Impact of external influences on food packaging.

Since the food supply is dependent upon an effective packaging system, threats to packaging represent implied threats to food processing and distribution. Enacted and potential legislation and regulation are retarding technological and commercial progress in food packaging and have already restricted some food packaging/processins systems. The results of these external influences is not simply the sum of the individual acts, but is a cascading self-imposed arresting of food packaging/processing advancement. The technological bases for the enacted and proposed legislation and regulation are presented in the enumeration of the external influences on food packaging. Economic and sociological arguments and facts surrounding the issues are also presented. Among the external influences on food packaging detailed are indirect additives, nutritional labeling, benefit:risk, solid waste and litter, environmental pollution, universal product code, and food industry productivity. The magnitude of the total impact of these external influences upon the food supply is so large that assertive action must be taken to channel these influences into more productive awareness. An objective and comprehensive public communications program supported by the technological community appears mandatory.     

Coping style in hypertensive patients: Nature and consequences.

Examined the coping styles and health behaviors of hypertensive and normotensive patients visiting a primary care setting for acute medical problems. Hypertensive individuals were far more likely to display a "high-monitoring" (information-seeking) mode of coping than normotensive individuals, who tended to be "low-monitoring" (information avoiding) in their coping. Although hypertensive patients reported less dysfunction in their current medical problems than did normotensive patients, they nonetheless reported greater concerns about their condition and its impact. Finally, hypertensive patients were rated by physicians as more likely to desire help with both their presenting medical problem and their stress-related problems. Future research should help to specify the exact relations among coping style, stress, and symptom reporting in hypertension. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In case of emergency: no need for consent

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending its current informed consent regulations to permit harmonization of the Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) policies on emergency research and to reduce confusion on when such research can proceed without obtaining an individual subject's informed consent. This regulation provides a narrow exception to the requirement for obtaining and documenting informed consent from each human subject, or his or her legally authorized representative, prior to initiation of an experimental intervention. The exception would apply to a limited class of research activities involving human subjects who are in need of emergency medical intervention but who cannot give informed consent because of their life-threatening medical condition, and who do not have a legally authorized person to represent them. FDA is taking this action in response to growing concerns that current rules are making high quality acute care research activities difficult or impossible to carry out at a time when the need for such research is increasingly recognized.     

Intelligence, schooling, and society.

IQ test scores are measures of g, or general intelligence, the common element present in diverse tests of cognitive abilities that are positively related to each other. IQ scores are related to the acquisition of knowledge in school and occupational settings. IQ test scores also relate to the academic achievements of one's children. In many contexts, the relationship between IQ and various outcomes is not attributable to the relationship between IQ and social class background. IQ is an index that distinguishes among individuals with common social and demographic backgrounds. The relationship between IQ and various outcome measures may be reduced by relying on multivariable selection procedures, by modifying educational and occupational practices, and by interventions designed to increase IQ. Representative studies that provide evidence for these assertions are considered. Although the influence of the ability indexed by IQ may be reduced, it probably cannot be eliminated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of high school coursework and time on SAT scores.

Two studies were conducted to determine (1) whether differential educational experiences contribute to differential growth on Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and (2) whether such experiences must occur over a long rather than a short duration to have impact. Specific content knowledge in mathematics/science and verbal areas taught during a short time interval did not increase SAT-M and SAT-V scores even when the content was of the type required to solve SAT problems. Exposure to academically rigorous educational experiences over a long time period (5 yrs) did relate to the development of abilities measured by SAT. In addition, students who experienced very large gains on SAT over this 5-yr period, in comparison with students with small gains, were achieving better in a more rigorous program of high school courses in mathematics and science for the SAT-M and in verbal areas for the SAT-V. Results support the position that educational experiences over time influence SAT scores. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Test of an Inverse Electrocardiographic Solution Based on Accurately Determined Model Data

Encouraging progress has been made recently with a multiple-dipole type of inverse electrocardiographic procedure. A vitally important feature of the procedure is constraint of equivalent dipole moments to nonnegative values by means of quadratic programming. Application of the method to data derived from purely clinical sources has great heuristic value, but suffers from the lack of undisputed baseline information against which to compare the results of inverse solution. Accordingly, in this paper we attempt to evaluate the dependability of fixed-dipole array inversion by applying the method to a series of accurately modeled situations. Generally acceptable results are obtained with the dipoles arrayed in ``favorable' configurations, with considerably less acceptable outcome likely under ``unfavorable' conditions. Superposition of signal noise or perturbation of equivalent dipole locations tends to degrade the quality of solution, but does not entirely vitiate it. Study of one unfavorable array shows how a competitive situation might occur which could cause ``crosstalk' between the interventricular septum and the free wall of the right ventricle. Despite the quantitative deficiencies which become apparent when multiple-dipole inversion is essayed with accurately modeled data, the procedure continues to offer promise as a useful means of extracting intrinsic electrophysiologic information from electrocardiographic signals.