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A relatively unobtrusive apparatus, the Interpersonal Distance Mat (IDM), is described as a means of acquiring immediate and accurate measures of interpersonal distances. Two brief experiments tested the sensitivity of the apparatus to gender differences in preferred interpersonal distance. Results from 78 male and 93 female American college students indicate that female/female dyads selected closer interaction distances than male/male dyads, but that freedom of movement may be a necessary factor in this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a proposal by Messick, et al (1983) and Samuelson and Messick (1986) of a conceptual model in which commons-dilemma behavior is governed by three conflicting motives, including a desire to conform to implicit group norms. Many dwindling-resource problems today can be analyzed in terms of a commons dilemma, first used by Hardin (1968) to describe a situation in which village farmers share a common grazing land. The addition of cattle to the common land has an immediate benefit to the individual farmer, but as time passes it has a negative impact on all who share the land. Plan (1973) described and categorized situations in which people behave similarly as "social traps?' For social scientists and law makers to more effectively prevent overexploitation of a common resource. greater understanding of the limitations of conformity and the other motivating factors in commons-dilemma behavior need to be understood. The two most common methods currently being used to control commons behavior are (a) the issuing of warnings to users regarding the consequences of overuse and (b) legal penalties or punishments for overuse. These results support the hypothesized greater number of points and exploitive responses when others overused rather than underused the commons. However, the issuance of a warning and the probability of punishment did not affect harvesting behavior. Subjects' behavior was strongly influenced by a desire to conform to the implicit group norm even when there existed a strong possibility of punishment and when a warning regarding the consequences of overselection was issued. The strength of the conformity effect may partially be explained by the use of naive subjects in a novel experimental situation.

The article presents designs on commons-dilemma simulation games to examine behavior associated with preservation and destruction of slowly regenerating natural resources. Many of the world's dwindling resource problems can be analyzed in terms of a commons dilemma. The objective of commons dilemma simulation research is to study factors that lead to prevention of environmentally destructive behaviors and preservation of a slowly regenerating shared resource. Attitudes toward preserving the environment have been examined in relation to other environmental issues but have not been reported in the commons dilemma literature. The overall results indicate that environmental concern was not related to commons dilemma performance, but that cooperation and competition did play a role in determining simulated commons dilemma behavior. This finding is reflected in the fact that others' points i.e., whether the other players were cooperatively harvesting few points or competitively harvesting many points was found to be the best predictor of commons dilemma behavior for all measures of game performance.

Examines the correlation between environmental concern and population concern. Moderation of the relationship by threat to personal, family, and community well-being; People's interest on factors affecting their own well-being rather than issues s temming from ecology.

Counters Anderson's interpretation of data allegedly inconsistent with the curvilinear negative affect escape model of temperature and aggression. Geographic region studies; Time period studies; Concomitant temperature studies.

Examines the effects of curriculum-test overlap on standardized reading test performance. Sample and reading instruction for the study; Use of two methods of quantifying curriculum-test overlap; Indication of a strong and systematic curriculum bias; Relevance of the methods used.

Skilled (12 male, 4 female) and unskilled (13 male, 4 female)American karate students kicked a target as many times as possible for four 15-s trials. They performed this multiple standing roundhouse kick drill both in the presence of an evaluative audience of karate experts and without the audience present. The presence of an audience had no effect on accurate kicks or errors for skilled subjects but did reduce the frequency of accurate kicks for unskilled performers. Several measures of socially influenced motivation failed to discriminate performers who would be more or less sensitive to the audience. Results are interpreted as consistent with social facilitation predictions and indicated that unskilled subjects sacrificed desired performance in order to avoid an increase in errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American college students (N = 90) were exposed to either a foot-in-the-door (small request followed by large request) or door-in-the-face (large request followed by small request) compliance manipulation, or to a control situation, prior to an opportunity to provide either spontaneous help or asked-for help. Results showed faster helping in the asked-for condition relative to the spontaneous condition. Moreover, in the spontaneous condition, the door-in-the-face technique produced faster helping than the foot-in-the-door or control manipulations. The findings support prior contentions of distinctions between the two types of helping and imply that they operate under different mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American undergraduates (96 males, 96 females) interacted face-to-face with a same-sex or opposite-sex target person who was either a friend or a stranger. Half the subjects were free to move and approach the target person, stopping at the point where approaching “any closer would be uncomfortable.” The other half were stationary and were approached by the target person, who was asked to stop at a similar uncomfortable point. As expected, friends maintained closer distances than strangers. Moreover, both sexes kept closer distances with males when subjects were free to move than when stationary, but freedom of movement made no difference when the target was female. Though not statistically reliable, our experiments showed that male-male dyads generally maintained greater distances than female-female dyads, with male-female dyads closest among friends. The results suggest that freedom of movement and friendship were important moderators of gender differences in interpersonal distancing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been much research into freeness properties of finitely generated matrix semigroups under various constraints. Most freeness problems are undecidable starting from dimension three, even for upper-triangular integer matrices. A recent paper investigated freeness properties of bounded languages of matrices, which are matrices from a set M 1 ⁎ M 2 ⁎ ⋯ M k ⁎ ⊆ F n × n for some semiring F and fixed k ∈ N > 0. We consider a notion of freeness and ambiguity for scalar reachability problems in matrix semigroups and bounded languages of matrices. Scalar reachability concerns the set { ρ T M τ | M ∈ S } , where ρ , τ ∈ F n are vectors and S ⊆ F n × n is a finitely generated matrix semigroup. Ambiguity and freeness problems are defined in terms of the uniqueness of factorizations for each scalar. We show various undecidability results and connections to weighted and probabilistic finite automata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B. J. Bushman, M. C. Wang, and C. A. Anderson (2005) argued that a reanalysis of E. G. Cohn and J. Rotton's (1997) Minneapolis data shows no inverted-U curvilinear relationship between temperature and aggression. Although B. J. Bushman et al.'s (2005) claim of no general inverted-U trend in the data might well be supported statistically, more careful examination of the subset of the data most likely to include the hottest temperatures in the study may offer at least some support for the inverted-U relationship. Aggregating data to describe a general trend minimizes the influence of outliers that may reflect alternative relationships, and such alternatives may be important practically and theoretically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the effect of commonality and desirability of first names. Identification of the four most and least common male and female first names from 1,476 students enrolled in general psychology; Association between common names and favorable traits.

Determines the silicon concentrations of National Institutes Standards Technology (NIST) materials and a proposed rice-straw standard using an autoclave-induced digestions, calorimetric method. Usage of NIST reference materials; Materials and method done in the analysis of silicon; Procedure used in the analysis of low-silicon group.

Working beyond a paradigm where musicians perform pre-composed works, the authors celebrate spontaneity and the ephemeral nature of sound. Using examples from their audio and visual practice they offer a post hoc analysis, discussing ambiguity and unpredictability as a strategy to foster musical creativity. In uncovering hidden and unintended potentials in seemingly fixed media they expose the instability of this definition, suggesting a reworking of such fixities as a useful line for enquiry. In highlighting the efficiency of physical interaction they consider the lack of tactility inherent within computer systems and problematize the wider role of digital technology within their work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diffraction endstation of the NanoMAX beamline is designed to provide high-flux coherent X-ray nano-beams for experiments requiring many degrees of freedom for sample and detector. The endstation is equipped with highefficiency Kirkpatrick-Baez mirror focusing optics and a two-circle goniometer supporting a positioning and scanning device, designed to carry a compact sample environment. A robot is used as a detector arm. The endstation, in continued development, has been in user operation since summer 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viewing peaceful natural environments has been shown to restore cognitive abilities and reduce physiological arousal. As such, visual access to the natural environment is becoming more commonplace in built environments. One exception to that trend is in educational settings where windowless classrooms are used to reduce outside distractions. The current study examines differences across multiple sections of a college writing course in two types of identically designed classrooms—those with a view of a natural setting and those with a view of a concrete retaining wall. Results showed that students in the natural view classrooms were generally more positive when rating the course. Students in the natural view condition also had higher end of semester grades, but no differences in attendance were observed between conditions. Such findings suggest that classrooms with natural views offer advantages and also suggest that the inclusion of natural elements in courses could facilitate positive perceptions and better grades. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

NanoMAX is the first hard X‐ray nanoprobe beamline at the MAX IV laboratory. It utilizes the unique properties of the world's first operational multi‐bend achromat storage ring to provide an intense and coherent focused beam for experiments with several methods. In this paper we present the beamline optics design in detail, show the performance figures, and give an overview of the surrounding infrastructure and the operational diffraction endstation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phillips, R., Vincent, C.E., Bell, P.S., Dolphin, T., and Bacon, J., 2013. Use of GPS and X-Band Radar to track tidal currents around the shore parallel breakwaters at Sea Palling, Norfolk, UK Sea Palling on the East coast of the UK has a series of 9 shore parallel rock breakwaters. The numerical model TELEMAC2D has been used to simulate tidal currents around the system to assess the tidal contribution to sediment budgets and transport pathways. Numerical simulations are particularly useful for identifying the important processes involved in a complex system such as these breakwaters and understanding how the breakwaters might effect the local coastal region. Models are classically evaluated using a number of measurement stations to calibrate and then check it is giving realistic results. It is important to assess both the spatial and temporal performance of a model, but this is difficult with a model having tens of thousands of nodes, based on only a few discrete locations. This paper presents a method using Lagrangian data to assess confidence that can be applied to model performance. Measurements were made by deploying drogues tracked by X-band radar or GPS receivers throughout the breakwater system during calm 'no wave' and 'no wind' conditions to ensure that only tidal effects were measured. Modelled deployments were made at coincident times and locations for comparison and model performance statistics were calculated. Evidence of a number of features predicted by the model were found, giving confidence to its performance. Radar drogues are cheap to make and data capture onshore reduces the risk of data loss. GPS drogues can be used in a wider spatial area, however their onboard data storage requires drogue retrieval for data download. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Understanding the influence of anthropogenic sounds on national park visitors has been the subject of several recent studies. In general, most of this research has focused on the implications of anthropogenic sounds (i.e., car noise or human voices) on landscape evaluation and overall visitor satisfaction depending on sound type and volume level. These studies have revealed significant interactions between visitor experience and sound in the nature-based national parks, but there has been little research investigating the role of the anthropogenic sounds on visitor experience in historical parks that are also part of the national park system. In particular, visitor expectations and experiences in national parks may vary depending on if a park is more focused on the natural environment or the historical heritage of the United States. The current study focuses on historical parks and how visitor outcomes based in both experiences (e.g., satisfaction) and benefits (e.g, learning) are influenced by the presence of anthropogenic sounds. Undergraduate college students were exposed to a simulated, laboratory-based tour of two historical parks (The National Mall, Gettysburg National Military Park) that included six tour stops per tour with narrative information provided at each stop. Both human voices and aircraft noise (i.e., anthropogenic sounds) were introduced in conjunction with narratives at historical tour stops. The percent time audible of these anthropogenic sounds varied within the sample with three sound interference conditions: no sound, low presence (16-33%), and high presence (66--100%). In other words, based on the experimental condition to which they were assigned, participants were exposed to varying levels of anthropogenic sounds during the tour stops. Questions related to the tour stops were asked at the end of each historical park tour. Results suggest that there is a relationship between the presence of sounds and certain visitor outcomes. Both experience- based visitor outcomes (e.g., satisfaction with tour stop) and benefits-based visitor outcomes (e.g., retention of information) varied depending on sound type and sound duration exposure. More specifically, human voices detracted from satisfaction ratings more so than no anthropogenic sound and aircraft conditions. Also, as interference level (duration of sound exposure) increased, appeal of the site and prescribed level of appropriateness related to the information in the tour narrative decreased. Benefits, in the form of retention of the themes related to both tours (Washington DC, Gettysburg), also decreased for the high sound interference group. These results have important implications for management at the park level to ensure a high quality visitor experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantification and evaluation of environmental losses has been a topic of interest for several years. Research has focused on cause of loss as a primary factor influencing loss assessment, but has neglected less objective influences. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three different conditions of cause of the wildlife loss (human, natural, ambiguous) with type of animal (mammal, bird, fish) and proximity of animal (local, international) also manipulated. Participants rated the value of each loss to themselves and society as a whole. They also rated three subjective predictors: similarity of the animal, familiarity with the animal, and ability to relate to the animal. Both subjective and objective factors affected loss assessment with cause of loss not being influential at the individual or societal level of assessment. Similarity, familiarity, and ability to relate were all significant predictors of value in at least some combinations of animal species and proximity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggressive driving has received substantial media coverage during the past decade. We report 3 studies testing a territorial explanation of aggressive driving. Altman (1975 ) described attachment to, personalization of, and defense of primary territories (e.g., home) as being greater than for public territories (e.g., sunbathing spot on a beach). Aggressive driving may occur when social norms for defending a primary territory (i.e., one's automobile) become confused with less aggressive norms for defending a public territory (i.e., the road). Both number of territory markers (e.g., bumper stickers, decals) and attachment to the vehicle were significant predictors of aggressive driving. Mere presence of a territory marker predicts increased use of the vehicle to express anger and decreased use of adaptive/constructive expressions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Research in the area of driver anger and aggression has shown that several personality factors contribute to the growing problem. Pilot research indicated that drivers attribute human qualities such as a gender and name to their vehicles which suggested that this tendency to anthropomorphize the vehicle might predict aggressive driving tendencies. Two hundred four undergraduates completed personality inventories for both themselves and their vehicle along with several measures of driving anger and aggressive tendencies. Results suggest that driver and vehicle personalities were related but distinct, indicating that drivers were not just projecting their own personality onto the vehicle. Driver and vehicle personality scores were correlated with several indexes of aggressive driving tendencies. In some cases, vehicle personality predicted aggressive driving better than driver personality. However, initial decision of drivers to anthropomorphize did not relate to differences in aggressive driving tendencies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Plant availability of soil K is controlled by dynamic interactions among its different pools. Misunderstanding of these dynamics leads to mismanagement of soil fertility. This study was conducted to evaluate buffering characteristics of low exchangeable-K soils that showed different sugarcane (Saccharum spp. L.) responses to K amendment. Three silt loams, Crowley (fine, smectitic, hyperthermic Typic Albaqualfs), Dundee (fine-silty, mixed, active, thermic Typic Endoaqualfs), and Norwood (fine-silty, mixed, superactive, hyperthermic Fluventic Eutrudepts), were evaluated by using a modified quantity/intensity (Q/I) approach, which allows partitioning of K changes in the soilsolution system into exchangeable and nonexchangeable pools. Total potential buffering capacity (PBC1) was found to correlate significantly (r = 0.97, P < 0.01) with the buffering capacity due to nonexchangeable K (PBCn) rather with that due to exchangeable K (PBCe). Impact factor (β), a measure of effect of added K on nonexchangeable K, was inversely correlated with a soil's conversion magnitude (α) of converting added K to exchangeable K (r = 0.95, P < 0.01). Of the three soils, Dundee exhibited much smaller β values than Crowley and Norwood but the soil converted much of added K to exchangeable K (60-65%) throughout its surface and subsurface soils. Both Crowley and Norwood possessed higher PBC1 as well as higher PBCn and PBCe than Dundee, but Crowley required relatively lower critical exchangeable K (EKr) and solution K (CKr) levels below which release of nonexchangeable K was initiated. The overall results indicated that the partitioned Q/I approach could be used to explicitly evaluate short-term K dynamics in soil-solution systems. The nonexchangeable K buffering characteristics along with the differences between critical levels (EKr or CKr and EK0 or CK0) have important implications in assessing the likelihood of nonexchangeable K release and could be calibrated for soil fertility management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simultaneous measurement of current flow and suspended sediment concentration in the marine environment is central to the study of sediment transport processes. In view of this, two acoustic approaches for measuring flow were tested in a tidal estuary to assess their capabilities in this environment. A coherent Doppler velocity profiler and a cross-correlation velocity profiler were assessed using conventional current meters and a commercially available acoustic Doppler velocimeter. Mean velocity profiles were obtained up to a range of 1.47 m in 0.046-m range bins over a number of flood tides. The measurements compared well with the reference instruments and regression analysis produced gradients close to unity. Turbulent velocities measured with the coherent Doppler profiler were comparable with turbulent fluctuations measured with the acoustic Doppler velocimeter. The cross-correlation velocity profiler was shown to be unable to measure turbulent velocities. The backscattered signals received on the cross-correlation transducers were also used to compute the sediment concentration profiles using an explicit solution to the acoustic backscatter equation. Combining the concentration and flow measurements enabled sediment flux profiles to be obtained, the results of which compared favorably with flux measurements obtained from the conventional current meters and pumped sampling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vengeance can be commonly defined as the infliction of harm in return for perceived injury or insult or as simply getting back at another person. Three hundred fifty-three participants responded to eight hypothetical scenarios that may elicit vengeful behavior in which the offending party was either a romantic partner, a friend, a coworker, or a stranger. Participants also completed a vengeance scale and a measure of biblical literalism. Participants were most vengeful toward coworkers and least vengeful toward romantic partners. Age, religious conservatism, and gender were significant predictors of attitudes toward vengeance. Although men were more likely than women to be accepting of vengeful attitudes as measured by the vengeance scale, only age was a significant predictor of behavior in the vengeance scenarios. The current research provides a basis for a systematic investigation of vengeance within the structure of human relationships and interactions. Aggr. Behav. 27:343–350, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the role of immersing design techniques in determining museum visitors' experience. Human factors information display design principles; Virtual reality and museum environments; Design features possibly responsible for inducing a sense of immersion.

Presents a study which looked borrowing. Aims of the study; Methodology of the study; Results and discussion of the study.

A commons dilemma arises when individuals sharing a resource act according to their short-term interests, thereby causing the long-term destruction of a slowly regenerating resource (Platt, 1973). Seventy-two American students played a computerized commons-dilemma simulation in which verbal reinforcement for conservation-oriented harvests, exploitive harvesting strategies by other participants, and monetary rewards for harvests were crossed in a between-subjects factorial design. As expected, verbal reinforcement decreased exploitive behavior across a variety of circumstances. However, the behavior of others with whom the commons was shared affected subjects' harvest strategy only under conditions of monetary reward. Results are discussed in terms of competitive influences attributable to monetary rewards and others' behavior, with implications for changing reinforcement structures as a possible solution to commons dilemmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Atkinson, J.; Esteves, L.S.; Williams, J.W.; McCann D.L., and Bell, P.S., 2018. The Application of X-Band Radar for Characterisation of Nearshore Dynamics on a Mixed Sand and Gravel Beach. In: Shim, J.-S.; Chun, I., and Lim, H.S. (eds.), Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2018 (Busan, Republic of Korea). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 85, pp. 281–285. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Remote sensing using X-band radar allows the estimation of wave parameters, near surface currents and the underlying bathymetry. This paper explores the use of radar to derive nearshore bathymetry at a complex site, at Thorpeness in Suffolk, UK. The site has a history of sporadic and focused erosion events along the beach frontage and as part of the X-Com project (X-band Radar and Evidence-Based Coastal Management Decisions) a radar system was deployed with the aim of further understanding the complex nearshore sediment processes influencing erosion. Initially, the bathymetric variation at the site is quantified through analysis of current and historic multibeam surveys. These indicate depth changes approaching 3 m. Subsequently, validation of the radar data against concurrent multibeam survey data has been undertaken. Results show that the radar derived bathymetry has a precision of ±1m at the site, with the largest errors being associated with areas of more complex bathymetry and where wave data quality was less suitable for analysis by the X-band radar bathymetry algorithms. It is concluded that although the accuracy of radar-derived bathymetry is lower than traditional multibeam survey, the low cost for high temporal coverage can be utilised for long-term monitoring of coastal sites where a cost-effective means of quantifying large-scale bathymetric changes is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atkinson, J.; Esteves, L.S.; Williams, J.W.; McCann D.L., and Bell, P.S., 2018. The Application of X-Band Radar for Characterisation of Nearshore Dynamics on a Mixed Sand and Gravel Beach. In: Shim, J.-S.; Chun, I., and Lim, H.S. (eds.), Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2018 (Busan, Republic of Korea). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 85, pp. 281–285. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Remote sensing using X-band radar allows the estimation of wave parameters, near surface currents and the underlying bathymetry. This paper explores the use of radar to derive nearshore bathymetry at a complex site, at Thorpeness in Suffolk, UK. The site has a history of sporadic and focused erosion events along the beach frontage and as part of the X-Com project (X-band Radar and Evidence-Based Coastal Management Decisions) a radar system was deployed with the aim of further understanding the complex nearshore sediment processes influencing erosion. Initially, the bathymetric variation at the site is quantified through analysis of current and historic multibeam surveys. These indicate depth changes approaching 3 m. Subsequently, validation of the radar data against concurrent multibeam survey data has been undertaken. Results show that the radar derived bathymetry has a precision of ±1m at the site, with the largest errors being associated with areas of more complex bathymetry and where wave data quality was less suitable for analysis by the X-band radar bathymetry algorithms. It is concluded that although the accuracy of radar-derived bathymetry is lower than traditional multibeam survey, the low cost for high temporal coverage can be utilised for long-term monitoring of coastal sites where a cost-effective means of quantifying large-scale bathymetric changes is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We review past trading experiments and present 11 new experiments designed to show how the trading rate responds to alterations of the experimental procedure. In agreement with earlier studies, results show that if the trade decision is converted to one resembling a choice between goods the exchange asymmetry disappears, but otherwise the asymmetry is remarkably robust. Results also indicate that when trading is public herding can occur, which may have caused some of the more extreme examples of the exchange asymmetry, and that some of the lack of trade may result from preference indifference. Nevertheless, some form of status quo bias, which may consist of a combination of loss aversion, gain attraction, regret avoidance, and dislike of trading, and which may be enhanced by indifference between the goods offered, probably remains as an important influence on the trading rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All existing examples of current measurements by spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) along-track (AT) interferometry (ATI) have suffered from short baselines and corresponding low sensitivities. Theoretically, the best data quality at X-band is expected at effective baselines on the order of 30 m, i.e., 30 times as long as the baselines of the divided-antenna modes of TerraSAR-X. In early 2012, we had a first opportunity to obtain data at near-optimum baselines from the TanDEM-X satellite formation. In this paper, we analyze two TanDEM-X interferograms acquired over the Pentland Firth (Scotland) with effective AT baselines of 25 and 40 m. For comparison, we consider a TerraSAR-X dual-receive-antenna (DRA)-mode interferogram with an effective baseline of 1.15 m, as well as velocity fields obtained by Doppler centroid analysis (DCA) of single-antenna data from the same three scenes. We show that currents derived from the TanDEM-X interferograms have a residual noise level of 0.1 m/s at an effective resolution of about 33 m × 33 m, while DRA-mode data must be averaged over 1000 m × 1000 m to reach the same level of accuracy. A comparison with reference currents from a 1-km resolution numerical tide computation system shows good agreement in all three cases. The DCA-based currents are found to be less accurate than the ATI-based ones but close to short-baseline ATI results in quality. We conclude that DCA is a considerable alternative to divided-antenna mode ATI, while our TanDEM-X results demonstrate the true potential of the ATI technique at near-optimum baselines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural sounds contribute to high-quality experiences for visitors to protected areas. This study investigated the effects of three common sources of recreational motorized noise on laboratory participants’ evaluations of landscape scenes. Seventy-five study participants completed landscape assessments along eight aesthetic and experiential dimensions while listening to audio clips of natural sounds, propeller planes, motorcycles, and snowmobiles. The change from the natural sound baseline for each motorized source of noise was calculated. Results indicated that all motorized sources of noise had detrimental impacts on evaluations of landscape quality compared with natural sounds. Motorcycle noise was demonstrated to have the largest negative impact on landscape assessments. In addition to confirming that noise from motorized recreation has significant impacts on the experiences of potential park visitors, this simulation suggests that the specific source of the noise is an important factor in determining observer evaluations of the quality of the natural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise, or unwanted sound, exposure has been shown to have a wide range of negative physical and psychological effects. Although situational context, sound characteristics, and individual expectation affect the experience of noise and its related outcomes, the personality trait of noise sensitivity also plays a critical role in assessing noise impacts. As the most widely used 21-item Noise Sensitivity Scale measure of sensitivity is often too long to administer in time-sensitive field settings, the authors conducted five studies to create and validate a shortened, field friendly version of the original, longer measure of noise sensitivity. The resulting five-item measure of noise sensitivity was shown to be internally consistent, temporally stable, highly correlated with the original measure, and predictive of noise-related outcomes such as attitudes toward specific noise, acceptability ratings of noise events, and motivations for visiting quiet locations. The applied value of the scale and implications for facilitating future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Visual-based research methods are commonly used to provide an empirical basis for formulating evaluative standards related to recreation use levels. Visual research methods applied in this context are subject to several potential measurement biases. This article examines two such potential biases in visual-based recreation research methods: order effect bias and range effect bias. In a lab setting, respondents evaluated recreation photographs from Rocky Mountain National Park regarding the acceptability of people at one time (PAOT). Results indicated photo presentation order and the PAOT range depicted both had an effect on photograph acceptability ratings. Potential methodological revisions to the visual-based method are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors hypothesized that (1) attraction toward a stranger based on attitudinal similarity is automatic, but cognitive evaluation of the stranger's quality before the measurement of attraction can make attraction nonautomatic or controlled; (2) personal evaluations from the stranger activate automatic attraction and cognitive evaluation; (3) controlled attraction from attitudes and automatic attraction and cognitive evaluation from personal evaluations engender reverse-causal effects (i.e. they mediate each other); and (4) attraction and cognitive evaluation are distinct constructs. Attitudinal similarity between the participant and the stranger or personal evaluations of the former by the latter were varied in Experiment 1 (N = 96), and were crossed with each other in Experiment 2 (N = 240). Orders of response measurement were either cognitive evaluation followed by attraction or attraction followed by cognitive evaluation. Results confirmed the hypotheses. Implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human airway epiihelial cell targeting peptides were identified by biopanning on 1HAEo-cells, a well characterised epithelial cell line. Bound phage were recovered after three rounds of binding, high stringency washing and elution. leading to the production of an enriched phage peptide population. DNA sequencing of 56 clones revealed 14 unique sequences. Subsequent binding analysis revealed that 13 of these peptides bound 1HAEo-cells with high affinity. Three peptides, SERSMNF, YGLPHKF and PSGAARA were represented at high frequency. Three clearly defined families of peptide were identified on the basis of sequence motifs including R/K SM, L P/Q HK and PSG A/T ARA, Two peptides, LPHKSMP and LQHKSMP contained two motifs. Further detailed sequence analysis by comparison of peptide sequences with the SWISSPROT protein database revealed that some of the peptides closely resembled the cell binding proteins of viral and bacterial pathogens including Herpes Simplex Virus, rotavirus, Mycopkisma pneumoniae and rhinovirus, the latter two being respiratory pathogens, as well as peptide YGLPHKE having similarity to a protein of unknown function from the respiratory pathogen Legionella pneumophila. Peptides were incorporated into gene delivery formulations with the cationic lipid Lipofectin and plasmid DNA and shown to confer a high degree of transfection efficiency and specificity in 1HAEo-cells. Improved transfection efficiency and specificity was also observed in human endothelial cells, fibroblasts and keratinocytes. Therefore, on the basis of clone frequency after biopanning, cell binding affinity, peptide sequence conservation and pathogenic similarity, we have identified 3 novel peptide families and 5 specific peptides that have the potential for gene transfer to respiratory epithelium in vivo as well as providing useful in vitro transfection reagents for primary human cell types of scientific and commercial interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soils of different geographic regions affect efficiencies of individual soil-test extractants. Recent effort on nutrient-management programs across the United States has promoted establishment of conversion equations between different soil-test extractants for evaluating nutrients in similar soils. This study was carried out to compare soil-extractable phosphorus (P) by strong Bray (Bray 2), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na) by 1 M ammonium acetate (pH 7.0), and zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe) by DTPA-TEA at pH 7.3 with those extracted by Mehlich 3 on 317 soil samples collected from all parishes of Louisiana. Mehlich 3-extractable P correlated (R2 = 0.709, P > 0.01) with that extracted by Bray 2 but was, on average, about half of that by Bray 2. Soils with pH > 6.5 or with finer textures tended to yield larger differences between the two extractants for P. Mehlich 3 extractable cations were highly correlated with those of ammonium acetate (R2 ≥ 0.923, P > 0.01). Extractable Mg was close to 1:1 relation between the two procedures with slightly higher K and Ca, but lower Na by Mehlich 3. No notable effect of soil pH and texture was observed on K, Ca, Mg, and Na comparisons. Extractable Zn and Cu by Mehlich 3 generally correlated with those by DTPA (R2 ≥ 0.899, P > 0.01) but the correlations on Mn and Fe were not as high (R2 ≤ 0.420). Soil texture had no effect on efficiencies of micronutrient extractions with Mehlich 3 and DTPA. Soils with pH > 6.5 affected Fe and Mn ratios of Mehlich 3 extraction over DTPA but not on those of Zn and Cu. These results suggest that conversion equations could be developed for P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Zn, and Cu between Mehlich 3, Bray 2, ammonium acetate, and DTPA for Louisiana soils. Soil pH and textural factors may need to be considered for soil P conversions between Mehlich 3 and Bray 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improved understanding and modelling of interactions between biological and physical processes has required progress in the understanding of sediment processes and their relationship to bedforms, hydrodynamics and benthic biology. Recently, simultaneous, co-located in situ measurements of suspended sediments, near-bed velocities and bed morphology have been made possible using new acoustic instruments, including a triple frequency acoustic backscatter system, (ABS); a uniaxial, and triple axis, coherent Doppler velocity profiler, (CDVP); a sand ripple imager (SRI); and a sand ripple profiler (SRP). Together these instruments measure the relevant hydrodynamic and sediment parameters necessary to investigate sediment processes in the bottom metre above the bed, with centimetric resolution. The range of data from such instruments is required to fully understand the related processes occurring near the seabed. The outcome of such measurements should improve our understanding of benthic processes in general. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Public judgments of the seriousness of environmental losses were found to be internally consistent for most respondents, and largely unaffected by attempts to manipulate responses by altering the mix of losses being judged. Both findings enhance confidence in the feasibility of developing reliable rankings of the seriousness of environmental losses to aid resource allocation and damage assessment. In addition, seriousness of loss was found to be sensitive to the cause of the loss, with human-caused environmental losses considered more serious than identical losses caused by natural events. This difference has important implications for assessment of environmental losses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]