Visual Acuity does not Moderate Effect Sizes of Higher-Level Cognitive Tasks.

Background/study contextDeclining visual capacities in older adults have been posited as a driving force behind adult age differences in higher-order cognitive functions (e.g., the "common cause" hypothesis of Lindenberger & Baltes, 1994, Psychology and Aging, 9, 339-355). McGowan, Patterson, and Jordan (2013, Experimental Aging Research, 39, 70-79) also found that a surprisingly large number of published cognitive aging studies failed to include adequate measures of visual acuity. However, a recent meta-analysis of three studies (La Fleur and Salthouse, 2014, Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 21, 1202-1208) failed to find evidence that visual acuity moderated or mediated age differences in higher-level cognitive processes. In order to provide a more extensive test of whether visual acuity moderates age differences in higher-level cognitive processes, we conducted a more extensive meta-analysis of topic.MethodsUsing results from 456 studies, we calculated effect sizes for the main effect of age across four cognitive domains (attention, executive function, memory, and perception/language) separately for five levels of visual acuity criteria (no criteria, undisclosed criteria, self-reported acuity, 20/80-20/31, and 20/30 or better).ResultsAs expected, age had a significant effect on each cognitive domain. However, these age effects did not further differ as a function of visual acuity criteria.ConclusionThe current meta-analytic, cross-sectional results suggest that visual acuity is not significantly related to age group differences in higher-level cognitive performance-thereby replicating La Fleur and Salthouse (2014). Further efforts are needed to determine whether other measures of visual functioning (e.g., contrast sensitivity, luminance) affect age differences in cognitive functioning

Practical Implications of Learning from Unsuccessful Retrieval Attempts

Recent findings suggest that retesting oneself facilitates better learning than studying alone. Building off previous experiments where correcting participants has significantly increased correctness, the current study furthers our understanding about learning from unsuccessful retrieval attempts by manipulating the frequency of correction. Using a set of 42 associated word pairings, each participant was exposed to two blocks where they would memorize the word pairs. This was followed by two quizzing blocks and a final exam block where participants were asked to write down the associate to the stimulus presented on screen. Frequency of correction was manipulated during the quizzing blocks where the participant had their answers checked and corrected by the proctor after every word pair, every third, or every seventh, depending on their condition. There was no correction during the final exam block. After completing the experiment, each participant completed both the Mill-Hill vocabulary scale and the OSPAN task for baseline comparison. Results indicated no significant difference between any of the correction frequency groups but did find that participant’s second quizzing and final exam scores increased significantly from the initial quiz score

The Dynamics of Homologous Pairing during Mating Type Interconversion in Budding Yeast

Cells repair most double-strand breaks (DSBs) that arise during replication or by environmental insults through homologous recombination, a high-fidelity process critical for maintenance of genomic integrity. However, neither the detailed mechanism of homologous recombination nor the specific roles of critical components of the recombination machinery—such as Bloom and Werner syndrome proteins—have been resolved. We have taken a novel approach to examining the mechanism of homologous recombination by tracking both a DSB and the template from which it is repaired during the repair process in individual yeast cells. The two loci were labeled with arrays of DNA binding sites and visualized in live cells expressing green fluorescent protein–DNA binding protein chimeras. Following induction of an endonuclease that introduces a DSB next to one of the marked loci, live cells were imaged repeatedly to determine the relative positions of the DSB and the template locus. We found a significant increase in persistent associations between donor and recipient loci following formation of the DSB, demonstrating DSB-induced pairing between donor and template. However, such associations were transient and occurred repeatedly in every cell, a result not predicted from previous studies on populations of cells. Moreover, these associations were absent in sgs1 or srs2 mutants, yeast homologs of the Bloom and Werner syndrome genes, but were enhanced in a rad54 mutant, whose protein product promotes efficient strand exchange in vitro. Our results indicate that a DSB makes multiple and reversible contacts with a template during the repair process, suggesting that repair could involve interactions with multiple templates, potentially creating novel combinations of sequences at the repair site. Our results further suggest that both Sgs1 and Srs2 are required for efficient completion of recombination and that Rad54 may serve to dissociate such interactions. Finally, these results demonstrate that mechanistic insights into recombination not accessible from studies of populations of cells emerge from observations of individual cells

Sampling of Glacial Snow for Pesticide Analysis on the High Plateau Glacier of Mount Logan

Recently there have been a number of attempts to determine the presence of pollutants in remote areas of the world. The snow of glaciers is a particularly interesting subject for such work, since it contains a record of past years as well as the present. ... Such pollutants are transported by the atmosphere, and it is especially interesting to know if they are present in precipitation that forms at high altitude. As part of the Ice Field Ranges Research Project (IRRP) of 1970, we undertook the study of another common pollutant, the pesticide DDT. Here we report on our attempt to develop techniques for taking snow samples at high altitude in locations where work had to be done under adverse conditions, and with simple equipment. Samples were taken at an elevation of 5,364 metres on Mount Logan, Yukon Territory, Canada. ... The work was performed at temperatures below -20°C, and often in high winds. At this elevation the effects of hypoxia are quite marked .... when unpacked in the field, quantities of an oily material were found on the [new SIPRE snow] auger. It was not practical to achieve a thorough cleaning under field conditions, but as much of the material as possible was removed by using Coleman Fuel - a highly refined non-leaded gasoline designed for camp stoves. Provision of suitable sample containers was an important aspect of the preparations. Two-gallon wide-mouth Nalgene jugs were used on the glacier. The mouth was large enough so that the snow core could slide into the jug directly from the auger without intermediate handling. As long as the samples remained frozen, they could be stored in plastic. However, since liquid water slowly leaches material from the jugs, the samples were transferred to glass jars as soon as they melted. ... A special effort was made in the precleaning of both jars and jugs because of the low levels of pesticide expected. ... Precautions were taken to avoid contamination during sample collection. The first few samples were discarded in the hope of removing any residual contamination from the auger. During the sampling process the auger was never touched by bare hands or gloves. The only surface which came into contact with the samples before their arrival at the laboratory were the auger and the precleaned jugs and jars. At the end of the work, one sample was deliberately mishandled as a control. It subsequently showed no contamination from either polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or DDT. Nineteen samples were taken at depths of from 1 to 15 metres. The DDT analysis was carried out ... using a gas chromatographic technique .... DDT was not detected in any of the samples. In seven of the samples the lower limit of detectibility for DDT was 5 nanograms per liter. Due to interference, apparently from PCBs, 10 to 50 ng/l of DDT could have been present in the remaining samples and not have been detected by this method. It is suggestive that the samples showing no PCB contamination were the last ones taken. It is likely that the PCB contamination came from the oily material originally on the auger, and that the remnant of this was removed during the early part of the drilling. On the basis of these results it seems that sampling of glacial snow for trace organic pollutants is feasible, even when samples must be taken under unfavourable conditions with primitive techniques. It is of paramount importance to preclean every surface that will come into contact with the sample, both sampling tools, and sample containers. ..

The Dark Tetrad empowered: the Dark Tetrad and power motivations within the normal personality space

Within personality psychology there has been a surge in research regarding the Dark Tetrad of personality (Buckels, Jones, & Paulhus, 2014). This research has focused on the way these constructs are related to diverse variables of interest. The present research builds on the prior studies by expanding the exploration into the common features that comprise the four constructs. The hypotheses were that each construct would correlate with facets of Honesty/Humility, Emotionality, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness, along with four aspects of power motivations, and that narcissism would be connected to Extraversion. Also, it was hypothesized that facets of these domains, as well as power motivations. would be predictive of levels of the dark constructs. These hypotheses were tested against a sample of 300 subjects from Western Carolina University. Results showed predictive significance on the hypothesized models explaining variance within each of the four constructs of Sadism (R2 = 0.27), Machiavellianism (R2 = 0.31), Psychopathy (R2 = 0.40), and Narcissism (R2 = 0.66)

Preliminary results of the use of urinary excretion of pyridinium crosslinks for monitoring metastatic bone disease.

The collagen crosslinks, pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline, are recently described markers of the rate of bone resorption. The urinary excretion of these compounds, expressed as a ratio to urinary creatinine, has been measured using ion-pair reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography in 20 patients receiving oral pamidronate for bone metastases from breast cancer. Before treatment the ratio of pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline to creatinine in urine (UPCR and UdPCR respectively) were each above normal in 16/20 (80%) patients. Urinary calcium excretion (UCCR) was elevated in 15/20 (75%). There was a strong correlation between UPCR and UdPCR, but neither of the crosslink measurements correlated well with UCCR. Urinary excretion of all three indices of bone resorption fell significantly during pamidronate treatment. The median values after 4 weeks treatment were 63% of baseline for UPCR, 45% for UdPCR and 26% for UCCR. From this preliminary study urinary pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline excretion appear to be promising markers of bone resorption in advanced malignancy. Their role in response assessment and the advantages over UCCR measurements merit further study

Development of the multidimensional peer victimization scale–revised (MPVS-R) and the multidimensional peer bullying scale (MPVS-RB)

Peer victimization is a frequent occurrence for many adolescents; however, some of the psychometric properties of self-report scales assessing these experiences remain unclear. Furthermore, with an increase in access to technology, electronic aggression should also be considered. The study examined the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale (MPVS, Mynard & Joseph, 2000), and developed versions to include the assessment of electronic aggression according to whether the adolescent was the target or perpetrator of peer victimization. Three hundred and 71 (191 girls and 180 boys Mage = 13 years 4 months, SDage= 1 year 2 months) adolescents in the UK completed the MPVS including 5 newly developed items assessing electronic aggression, a version of the MPVS designed to assess victimization perpetration, and a measure of self-esteem. Confirmatory factor analyses yielded a five-factor structure comprising: Physical, social manipulation, verbal, attacks on property, and electronic for both scales. Convergent validity was established through negative associations between the victimization scales and self-esteem. Sex differences also emerged. One revised scale and one new scale are subsequently proposed: The Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale - Revised (MPVS-R) and the Multidimensional Peer Bullying Scale (MPVS-RB)

Sea WiFS Technical Report Series: The fourth SeaWIFS Intercalibration Round-Robin Experiment (SIRREX-4), May 1995

This report documents the fourth Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) Intercalibration Round-Robin Experiment (SIRREX-4), which was held at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on 3-10 May 1995. The agenda for SIRREX-4 was established by a consensus reached at the conclusion of SIRREX-3: there should be an emphasis on training and work to foster and encourage uniform use of accepted protocols for calibrating radiometric instruments in the laboratory. The goal was to host the activity in a setting where proper techniques could be discussed and demonstrated. It seemed appealing to split the day between morning lectures and afternoon laboratory exercises or practicals. The former gave the user community a chance to present what was important to them and discuss it with acknowledged experts in radiometry, while the latter presented a unique opportunity for training and evaluation in the presence of these same experts. The five laboratory sessions were concerned with (1) determining the responsivity of a spectroradiometer and the spectral radiance of an unknown integrating sphere source, (2) demonstrating spectral field calibration procedures for an integrating sphere using three different instruments, (3) measuring spectral radiance using the plaque method, (4) setting up and aligning lamp calibration transfer standards using the NIST specifications for irradiance measurements, and (5) characterizing radiometric instruments. In addition to documenting some supplemental studies performed outside the laboratory sessions, this report includes an evaluation of the hardware that has been used during the SIRREX activities plus a critical evaluation of SIRREX objectives