Monitoring running-wheel movement using a serial mouse and an IBM-compatible system

A running-wheel-movement-detection system is described for use with an IBM-compatible system and a serial mouse. It is an adaptation of a system developed for use on a Commodore 64. The IBM-compatible system provides obvious advantages in speed, memory, data storage, and programming ease over the earlier Commodore 64 system.     

What is to be done? future research on the assessment and behavioral treatment of sex offenders

Much progress has been made in the assessment and treatment of sexually aggressive men. There remains, however, a great deal of work to be done. Future research should move on three fronts simultaneously: the extension and refinement of assessment methods which will serve to discriminate sex offenders from other persons and different sorts of sex offenders from each other, the further development of, and comparison among, treatment techniques designed to change sex offenders on relevant dimensions, and long-term followups of sex offenders who have been treated with different methods. Basic research concerning not only sex offenders but also the development of human sexuality is also required for the formulation of a theory which will guide future research.     

Reinforcing effects of prerecorded words and delayed speech feedback on the verbal behavior of a neologistic schizophrenic

The possibility of using prerecorded words and 2-sec. delayed speech feedback as reinforcement in the reconditioning of intelligible verbal responses in a chronic, neologistic schizophrenic patient was investigated. A test situation was devised which involved daily presentation of 100 stimulus word-picture cards to elicit verbal responses. The results indicated that both singly presented prerecorded words and delayed speech feedback apparently strengthened correct and intelligible verbal responding.     

A method for simulating non-normal distributions

A method of introducing a controlled degree of skew and kurtosis for Monte Carlo studies was derived. The form of such a transformation on normal deviates [X N(0, 1)] isY =a +bX +cX ² +dX ³. Analytic and empirical validation of the method is demonstrated.This work was done while the author was at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.     

A prospective study of the distribution of illness within the menstrual cycle

The cyclic physiological variations during the menstrual cycle are thought to be associated with change in emotional state, in susceptibility to illness, and in frequency of illness-related behavior. Variations in frequency of illness with the phases of the menstrual cycle were examined using data from a 3-year prospective study of social and psychological antecedents of viral illness in 94 student nurses. Reported illnesses, accidents, medical consultations, and hospital admissions were randomly distributed throughout the menstrual cycle. Subjects took more medication on the 1st day of menses than on any other day of the cycle; howeverreported menstrual symptoms were infrequent, with only 4% of the population reporting two or more such episodes. It was concluded that there was an increase in discomfort on the data of onset of menses which was self-medicated but not defined as illness. There was no discernible relationship of illness or disability to any phase of the cycle.This work was supported in part by Center for Oral Health Research (COHR) grant DEO 2116, and Oral Medicine Training Grant ST01-DE-77. The authors wish to recognize the contribution of Carol Ram, R. N., who was the administrator of this study and responsible for the collection and organization of the large bank of information from which the material for this paper was abstracted. Without her care, diligence, and intelligent management, this study could not have been completed. We also wish to acknowledge the consultive advice of Dr. Larry Laster, Director, Division of Biometrics, School of Dental Medicine, in choice of analytic techniques, and the help of Dr. Arthur Segal in the early stages of data analysis.     

The relative effectiveness of alternative job sources

Vocational research has focused on the occupational choice process and the individual's adjustment to work. Very little research has examined the job search process in which the individual must engage in order to implement occupational choices. This study examines one dimension of the job search process: the relationship between job source and subsequent work experiences. The data reveal that when the respondents initially entered the labor market, those relying on formal job sources tended to work in higher-level occupations and in jobs more closely related to their training than their counterparts who used other job sources. In the longer run, the labor market advantages associated with the use of formal job sources dissipated for the engineering majors but tended to persist for the business alumni.     

Flow thresholds of nonodorous air through the human naris as a function of temperature and humidity

The process of olfactory sensation is probably a Gestalt consisting of motor, physical, and chemical components formed during the transport of the odor-bearing airstream past the olfactory epithelium. In studying a sensory process, it is often necessary to examine the components independently. Apart from its contribution to the olfactory Gestalt, in dynamic olfactometry airflow may distract from, compete with, or mask chemical sensation. Four nonsmoking male subjects were employed to obtain flow thresholds of nonodorous air at eight temperature/ humidity combinations. The stimulus-generating apparatus was housed in a temperature-regulated oven. All materials in contact with the airstream were thoroughly cleaned and were constructed of nonreactive materials to avoid olfactory cues. An evaluation of the quality of the output demonstrated purity. A Béésy technique was used to deliver stimuli via a nasal catheter to the subject. Thresholds were found to be nearly identical for the lowest humidity levels regardless of the temperature. In general, the closer the temperature/humidity was to physiological normal, the higher the threshold. Since the thresholds were so strongly functions of temperature and humidity, it is likely that transduction was by trigeminal thermoreceptive afferents. The utilization of subthreshold flows in olfactory research may reduce the trigeminal component in olfaction, thus permitting better assessment of the contribution of the olfactory nerve to olfactory sensation.