bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Physiological Response Properties of Cat Retinal Ganglion Cells Projecting to Suprachiasmatic Nucleus
Authors: Pu Mingliang
Published: April 2009

The aim of this experiment was to characterize the physiological properties of cat retinal ganglion cells that project to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Retrogradely labeled SCN-projecting ganglion cells were recorded extra-cellularly in vitro. For the first time, this study provides crucial information on visual response properties of ganglion cells in the entrainment circuitry. All recorded cells gave sustained responses ( n = 9). Although most of the cells ( n =8) had an “on” center receptive field, one cell showed “on-off” center receptive field properties. The range of receptive field sizes was 2 to 5 deg. For most of the cells tested, the spectral wavelength that evoked peak responses was 500 nm (3 out of 5 cells). All recorded cells ( n = 9) preferred still or extremely slow-moving stimuli (3.3 deg/s). These results indicate that cat SCN-projecting cells receive inputs from conventional photoreceptors. The hypothesis that both conventional and cryptochromic photoreceptors are involved in transferring photic signals is discussed.
Photic Entrainment of Circannual Rhythms in Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrels: Role of the Pineal Gland
Authors: Hiebert Sara M. , Thomas Elena M. , Lee Theresa M. , Pelz Kimberly M. , Yellon Steven M. , Zucker Irving
Published: April 2009

Entrainment of circannual rhythms of body mass and reproduction was monitored for 3 years in female golden-mantled ground squirrels maintained in a simulated natural photoperiod. Both pinealectomized and pinealintact squirrels generated circannual rhythms of body mass and estrus, but only the intact animals entrained these rhythms to a period of 365 days. In the second and third years after treatment, the period of the body mass rhythm was significantly shorter than 365 days for pinealectomized squirrels, and variance in tau among these animals was significantly greater than for intact squirrels. Asimilar pattern was evident in the rhythm of reproduction, which was phase-disrupted in pinealectomized squirrels but entrained in intacts. Seasonal changes in duration of nocturnal melatonin secretion by the pineal appear to be necessary to produce phase-delays required to entrain the circannual clock to a period of 12 months.
A Novel Mechanism for the Control of Circadian Clock Period by Light
Authors: Page Terry L.
Published: April 2009

The free-running period expressed by circadian clocks in constant environmental conditions is history dependent, and one effect of entrainment of circadian clocks by light cycles is to cause long-lasting changes in the free running period that are termed aftereffects. It has been suggested that aftereffects are a consequence of the particular phase relationships among constituent oscillators of the circadian system that are established by the entrainment. In a test of this hypothesis, it is shown that aftereffects of entrainment of the free-running rhythm of nerve impulse activity from the eye of Bulla gouldiana are completely unaffected by treatment with 12-, 24-, or 48-h pulses of the translation inhibitor cycloheximide or with 24-h pulses of the transcription inhibitor DRB (5.6-dichlorobenzimidazole riboside). These treatments reset the phase of circadian oscillators generally and those in the eye of B. gouldiana specifically. The absence of any effect of the treatments indicates that aftereffects are independent of oscillator phase. These results suggest that history-dependent changes in period result from a novel, long-lasting, and previously unrecognized mechanism of action of light on the circadian pacemaking system. Furthermore, the data indicate that aftereffects can persist in the absence of translation, transcription, or the continued cycling of the circadian system.
Low Ambient Temperature Accelerates Short-Day Responses in Siberian Hamsters by Altering Responsiveness to Melatonin
Authors: Larkin Jennie E. , Freeman David A. , Zucker Irving
Published: April 2009

Exposure to low ambient temperatures (Ta) accelerates appearance of the winter phenotype in Siberian hamsters transferred from long to short day lengths. Because melatonin transduces the effects of day length on the neuroendocrine axis, the authors assessed whether low Ta promotes the transition to winterlike traits by accelerating the onset of increased nocturnal melatonin secretion or by enhancing responsiveness to melatonin in short day lengths. Male hamsters were transferred from 16L (16 h light/day) to 8L (8 h light/day) photoperiods and held at 5 °C or 22 °C. Locomotor activity was recorded continuously, and body mass, testis size, and pelage color were determined biweekly for 8 weeks. The duration of nocturnal locomotion ([.alpha]), a reliable indicator of the duration of nocturnal melatonin secretion, lengthened significantly earlier in hamsters exposed to a Ta of 5 °C than 22 °C. Cold exposure increased the proportion of hamsters that were photoresponsive: gonadal regression in short days increased from 44% at 22 °C to 81% at 5 °C ( p < 0.05); low Ta did not, however, accelerate testicular regression in animals that were photoresponsive. Nonphotoresponsive animals at 5 °C temporarily had longer [.alpha]s during the first 4 weeks in short days and significant decreases in body mass and testicular size that were reversed during the ensuing weeks when [.alpha] decreased. In a 2nd experiment, pinealectomized male hamsters infused for 10 h/day with melatonin for 2 weeks had significantly lower body and testes masses when maintained at 5 °C but not 22 °C. Low-ambient temperature appears to accelerate the appearance of the winter phenotype primarily by increasing target tissue responsiveness to melatonin and to a lesser extent by augmenting the rate at which the duration of nocturnal melatonin secretion increases in short day lengths.
Seasonal Variation in Endogenous Serum Melatonin Profiles in Goats: A Difference between Spring and Fall?
Authors: Alila-Johansson Aino , Eriksson Lea , Soveri Timo , Laakso Maija-Liisa
Published: April 2009

The pineal hormone melatonin serves as a signal of day length in the regulation of annual rhythms of physiological functions and behavior. The duration of high melatonin levels in body fluids is proportional to the duration of the dark period of the day. Due to the direct suppression of melatonin by light, the overt melatonin rhythm may differ from the endogenous rhythm driven by the hypothalamic circadian clock. The aim of this study was to find out possible differences between the overt and endogenous melatonin rhythms in goats during the course of a year. Seven Finnish landrace goats (nonlactating females) were kept under artificial lighting that approximately simulated the annual changes of day length at 60°N. Blood samples for melatonin measurements by radioimmunoassay were collected at 2-h intervals during six seasons: winter (light:dark 6:18 h), early spring (10:14), late spring (14:10), summer (18:6), early fall (14:10), and late fall (10:14). Melatonin profiles were determined for 2 consecutive days, first in light-dark (LD) conditions and then in continuous darkness (DD). In LD conditions, the profiles matched the dark period with one exception: in winter, the mean peak duration was significantly shorter than the scotoperiod. In DD conditions, two types of endogenous melatonin patterns were found: a “winter pattern” (peak duration 13–15 h) in winter, early spring, early fall, and late fall, and a “summer pattern” (duration about 11 h) in late spring and summer. Thus, in equal habitual LD conditions in late spring and early fall (LD 14:10), the endogenous melatonin rhythms were not quite similar: the pattern in late spring resembled that in summer, and the pattern in early fall that in winter. These results suggest that, in addition to the light-adjusted overt melatonin rhythm, the endogenous rhythm of melatonin secretion varies during the course of a year.
Circadian Rhythm of Iguana Electroretinogram: The Role of Dopamine and Melatonin
Authors: Miranda-Anaya Manuel , Bartell Paul A. , Menaker Michael
Published: April 2009

The amplitude of the b-wave of the electroretinogram (ERG) varies with a circadian rhythm in the green iguana; the amplitude is high during the day (or subjective day) and low during the night (or subjective night). Dopamine and melatonin contents in the eye are robustly rhythmic under constant conditions; dopamine levels are high during the subjective day, and melatonin levels are high during the subjective night. Dopamine and melatonin affect the amplitude of the b-wave in an antagonistic and phase-dependent manner: dopamine D2-receptor agonists injected intraocularly during the subjective night produce high-amplitude b-waves characteristic of the subjective day, whereas melatonin injected intraocularly during the subjective day reduces b-wave amplitude. Sectioning the optic nerve abolishes the circadian rhythms of b-wave amplitude and of dopamine content. The results of this study suggest that in iguana, a negative feedback loop involving dopamine and melatonin regulates the circadian rhythm of the ERG b-wave amplitude that is at least in part generated in the brain.
Photoperiodic Time Measurement in Insects: A Review of Clock Models
Authors: Nunes Marlies Vaz , Saunders David
Published: April 2009

Based on analyses of responses of insects and mites to a wide range of diel and nondiel experimental light-dark schedules, a variety of models have been developed for the photoperiodic clocks in these species by nearly as many investigators. According to some of these models, the photoperiodic clock is based on a mechanism separate from the circadian system, that is, a so-called “hourglass.” According to other models, the clock is based on one or more circadian oscillators that may be coupled to each other and that may or may not show a certain degree of damping. In this context, a rapidly damping oscillator could be regarded as an hourglass. The present article gives an overview of the many different clock models and their philosophies, and it makes comparisons among them to provide a better understanding about how these models are related, if at all, and why the double circadian oscillator model is the most favored model at present.
Neurological Outcome in Preterm Small for Gestational Age Infants Compared to Appropriate for Gestational Age Preterm at the Age of 18 Months: A Prospective Study
Authors: Karagianni Paraskevi , Kyriakidou Maria , Mitsiakos Georgios , Chatzioanidis Helias , Koumbaras Emmanouel , Evangeliou Athanasios , Nikolaides Nikolaos
Published: April 2009

The aim of this study was to investigate the neurological outcome of premature small for gestational age infants at the corrected age of 18 months by the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination. A prospective trial was conducted comparing 41 preterm infants being small for gestational age with 41 appropriate for gestational age infants. Birth weight was significantly lower in small for gestational age infants compared with appropriate for gestational age infants (1724.6 ± 433 versus 1221 ± 328 g). There were no significant differences regarding the median gestational age and Apgar scores. Median global scores differ significantly between both groups: 75 (47-78) versus 76 (72-78) for the small for gestational age and appropriate for gestational age infants, respectively. Both groups had optimal scores. In conclusion, although the small for gestational age group scored lower in the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination, median global score in both groups was within optimal range.
Critical Care Aspects of Lung Transplant Patients
Authors: Chakinala Murali M. , Kollef Marin H. , Trulock Elbert P.
Published: April 2009

Major strides have been made in lung transplantation during the 1990s and it has become an established treatment option for patients with advanced lung disease. Due to improvements in organ preservation, surgical techniques, postoperative intensive care, and immunosuppression, the risk of perioperative and early mortality (less than 3 months after transplantation) has declined [1]. The transplant recipient now has a greater chance of realizing the benefits of the long and arduous waiting period.

Despite these improvements, suboptimal long-term outcomes continue to be shaped by issues such as opportunistic infections and chronic rejection. Because of the wider use of lung transplantation and the longer life span of recipients, intensivists and ancillary intensive care unit (ICU) staff should be well versed with the care of lung transplant recipients.

In this clinical review, issues related to organ donation will be briefly mentioned. The remaining focus will be on the critical care aspects of lung transplant recipients in the posttransplant period, particularly ICU management of frequently encountered conditions. First, the groups of patients undergoing transplantation and the types of procedures performed will be outlined. Specific issues directly related to the allograft, including early graft dysfunction from ischemia-reperfusion injury, airway anastomotic complications, and infections in the setting of immunosuppression will be emphasized. Finally nonpulmonary aspects of posttransplant care and key pharmacologic points in the ICU will be covered.
Critical Care Management of Increased Intracranial Pressure
Authors: Mayer Stephan A. , Chong Ji Y.
Published: April 2009

Increased intracranial pressure (ICP) is a pathologic state common to a variety of serious neurologic conditions, all of which are characterized by the addition of volume to the intracranial vault. Hence all ICP therapies are directed toward reducing intracranial volume. Elevated ICP can lead to brain damage or death by two principle mechanisms: (1) global hypoxic-ischemic injury, which results from reduction of cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and cerebral blood flow, and (2) mechanical compression, displacement, and herniation of brain tissue, which results from mass effect associated with compartmentalized ICP gradients. In unmonitored patients with acute neurologic deterioration, head elevation (30 degrees), hyperventilation (pCO2 26-30 mmHg), and mannitol (1.0-1.5 g/kg) can lower ICP within minutes. Fluid-coupled ventricular catheters and intraparenchymal pressure transducers are the most accurate and reliable devices for measuring ICP in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting. In a monitored patient, treatment of critical ICP elevation (>20 mmHg) should proceed in the following steps: (1) consideration of repeat computed tomography (CT) scanning or consideration of definitive neurosurgical intervention, (2) intravenous sedation to attain a quiet, motionless state, (3) optimization of CPP to levels between 70 and 110 mmHg, (4) osmotherapy with mannitol or hypertonic saline, (5) hyperventilation (pCO2 26-30 mmHg), (6) high-dose pentobarbital therapy, and (7) systemic cooling to attain moderate hypothermia (32-33°C). Placement of an ICP monitor and use of a stepwise treatment algorithm are both essential for managing ICP effectively in the ICU setting.
An Infrequent but Life-Threatening Complication of a Simple Procedure
Authors: Spinello Irene M. , Balk Robert A.
Published: April 2009

Venous air embolism is an underrecognized, potentially fatal, but easily preventable complication of central line placement and removal. It can result in cardiovascular, pulmonary, and central nervous system abnormalities, ranging from minor derangement to immediate cardiovascular collapse. The most serious consequence of venous air embolism is felt to be related to blood flow obstruction from a right ventricular airlock. Identifying risk factors, understanding the pathophysiology and recognizing clinical manifestations of venous air embolism will help to initiate appropriate therapy, prevent lethal sequelae and decrease the incidence of central line related venous air embolism.
Fatal Cardiac Dysrhythmia Following a Bupropion Overdose in an Adolescent
Authors: Gursahani Komo , Tobias Joseph D.
Published: April 2009

Bupropion is an antidepressant that is currently used in the treatment of depression, attention deficit-hyperactive disorder, and bipolar diseases; as well as an aid in smoking cessation. Although its neurotoxicity and propensity to cause seizures are well described in the literature, bupropion has been suggested to be a more desirable antidepressant when compared to the tricyclic antidepressants due to its lack of cardiotoxicity. To date, there are limited reports with regard to cardiac toxicity. The authors present a 15-year-old boy who developed torsades de pointes and cardiac arrest as a result of a bupropion overdose. Other reports of potential cardiac toxicity related to bupropion are reviewed.
Old Wine in a New Wineskin
Authors: Henrickson Leslie
Published: April 2009

An agent-based model is developed and demonstrated to be a feasible alternative method of analysis for the college choice/college access problem in higher education. The agent-based model captures agent heterogeneity and complex agent interactions in ways that cannot be accounted for through traditional statistical techniques. The agent-based model computer output was based on Patricia McDonough’s research using Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological theoretical framework.
An Evaluation of the Effect of Response Formats on Data Quality in Web Surveys
Authors: Heerwegh Dirk , Loosveldt Geert
Published: April 2009

When designing a web questionnaire, various HTML input elements can be used to register respondents’ answers. Two input elements, radio buttons and drop-down boxes, can be regarded as technically equivalent because they serve the same purpose—both allowing selection of one answer from a list of response options. However, these input elements are dissimilar in many respects, and there is reason to believe that some people are less familiar with drop-down boxes. By means of two experiments, this study evaluates the effect of the two response formats on data quality. Lower data quality was expected in the drop-down boxes condition than in the radio buttons condition. The data showed that a slight preference for radio buttons might be justified, although both response formats have benefits and drawbacks. The choice between these response formats is not self-evident and needs to be guided by other considerations such as sample composition and survey design.
Optimal Spatial Deployment of Police Patrol Cars
Authors: Sacks Stephen R.
Published: April 2009

The spatial deployment of a scarce municipal resource, police cars, is examined with respect to four criteria: response time, workload balance, patrol frequency, and interdistrict dispatches. Standard results from queuing theory are supplemented by the addition of spatial concepts to provide the basis for a computer implementation called The Desktop Hypercube. This software allows police planners to draw patrol districts on a map of their city and to evaluate performance according to these criteria. By repeatedly redrawing districts and reevaluating, they should be able to improve performance. Using data on police calls in New Britain, Connecticut, The Desktop Hypercube is used to measure performance while varying the number of cars, the number of patrol districts, and the way the districts are drawn. Certain basic trade-offs become evident, some of which are especially important to cities in which community policing is a high priority.
Content Analysis of the World Wide Web
Authors: Weare Christopher , Lin Wan-Ying
Published: April 2009

This article examines methodological issues for content analytic research of the World Wide Web. The outline of content analysis as a systematic and quantitative scientific method for measuring the content of messages have existed for centuries. Nevertheless, its development and diffusion have been primarily spurred by the rise of mass media, newspapers in the 19th century and electronic media in the 20th century. The growth of the Internet promises to induce a similar expansion of its use and refinement of its techniques. The World Wide Web is characterized by its ubiquity, global reach, interactivity, decentralized, hyperlinked structure, and multimedia format. All of these characteristics present researchers with opportunities and challenges at each step of a content analysis: sampling, unitization, development of content categories, coding, and analysis. Based on a review of recent content analytic research, this article analyzes these issues and suggests methodological improvements for future research.
From Papi to Capi
Authors: Banks Randy , Laurie Heather
Published: April 2009

This article describes the conversion of the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) to a computer aided personal interviewing (CAPI) mode of data collection. The BHPS is a panel survey, now in its 10th year of data collection, carried out by the Institute for Social and Economic Research based at the University of Essex. Moving to CAPI midway in the life of a panel survey presents particular challenges, and the article discusses the implications of the move and details the staged strategy by which it was accomplished within a very tight timescale. The authors show how this approach has provided many of the benefits of a CAPI mode of data collection while posing little risk to the integrity of the panel sample as a whole, generating, nevertheless, challenges of its own.
triple-s XML
Authors: Hughes Keith , Jenkins Stephen , Wright Geoff
Published: April 2009

The triple-s standard defines a means by which both survey data and variables may be transferred between different survey programs running on different software and hardware platforms. It thus represents a first real attempt to resolve what should be a simple, but was previously a complex, process. This article gives a brief history of the development of the standard, outlines the formal aims of the original specification, and introduces key aspects of the standard and the revised version (1.1) published in 1998. The authors also look at the development of the Internet as a communication mechanism and the recent rise in the use of XML as a means of describing and categorizing the content of documents. The authors show how this aspect of XML leads to its logical choice as a metastandard for describing survey information and they describe the contents of the proposed triple-s XML standard.
An Experimental Evaluation of Web-Based Tutorial Quizzes
Authors: Klass Gary , Crothers Lane
Published: April 2009

This study reports the results of a random assignment experiment using Web quizzes constructed with the Mallard software program and a multiple-choice test bank provided with O’Connor and Sabato’s American Government text. The experiment allows comparison of the performance of students who were assigned quizzes on specific chapters of the book with those who were not. The general purpose is to assess whether assigning Web quizzes in a large American government course has any effect on students’ comprehension of the material. The authors found no significant differences on posttest scores between students who were assigned Web quizzes and those who were not.
The Technological Transformation of Leisure
Authors: Bryce Jo
Published: April 2009

There is a large body of literature examining the role of communication technologies in the shaping of contemporary society. One area that has not been sufficiently considered in the literature is the influence of technology on the organization and experience of leisure. Historically, there has always been a relationship between technology and leisure, but the increasing use of the Internet and computer gaming technology during leisure time is facilitating a transformation in contemporary leisure activity and has relevance for themes in both leisure and Internet research. This article presents a brief examination of the historical relationship between technology and leisure, before examining the implications of technological change for themes in leisure and Internet research. Examined with reference to computer technology and the use of the Internet are (a) activity, place, and meaning; (b) leisure freedom and constraint; (c) deviant leisure; and (d) leisure and health.
Modeling the Impact of Federal Taxes, Subsidies, and Grants on Family Resources
Authors: Burley Mason
Published: April 2009

As states take on more responsibility for health, education, and welfare programs, the interactions between state and federal policies become critical in informed decision making. The connection between state financial assistance and federal tax regulations has grown very complex. In 1997 alone, over 800 changes were made to the federal tax code. This article presents two computer applications developed by the author that analyze the complicated relationships among tax credits, transfer payments, subsidies, and grants. The family resource wage progression (FRWP) model calculates federal tax liability, earned-income tax credits, food stamp benefits, and TANF (welfare) grants for low-income families. The higher education resource for modeling aid and need (HERMAN) displays the parent, student, and taxpayer contributions to the cost of higher education at various levels of income. Both applications offer an efficient means to investigate how tax credits and other benefits alter the financial circumstances of working families.
Studying Performance and Learning With ABIR
Authors: Van Der Veen A. Maurits , Lustick Ian S. , Miodownik Dan
Published: April 2009

This study uses the Agent-Based Identity Repertoire model to investigate the ability of populations to adapt and learn in an unpredictable environment. The authors’ findings highlight the trade-off between adaptation and diversity in the pursuit of performance but also show that this trade-off is far from straightforward. Increasing sophistication improves the ability to adapt but reduces diversity, imposing high costs down the line. However, high levels of sophistication also produce small, stable homogeneous clusters of agents, which slow down declines in diversity. Innovative or entrepreneurial agents reacting more rapidly to environmental signals increase the prevalence of such clusters, helping diversity but hampering adaptability. The authors also show that more predictable environments facilitate successful adaptation, especially for populations of intermediate sophistication. Finally, the authors conclude that the trade-off between adaptation and diversity is such that in the present model, long-term learning is difficult to achieve.
Affective Dimensions of Internet Culture
Authors: King Adam B.
Published: April 2009

This study examines online culture by constructing an affective portrait of Internet users. Respondents were recruited through a highly visible advertisement on the Yahoo! search engine, and their sentiments were collected with a Web-based survey instrument using Osgood’s semantic-differential technique. The study had three particularly engaging findings: First, Internet users hold extremely intense and nuanced affective sentiments toward the components of their online world. Second, these sentiments vary with the amount of time Internet users spend online as well as their cumulative years of Internet experience. Third, men and women have slightly different affective responses toward many components of online culture, suggesting that despite the supposedly gender-free nature of the Internet, men and women experience somewhat different online social worlds.
A Digital Library for the Dissemination and Replication of Quantitative Social Science Research
Authors: Altman Micah , Andreev Leonid , Diggory Mark , King Gary , Sone Akio , Verba Sidney , Kiskis Daniel L.
Published: April 2009

The Virtual Data Center software is an open-source, digital library system for quantitative data. The authors discuss what the software does, how it provides an infrastructure for the management and dissemination of distributed collections of quantitative data, and the replication of results derived from these data.
A Computer Application for Research on Gender
Authors: Mulkey Lynn M. , Anderson Tasha D.
Published: April 2009

This study accounts for weak and inconsistent evidence in prior research on differential use by men and women of care-oriented moral reasoning by investigating the indirect effects of sex-role subscription on moral viewpoint through interactional context. An online computer context for solving moral dilemmas by minimizing gender cues and bias due to sex-role demands in interaction is introduced to encourage reliance on internalized gender variations in moral orientation. Observation of a matched sample of 104 participants assigned to treatment and control groups tested whether the relationship between sex-role orientation and care-oriented moral reasoning is stronger for sex-role-stereotyped than for undifferentiated individuals online versus face-to-face. A statistically significant difference was found, suggesting the effectiveness of the context control in invoking a gender difference in moral reasoning. Implications are for incorporating computer interactional context as a moderating variable in experimental designs, especially those employed in research testing gender theory.
Comparing Trade Instruments Using Spreadsheets
Authors: Tohamy Soumaya M. , Mixon J. Wilson
Published: April 2009

This article describes the use of Microsoft Excel to illustrate how different trade instruments affect total welfare. The article highlights seven Excel worksheets that show different trade instruments and their effect on total welfare. The first worksheet shows the determination of world equilibrium price and quantity for a two-country world example. A second shows how the imposition of a tariff affects the equilibrium price and quantity for both countries and the welfare of consumers and producers in both countries. A third shows how these same variables are affected if the country imposing the tariff is small relative to all other countries in the world. Another shows graphically how to measure consumer and producer surplus. The final three worksheets compare the effects of a tariff, a subsidy, and a support price on consumers’ and producers’ welfare and government revenue.
Lessons for Managing Information Technology in the Public Sector
Authors: Northrop Alana
Published: April 2009

Over the past 6 years, master’s of public education students in a graduate course at California State University, Fullerton, interviewed about 460 practitioners about information technology applications and issues. Based on these interviews and the resulting papers and orals, nine lessons were gleaned. These lessons represent the wisdom of the workplace across a great variety of positions and departments. The top two lessons are that managers must support the application and their employees using it and that managers must devote more resources and ongoing thought to training. This article is also about the usefulness of the course assignment to students, professors, and practitioners.
Internet-Based Psychological Experimenting
Authors: Reips Ulf-Dietrich
Published: April 2009

Internet-based psychological experimenting is presented as a method that needs careful consideration of a number of issues—from potential data corruption to revealing confidential information about participants. Ten issues are grouped into five areas of actions to be taken when developing an Internet experiment (dos) and five errors to be avoided (don’ts). Dos include: (a) utilizing dropout as a dependent variable, (b) the use of dropout to detect motivational confounding, (c) placement of questions for personal information, (d) using a collection of techniques, and (e) using Internet-based tools. Don’ts are about: (a) unprotected directories, (b) public access to confidential data, (c) revealing the experiment’s structure, (d) ignoring the Internet’s technical variance, and (e) improper use of form elements.
Trust in Online Advice
Authors: Briggs Pamela , Burford Bryan , De Angeli Antonella , Lynch Paula
Published: April 2009

Many people are now influenced by the information and advice they find on the Internet, much of it of dubious quality. This article describes two studies concerned with those factors capable of influencing people’s response to online advice. The first study is a qualitative account of a group of house-hunters attempting to find worthwhile information online. The second study describes a survey of more than 2,500 people who had actively sought advice over the Internet. A framework for understanding trust in online advice is proposed in which first impressions are distinguished from more detailed evaluations. Good web design can influence the first process, but three key factors—source credibility, personalization, and predictability—are shown to predict whether people actually follow the advice given.
The Use of Spectral Mixture Analysis to Study Human Incentives, Actions, and Environmental Outcomes
Authors: Schweik Charles M. , Green Glen M.
Published: April 2009

The social science community has given increasing attention to the analysis of multitemporal satellite images in human dimensions of environmental change research. This article provides an overview of how image-processing techniques, such as radiometric calibration and spectral mixture analysis, can be applied. The application of these techniques is vital if the social science community wishes to develop a robust research program that allows the accurate comparison of distant but similar locations. Furthermore, by mapping the institutional landscape, the article demonstrates how social scientists can begin to understand landscape change by carefully relating human incentives to actions and actions to outcomes as measured by a set of multitemporal satellite images.
The Personal Computer, Culture, and Other Uses of Free Time
Authors: Robinson John P. , Kestnbaum Meyer
Published: April 2009

This report compares the cultural participation and other free time activities of heavy users, light users, and nonusers of personal computers, based on a 1997 national survey of more than 6,000 respondents age 18 years or older conducted for the National Endowment for the Arts. No significant or consistent evidence of time displacement of such leisure activities was found. Indeed, heavier computer use was associated with significantly greater participation in cultural and other free time activities, even after multivariate adjustment. These results reinforce conclusions from earlier surveys showing higher mass media use among home computer users rather than displacement, as occurred with the introduction of television. These results reinforce the conclusion that personal computers might have more in common with “time-enhancing” home appliances such as the telephone than they do with television.
Economics
Authors: Blecha Betty J.
Published: April 2009

The initial introduction of microcomputers failed to change economics instruction because software was unable to duplicate the degree of understanding achieved through traditional methods in a cost-effective manner. The World Wide Web and complementary technologies have fundamentally altered the cost-effectiveness of different instructional methods, but learning information models of diffusion suggest that universities must adopt explicit policies to stimulate faculty Web use to overcome a learning externality associated with the new technology. Some issues of university organization related to Web technology also are discussed.
Evaluating the Validity and Reliability of a Modified Survey to Assess Patient Satisfaction With Mail-Order and Community Pharmacy Settings
Authors: Pinto Sharrel L. , Sahloff Eric G. , Ramasamy Abhilasha
Published: April 2009

The level of patient-pharmacist interactions and services provided varies across different distribution methods and could affect patient satisfaction with services. Determining patient satisfaction with these medication distribution methods is important for improving care of chronic disease patients. This study evaluated the validity and reliability of a modified survey to assess patient satisfaction with mail-order and community pharmacy settings. Exploratory cross-sectional design using a convenience sample of HIV-infected patients at a university clinic was used. Satisfaction scale was modified from previously validated instrument resulting in 21 items on the final survey. Data collection occurred for 7 months, and 178 surveys were completed. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted using principal components and varimax rotation. Reliability and item analyses were conducted. Factor analysis resulted in a 2-factor solution, namely “satisfaction with the efficient functioning of the pharmacy” and “satisfaction with the managing therapy role of the pharmacist,” respectively. Cronbach’s alpha for factors 1 and 2 with mail-order were .951 and .795, for independent were .977 and .965, and for chain were .841 and .823. The study provides a valuable tool to assess patient satisfaction with pharmacy services provided through different distribution methods.
Complementary Therapy Used by Hispanic Women During Treatment for Breast Cancer
Authors: Owens Barbara , Jackson Mary , Berndt Andrea
Published: April 2009

The purposes of this study are to assess Hispanic women’s use of complementary interventions during breast cancer treatment and delineate the association between the most burdensome side effects and the most frequently used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The researchers examined both descriptive statistics and correlational relationships between side effects and CAM. Data were collected from a convenience sample ( N = 125). The mean age was 54, the educational average was less than 10 years, and the median income level was less than $20,000 per year. CAM was positively correlated with family income. Prayer was used by 93% of the women, humor was used by 83%, and 65% used exercise. The most frequent side effect of hair loss (70%) was the most bothersome side effect. The most burdensome and unmanageable side effects were bowel problems and nausea. Nurses play a key role in offering affordable, culturally appropriate symptom management interventions.
Community Carrying Capacity
Authors: Paarlberg Laurie E. , Varda Danielle M.
Published: April 2009

Scholars have explored the idea of the determinants of the size of the nonprofit sector as a linear relationship between supply of resources and the demand for nonprofit services. This in turn has fueled debate about whether there are too many nonprofits for available resources. In this article, we propose that the scarcity (or abundance) of resources does not inherently determine the limits of a community's nonprofit “carrying capacity”. Rather, network exchanges between nonprofits and other organizations may exhibit positive synergistic effects that are associated with diverse outcomes. We therefore propose a model of nonprofit carrying capacity that shifts the discussion to the ability of a community to support network exchanges among independent agents.
Europeanization of inequality and European reference groups
Authors: Whelan Christopher T. , Maître Bertrand
Published: April 2009

In this article we take advantage of the availability of European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) data to address both weak and strong versions of the Europeanization of reference groups thesis. The former proposes that common standards of evaluation emerge as a consequence of knowledge of conditions in other societies. The latter argues that people increasingly perceive themselves as part of a larger European stratification system. Our analysis leads us to reject both versions of the thesis. Material deprivation rather than having a uniform effect is highly dependent on national context. If a process of convergence is underway, it is one that as yet has had a limited impact. In circumstances where the Europeanization of inequality is raising issues relating to both national and transnational forms of legitimacy, it is important to understand that there is no necessary relationship between such Europeanization and the Europeanization of reference groups.
Barriers to entry: insider/outsider politics and the political determinants of job security regulations
Authors: Emmenegger Patrick
Published: April 2009

Job security regulations, here understood as restrictions on hiring and firing, figure prominently in the policy recommendations of international organizations or national reform programmes. However, in contrast to the prominence of job security regulations in the current reform discourse, hardly any attention is paid to their determinants. In this article, the insider/outsider theory of employment and unemployment is examined. Advocates of this approach argue that job security regulations mainly benefit the labour market insiders. As a consequence, insiders will fight all reforms that aim to dismantle these regulations. The insiders are supported by Social Democratic parties, which only represent the interests of the insiders. In this article it is maintained that this simple argument is wrong. Labour market outsiders can be expected to be equally supportive of job security regulations and Social Democratic parties as labour market insiders. This claim is supported by the empirical analysis using survey data.
Teaching How to Learn and Learning How to Teach
Authors: Haug Frigga
Published: April 2009

This essay takes offence at Holzkamp in order to honour him. Above all, the “teaching—learning short-circuit” he proposed and the question concerning emancipatory teaching left out by this concept are critically analysed. However, the critique follows Holzkamp in many details. The objects of critique are Holzkamp's use of language, his exemplary method, his way of dealing with reality, and the determination of subjects/students. The critique offered is meant as a retrieving critique ( aufhebende Kritik). On the assumption that Holzkamp's standpoint and perspective are similar to those of this critic, critique can keep Holzkamp's work alive, precisely by interrogating it. A series of doubts regarding Holzkamp's thought sharpens the critic's own procedure. In this respect, the study is nourished by his suggestions, particularly in those places where it rejects them.
What Makes us Talk about Wing Nuts?
Authors: Axel Erik
Published: April 2009

Critical Psychology is discussed as an historical science of the subject. The confrontation of human and machine is used to differentiate subjects in action from notions of isolated, formal mental mechanisms. An investigation of operators' regulation in a control room reveals issues of how subjects must re-arrange conditions to act more appropriately. The operators do not know everything necessary to act. This means that they must act on the basis of a concrete, varied, and situated understanding of their work. Since the dilemmas of work have no correct solutions, the operators must break rules to follow them and thereby re-arrange conditions. Each worker has his perspective on the problems. The differences are sorted out in conflictual cooperation. This challenges the more mediated aspects of work conditions.
Technology as Materialized Action and Its Ambivalences
Authors: Schraube Ernst
Published: April 2009

The paper attempts to overcome an abstract juxtaposition of human beings and technology and to develop an understanding of the technological mediation of human subjectivity and the inner relation between sociability and materiality. In contrast to the widespread notion of technological products being unproblematic means to an end, solely expanding human agency and disposition over the world, the argumentation puts the case for an understanding of technology as materialized action and contradictory forms of life. Taking this as a basis, the paper identifies in reference to Critical Psychology as well as theories from the field of science and technology studies different dimensions of the ambivalence of technology and its meaning in human life. Furthermore the paper develops suggestions of how psychological theory might contribute to a critical social study of technology.
The Neoglacial landscape and human history of Glacier Bay, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, southeast Alaska, USA
Authors: Connor Cathy , Streveler Greg , Post Austin , Monteith Daniel , Howell Wayne
Published: April 2009

The Neoglacial landscape of the Huna Tlingit homeland in Glacier Bay is recreated through new interpretations of the lower Bay's fjordal geomorphology, late Quaternary geology and its ethnographic landscape. Geological interpretation is enhanced by 38 radiocarbon dates compiled from published and unpublished sources, as well as 15 newly dated samples. Neoglacial changes in ice positions, outwash and lake extents are reconstructed for c. 5500—200 cal. yr ago, and portrayed as a set of three landscapes at 1600—1000, 500—300 and 300—200 cal. yr ago. This history reveals episodic ice advance towards the Bay mouth, transforming it from a fjordal seascape into a terrestrial environment dominated by glacier outwash sediments and ice-marginal lake features. This extensive outwash plain was building in lower Glacier Bay by at least 1600 cal. yr ago, and had filled the lower bay by 500 cal. yr ago. The geologic landscape evokes the human-described landscape found in the ethnographic literature. Neoglacial climate and landscape dynamism created difficult but endurable environmental conditions for the Huna Tlingit people living there. Choosing to cope with environmental hardship was perhaps preferable to the more severely deteriorating conditions outside of the Bay as well as conflicts with competing groups. The central portion of the outwash plain persisted until it was overridden by ice moving into Icy Strait between AD 1724—1794. This final ice advance was very abrupt after a prolonged still-stand, evicting the Huna Tlingit from their Glacier Bay homeland.
Language-use as a theme in German-language Swiss literature
Authors: Rash Felicity
Published: April 2009

This article explores the treatment of the theme of language-use in germanophone Swiss fiction.1 I aim to show that the frequency with which this theme manifests itself in literature reflects a widespread interest in linguistic issues on the part of the German-speaking Swiss. The views on language expressed by literary characters discussed in this article are, in fact, no different from those voiced by the real-life Swiss - and most Swiss fiction is about Swiss characters. That the germanophone Swiss give so much attention to linguistic issues testifies to their sensitivity to the social function of language-use as well as to their respect for tradition. The ability to use language according to prescribed conventions is seen as more than merely desirable; it is recognized as a vital requirement of social cohesion and national identity. I conclude that the Swiss preoccupation with language has a political dimension. The unique linguistic situation of German-speaking Switzerland - that of a diglossic German-language community within a multilingual nation - is used by the germanophone Swiss as a means of asserting their individuality among other German-speaking populations.