Digital Commons Network^™

Salient Distractors Can Induce Saccade Adaptation, Afsheen Khan, Sally A. Mcfadden, Mark Harwood, Josh Wallman

Publications and Research

When saccadic eye movements consistently fail to land on their intended target, saccade accuracy is maintained by gradually adapting the movement size of successive saccades. The proposed error signal for saccade adaptation has been based on the distance between where the eye lands and the visual target (retinal error). We studied whether the error signal could alternatively be based on the distance between the predicted and actual locus of attention after the saccade. Unlike conventional adaptation experiments that surreptitiously displace the target once a saccade is initiated towards it, we instead attempted to draw attention away from the target by …

Host Responses To Interspecific Brood Parasitism: A By-Product Of Adaptations To Conspecific Parasitism?, Peter Samas, Mark E. Hauber, Phillip Cassey, Tomáš Grim

Publications and Research

Background: Why have birds evolved the ability to reject eggs? Typically, foreign egg discrimination is interpreted as evidence that interspecific brood parasitism (IP) has selected for the host’s ability to recognize and eliminate foreign eggs. Fewer studies explore the alternative hypothesis that rejection of interspecific eggs is a by-product of host defenses, evolved against conspecific parasitism (CP). We performed a large scale study with replication across taxa (two congeneric Turdus thrushes), space (populations), time (breeding seasons), and treatments (three types of experimental eggs), using a consistent design of egg rejection experiments (n = 1057 nests; including controls), in areas with …

Sexual Motivations And Ideals Distinguish Sexual Identities Within The Self-Concept: A Multidimensional Scaling Analysis, Celeste Sangiorgio, Warren A. Reich, Andrea C. Vial, Mirko Savone

Publications and Research

Many studies explore when and how young people make sexual choices but few empirical investigations link their sexual motivations with their inner conceptions about their sexual identities. We used multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis to connect young adult participants’ (N = 128) self-descriptions of twelve identities to their sexual motivations and ideals. Identities clustered along two semantically distinct dimensions: Dimension 1 was anchored by family identities on one side and non-family identities on the other; Dimension 2 was anchored on one side by friend/romantic relationships and achievement-based social identities on the other. Those who cited intimacy (e.g., sex as an expression …

Conditions Under Which Arousal Does And Does Not Elevate Height Estimates, Justin Storbeck, Jeanine K. Stefanucci

Publications and Research

We present a series of experiments that explore the boundary conditions for how emotional arousal influences height estimates. Four experiments are presented, which investigated the influence of context, situation-relevance, intensity, and attribution of arousal on height estimates. In Experiment 1, we manipulated the environmental context to signal either danger (viewing a height from above) or safety (viewing a height from below). High arousal only increased height estimates made from above. In Experiment 2, two arousal inductions were used that contained either 1) height-relevant arousing images or 2) height-irrelevant arousing images. Regardless of theme, arousal increased height estimates compared to a …

Engagement With Care, Substance Use, And Adherence To Therapy In Hiv/Aids, Patrice K. Nicholas, Suzanne Willard, Clinton Thompson, Carol Dawson-Rose, Inge B. Corless, Dean J. Wantland, Elizabeth F. Sefcik, Kathleen M. Nokes, Kenn M. Kirksey, Mary Jane Hamilton, William L. Holzemer, Carmen J. Portillo, Marta Rivero Mendez, Linda M. Robinson, Maria Rosa, Sarie P. Human, Yvette Cuca, Emily Huang, Mary Maryland, John Arudo

Publications and Research

Engagement with care for those living with HIV is aimed at establishing a strong relationship between patients and their health care provider and is often associated with greater adherence to therapy and treatment (Flickinger, Saha, Moore, and Beach, 2013). Substance use behaviors are linked with lower rates of engagement with care and medication adherence (Horvath, Carrico, Simoni, Boyer, Amico, and Petroli, 2013). This study is a secondary data analysis using a cross-sectional design from a larger randomized controlled trial (n = 775) that investigated the efficacy of a self-care symptom management manual for participants living with HIV. Participants were recruited …

Skin Cancer Prevention Coverage In Popular Us Women’S Health And Fitness Magazines: An Analysis Of Advertisements And Articles, Corey Hannah Basch, Danna Ethan, Grace Clarke Hillyer, Alyssa Berdnik

Publications and Research

The desire to be tan is a phenomenon that public health researchers have investigated, as exposure to UV radiation increases the chances of developing skin cancer. Media messages in women’s magazines have been shown to contribute to this problem. Much less is known about the prevalence of skin cancer prevention messages in these magazines. This study's aim was to identify the number and type of articles and advertised products devoted to skin health (sun protection and skin cancer prevention in particular) within five popular U.S. greater than women’s health and fitness magazines. We analyzed articles and advertisements over seven months …

Design And Use Of Rubrics In Undergraduate Economics Courses, Sebastien Buttet, Veronika Dolar

Publications and Research

The purpose of this paper is threefold; first we explain how rubrics can be used in undergraduate economics courses not only as an assessment tool, but also as an effective teaching and learning tool. Next, we show how to design a rubric, using a simple production possibilities frontier (PPF) example with a four-step method that can be applied to any short- answer assignment or exam question. Finally, we provide three additional examples of short- answer questions with accompanying answers and rubrics that instructors can study and use, in order to develop and improve their own rubric-writing skills.

A Cross-Sectional Study Of Well Water Arsenic And Child Iq In Maine Schoolchildren, Gail A. Wasserman, Xinhua Liu, Nancy J. Loiacono, Jennie Kline, Pam Factor-Litvak, Alexander Van Geen, Jacob L. Mey, Diane Levy, Richard Abramson, Amy Schwartz, Joseph H. Graziano

Publications and Research

Background In recent studies in Bangladesh and elsewhere, exposure to arsenic (As) via drinking water is negatively associated with performance-related aspects of child intelligence (e.g., Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory) after adjustment for social factors. Because findings are not easily generalizable to the US, we examine this relation in a US population. Methods In 272 children in grades 3–5 from three Maine school districts, we examine associations between drinking water As (WAs) and intelligence (WISC-IV). Results On average, children had resided in their current home for 7.3 years (approximately 75% of their lives). In unadjusted analyses, household well WAs is associated …

A Vision For Inclusion: An Lgbt Broadband Future, Jessie Daniels, Mary L. Gray

Publications and Research

This report provides an overview of the current scholarship and policy around the particular needs of LGBT people and the Internet.

Impairments In Background And Event-Related Alpha-Band Oscillatory Activity In Patients With Schizophrenia, Ilana Y. Abeles, Manuel Gomez-Ramirez

Publications and Research

Studies show that patients with schizophrenia exhibit impaired responses to sensory stimuli, especially at the early stages of neural processing. In particular, patients’ alpha-band (8–14 Hz) event-related desynchronization (ERD) and visual P1 event-related potential (ERP) component tend to be significantly reduced, with P1 ERP deficits greater for visual stimuli biased towards the magnocellular system. In healthy controls, studies show that pre-stimulus alpha (background alpha) plays a pivotal role in sensory processing and behavior, largely by shaping the neural responses to incoming stimuli. Here, we address whether patients’ ERD and P1 deficits stem from impairments in pre-stimulus alpha mechanisms. To address …

What Students Think They Feel Differs From What They Really Feel - Academic Self-Concept Moderates The Discrepancy Between Students' Trait And State Emotional Self-Reports, Madeleine Bieg, Thomas Goetz, Anastasiya A. Lipnevich

Publications and Research

This study investigated whether there is a discrepancy pertaining to trait and state academic emotions and whether self-concept of ability moderates this discrepancy. A total of 225 secondary school students from two different countries enrolled in grades 8 and 11 (German sample; n = 94) and grade 9 (Swiss sample; n = 131) participated. Students' trait academic emotions of enjoyment, pride, anger, and anxiety in mathematics were assessed with a self-report questionnaire, whereas to assess their state academic emotions experience-sampling method was employed. The results revealed that students' scores on the trait assessment of emotions were generally higher than their …

Evolutionary Cognitive Therapy Versus Standard Cognitive Therapy For Depression: A Protocol For A Blinded, Randomized, Superiority Clinical Trial, Cezar Giosan, Oana Cobeanu, Cristina Mogoase, Vlad Muresan, Loretta S. Malta, Katarzyna Wyka, Aurora Szentagotai

Publications and Research

Background: Depression is estimated to become the leading cause of disease burden globally by 2030. Despite existing efficacious treatments (both medical and psychotherapeutic), a large proportion of patients do not respond to therapy. Recent insights from evolutionary psychology suggest that, in addition to targeting the proximal causes of depression (for example, targeting dysfunctional beliefs by cognitive behavioral therapy), the distal or evolutionary causes (for example, inclusive fitness) should also be addressed. A randomized superiority trial is conducted to develop and test an evolutionary-driven cognitive therapy protocol for depression, and to compare its efficacy against standard cognitive therapy for depression.

Methods/design: …

Chronic Corticosterone Exposure Persistently Elevates The Expression Of Memory-Related Genes In The Lateral Amygdala And Enhances The Consolidation Of A Pavlovian Fear Memory, Melissa S. Monsey, Lara M. Boyle, Melinda L. Zhang, Caroline P. Nguyen, Hope G. Kronman, Kristie T. Ota, Ronald S. Duman, Jane R. Taylor, Glenn E. Schafe

Publications and Research

Chronic exposure to stress has been widely implicated in the development of anxiety disorders, yet relatively little is known about the long-term effects of chronic stress on amygdala-dependent memory formation. Here, we examined the effects of a history of chronic exposure to the stress-associated adrenal steroid corticosterone (CORT) on the consolidation of a fear memory and the expression of memory-related immediate early genes (IEGs) in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA). Rats received chronic exposure to CORT (50 μg/ml) in their drinking water for 2 weeks and were then titrated off the CORT for an additional 6 days followed …

Engaging Academics And Reimagining Scholarly Communication For The Public Good: A Report, Jessie Daniels, Polly Thistlethwaite

Publications and Research

JustPublics@365 began as a discussion about how an interdisciplinary group of scholars at the Graduate Center, CUNY (located at 365 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan) might be able to bring their work together to foster greater social justice by sharing it in the public sphere.

We live in an era in which inequality is rampant. Media reports on inequality often gain little traction in a 24-hour news cycle dominated by the trivial. Activists work to address inequality in a myriad of ways, online and on the ground, but often lack connections to research or media that could further their cause. Key …

Discovering Jewish Studies Collections In Academic Libraries: A Practical Guide, Izabella Taler

Publications and Research

The U.S. colleges and universities offering non-sectarian educational programs in Jewish Studies rely on the support of their academic libraries for research materials and library services. For college libraries which use Library of Congress Classification scheme, it is a common practice to integrate "studies" resources into their general library collections. Since Jewish Studies sources span a vast number of subjects within all major disciplines, shelving integration leads to the dispersion of all relevant sources and such dispersion in turn leads to a variety of problems for library professionals and library users. For collection development librarians the problems range from lack …

The Effect Of Age On Neural Processing Of Pleasant Soft Touch Stimuli, April C. May, Jennifer L. Stewart, Susan F. Tapert, Martin P. Paulus

Publications and Research

Tactile interactions with our environment stimulate afferent fibers within the skin, which deliver information about sensations of pain, texture, itch and other feelings to the brain as a comprehensive sense of self. These tactile interactions can stimulate brain regions involved in interoception and reward processing. This study examined subjective, behavioral, and neural processing as a function of age during stimulation of A-beta (Aβ) and C tactile (CT) afferents using a soft brush stroke task. 16 adolescents (ages 15–17), 22 young adults (ages 20–28), and 20 mature adults (ages 29–55) underwent a simple continuous performance task while periodically anticipating and experiencing …

Dynamic Association Of Mortality Hazard With Body Shape, Nir Y. Krakauer, Jesse C. Krakauer

Publications and Research

Background A Body Shape Index (ABSI) had been derived from a study of the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2004 mortality data to quantify the risk associated with abdominal obesity (as indicated by a wide waist relative to height and body mass index). A national survey with longer follow-up, the British Health and Lifestyle Survey (HALS), provides another opportunity to assess the predictive power for mortality of ABSI. HALS also includes repeat observations, allowing estimation of the implications of changes in ABSI. Methods and Findings We evaluate ABSI z score relative to population normals as a …

Strategies To Reduce The Harmful Effects Of Extreme Heat Events: A Four-City Study, Jalonne L. White-Newsome, Sabrina Mccormick, Natalie Sampson, Miatta A. Buxton, Marie S. O’Neill, Carina J. Gronlund, Linda Catalano, Kathryn C. Conlon, Edith A. Parker

Publications and Research

Extreme heat events (EHEs) are becoming more intense, more frequent and longer lasting in the 21st century. These events can disproportionately impact the health of low-income, minority, and urban populations. To better understand heat-related intervention strategies used by four U.S. cities, we conducted 73 semi-structured interviews with government and non-governmental organization leaders representing public health, general social services, emergency management, meteorology, and the environmental planning sectors in Detroit, MI; New York City, NY; Philadelphia, PA and Phoenix, AZ—cities selected for their diverse demographics, climates, and climate adaptation strategies. We identified activities these leaders used to reduce the harmful effects of …

Engagement With Health Care Providers Affects Self- Efficacy, Self-Esteem, Medication Adherence And Quality Of Life In People Living With Hiv, Wei-Ti Chen, Dean Wantland, Paula Reid, Inge B. Corless, Lucille S. Eller, Scholastika Iipinge, William L. Holzemer, Kathleen Nokes, Elizbeth Sefcik, Marta Rivero-Mendez, Joachim Voss, Patrice Nicholas, J. Craig Phillips, John M. Brion, Caro Dawson Rose, Carmen J. Portillo, Kenn Kirksey, Kathleen M. Sullivan, Mallory O. Johnson, Lynda Tyer-Viola

Publications and Research

The engagement of patients with their health care providers (HCP) improves patients’ quality of life (QOL), adherence to antiretroviral therapy, and life satisfaction. Engagement with HCP includes access to HCP as needed, information sharing, involvement of client in decision making and self-care activities, respect and support of the HCP for the client’s choices, and management of client concerns. This study compares country-level differences in patients’ engagement with HCP and assesses statistical associations relative to adherence rates, self-efficacy, self-esteem, QOL, and symptom self-reporting by people living with HIV (PLHIV). A convenience sample of 2,182 PLHIV was enrolled in the United States, …

The Evolutionary Function Of Conscious Information Processing Is Revealed By Its Task-Dependency In The Olfactory System, Andreas Keller

Publications and Research

Although many responses to odorous stimuli are mediated without olfactory information being consciously processed, some olfactory behaviors require conscious information processing. I will here contrast situations in which olfactory information is processed consciously to situations in which it is processed non-consciously. This contrastive analysis reveals that conscious information processing is required when an organism is faced with tasks in which there are many behavioral options available. I therefore propose that it is the evolutionary function of conscious information processing to guide behaviors in situations in which the organism has to choose between many possible responses.

A Broadly Implementable Research Course In Phage Discovery And Genomics For First-Year Undergraduate Students, Tuajuanda C. Jordan, Sandra H. Burnett, Susan Carson, Steven M. Caruso, Kari Clase, Randall J. Dejong, John J. Dennehy, Dee R. Denver, David Dunbar, Sarah C. R. Elgin, Ann M. Findley, Chris R. Gissendanner, Urszula P. Golebiewska, Nancy Guild, Grant A. Hartzog, Wendy H. Grillo, Gail P. Hollowell, Lee E. Hughes, Allison Johnson, Rodney A. King, Lynn O. Lewis, Wei Li, Frank Rosenzweig, Michael R. Rubin, Margaret S. Saha, James Sandoz, Christopher D. Shaffer, Barbara Taylor, Louise Temple, Edwin Vazquez, Vassie C. Ware, Lucia P. Barker, Kevin W. Bradley, Deborah Jacobs-Sera, Welkin H. Pope, Daniel A. Russell, Steven G. Cresawn, David Lopatto, Cherly P. Bailey, Graham F. Hatfull

Publications and Research

Engaging large numbers of undergraduates in authentic scientific discovery is desirable but difficult to achieve. We have developed a general model in which faculty and teaching assistants from diverse academic institutions are trained to teach a research course for first-year undergraduate students focused on bacteriophage discovery and genomics. The course is situated within a broader scientific context aimed at understanding viral diversity, such that faculty and students are collaborators with established researchers in the field. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Science Education Alliance Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) course has been widely implemented and has been …

Direct Control Of Visual Perception With Phase-Specific Modulation Of Posterior Parietal Cortex, Andrew Jaegle, Tony Ro

Publications and Research

We examined the causal relationship between the phase of alpha oscillations (9–12 Hz) and conscious visual perception using rhythmic TMS (rTMS) while simultaneously recording EEG activity. rTMS of posterior parietal cortex at an alpha frequency (10 Hz), but not occipital or sham rTMS, both entrained the phase of subsequent alpha oscillatory activity and produced a phase-dependent change on subsequent visual perception, with lower discrimination accuracy for targets presented at one phase of the alpha oscillatory waveform than for targets presented at the opposite phase. By extrinsically manipulating the phase of alpha before stimulus presentation, we provide direct evidence that the …

Utilizing Fast Spin Echo Mri To Reduce Image Artifacts And Improve Implant/Tissue Interface Detection In Refractory Parkinson’S Patients With Deep Brain Stimulators, Subhendra N. Sarkar, Pooja R. Sarkar, Efstathios Papavassiliou, Rafael Rojas

Publications and Research

Introduction. In medically refractory Parkinson’s disease (PD) deep-brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective therapeutic tool. Postimplantation MRI is important in assessing tissue damage and DBS lead placement accuracy. We wanted to identify which MRI sequence can detectDBS leads with smallest artifactual signal void, allowing better tissue/electrode edge conspicuity.

Methods. Using an IRB approved protocol 8 advanced PDpatientswere imagedwithinMRconditional safety guidelines at lowRF power (SAR ≤ 0.1 W/kg) in coronal plane at 1.5T by various sequences.The image slices were subjectively evaluated for diagnostic quality and the lead contact diameters were compared to identify a sequence least affected by metallic leads.

Results …

A Kinder, Gentler Dopamine. . . Highlighting Dopamine's Role In Behavioral Flexibility, Jeff A. Beeler, Roshan Cools, Monica Luciana, Sean B. Ostlund, Giselle Petzinger

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Quality-Space Theory In Olfaction, Benjamin D. Young, Andreas Keller, David Rosenthal

Publications and Research

Quality-space theory (QST) explains the nature of the mental qualities distinctive of perceptual states by appeal to their role in perceiving. QST is typically described in terms of the mental qualities that pertain to color. Here we apply QST to the olfactory modalities. Olfaction is in various respects more complex than vision, and so provides a useful test case for QST. To determine whether QST can deal with the challenges olfaction presents, we show how a quality space (QS) could be constructed relying on olfactory perceptible properties and the olfactory mental qualities then defined by appeal to that QS of …

Behavioral And Emotional Dynamics Of Two People Struggling To Reach Consensus About A Topic On Which They Disagree, Levent Kurt, Katharina G. Kugler, Peter T. Coleman, Larry S. Liebovitch

Publications and Research

We studied the behavioral and emotional dynamics displayed by two people trying to resolve a conflict. 59 groups of two people were asked to talk for 20 minutes to try to reach a consensus about a topic on which they disagreed. The topics were abortion, affirmative action, death penalty, and euthanasia. Behavior data were determined from audio recordings where each second of the conversation was assessed as proself, neutral, or prosocial. We determined the probability density function of the durations of time spent in each behavioral state. These durations were well fit by a stretched exponential distribution, with an exponent, …

Hair It Is: Examining The Experiences Of Black Women With Natural Hair, Tabora A. Johnson, Teiahsha Bankhead

Publications and Research

Who am I and how do I feel about who I am, are essential questions that help define and construct identity. For Black women and girls, identity is inextricably linked to their relationship to and presentation of their hair. Our research presents findings from an Internet based survey con- ducted with 529 Black women exploring their experiences when wearing their hair in its natural state (not thermally or chemically straightened). These are preliminary findings from the study with reference to the composition of the study participants and how they responded to key ques- tions related to how they perceived when …

Disciplinarity And Trandisciplinarity In The Study Of Knowledge, Jay H. Bernstein

Publications and Research

Scholarly inquiry about the nature and significance of knowledge has been shaped by disciplinary traditions and priorities that define “knowledge” differently and result in disconnected literatures. In the mid to late twentieth century, library science educator Jesse Shera sought to bridge the conceptual gap between epistemological and sociological approaches to knowledge in proposing a new discipline he called social epistemology. Around the same time, long-term projects by the economist Fritz Machlup and the physical chemist turned philosopher of science Michael Polanyi did not merely combine existing disciplinary approaches but transcended conventional frameworks for conceptualizing knowledge. These scholars can be viewed …

Storm Surges, Disaster Planning, And Vulnerable Populations At The Urban Periphery: Imagining A Resilient New York After Superstorm Sandy, Andrea L. Mcardle

Publications and Research

In the aftermath of Sandy, the destructive superstorm that had a devastating impact in New York City and other parts of the Northeastern U.S. in 2012, ideas and data proliferate about how coastal cities, such as New York, can pursue strategies of resilience to help withstand the next weather-related onslaught. This article argues that whether the city in fact acts resiliently must take into account the extent to which its proposals respond to the needs of vulnerable people housed along its coastline. Superstorm Sandy put a face to vulnerability, including 6,800 evacuees assigned to shelters, 1,800 of whom were residents …

The Constitutionality Of Government-Imposed Bodily Intrusions, Caitlin Borgmann

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.