bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neuroscience Curricula for Undergraduates: A Survey
Authors: Boitano John J. , Seyal Aisha A.
Published: April 2009

Directors of graduate and undergraduate programs in neuroscience were asked to describe the optimal preparatory background of undergraduates entering graduate programs in neuroscience. Both undergraduate and graduate directors ranked research experience as the most important credential. Graduate directors considered grades/grade point averages and graduate record examination scores as the second and third most important variables. Undergraduate directors ranked courses and grades/grade point averages as their second and third choices. The most essential course for both types of directors was introduction to biology. The next most essential courses for the undergraduate directors were organic/inorganic chemistry and introduction to neuroscience (tied percentages), whereas the graduate directors chose calculus. This latter choice was interpreted as a symbolic representation of the need for quantification in science, generally. Both types of directors chose a course in biochemistry as the most important or desirable course but not necessarily an essential course. These findings have important implications for the training of future undergraduate neuroscience majors.
Book Review: The Pharmacology of Mu Analgesics: From Patients to Genes
Authors: Pasternak Gavril W.
Published: April 2009

Morphine and most clinical opioids act through mu opioid receptors. Yet, their pharmacological profiles differ. The presence of incomplete cross-tolerance among these drugs clinically was one of the first indications that these mu opioids differed in their receptor mechanisms of action. This was followed by similar studies in preclinical models, which also found genetic differences in sensitivity toward morphine and other mu opioids. This concept of mu receptor multiplicity is now supported by antisense and gene knockout models. Although all the mu opioids are sensitive to antisense probes against the mu opioid receptor gene MOR-1, the sensitivity profiles of the drugs to the antisense probes differ based on the exon being targeted. Knockout mice also reveal striking differences. In one knockout mouse, morphine analgesia is completely lost while the potent mu drugs morphine-6β-glucuronide and heroin both retain analgesic activity. Finally, cloning studies have identified at least seven different splice variants of the MOR-1 gene, with more likely. These studies illustrate the complexity of mu opioid pharmacology.
Book Review: The Neurobiology of Pain: Developmental Aspects
Authors: Fitzgerald Maria , Beggs Simon
Published: April 2009

Invasive procedures that would be painful in children and adults are frequently performed on infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. This article discusses sensory responses to these procedures in the immature nervous system and highlights the fact that, in addition to causing distress and delayed recovery, pain in infancy is also a developmental issue. First, the immaturity of sensory processing within the newborn spinal cord leads to lower thresholds for excitation and sensitization, therefore potentially maximizing the central effects of these tissue-damaging inputs. Second, the plasticity of both peripheral and central sensory connections in the neonatal period means that early damage in infancy can lead to prolonged structural and functional alterations in pain pathways that can last into adult life.
The Place of the Thalamus in Frontal Cortical-Basal Ganglia Circuits
Authors: Haber Suzanne , Mcfarland Nikolaus R.
Published: April 2009

The thalamus has long been thought to convey subcortical information to the cortex. Indeed, models of basal ganglia function attribute the primary role for the thalamus to a simple relay of information processed in the basal ganglia to the cortex. The thalamic nuclear groups that are associated primarily with this function are the ventral anterior and ventral lateral nuclei and the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus. However, recent studies have shown that the corticothalamic projection is important for the dynamics of the thalamo-cortical processing. Furthermore, the relay nuclei that carry basal ganglia output to the cortex have recently been shown to project back to the basal ganglia directly. These two recent developments indicate a more dynamic role for the thalamus in basal ganglia information processing than a passive relay.
Neuroscience and Morality
Authors: Allison Truett
Published: April 2009

Humans are social animals who use specialized brain mechanisms to assess the actions of others. This system for social cognition can be studied by imaging techniques, and its damage can lead to inappropriate social and moral behavior. Neuroscience can thus enrich our understanding of behaviors traditionally thought to be outside the province of science.
Book Review: Gain Modulation in the Central Nervous System: Where Behavior, Neurophysiology, and Computation Meet
Authors: Salinas Emilio , Sejnowski Terrence J.
Published: April 2009

Gain modulation is a nonlinear way in which neurons combine information from two (or more) sources, which may be of sensory, motor, or cognitive origin. Gain modulation is revealed when one input, the modulatory one, affects the gain or the sensitivity of the neuron to the other input, without modifying its selectivity or receptive field properties. This type of modulatory interaction is important for two reasons. First, it is an extremely widespread integration mechanism; it is found in a plethora of cortical areas and in some subcortical structures as well, and as a consequence it seems to play an important role in a striking variety of functions, including eye and limb movements, navigation, spatial perception, attentional processing, and object recognition. Second, there is a theoretical foundation indicating that gain-modulated neurons may serve as a basis for a general class of computations, namely, coordinate transformations and the generation of invariant responses, which indeed may underlie all the brain functions just mentioned. This article describes the relationships between computational models, the physiological properties of a variety of gain-modulated neurons, and some of the behavioral consequences of damage to gain-modulated neural representations.
Review: Developmental Changes in Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors: Lessons from Hippocampal Synapses
Authors: Molnar Elek , Pickard Lisa , Duckworth Joshua K.
Published: April 2009

Glutamatergic synapses are the primary source of excitatory transmission in the central nervous system (CNS), and their formation is critical in the establishment of neuronal connections. The refinement of these connections occurs during development and also it is postulated during learning and memory. Recent progress in understanding the molecular components of synaptic junctions, together with advances in imaging techniques, has started to offer new insights into the development of excitatory synapses. Studies performed on low-density primary neuronal cultures have enabled dissection of the temporal sequence of events, which have lead to the differentiation of pre- and postsynaptic components. A central feature of the development of excitatory synapses is the accumulation of glutamatergic receptors (GluRs) at the postsynaptic site. These receptors need to be localized and fixed opposite nerve terminals that release glutamate. But for this to occur, neurons require intracellular anchoring molecules, as well as mechanisms that ensure the efficient turnover and transport of receptor proteins. This review focuses on some of the developmental changes observed in the subcellular distribution and molecular organization of AMPA and NMDA type ionotropic GluRs (iGluRs), which mediate the majority of fast excitatory neurotransmission in the CNS.
Book Review: Dynamics of Extracellular Dopamine in the Acute and Chronic Actions of Cocaine
Authors: Bradberry Charles W.
Published: April 2009

Cocaine amplifies dopaminergic neurotransmission via blockade of presynaptic neuronal uptake. This action is believed to be a crucial component of cocaine’s ability to exert its reinforcing effects. This review will provide a brief overview of extracellular dopamine dynamics associated with cocaine. The acute effects of cocaine reviewed include comparison of intravenous and intraperitoneal routes of administration to better understand how fast and slow routes (e.g., crack and intranasal) differ in their pharmacokinetics and neurochemical effects and how those differences relate to differences in abuse potential. Changes in the acute effects of cocaine within a session have been examined in neurochemical studies of acute tolerance to self-administered cocaine in rhesus monkeys, and the potential impact of that tolerance to patterns of use is discussed. Between-session sensitization of the dopaminergic response to cocaine is reviewed, and data indicating this also occurs in primates have been obtained in self-administering rhesus monkeys, demonstrating neurochemical sensitization in a primate species. The important question of whether cocaine-associated environmental cues elicit conditioned increases in dopamine release has also been examined in the rhesus monkey, with results indicating that, unlike rats, nonhuman primates do not show conditioned increases in dopamine release.
Book Review: Role of Superoxide Dismutases in Oxidative Damage and Neurodegenerative Disorders
Authors: Maier Carolina M. , Chan Pak H.
Published: April 2009

In recent years, oxidative stress has been implicated in a variety of degenerative processes, diseases, and syndromes. Some of these include atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, stroke, and ischemia/reperfusion injury; chronic and acute inflammatory conditions such as wound healing; central nervous system disorders such as forms of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and glutathione peroxidase-linked adolescent seizures; Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s dementia; and a variety of other age-related disorders. Among the various biochemical events associated with these conditions, emerging evidence suggests the formation of superoxide anion and expression/activity of its endogenous scavenger, superoxide dismutase (SOD), as a common denominator. This review summarizes the function of SOD under normal physiological conditions as well as its role in the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying oxidative tissue damage and neurological abnormalities. Experimental evidence from laboratory animals that either overexpress (transgenics) or are deficient (knockouts) in antioxidant enzyme/protein levels and the genetic SOD mutations observed in some familial cases of ALS are also discussed.
The Environment Reporters of New England
Authors: Sachsman David B. , Simon James , Valenti Joann Myer
Published: April 2009

Who are the reporters covering environmental issues in the United States? As the first step in a nationwide series of regional studies of environment reporters conducted over time, the researchers identified and interviewed 55 environment reporters working for New England daily newspapers and television stations in winter and spring 2000. The study found environment reporters working at half the region's newspapers and only four of the television stations. The New England environment reporters ranked everyday, practical journalistic process concerns such as time constraints and the size of the news hole as the most frequent barriers to reporting on the environment. They also said their sources most often came from government, and their stories often contained a variety of factors, including a human-interest angle, a government angle, and a pollution angle. Many wished to aid the environment while still remaining objective in their reporting.
Improving Communication with U.K. Agricultural and Related Scientific Expertise
Authors: Morton John , Quan Julian , Nelson Valerie , Albright Kerry
Published: April 2009

There has been an assumption that agricultural research carried out by developed country research institutions would be ultimately transferred to developing countries through national research and extension organizations. In recent years, this paradigm has been increasingly challenged by the increased prominence of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in agricultural development. In this context, the authors investigated U.K. NGOs'access to and perceptions of U.K. expertise in agricultural and environmental science. The article examines the problems most often encountered by NGOs in agricultural development, current sources of advice, links with U.K. science institutions, and their short-term and long-term suggestions for improving NGO-research collaboration
Heartbeats
Authors: Weems Mary E. , White Carolyne J. , Alvarez McHatton Patricia , Shelley Clarence , Bond Tim , Brown Ruth Nicole , Melina Lois , Scheidt Lois Ann , Goode Jackie , De Carteret Phoenix , Wyatt Jonathan
Published: April 2009

One of the ways to participate as change agents in the struggle toward a true participatory global democracy is constructing spaces in which to communicate across race, ethnicity, religion, class, and culture. This collaborative, auto/ethnographic performance text was started during a pre-conference workshop titled “Heartbeats: Writing Performance Texts,” I designed and facilitated with the help of my colleague Carolyne J. White. The purpose of the workshop was to encourage colleague participants from around the globe to construct spiritual and physical spaces for creating sacred, performance texts grounded in their lived experiences both as researchers and as socially conscious beings in the world; and to share them out loud in an ad hoc learning community environment. The environment was created in part, by transforming a traditional university meeting space into a space filled with cultural artifacts, photographs, music, and the voices of men and women gathered together for a brief period of time, in the hopes of encouraging the construction of more sessions like this in traditional university conference settings.
When Needs Must
Authors: Kidd Jacquie , Finlayson Mary
Published: April 2009

Autoethnographical research, though interesting and satisfying to conduct, presents a challenge to graduate students who are required to engage in data analysis to meet the needs of their degree. This article tells the collaborative story of how one such student balanced her academic, methodological, ethical, and personal imperatives and developed the notion of motif as a beginning point for the effective interpretation of autoethnographical stories. Each motif in this research consisted of a collective story, vignette, art, and literature review.
Voicing the Interview
Authors: Mallozzi Christine A.
Published: April 2009

This article illustrates how an emerging graduate researcher's conceptions of postpositivist, feminist, and poststructural theories of educational research affected data gathering and initial analysis. These macro theories are exemplified as the voices of an educational researcher, a feminist researcher, and a poststructural researcher, respectively. Theoretical tensions influence an interview with one female preservice teacher as part of a larger research project. Interviewing is a complex method for data gathering, and empathic moves within the interview were a site that revealed simultaneously active incongruous theories. This article provides two examples of tensions affecting the interview: understanding an interview question and the interviewer— interviewee relational energy. The effects of multiple theories in an interview supply implications for novice researchers to theorize their own work and for more experienced researchers to guide novices through these challenges.
Tangled Theories
Authors: Amatucci Kristi Bruce
Published: April 2009

Using poetry, performative ethnography, narrative, and senses of home and heart, I engage Butler, Foucault, Baudrillard, Derrida, Marx, Deleuze, Bhabha, and others, and find myself troubling liminality and the easy answers it affords. Through stories of family and teaching high school English, I move from small town to classroom to the academy to expose contradictory and complementary versions of me at various points in time and space. I play with my hair and read Japanese poetry as I write to please an amorphous you, a you who never appears but prefaces everything I have ever had to say.
Local Political Institutions and Smart Growth
Authors: Ramírez de la Cruz Edgar E.
Published: April 2009

Using Florida survey data from 2002 and 2007, this article seeks to determine the characteristics of local governments that make them more or less inclined to engage in smart growth-related land-use regulations. The study draws on a range of theoretical traditions to motivate an empirical model of policy adoption, emphasizing the interaction between interest group politics and local political institutions as the primary explanatory factors. In addition, the article differentiates between types of smart growth regulations designed to promote a key smart growth principle—compact development—in terms of their redistributive consequences. The study finds some support for the notion that the adoption of smart growth practices is affected by the activism of interest groups and their interaction with local political institutions.
The Case Against Income Redistribution
Authors: Browning Edgar K.
Published: April 2009

The case for income redistribution by government is frequently made in the economics literature, but the case against is rarely encountered. This article is an attempt to fill that gap by enumerating and explaining the major arguments against income redistribution. Seven arguments are discussed. The first three stress the normative virtues of the market order, and the last four focus on the adverse consequences of income redistribution by government.
Urban Malls, Tax Base Migration, and State Intergovernmental Aid
Authors: Chervin Stan , Edmiston Kelly , Murray Matthew N.
Published: April 2009

Decentralized systems of government finance give rise to fiscal disparities due to interjurisdictional variations in tax bases and expenditure needs. Intergovernmental aid is used to address such disparities. This article explores changes in local tax capacity and intergovernmental aid resulting from urban shopping malls that extract retail sales and sales tax revenue away from surrounding areas, especially rural counties. A model is developed and estimated to determine the impact of urban malls on local government sales tax bases, controlling for sales tax rate differentials and other factors. The results reveal a 15.9% decline in the sales tax base for counties in close proximity to two newmalls. The analysis is extended to examine impacts of changing local tax capacity on state education aid. Based on the programconsidered here, less than 20% of the loss in own-source revenue is recovered through increased aid.
Tort Reform Voting in the U.S. Senate
Authors: Zaleski Peter A. , Donati Penny Maier
Published: April 2009

This article analyzes the determinants of Senate voting on tort reform. The key issue addressed is the effect of party affiliation, experience as an attorney, constituent economic interests, and contributions to Senate candidates from the American Trial Lawyers' Political Action Committee (ATLPAC) on subsequent voting on tort reform legislation in the Senate. The article employs logit regression to model the determinants of voting on tort reform in the Senate. The results suggest that party interests, constituent interests, and self-interest influenced voting on tort reform. Democratic senators and those who are attorneys were less likely to vote in favor of tort reform. Contributions from ATLPAC significantly decreased the likelihood of a senator voting for tort reform. The size of the legal profession within the senator's state and the number of new corporations in the state have a small but significant impact.
Some Results on the Comparative Statics of Optimal Categorical Transfer Payments
Authors: Viard Alan D.
Published: April 2009

To alleviate equity-efficiency trade-offs, tax transfer systems pay categorical transfers to groups defined by characteristics correlated with earnings ability. The author examines the comparative statics of categorical transfer payments in a linear income tax model through analysis of first-order conditions and numerical calculations. The analysis sharpens previous results on the size of categorical transfers, the resulting reduction in the income tax rate, and the associated welfare gain. Notably, the author finds that categorical transfers should vary more across groups when earnings ability is more equal within each group, when labor supply is more elastic, and when less revenue is required for public goods.
Local Redistribution Financed by Income Tax
Authors: Calabrese Stephen M.
Published: April 2009

In this article, a positive model of local income redistribution financed by income tax is developed. The tax rate and the level of redistribution within a community are determined through majority voting. The amount of redistribution that each local government can undertake is constrained by housing market distortions and by the ability of people to freely move from one jurisdiction to another. The author establishes a number of equilibrium conditions with a general form of the utility function. The three different sets of numerically computed equilibria are developed. The first set of computational equilibria is developed assuming voters are less sophisticated. These results are compared with the results of the property tax-financed redistribution-computed equilibria in Epple and Romer’s study. The second set of computational equilibria are developed assuming voters are highly sophisticated. The third set are developed assuming that land rents are equally divided among the entire population.
Imperfect Competition and Indirect Tax Structure in a Deregulated Telecommunications Sector
Authors: Lee Fitzroy A.
Published: April 2009

This article uses an applied general equilibrium model to evaluate the relative efficiency of alternative indirect tax structures on the telecommunications sector. The article especially investigates the impact of imperfect competition in the sector’s product market on the efficiency costs of the indirect tax structures. The results show that for a shift from differential capital taxation to uniform capital taxation, the marginal efficiency gains under imperfect competition are 11/2 to 2 times larger than the marginal efficiency gains under perfect competition. The results also show that although a differential capital tax has an efficiency advantage over a differential commodity tax under perfect competition under imperfect competition, a differential commodity tax is more efficient.
Reciprocal State and Local Airport Spending Spillovers and Symmetric Responses to Cuts and Increases in Federal Airport Grants
Authors: Cohen Jeffrey P.
Published: April 2009

How states and localities react to federal airport grant cuts is a question of increasing importance, especially in light of recent congressional funding reauthorization debates. This study finds that states and localities behave in the way public finance theory predicts. The magnitude of an airport spending change is the same (but in opposite directions) for a cut and an increase in airport grants. Thus, the flypaper effect operates in both directions. Spillovers arising from airport spending are also considered. With the hub and spoke structure of the U.S. air transportation system, a spending increase on airports experiencing major time delays confers spillover benefits on individuals in other states in the form of travel time savings from decreased congestion. These spillovers are reciprocal. There is significant evidence of such interdependencies, and an individual state raises airport spending by between 50 and 60 cents when other states increase airport spending by 1 dollar.
A Multivariate Approach to the Growth of Governments
Authors: Legrenzi Gabriella , Milas Costas
Published: April 2009

The Italian general government expenditure is empirically modeled by considering demand-side, supply-side, and institutional factors. The authors estimate a long-run relationship with government expenditure driven by the demand-side and supply-side effects of domestic income and bureaucratic power, respectively, as well as by an institutional factor, namely, the decentralization of public expenditure. The disequilibrium error positively affects income growth and local spending, implying that when government expenditure is above its equilibrium level, both economic growth and local governments benefit. However, tighter government spending within the European Monetary Union environment suggests that local governments will have to become more efficient to find additional resources for their financing.
The Demand for Local Public Goods: The Case of Public School Quality
Authors: Brasington David M.
Published: April 2009

The demand for public school quality is estimated. Unlike previous studies, the price of a unit of public school quality in the demand estimation is measured by both the tax price and the implicit price calculated from a house price hedonic. Identification, endogeneity, and Tiebout bias are addressed. The tax price elasticity of the demand for public schooling is -.17; the implicit price elasticity of demand is -.11. Both estimates are more inelastic than previously reported elasticities. The income elasticity of demand is .32. The positive relationship between constant-quality house price and public school quality is confirmed.
Public Provision of Indivisible Private Goods in Short Supply
Authors: Usher Dan
Published: April 2009

Public provision of private goods is usually modeled as the displacement of a market where people can buy as much or as little of a good as they please, with tax-financed provision by the government of equal and identical amounts of the good per person. But public provision is not always equal per person because some goods cannot be supplied equally or because the government does not choose to supply goods equally. There may be fewer organs available for transplant than there are people who need them. The best education and medical care are unavoidably rationed because teachers and doctors differ in skill or dedication. Total public expenditure may be insufficient to provide for everybody when there is a lower limit to useful expenditure per person.
Textbook Explanations of Inflation in the 1970s
Authors: Mcguire Robert A. , Willman Elliott S.
Published: April 2009

This survey of 23 macroeconomics textbooks shows that many contain an analysis of inflation during the 1970s that is potentially misleading. The survey indicates the predominant textbook explanation of inflation in the 1970s is that price increases of imported oil caused supply-side shocks that led to cost-push inflation. The textbook oil story of inflation is frequently based on casual empiricism, often fails to directly integrate monetary policy, and could have been presented using the price of any basic imported commodity. The contention in this article is that the oil story of inflation is included in the textbooks, even if it is flawed and misleading, because it is a low-cost, easily understood explanation that is consistent with a Keynesian view of inflation. The oil story, moreover, is included in textbooks because it is considered an accurate story of inflation by nearly all authors. Personal correspondence with the textbook authors offers support for this explanation for inclusion of the oil story in the textbooks.
Why do Tax and Expenditure Limitations Pass in State Elections?
Authors: Alm James , Skidmore Mark
Published: April 2009

This article uses information on the actual conditions in all states over the extended period 1978 to 1990 to estimate the probability of tax and expenditure limitation (TEL) passage in state elections. This probability is a function of economic, fiscal, demographic, and political factors in the state, as well as specific features of the TEL; these variables are chosen to measure demand-side and supply-side features of the political process in the state. The estimation procedures use maximum likelihood techniques; a special feature of the estimation is correction for the sample selection bias that may occur with standard probit estimation because a threshold set of conditions must exist before any limitation is even placed on a statewide ballot and a voting outcome is actually observed. The results show that increases in both property taxation and local revenues relative to state revenues increase the probability of TEL passage; however, increases in total state tax revenues are associated with a lower likelihood of TEL passage. Furthermore, changes in income and in the tax price of state and local public services are important determinants of TEL passage over time. Specific features of a limitation do not generally affect passage probabilities, although a state that has already imposed a limitation is less likely to do so again. Political and demographic features of the state also have little impact on TEL outcomes.
Spatial Dependence in Entrepreneurship Research
Authors: Plummer Lawrence A.
Published: April 2009

Measures used in entrepreneurship research are often subject to spatial dependence. Spatial dependence renders ordinary least squares (OLS) estimation inappropriate because the estimates will be biased, inconsistent, and/or inefficient. The aims of this article are (a) to demonstrate how spatial dependence is especially problematic for entrepreneurship research and (b) to arm researchers with spatial modeling techniques that are more appropriate for such analysis. As such, not only will this article illustrate how to incorporate spatial dependence explicitly into the linear regression model, it also discusses how these techniques make it possible to explore and locate areas with particularly high levels of spatial dependence (i.e., hot spots). These techniques, although new to the management literature, are well known in both the regional science and geography literatures and are rapidly diffusing to economics, sociology, and related social sciences.
Are We There Yet?
Authors: Crook T. Russell , Shook Christopher L. , Morris M. Lane , Madden Timothy M.
Published: April 2009

Research design is a central element of empirical research, and thus, an important consideration for entrepreneurship researchers and anyone interested in entrepreneurship-related research findings. Yet, many years have past since the last thorough review of research design and construct measurement practices. Thus, it is unknown whether there is a gap between what is currently being done versus what needs to be done. In this article, authors use a two-study approach involving a content analysis of published empirical research and a survey of experts within the field to assess the current state of practices. Their findings indicate that, in general, research design and construct measurement practices continue to improve; however, there are some issues that still need to be resolved. Authors lay out key implications and provide several suggestions to help resolve these issues.
Party Strategy or Candidate Strategy
Authors: Reed Stephen R.
Published: April 2009

Under the single non-transferable vote (SNTV), political parties are faced with the strategic problem of matching the number of candidates to their vote total. Running either too many or too few candidates may lose a seat that could otherwise have been won. Many studies have confirmed that Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) solved this strategic problem relatively well and ran close to the optimal number of candidates. Each of these studies makes the standard unitary actor assumption that the LDP can be understood as if it were a single individual maximizing its total number of seats in the Diet. Even though these unitary actor models have produced an impressive account of LDP nomination policy, I argue for an alternative decentralized model based on candidate strategy. The primary mechanism producing the optimal number of LDP candidates per district is not strategic decision-making by the party headquarters, but competition among strategic candidates. Political parties are organizations and therefore capable of unitary action, but parties are also arenas for competition among factions and candidates. The LDP was not a coherent organization but rather an open arena for candidate competition.
Going the Extra Mile
Authors: Kennedy Helen
Published: April 2009

Many stereotypes of new media workers exist: they are exemplary of the future of work and of working in the new economy; their work is emotional; their passion for new media translates into creativity in the production process. Of course, none of these stereotypes paints a full picture. This article proposes that a study of the micropolitics of a new media production process, which explores the articulation of the emotional with commercial imperatives, results in a different story about new media work and points to some of the many complexities of making new media objects. The article further suggests that there is a need for a nuanced unpacking of the concepts of emotional and affective labour, which recognizes the different, sometimes opposing affects and emotions that drive new media work. It concludes that the science and technology studies' term 'interpretative flexibility' provides a useful conceptual tool with which to conceive of the complex emotional and commercial imperatives that drive new media work.
Digital thermal monitoring of vascular function: a novel tool to improve cardiovascular risk assessment
Authors: Gul Khawar M , Ahmadi Naser , Wang Zhiying , Jamieson Craig , Nasir Khurram , Metcalfe Ralph , Hecht Harvey S , Hartley Craig J , Naghavi Morteza
Published: April 2009

Abstract

Digital thermal monitoring (DTM) of vascular function during cuff-occlusive reactive hyperemia relies on the premise that changes in fingertip temperature during and after an ischemic stimulus reflect changes in blood flow. To determine its utility in individuals with and without known coronary heart disease (CHD), 133 consecutive individuals (age 54 ± 10 years, 50% male, 19 with known CHD) underwent DTM during and after 2 minutes of supra-systolic arm cuff inflation. Fingertip temperatures of the occluded and non-occluded fingertips were measured simultaneously. Post-cuff deflation temperature rebound (TR) was lower in the CHD patients and in those with an increased Framingham risk score (FRS) compared to the normal group. After adjustment for age, sex, and cardiac risk factors, TR was significantly lower in those with CHD compared to those without CHD ( p < 0.05). This study demonstrates that vascular dysfunction measured by DTM is associated with CHD and an increased FRS, and could potentially be used to identify high-risk patients.
An approach to cultural adaptation and validation: the Intermittent Claudication Questionnaire
Authors: Ketenci Bulend , Tuygun Abdullah Kemal , Gorur Alper , Bicer Mehmet , Ozay Batuhan , Gunay Rafet , Guney Mehmet Rasit , Sargin Murat , Cimen Serdar , Demirtas Mahmut Murat , Yekeler Ibrahim
Published: April 2009

Abstract

The objective of this study was to perform a cultural adaptation and define the validity of the Turkish version of the Intermittent Claudication Questionnaire (ICQ) in order to provide a practical instrument for the evaluation of the impact of intermittent claudication (IC) on patients’ quality of life and response to therapy. A standard ‘forward–backward’ translation method was used to translate the questionnaire into Turkish. Reliability was assessed by internal consistency of the questionnaire reporting Cronbach’s α coefficient, test–retest reliability that was assessed with the intraclass correlation between instrument scores over time and with the Spearman–Brown coefficient as a variant of split-half reliability. Validity was examined by correlation of the ICQ with the scores of the SF-36 and its eight domains. Eighty-four patients (mean age, 60.7 ± 7.3 years; male, 57%) were given the ICQ and a final completion rate of 98.8% (83 patients) was reached. The mean total ICQ score was 39.1 ± 21.8 (SD) (0–100) for the first application of the questionnaire. Thirty patients out of the eligible 83 completed the questionnaire at two time points with a 1-day interval. For the retest, the total ICQ score was 40.6 ± 26.1 (4.7–97.2). The total SF-36 score of all the study patients was 33.8 ± 20.7 (3.0–81.0). Cronbach’s α was 0.95; the Spearman–Brown coefficient was 0.92; and the intraclass correlation coefficient for the two measurements was 0.91. For the total score and for the scores of domains except the emotional role domain, the correlations were high and all the correlations were statistically significant. In conclusion, the Turkish version of the ICQ, which is a disease-specific, self-administered, and practical instrument, is reliable and valid. We recommend its use to assess the effect of IC on the quality of life of patients in clinical trials and in daily clinical practice.
Psychological Correlates of Mental Stress-induced Ischemia in the Laboratory
Authors: Ketterer Mark W. , Freedland Kenneth E. , Krantz David S. , Kaufmann Peter , Forman Sandra , Greene Anthony , Raczynski James , Knatterud Genell , Light Kathy , Carney Robert M. , Stone Peter , Becker Lewis , Sheps David
Published: April 2009

Participants consisted of 184 patients (160 males, 24 females) with positive angiograms or prior myocardial infarctions who displayed at least 1 mm of ST segment depression on a standardized treadmill test. Mean scores on the Reward Dependence subscale of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire were higher in patients displaying ischemia during mental stress. Patients who reported higher levels of irritability/anger in response to the Speech stressor were also more likely to display ischemia. However, this result was primarily a result of the females in the sample whose ratings of interest and irritability were associated with ischemia during the Speech task. Psychometric measures previously found in prospective studies to predict acute cardiac events were unrelated to mental stress-induced ischemia in the laboratory.
Pain in the Vernacular: Psychological and Physical
Authors: Kugelmann Robert
Published: April 2009

A hermeneuticalphenomenological analysis of 42 narratives of pain in everyday life leads to the conclusion that psychological pain is pain. Psychological and physical pain have similar phenomenological structures. Both are felt bodily performances that entail at least temporarily a disabling of a potentiality for action. Pain is a performance of affliction of a person in a social situation. The category of psychological and physical pains arises from cultural conceptions of the nature of the person. This category reveals that pain can afflict the person in any aspect of existence. A categorization closer to the phenomena differentiates pains on the basis of what aspect of existence is afflicted. In conclusion, differences between pain and suffering are explored.
Self-perceptions and Current Practices of High-risk Older Drivers: Implications for Driver Safety Interventions
Authors: Stalvey Beth T. , Owsley Cynthia , Stalvey Beth T. , Owsley Cynthia
Published: April 2009

Many older drivers with visual problems meet the legal requirements for licensing despite having functional impairments that elevate crash risk. In a sample of visually impaired older drivers, over half believed that their vision was not likely to cause them to crash. Eighty percent acknowledged that they would feel more protected against crashing if they avoided certain driving situations. However, 75 percent of the sample reported never or rarely avoiding such situations (e.g. left turns, interstate highways). Almost 70 percent of drivers reported high self-efficacy in their ability to self-regulate and use alternative strategies. These data imply that behavioral interventions promoting compensatory strategies of self-regulation may be useful in maintaining mobility while improving the safety of high-risk older drivers. These findings serve as baseline for our ongoing study evaluating whether an educational intervention will increase self-regulation and improve older driver safety.
Anticipated Choices Among Self-, Informal, and Formal Care by Older Canadians
Authors: McEachreon S. , Salmoni A. , Pong R. , Garg R. , Viverais-Dresler G.
Published: April 2009

The present research investigated factors related to the health care choices seniors anticipated making in response to hypothetical illness symptoms (e.g. rectal bleeding). After collecting demographic data, 80 seniors were presented various illness symptoms. Directly following each symptom they were asked whether they anticipated using self-, informal, or formal care to deal with the potential problem. In general, seniors with higher perceived health status anticipated using self-care. Being male and having a lower perceived health status was predictive of choosing informal care, whereas being female was predictive of anticipating using formal care. When individual symptoms were analyzed, additional predictors were identified. Judged seriousness of a symptom, experience with a symptom, and social network status were related to different anticipated health care choices for some, but not all, symptoms. Perhaps the most striking finding was the difference between males and females. Since health status between males and females was not significantly different, this difference in anticipated choice of care seemed to be linked to personal preference rather than health status per se.
Parental Non-verbal Sexual Communication: Its Relationship to Sexual Behaviour and Sexual Guilt
Authors: Joffe Hélène , Franca-Koh Ana ClÁUdia
Published: April 2009

The study explores the link between remembered non-verbal sexual communication in the home, current sexual behaviours and feelings of sexual guilt, among a sample of young British men and women. Non-verbal sexual communication encapsulates: openness about nudity in the home; the showing of affection between parents; signs of parental sexual activity and contraceptive use; and intimation of mother's menstruation. One hundred and thirty-seven young adults completed questionnaires measuring remembered parental non-verbal sexual communication, current sexual behaviour and sexual guilt. Higher levels of parental non-verbal sexual communication were found to be linked to: earlier onset of sexual activity, fewer sexual partners and lower feelings of aspects of sexual guilt. The findings are discussed in terms of how to advance this area of study.
Individualism and Immune Function: Are Asthma and Allergies Partly a Function of an Overly Constricted Self?
Authors: James Keith
Published: April 2009

Relations of individualism/collectivism to asthma and allergies were examined in two studies. I proposed that a narrower psychological identity (individualism) might be associated with an overactive immune system. In Study 1, average individualism levels across 15 countries correlated significantly positively (.50) with national asthma rates. Pollution and crowding levels were unrelated to national asthma rates. In Study 2, higher levels of personality individualism were associated with higher numbers of allergies among college students even with some other individual difference factors controlled. Potential mechanisms behind, and potential implications of, these results are described. Some suggestions for further research on this topic are given.
Health Behavior: An Interlocking Personal and Social Task
Authors: Kals Elisabeth , Montada Leo
Published: April 2009

Traditional health behavior models comprise only person-centered motivational components such as personal vulnerability perceptions and specific internal control beliefs. However, such factors as social responsibility, perceived prevalence rates of illnesses, attribution of control to societal agencies, and the motivation to engage oneself for public health concerns are not unrelated to individual health protection. Therefore, an alternative model is proposed, which combines traditional self-centered and social variables. This alternative model was empirically confirmed in a questionnaire study exemplified by cancer preventive activities ( N = 558), which embraced personal cancer prevention as well as efforts to reduce the cancer prevalence within the general population. The readiness to engage in personal cancer preventive measures appeared to be closely related to the readiness to engage oneself for public health programs. The motivational predictors of both categories of activities had significant overlap. Implications for model building and intervention strategies to promote individual as well as public health behavior are discussed.
Mediators of Increased Physical Activity and Change in Subjective Well-being: Results from the Activity Counseling Trial (ACT)
Authors: Rejeski W. Jack , Shelton Brent , Miller Michael , Dunn Andrea L. , King Abby C. , Sallis James F. ,   The Activity Counseling Trial Research Group
Published: April 2009

The purpose of this study was to examine whether change in satisfaction with physical function (SF), satisfaction with physical appearance (SA), and self-efficacy (SE) mediate the effects that increased physical activity has on change in subjective well-being (SWB). Participants in this investigation consisted of 854 men ( n = 471) and women ( n = 383) who took part in the Activity Counseling Trial (ACT). ACT was a 24-month multicenter, randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to promote physical activity in the primary care setting. Participants were assigned to one of three treatments: standard care control, staff-assisted intervention, or staff-counseling intervention. Results revealed that, irrespective of treatment arm, change in physical activity was related to change in SBW and to change in all mediators of interest. A statistical test of mediation revealed that the influence of change in physical activity on SWB was due to change in all three mediators with change in SF making the greatest contribution to the model.
Do Patients Want Control over their Own Health Care? A Review of Measures, Findings, and Research Issues
Authors: Auerbach Stephen M.
Published: April 2009

Across a wide variety of medical settings, patients report that they want detailed information about their condition and their treatment whereas stated desire for input into decision making is skewed more in the direction of physician-only or at least collaborative decision-making. These results, along with the contextual and individual difference factors associated with increased willingness to relinquish control (lower educational level, more serious illness, increasing age), indicate that patients want to assume control if they feel it will be beneficial to them to do so. The findings, however, are based largely on the relationship of patients’ mean scores to arbitrarily determined scale midpoints on measures with little or no criterion-related validity. These measures also show insufficient overlap with better validated measures of desire for health care control, which indicate more normally distributed scores and a broader range of individual differences among respondents. Findings are discussed in terms of the need for further research on the structure (dimensionality) and stability of the construct desire for health care control and issues involved in conducting needed criterion-related validational work.