,002%; K 0,34%; As 12 g/kg; Se 10 g/kg und Sn 0,10 mg/kg. Für einige Obstsorten wurden Selenwerte erhalten, die erheblich von denen der Deutschen Nährwert-Tabellen 1986/1987 abweichen. Frischobst, dessen Verzehr für Einwohner der Niederlande in der Altersklasse von 22–75 Jahre im Schnitt 129 g/Tag beträgt, liefert einen vernachlässigbaren Beitrag zur täglichen Einnahme von Natrium, Arsen, Selen und Zinn; für Kalium hingegen kann dieser Beitrag, mit bis zu 23%, erheblich sein.

     

A Unified Subdivision Scheme for Polygonal Modeling

Subdivision rules have traditionally been designed to generate smooth surfaces from polygonal meshes. In this paper we propose to employ subdivision rules as a polygonal modeling tool, specifically to add additional level of detail to meshes. However, existing subdivision schemes have several undesirable properties making them ill suited for polygonal modeling. In this paper we propose a general set of subdivision rules which provides users with more control over the subdivision process. Most existing subdivision schemes are special cases. In particular, we provide subdivision rules which blend approximating spline based schemes with interpolatory ones. Also, we generalize subdivision to allow any number of refinements to be performed in a single step.     

Sanguinarine Inhibition of TNF-α-Induced CCL2, IKBKE/NF-κB/ERK1/2 Signaling Pathway,and Cell Migration in Human Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells

Angiogenesis is a process that drives breast cancer (BC) progression and metastasis, which is linked to the altered inflammatory process, particularly in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). In targeting inflammatory angiogenesis, natural compounds are a promising option for managing BC. Thus, this study was designed to determine the natural alkaloid sanguinarine (SANG) potential for its antiangiogenic and antimetastatic properties in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. The cytotoxic effect of SANG was examined in MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cell models at a low molecular level. In this study, SANG remarkably inhibited the inflammatory mediator chemokine CCL2 in MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cells. Furthermore, qRT-PCR confirmed with Western analysis studies showed that mRNA CCL2 repression was concurrent with reducing its main regulator IKBKE and NF-κB signaling pathway proteins in both TNBC cell lines. The total ERK1/2 protein was inhibited in the more responsive MDA-MB-231 cells. SANG exhibited a higher potential to inhibit cell migration in MDA-MB-231 cells compared to MDA-MB-468 cells. Data obtained in this study suggest a unique antiangiogenic and antimetastatic effect of SANG in the MDA-MB-231 cell model. These effects are related to the compound’s ability to inhibit the angiogenic CCL2 and impact the ERK1/2 pathway. Therefore, SANG use may be recommended as a component of the therapeutic strategy for TNBC.     

Non-fickian diffusion with reaction in glassy polymers with swelling induced by the penetrant—effects of consecutive and parallel reactions

A mathematical model is presented for non-Fickian diffusion of a penetrant A into a granular glassy polymer containing a reactive group B, resulting in the desired product P. Further, both a consecutive reaction between A and P (producing X) and a parallel reaction between A and C (producing Y) are incorporated, with C initially present in the particle. The swelling of the polymer, induced by the penetrant, is described by power-law kinetics for the velocity of the swelling front. Kinetics are considered to be first order in each of the two reactants. Concentration profiles in the particle and selectivity to desired product are calculated as function of the swelling behavior of the polymer grain. In case of a consecutive reaction the local concentration of P reaches a maximum value independent of the swelling rate. However, the position of the maximal concentration of P moves towards the center of the grain with a rate depending on the kinetics of swelling. For Case II diffusion this velocity equals the velocity of the advancing front between glassy and rubbery polymer. The selectivity of the desired reaction decreases with decreasing swelling rate. A low swelling rate also results in an inhomogeneous product distribution within the granule. A criterion is derived predicting under what conditions the consecutive reaction can be neglected and a pure product is obtained. The analysis further reveals that both a more homogeneous product and a higher selectivity toward a desired product can be obtained by realizing preswelling of the polymer with an inert swelling agent. For Case II diffusion the concentration profiles of the side product of the parallel reaction, Y, are flat in the rubbery part of the polymer. This is caused by the relatively low swelling rate allowing Y to redistribute in the swollen polymer. If additional C is continuously supplied from the gas phase, then the selectivity decreases continuously with increasing conversion of B.     

Instructional demands and ratings of overt and hidden pain during hypnotic analgesia.

16 highly hypnotizable (Carlton University Responsiveness to Suggestion Scale) undergraduates rated the intensity of cold pressor pain during a baseline trial and again during 3 hypnotic analgesia trials. During each analgesia trial, Ss were instructed to give overt reports that reflected consciously experienced pain and covert reports that reflected the intensity of "hidden" pain. Treatment instructions administered before the 1st analgesia trial did not specify the relationship between overt and covert pain. Instructions given before the remaining 2 analgesia trials indicated that hidden pain would be either more or less intense than overt pain. Until they were given explicit information about the relative intensities of the pain, Ss reported no differences in the magnitude of overt and covert pain, contrary to the dissociation hypothesis of hypnotic analgesia. Consistent with social psychological formulations of the hidden observer phenomenon, Ss reported both higher covert than overt pain and lower covert than overt pain, depending on the instructions they were administered. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The epistemology question in psychology.

That psychologists are debating epistemological questions appears to be a relatively recent phenomenon only if one has no appreciation for the history of the discipline. Whether we evoke the writings of Wundt, Hull, Tolman, or more recent cognitive psychologists, it is impossible to escape the recurrence of certain fundamental questions on the nature of psychological knowledge and the justification of that knowledge. Even Skinner is a remarkably adept epistemologist despite his avowal that theories of learning are not necessary. But psychology has been enthralled for the better part of this century by a caricature of the very science it would become, and, while it has been consistently and severely criticized for this mistake, it has shown itself to be remarkably immune to such criticism. Part of the reluctance to change has stemmed from the lack of a serious indigenous alternative to the hackneyed version of logical empiricism and its operationist credo that have held sway over the discipline for the better part of its life. The papers included in the present issue of Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne are a small wedge into the broader conversation concerning what it means to have psychological knowledge. Each of these was part of a symposium presented at the Canadian Psychological Association Meetings in Montreal in 1988 by the Section on the History and Philosphy of Psychology. Each of the four papers argues (a) against the status quo of the shop-worn operationism and its attendant claims which pass for epistemology in psychology, and (b) for a renewed emphasis of either some one form of realism or constructionism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Obfuscation for Cryptographic Purposes

Loosely speaking, an obfuscation O of a function f should satisfy two requirements: firstly, using O, it should be possible to evaluate f; secondly, O should not reveal anything about f that cannot be learnt from oracle access to f alone. Several definitions for obfuscation exist. However, most of them are very hard to satisfy, even when focusing on specific applications such as obfuscating a point function (e.g., for authentication purposes). In this work, we propose and investigate two new variants of obfuscation definitions. Our definitions are simulation-based (i.e., require the existence of a simulator that can efficiently generate fake obfuscations) and demand only security on average (over the choice of the obfuscated function). We stress that our notions are not free from generic impossibilities: there exist natural classes of function families that cannot be securely obfuscated. Hence we cannot hope for a general-purpose obfuscator with respect to our definition. However, we prove that there also exist several natural classes of functions for which our definitions yield interesting results.     

Chromium speciation in coal and biomass co-combustion products

Chromium speciation is vital for the toxicity of products resulting from co-combustion of coal and biomass. Therefore, understanding of formation processes has been studied using a combination of X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy and thermodynamic equilibrium calculations. The influence of cofiring on Cr speciation is very dependent on the type of fuel. Cr(VI) contents in the investigated fly ash samples from coal and cofiring average around 7% of the total chromium. An exception is cofiring 7-28% wood for which ashes exhibited Cr(VI) concentrations of 12-16% of the total chromium. Measurements are in line with thermodynamic predictions: RE factors of Cr around 1 are in line with volatile Cr only above 1400 °C; lower Cr(VI) concentrations with lower oxygen content and Cr(III) dissolved in aluminosilicate glass. Stability of Cr(VI) below 700 °C does not correlate with Cr(VI) concentrations found in the combustion products. It is indicated that Cr(VI) formation is a high-temperature process dependent on Cr evaporation (mode of occurrence in fuel, promoted by organic association), oxidation (local oxygen content), and formation of solid chromates (promoted by presence of free lime (CaO) in the ash). CaCrO(4)(s) is a probable chemical form but, given different leachable fractions (varying from 25 to 100%), different forms of Cr(VI) must be present. Clay-bound Cr is likely to dissolve in the aluminosilicate glass phase during melting of the clay.     

Conditioned fear-induced tachycardia in the rat: vagal involvement

The effects of conditioned fear on gross activity, heart rate, PQ interval, noradrenaline and adrenaline were studied in freely moving rats. Subcutaneous (s.c.) injections of atropine methyl nitrate (0.5 mg/kg) during rest resulted in a significant shortening of the PQ interval, indicating that the PQ interval can be used as a measure of vagal activity. Conditioned fear was induced by 10-min forced exposure to a cage in which the rat had previously experienced footshocks (5 x 0.5 mA x 3 s). In non-shocked controls, an increase in gross activity was found and a pronounced tachycardia, without changes in PQ interval. Conditioned fear rats showed immobility behaviour, associated with a less pronounced tachycardia and an increase in PQ interval. Noradrenaline was similarly increased in both groups, whereas adrenaline was increased in conditioned fear rats only. To further evaluate the role of the vagus, rats were exposed to conditioned fear after pre-treatment with atropine methyl nitrate (0.5 mg/kg, s.c.). Again, immobility was observed with a concomitant tachycardia, but without an increase in PQ interval. These results indicate that the autonomic nervous system is differentially involved in heart rate regulation in conditioned fear rats and in non-shocked controls: in non-shocked controls a predominant sympathetic nervous system activation results in an increase in heart rate, whereas in conditioned fear rats the tachycardiac response is attenuated by a simultaneous activation of sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system.