Narcissism, sexual refusal, and aggression: Testing a narcissistic reactance model of sexual coercion.

Laboratory analog studies investigated the theory that narcissism and reactance contribute to causing rape. In Study 1, narcissism correlated positively with rape-supportive beliefs and negatively with empathy for rape victims. In Study 2, narcissists reported more enjoyment than other men of film depictions that presented consensual, affectionate activity followed by rape (but not in response to either affection or rape alone). In Study 3, narcissists were more punitive than other men toward a female confederate who refused to read a sexually arousing passage aloud to them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Media ratings for violence and sex: Implications for policymakers and parents.

This article reviews research on the implementation of media-rating systems, parents' use and evaluation of them, and the impact of ratings on children. Although half or more of parents report using media-rating systems, understanding of various components of the systems is low, particularly for television ratings. A meta-analysis of national polls shows that parents overwhelmingly prefer that ratings specify content, rather than giving age recommendations. A second meta-analysis, of experiments testing the effects of ratings on children's interest in programs, shows that ratings indicating restricted or controversial content have a deterrent effect for children under age 8 but that, by age 11 and especially for boys, the ratings show a small enticement effect. This effect occurs for both age-based and content-based ratings. Implications for policymakers and parents are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using the normal quantile plot to explore meta-analytic data sets.

In a meta-analysis, graphical displays can be used to check statistical assumptions for numerical procedures and they can be used to discover important patterns in the data. The authors propose the normal quantile plot as a preferred alternative to the funnel plot for such purposes. The normal quantile plot, like the funnel plot, can be used to investigate whether all studies come from a single population and to search for publication bias. However, the normal quantile plot is easier to interpret than the funnel plot, especially when it includes 95% confidence bands. In addition, the normal quantile plot can be used to check the normality assumption for numerical procedures. The funnel plot cannot be used for this latter purpose. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An electro-optic holography system with real-time arithmetic processing

This paper reports the use of a real-time arithmetic image processor in an electro-optic holography system. A speckle interferometer is used to combine an image of an object, lit by laser light, with a mutually coherent reference beam. A CCD TV camera detects the interference pattern, and the phase of the reference beam is advanced by 90° between frames. An image is generated from each set of four sequential TV frames by subtracting alternate frames, squaring, and adding the two results. The result is improved picture quality compared with the use of binary pixels and compared with electronic speckle pattern interferometry. Experimental results are shown.     

Treating fluid noncompliance in the hemodialysis population using unit wide contests

Thirty-six patients with tinea unguium were treated with 200 mg of itraconazole daily for 7 days each month. We suggested that a patient who had a lesion in the thumbnail needed 5 months of treatment for mycologial cure, while in a patient without thumbnail lesion, 3 months of treatment was enough.     

Chewing on It Can Chew You Up: Effects of Rumination on Triggered Displaced Aggression.

Ruminating about a provocation increases the likelihood of displaced aggression following a minor annoyance (trigger). In Study 1, provoked participants who ruminated for 25 min were more aggressive toward a fumbling confederate than were distracted participants. Provocation-induced negative affect was positively related to aggression but only among those who ruminated. Study 2 conceptually replicated Study 1 and also found that the more negatively people reacted to the trigger, the more likely the trigger was to increase displaced aggression. Study 3 replicated the findings of Studies 1 and 2 by using an 8-hr rumination period. All 3 studies suggest that ruminating about a provocation increases the likelihood that a minor triggering annoyance will increase displaced aggression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Too Proud to Let Go: Narcissistic Entitlement as a Barrier to Forgiveness.

Narcissistic entitlement impedes forgiveness in ways not captured by other robust predictors (e.g., offense severity, apology, relationship closeness, religiosity, Big Five personality factors), as demonstrated in 6 studies. Narcissistic entitlement involves expectations of special treatment and preoccupation with defending one's rights. In Study 1, entitlement predicted less forgiveness and greater insistence on repayment for a past offense. Complementary results emerged from Study 2, which used hypothetical transgressions, and Study 3, which assessed broad forgiveness dispositions. Study 4 examined associations with the Big Five, and Study 5 extended the findings to a laboratory context. Study 6 demonstrated that entitlement predicted diminished increases in forgiveness over time. Taken together, these results suggest that narcissistic entitlement is a robust, distinct predictor of unforgiveness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Engineering Cell Surface Function with DNA Origami

A specific and reversible method is reported to engineer cell‐membrane function by embedding DNA‐origami nanodevices onto the cell surface. Robust membrane functionalization across epithelial, mesenchymal, and nonadherent immune cells is achieved with DNA nanoplatforms that enable functions including the construction of higher‐order DNA assemblies at the cell surface and programed cell–cell adhesion between homotypic and heterotypic cells via sequence‐specific DNA hybridization. It is anticipated that integration of DNA‐origami nanodevices can transform the cell membrane into an engineered material that can mimic, manipulate, and measure biophysical and biochemical function within the plasma membrane of living cells.