Developing thoughts about what might have been

Recent research has changed how developmental psychologists understand counterfactual thinking or thoughts of what might have been. Evidence suggests that counterfactual thinking develops over an extended period into at least middle childhood, depends on domain-general processes including executive function and language, and dissociates from counterfactual emotions such as regret. In this article, we review the developmental evidence that forms a critical but often-overlooked complement to the cognitive, social, and neuroscience literatures. We also highlight topics for further research, including spontaneous counterfactual thinking and counterfactual thinking in clinical settings. © 2014 The Society for Research in Child Development

Pointing calibration of the MKIVA DSN antennas Voyager 2 Uranus encounter operations support

The MKIVA DSN introduced significant changes to the pointing systems of the 34-meter and 64-meter diameter antennas. To support the Voyager 2 Uranus Encounter, the systems had to be accurately calibrated. Reliable techniques for use of the calibrations during intense mission support activity had to be provided. This article describes the techniques used to make the antenna pointing calibrations and to demonstrate their operational use. The results of the calibrations are summarized

Rapid, solid-phase based automated analysis of chromatin structure and transcription factor occupancy in living eukaryotic cells

Transcription factors, chromatin components and chromatin modification activities are involved in many diseases including cancer. However, the means by which alterations in these factors influence the epigenotype of specific cell types is poorly understood. One problem that limits progress is that regulatory regions of eukaryotic genes sometimes extend over large regions of DNA. To improve chromatin structure–function analysis over such large regions, we have developed an automated, relatively simple procedure that uses magnetic beads and a capillary sequencer for ligation-mediated-PCR (LM-PCR). We show that the procedure can be used for the rapid examination of chromatin fine-structure, nucleosome positioning as well as changes in transcription factor binding-site occupancy during cellular differentiation

Antenna pointing systematic error model derivations

The pointing model used to represent and correct systematic errors for the Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas is presented. Analytical expressions are given in both azimuth-elevation (az-el) and hour angle-declination (ha-dec) mounts for RF axis collimation error, encoder offset, nonorthogonality of axes, axis plane tilt, and structural flexure due to gravity loading. While the residual pointing errors (rms) after correction appear to be within the ten percent of the half-power beamwidth criterion commonly set for good pointing accuracy, the DSN has embarked on an extensive pointing improvement and modeling program aiming toward an order of magnitude higher pointing precision

How Latina/O Family Values Impact Student Persistence To College Graduation: A Multi-Case Study

The purpose of this multi-case study is to discover the common family values of Latino families living in Chicago that were passed down from the parent to the child and how those values may have enabled the child to complete a four-year college degree. This study employed a multi-case qualitative study design. The participants were 12 Latina/o parents in Chicago who had at least one child who had graduated from a four-year college. Data were collected from interviews, field notes, and documents. A pattern-finding approach was used for data analysis. In this study, all participants shared family values that they believed were important to teach their children. Half of the participants each said that faith and respect were important family values. Three-fourths of the participants reported that their method of teaching their children these values was by modeling the behavior or by setting an example. Half of the participants reported that their children faced discrimination at some point during school. Of the 12 participants, 10 reported how they believed the family values they taught their children helped them overcome discrimination and other hardships

Gender Differences in Cisgender Psychologists’ and Trainees’ Attitudes Toward Transgender People

Post print (author accepted) manuscript made available in accordance with publisher copyright policy. 'This article may not exactly replicate the final version published in the APA journal. It is not the copy of record.'Research that has explored the attitudes of cisgender people toward transgender people has identified gender differences, with cisgender men commonly reporting more negative attitudes than cisgender women. However, little research has explored whether such differences exist among mental health professionals. This brief report outlines findings from 3 studies focusing on attitudes toward transgender people among 3 samples of Australian cisgender psychologists or psychology trainees. The first explored attitudes toward transgender people among psychology undergraduates in an Australian university. The second 2 explored attitudes toward transgender people among Australian mental health-care professionals (with the specific focus of this brief report being upon participants in each study who were psychologists). The findings from each study suggest that cisgender men reported more negative attitudes than did cisgender women. This brief report concludes by considering the broader context that potentially shapes cisgender men’s attitudes and advocates for further research that examines the impact of gender ideology upon attitudes and awareness raising so as to improve service outcomes for transgender people