The Relational-Interdependent Self-Construal, Self-Concept Consistency, and Well-Being.

Examination of the assumptions underlying consistency perspectives in social and personality psychology reveals that they are based on an independent, individualistic view of the self. If the self is constructed as relational or interdependent with others, consistency may be less important in social behavior and well-being. Using a variety of measures of well-being, the studies showed that there is a weaker relation between consistency and well-being for individuals with a highly relational self-construal than for those with a low relational self-construal. Study 3 examined the association between the self-construal, consistency, authenticity, and well-being. These findings reveal the importance of a cultural analysis of theories of the self, personality, and well-being for further theory development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In-kind and out-of-kind penalties: Preference and valuation.

Utilitarian and economic theories of deterrence hold that the relation of the penalty to the misdeed should be irrelevant. In 5 experiments using hypothetical cases, judgments of penalties depended on whether this relation was in kind (IK) or out of kind (OK). When victims were identifiable, IK penalties were higher than OK and preferred to OK. Subjects seemed to confuse penalties and compensation. When there were no identifiable victims (e.g., environmental damage), IK penalties were preferred, but OK penalties were higher. Here, OK judgments were more uncertain, and subjects preferred to err on the side of overpunishing. The results can be explained in terms of overgeneralization of usually useful heuristics. Alternative hypotheses concerning aggression and scale compatibility are rejected. The findings have implications for the setting of penalties in legal cases (e.g., the Exxon Valdez) and for lay theories of punishment in nonlegal settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modeling the thin-slab continuous-casting mold

A three-dimensional mathematical model has been developed to compute the thermomechanical state in the mold of thin-slab continuous casters. The thin-slab mold differs from those used in conventional slab casters in that the upper portion of the broad side walls defines a funnel-shaped chamber which allows the nozzle to be submerged into the liquid metal. The chamber converges with distance down the mold, reducing to the rectangular cross section of the finished casting near the mold exit. The new mold, along with casting speeds up to 6 m/min, allows slabs to be cast 50–60 mm thick, compared with 150 to 350 mm in conventional continuous slab casting. However, the mold shape and high casting speed lead to higher mold temperatures and shorter mold life than are found in conventional slab casters. In this article, we develop mathematical models of the process to determine the role of various process parameters in determining the mold life. Finite-element analysis is used to determine the temperatures in the mold and cast slab, and these data are then used in an elastic-viscoplastic analysis to investigate the deformation of the mold wall in service. Cyclic inelastic strains up to 1.75 Pct are found in a region below the meniscus along the funnel edge. These large strains result from the combination of locally high temperatures coupled with geometric restraint of the mold. The deformation leads to short mold life because of thermal fatigue cracking of the mold. The computed locations and time to failure of the mold in fatigue agree very well with observations of the appearance of mold surface cracks in an operating caster. The models are also used to develop an improved mold design. Formerly Research Assistant, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL     

News Media Use and Adolescents' Attitudes about Nuclear Issues: An American-Soviet Comparison

Both Soviet and American youth show a great concern about the possible effects of nuclear war, with heavy media users in both countries more optimistic, but the relation was stronger among Soviet students.     

Effect of Lateral Cracks on Fracture Toughness Determined by the Surface-Crack-in-Flexure Method

The surface-crack-in-flexure (SCF) method uses a Knoop indenter to create small, semielliptical surface precracks in beam specimens. Lateral cracks may interfere with the primary median crack and cause errors of up to 10% in determination of fracture toughness, particularly for materials for which the fracture toughness is ∼3 MPa·m^1/2 or less. Although the residual-stress-damage zone is ground or polished away by hand by removing 4.5–5 times the indentation depth, this amount may not be sufficient to completely remove the lateral cracks in low-fracture-toughness materials. A series of tests were conducted on sintered alpha silicon carbide with different amounts of material removed after indentation. Once the lateral cracks were fully removed, the SCF results concurred with single-edged-precracked-beam and chevron-notched-beam data collected in accordance with ASTM Designation C1421. A simple remedy for the SCF method is to examine the outer ground surface for remnants of lateral cracks before fracture and to remove more material if necessary.     

A sensing strategy for the reverse engineering of machined parts

The reverse engineering of machined parts requires sensing an existing part and producing a design (and perhaps a manufacturing process) for it. We have developed a reverse engineering system that has proven effective with a set of machined parts. This paper describes the system, presents some results, and discusses strategy for a new system.This work was supported by ARPA under ARO grant number DAAH04-93-G-0420, DARPA grant N00014-91-J-4123, NSF grant CDA 9024721, and a University of Utah Research Committee grant. All opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsoring agencies.     

The Rules of Beeping: Exchanging Messages Via Intentional "Missed Calls" on Mobile Phones

This article explores the practice of "beeping" or "missed calling" between mobile phone users, or calling a number and hanging up before the mobile's owner can pick up the call. Most beeps are requests to call back immediately, but they can also send a pre-negotiated instrumental message such as "pick me up now" or a relational sign, such as "I'm thinking of you." The practice itself is old, with roots in landline behaviors, but it has grown tremendously, particularly in the developing world. Based on interviews with small business owners and university students in Rwanda, the article identifies three kinds of beeps (callback, pre-negotiated instrumental, and relational) and the norms governing their use. It then assesses the significance of the practice using adaptive structuration theory. In concluding, the article contrasts beeping with SMS/text messaging, discusses its implications for increasing access to telecommunications services, and suggests paths for future research.     

THE IMPORTANCE OF NEUTRAL EXAMPLES FOR LEARNING SENTIMENT

Most research on learning to identify sentiment ignores "neutral" examples, learning only from examples of significant (positive or negative) polarity. We show that it is crucial to use neutral examples in learning polarity for a variety of reasons. Learning from negative and positive examples alone will not permit accurate classification of neutral examples. Moreover, the use of neutral training examples in learning facilitates better distinction between positive and negative examples.     

Semantic priming in schizophrenia: An examination of spreading activation using word pronunciation and multiple SOAs.

Semantic priming in word pronunciation was examined at 5 stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs) in 75 medicated and 25 unmedicated people with schizophrenia (SCZ) and in 10 depressed and 28 normal controls. At SOAs     

A cognitive-experiential approach to modelling web navigation

Flow experience, the degree to which a person feels involved in a particular activity, is an important influence on human–computer interaction. Building on Guo and Poole’s (2009) model of flow experience in Web navigation, and van Schaik and Ling's (in press) cognitive-experiential approach to modelling interaction experience, this research demonstrates the crucial role of the preconditions of flow experience in human–computer interaction. In an experiment, the preconditions of flow experience – but not flow experience proper – mediated the effects of artefact complexity, task complexity and intrinsic motivation (as a situation-specific trait) on both flow and task outcome. However, preconditions did not predict overall artefact evaluation. Within a staged model of flow experience, the broader implications of this work for human–computer interaction are explored.