Cognitive adaptation, psychological adjustment, and disease progression among angioplasty patents: 4 years later.

The long-term effects of the Cognitive Adaptation Theory Index (CATI) on psychological and physical health outcomes among men (n=199) and women (n=99) treated for coronary artery disease with percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty were examined. The CATI reflects a positive view of the self, a positive view of one's future, and a sense of personal control over daily life. This index was created from questionnaires administered during hospitalization for the initial angioplasty. Four years later, the CATI predicted positive adjustment to disease, even when initial adjustment was taken into consideration. In addition, the CATI predicted a reduced likelihood of sustaining a subsequent cardiac event over 4 yrs. This association was more robust for men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation of agency and communion to well-being: Evidence and potential explanations.

There are pervasive sex differences in psychological and physical well-being, many of which can be linked to the differential socialization of men and women. Numerous studies have linked psychological masculinity and femininity to well-being. In the present article, this literature is explained by focusing on the specific personality traits captured by conventional measures of masculinity and femininity: agency (focus on self and forming separations) and communion (focus on others and forming connections), respectively. Both agency and communion are required for optimal well-being (D. Bakan, 1966); when one exists in the absence of the other (unmitigated communion or unmitigated agency), however, negative health outcomes occur. Research that is consistent with this idea is presented, and the processes by which unmitigated agency and unmitigated communion affect well-being are explored. These processes involve control, social support, and health behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Actions speak no louder than words: Symmetrical cross-modal interference effects in the processing of verbal and gestural information.

Five experiments are reported that investigate the distribution of selective attention to verbal and nonverbal components of an utterance when conflicting information exists in these channels. A Stroop-type interference paradigm is adopted in which attributes from the verbal and nonverbal dimensions are placed into conflict. Static directional (deictic) gestures and corresponding spoken and written words show symmetrical interference (Experiments 1, 2, and 3), as do directional arrows and spoken words (Experiment 4). This symmetry is maintained when the task is switched from a manual keypress to a verbal naming response (Experiment 5), suggesting the mutual influence of the 2 dimensions is independent of spatial stimulus-response compatibility. It is concluded that the results are consistent with a model of interference in which information from pointing gestures and speech is integrated prior to the response selection stage of processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Water as a Promoter of the Complete Oxidation of Volatile Organic Compounds over Uranium Oxide Catalysts

The effect of water addition on the complete oxidation of benzene and propane VOCs by uranium oxide catalysts has been investigated. Benzene oxidation was studied using a silica supported U₃O₈ catalyst. Complete oxidation is promoted by the addition of 2.6% water compared with the reactivity when no water is added to the reactant feed. Increasing the water concentration to 12.1% resulted in a suppression of oxidation activity. Investigation of propane oxidation using U₃O₈ shows a dramatic promotion of activity. Propane conversion was ca. 50% at 600 °C without added water, whilst it increased to 100% at 400 °C with the addition of 2.6% water. A comparison of oxidation activity has been made with Mn₂O₃, an oxide recognised for complete oxidation. In contrast to the U₃O₈ catalysts the addition of 2.6% water suppresses the activity of Mn₂O₃. In situ powder X-ray diffraction studies showed that the bulk U₃O₈ structure was stable under all the reaction conditions. The origin of the increased activity is not clear but may be due to modification of the catalyst surface and the contribution from new reaction pathways such as steam reforming.     

Taking control of web browsing

Adherence to accessibility guidelines for Web pages does not necessarily guarantee a usable or satisfying Web experience for all persons with disabilities. The needs of many of these individuals fall outside the guidelines for accessible content that most Web authors take into consideration. Many of these users wish, for example, that they simply could ‘enlarge’ what is on a Web page. They also express the wish that pages would be ‘less confusing’. To meet these needs, Web browsers and various software applications provide for a variety of ways in which page presentations can be altered. The effects of these alterations often have unexpected consequences. Some designs accommodate these alterations better than others. This article discusses one such application that allows users to control features of Web page presentation and explores design features that facilitate such control.     

Recommendations to support interaction with broadcast debates: a study on older adults’ interaction with <Emphasis Type="Italic">The Moral Maze</Emphasis>

Current methods to capture, analyse and present the audience participation of broadcast events are increasingly carried out using social media. Uptake of such technology tools has so far been poor amongst older adults, and it has the worrying effect of excluding the demographic from participation. Our work explores whether a common desire to interact with debates can be tapped with technology with a very low barrier to entry, to both support better engagement with broadcast debates and encourage greater use of social media. This paper describes experiments where older adults interact with a BBC radio debate programme: The Moral Maze. As a result, we obtained common interaction patterns which then are used to define recommendations for software-supported interaction with debates based on theories of argumentation. Our goal is to combine research on computational models of argument and user-driven research on human-centred computing in a project with the potential for high-profile impact in addressing older adults inclusion in the digital economy.     

Alcohol's Effect on Triggered Displaced Aggression.

The authors examined alcohol's effect on triggered displaced aggression, the hostile reaction to a second provoking person after provocation from a first. Participants consumed an alcoholic or a nonalcoholic beverage. Subsequently, one individual provoked all of them with moderate intensity. Then, 2 groups were studied: those who received or who failed to receive a second provocation of minimal intensity. Consistent with prior research, participants who received a second, minimal provocation displayed more aggression than those who did not. After participants drank alcohol, the magnitude of this difference was significantly greater, indicating that alcohol increases triggered displaced aggression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)