Assessment of ancestry probabilities in the presence of genotyping errors.

This paper extends an approach for estimating the ancestry probability, the probability that an inbred line is an ancestor of a given hybrid, to account for genotyping errors. The effect of such errors on ancestry probability estimates is evaluated through simulation. The simulation study shows that if misclassification is ignored, then ancestry probabilities may be slightly overestimated.

Legalized gambling and crime in Canada.

In the 10 provinces and 2 territories of Canada in 2000, but not in 1990, the total number of types of gambling activities was positively associated with rates of robbery (p<.05). Controls for other social variables did not eliminate these associations.

Autoclave method for rapid preparation of bacterial PCR-template DNA.

An autoclave method for preparing bacterial DNA for PCR template is presented, it eliminates the use of detergents, organic solvents, and mechanical cellular disruption approaches, thereby significantly reducing processing time and costs while increasing reproducibility. Bacteria are lysed by rapid heating and depressurization in an autoclave. The lysate, cleared by microcentrifugation, was either used directly in the PCR reaction, or concentrated by ultrafiltration.

Perceptual sensitivity and motoric competence in 5- and 6-month-old infants.

The authors explored whether 5- to 6-month-old infants were sensitive to perceptual information and how they used perception as a recognition cue to search for a hidden object. In addition, the authors categorized and examined infant grasp by developmental effectiveness to determine any impact on infant search behaviors. In a within-participants design, 20 infants were presented with a toy in 2 occluder conditions.

Responses to lost letters about a 2000 General Election amendment to abolish prohibition of interracial marriages in Alabama.

A field study using 621 "lost" letters was conducted in the city of Mobile and in small towns in mostly rural Baldwin County, Alabama. Milgram's lost letter technique was validated against the actual votes cast during the November 7, 2000 General Election. The technique was successful as an unobtrusive measure useful for predicting patterns of voting behavior.

Reliability of estimates of return of lost letters as a measure of public attitudes to taking human life.

An analysis of letters distributed in cities and smaller rural communities in north and south Florida (ns=400 and 448) showed return rates among several addressees were slightly but significantly correlated (rs=.10 and .10) so very small interpoll agreement is present.

Reliability of estimates of return rates as a measure of public attitudes to violence.

An analysis of letters placed in Mobile, Alabama and Sioux Falls, South Dakota (ns = 500 and 600) showed return rates among the several addresses were essentially uncorrelated (rs = -.11 to .08) so interpoll reliability is lacking.

Extensions of the lost letter technique to divisive issues of creationism, darwinism, sex education, and gay and lesbian affiliations.

Two field studies using 1,004 "lost letters" were designed to test the hypotheses that returned responses would be greater in small towns than from a city, that addressees' affiliation with a group either (1) opposed to physical education in schools, (2) supporting gay and lesbian teachers, or (3) advocating Creationism or Darwinism would reduce the return rate. Of 504 letters "lost" in Study A, 163 (32.3%) were returned in the mail from residents of southeast Louisiana and indicated across 3 addressees and 2 sizes of community, addressees' affiLiations were not associated with returned responses.

Accuracy and repeatability of the Yale physical activity survey in assessing physical activity of older adults.

The purpose of this study was to extend the initial evaluation of the Yale Physical Activity Survey to assess physical activity in older adults. The survey yields three indicators of physical activity reflecting activities performed during a typical week of the previous month (Total Time, Total Energy Expenditure) and the past month (Total Activity Summary Index). Questionnaire validity was studied in 56 men and women, ages 56 to 86 years, by comparing the average of 3- or 7 day 24-hr.

Differences in lost letter responses from a seaside city.

Of 75 letters "lost" in the Florida Panhandle, 33 (44%) were returned in the mail by the finders (the altruistic response). Addressees' affiliations were significantly associated with different rates of return; fewer emotive Intercontinental Gay and Lesbian Outdoors Organization addressees were returned than nonemotive ones. The technique for power analysis by Gillett (1996) was applied to data from an earlier study and indicated our sample of 75 subjects would still yield a desired power level, i.

Y2K affiliation, immediate pedestrian density, and helping responses to lost letters.

Of 75 letters "lost" in Florida, 41 were returned in the mail (the helpful response). Immediate pedestrian density was significantly related to nonhelping responses. The greater the number of subjects passing by a lost letter, the less likely any one of them would respond to it.

Boredom proneness: its relationship to psychological- and physical-health symptoms.

The relationship between boredom proneness and health-symptom reporting was examined. Undergraduate students (N = 200) completed the Boredom Proneness Scale and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist. A multiple analysis of covariance indicated that individuals with high boredom-proneness total scores reported significantly higher ratings on all five subscales of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (Obsessive-Compulsive, Somatization, Anxiety, Interpersonal Sensitivity, and Depression).

The relation of ERP components to complex memory processing.

The relation between various ERP components generated during encoding of a word and its subsequent recall were investigated using a "rote" serial-order and an "elaborative" category memory task. Words (flashed separately) were time-locked to EEG recordings from 21 cortical sites. ERP components from the five subjects having the highest recall scores were compared to the five lowest scoring subjects.

Training in psychodiagnostic testing in APA-approved PsyD and PhD clinical psychology programs.

Fifty-one percent (N = 80) of directors of doctoral PhD and PsyD programs in clinical psychology, accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), responded to a survey on assessment training. The study was a replication of an earlier survey by Piotrowski and Keller (1984b) on instruction, practices, and attitudes on testing. Our findings indicated that training emphasis in assessment coursework has changed very little over the past decade.

Characterization of a pigment-dispersing hormone in eyestalks of the fiddler crab Uca pugilator.

A pigment-dispersing hormone (PDH) from eyestalks of the fiddler crab Uca pugilator has been purified by gel filtration, ion-exchange chromatography, partition chromatography, and reversed-phase liquid chromatography. Based on automated gas-phase sequencing and subsequent identification of carboxyl-terminal amide, we have assigned the primary structure of this peptide as Asn-Ser-Glu-Leu-Ile-Asn-Ser-Ile-Leu-Gly-Leu-Pro-Lys-Val-Met-Asn-Asp-Ala-NH (2). We have confirmed the sequence by synthesizing this peptide and demonstrating that the synthetic PDH and the native PDH display identical chromatographic behavior and biological activity.