Downward comparison, prejudice, and evaluations of others: Effects of self-esteem and threat.

In two studies, we explored the effects of trait self-esteem and threats to the self-concept on evaluations of others. In Study 1, subjects high, moderate, and low in self-esteem received either success, failure, or no feedback on a test and later evaluated three pairs of targets: ingroups and outgroups based on a minimal intergroup manipulation, those who scored above average and those who scored below average on the test, and themselves and the average college student. Study 2 explored the effects of self-esteem and threat on ingroup favoritism in a real-world setting, campus sororities. Together, the results of these studies indicate that individuals high in self-esteem, but not those low in self-esteem, respond to threats to the self-concept by derogating outgroups relative to the ingroup when the group boundaries have evaluative implications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Feminist identity and feminist therapy behaviors of women psychotherapists.

Investigated whether (1) feminist identity development for women therapists was related to their use of feminist therapy behaviors (FTBs) and (2) feminist identity development and use of FTBs for women therapists were related to self-identification as a feminist therapist. 153 women psychologists (aged 30–77 yrs) were administered a women's issues in therapy questionnaire, which included a short version of the Feminist Identity Scale (FIS; K. M. Rickard, 1989, 1990). Ss were categorized into stages of feminine identity development according to their scores on 4 subscales of the FIS: Passive-Acceptance (PA), Revelation (REV), Embeddedness (EMB), and Synthesis (SYN). Ss scoring high on SYN and REV, and low on PA, reported greater use of FTBs; scores on the EMB were not related to the use of FTBs. All 4 subscales were predictive of women therapists who self-identified as feminist therapists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between age and depressive symptoms in two national surveys.

There is inconsistency in the literature on the relationship between age and depressive symptoms. Although a careful review shows that some of this inconsistency can be reconciled by recognizing the nonlinear relationship (J. P. Newmann, 1989), 2 additional issues remain unclear. One is that most previous studies used depression screening scales that contain somatic items that could introduce an age bias. The other is that most previous studies combined samples of men and women even though there is evidence that the sex difference in depressive symptoms varies with age. These 2 issues are addressed in this article, using analyzed data from 2 large national surveys. There is a consistent, but quite modest, nonlinear association between age, somatic, and nonsomatic depressive symptoms in both surveys. There is no significant sex difference in the age curves. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceptually meaningful image editing

We introduce a novel concept called perceptually meaningful image editing and present techniques for manipulating the apparent depth of objects and creating the illusion of motion in 2D images. Our techniques combine principles of human visual perception with approaches developed by traditional artists. For our depth manipulation technique, the user loads an image, selects an object and specifies whether the object should appear closer or further away. The system automatically determines luminance or color temperature target values for the object and/or background that achieve the desired depth change. Our approach for creating the illusion of motion exploits the differences between our peripheral vision and our foveal vision by introducing spatial imprecision to the image.     

State psychological association creates a postdoctoral residency and internship training program.

State psychological associations can respond to supply and demand problems for postdoctoral residencies and internships by creating statewide training programs. A state psychological association training model is presented. The Arizona Psychological Association (AzPA) created a nonprofit subsidiary corporation- the Arizona Psychology Training Consortium-to increase the number of high-quality training opportunities in Arizona. The structure and operation of the program are described. The training model emphasizes cultural diversity, psychotherapy, and independent practice. Members of the practice community in Arizona serve as supervisors, trainers, and mentors. From 2001 through 2006, 19 postdoctoral residents and 51 interns completed the program. AzPA has benefited from increased student involvement. Many residents and interns later became association members. Arizona can serve as a model for other states that wish to help their professionals in training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nuclear Receptor Nur77 Controls Cardiac Fibrosis through Distinct Actions on Fibroblasts and Cardiomyocytes

Fibrosis is a hallmark of adverse cardiac remodeling, which promotes heart failure, but it is also an essential repair mechanism to prevent cardiac rupture, signifying the importance of appropriate regulation of this process. In the remodeling heart, cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) differentiate into myofibroblasts (MyoFB), which are the key mediators of the fibrotic response. Additionally, cardiomyocytes are involved by providing pro-fibrotic cues. Nuclear receptor Nur77 is known to reduce cardiac hypertrophy and associated fibrosis; however, the exact function of Nur77 in the fibrotic response is yet unknown. Here, we show that Nur77-deficient mice exhibit severe myocardial wall thinning, rupture and reduced collagen fiber density after myocardial infarction and chronic isoproterenol (ISO) infusion. Upon Nur77 knockdown in cultured rat CFs, expression of MyoFB markers and extracellular matrix proteins is reduced after stimulation with ISO or transforming growth factor–β (TGF-β). Accordingly, Nur77-depleted CFs produce less collagen and exhibit diminished proliferation and wound closure capacity. Interestingly, Nur77 knockdown in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes results in increased paracrine induction of MyoFB differentiation, which was blocked by TGF-β receptor antagonism. Taken together, Nur77-mediated regulation involves CF-intrinsic promotion of CF-to-MyoFB transition and inhibition of cardiomyocyte-driven paracrine TGF-β-mediated MyoFB differentiation. As such, Nur77 provides distinct, cell-specific regulation of cardiac fibrosis.     

Inactivation of Fusarium oxysporum Conidia in Soil with Gaseous Ozone – Preliminary Studies

ABSTRACT

In this study, the efficiency of gaseous ozone (O₃) injected in the soil as an oxidizing agent for the inactivation of F. oxysporum was evaluated under laboratory conditions. The results show the treatment reached an inactivation efficiency of 76% after an applied dose of 0.40 g O₃ kg ^?1 soil. This shows that the injection of O₃ can be a viable alternative to control pathogenic organisms in the soils. Nevertheless, it is clear that more studies on determining the effects of this treatment on soil quality are needed.     

A biomarker of n−3 compliance in patients taking fish oil for rheumatoid arthritis

Dietary fish oil supplements have been shown to have benefits in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), other inflammatory diseases, and in cardiovascular disease. As with any medical advice, variability will exist with regard to adherence and consequent biochemical or pharmacophysiologic effects. The aim was to explore the utility of plasma phospholipid EPA as a measure of n−3 PUFA intake and response to standardized therapeutic advice given in an outpatient or office practice setting, to increase dietary n−3 PUFA, including a fish oil supplement. Patients with early RA were given verbal and written advice to alter their dietary n−3 PUFA intake, including ingestion of 20 mL of bottled fish oil on juice daily. The advice included instructions to increase n−3 PUFA and to avoid foods rich in n−6 PUFA. Every 3 mon, blood samples were obtained for analysis of plasma phospholipid FA. Plasma phospholipid EPA was used as the primary index of n−3 PUFA intake. A diverse response was seen, with about one-third of patients achieving a substantial elevation of plasma phospholipid EPA over the 12-mon study period. A third had little change, with the remainder achieving intermediate levels. Data obtained longitudinally from individual patients indicated that substantial elevations of EPA (>5% total plasma phospholipid FA) could be maintained for more than 3 yr. Plasma phospholipid EPA is a convenient measure of adherence to advice to take a dietary n−3 PUFA-rich fish oil supplement. This measure may prove a useful adjunct to intention to treat analyses in determining the effect of dietary fish oil supplements on long-term outcomes in arthritis and other chronic inflammatory diseases. It may also provide a guide to the effectiveness of therapeutic and preventive messages designed to increase n−3 PUFA intake.     

Hands-free administration of subjective workload scales: Acceptability in a surgical training environment

Introduction

Subjective workload measures are usually administered in a visual-manual format, either electronically or by paper and pencil. However, vocal responses to spoken queries may sometimes be preferable, for example when experimental manipulations require continuous manual responding or when participants have certain sensory/motor impairments. In the present study, we evaluated the acceptability of the hands-free administration of two subjective workload questionnaires - the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) and the Multiple Resources Questionnaire (MRQ) - in a surgical training environment where manual responding is often constrained.

Method

Sixty-four undergraduates performed fifteen 90-s trials of laparoscopic training tasks (five replications of 3 tasks - cannulation, ring transfer, and rope manipulation). Half of the participants provided workload ratings using a traditional paper-and-pencil version of the NASA-TLX and MRQ; the remainder used a vocal (hands-free) version of the questionnaires. A follow-up experiment extended the evaluation of the hands-free version to actual medical students in a Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) training facility.

Results

The NASA-TLX was scored in 2 ways - (1) the traditional procedure using participant-specific weights to combine its 6 subscales, and (2) a simplified procedure - the NASA Raw Task Load Index (NASA-RTLX) - using the unweighted mean of the subscale scores. Comparison of the scores obtained from the hands-free and written administration conditions yielded coefficients of equivalence of r = 0.85 (NASA-TLX) and r = 0.81 (NASA-RTLX). Equivalence estimates for the individual subscales ranged from r = 0.78 (“mental demand”) to r = 0.31 (“effort”). Both administration formats and scoring methods were equally sensitive to task and repetition effects. For the MRQ, the coefficient of equivalence for the hands-free and written versions was r = 0.96 when tested on undergraduates. However, the sensitivity of the hands-free MRQ to task demands (η_partial² = 0.138) was substantially less than that for the written version (η_partial² = 0.252). This potential shortcoming of the hands-free MRQ did not seem to generalize to medical students who showed robust task effects when using the hands-free MRQ (η_partial² = 0.396). A detailed analysis of the MRQ subscales also revealed differences that may be attributable to a “spillover” effect in which participants’ judgments about the demands of completing the questionnaires contaminated their judgments about the primary surgical training tasks.

Conclusion

Vocal versions of the NASA-TLX are acceptable alternatives to standard written formats when researchers wish to obtain global workload estimates. However, care should be used when interpreting the individual subscales if the object is to make comparisons between studies or conditions that use different administration modalities. For the MRQ, the vocal version was less sensitive to experimental manipulations than its written counterpart; however, when medical students rather than undergraduates used the vocal version, the instrument’s sensitivity increased well beyond that obtained with any other combination of administration modality and instrument in this study. Thus, the vocal version of the MRQ may be an acceptable workload assessment technique for selected populations, and it may even be a suitable substitute for the NASA-TLX.