Digital Commons Network^™

Sex-Specific Brain Deficits In Auditory Processing In An Animal Model Of Cocaine-Related Schizophrenic Disorders, Patricia A. Broderick, Taylor Rosenbaum

Publications and Research

Cocaine is a psychostimulant in the pharmacological class of drugs called Local Anesthetics. Interestingly, cocaine is the only drug in this class that has a chemical formula comprised of a tropane ring and is, moreover, addictive. The correlation between tropane and addiction is well-studied. Another well-studied correlation is that between psychosis induced by cocaine and that psychosis endogenously present in the schizophrenic patient. Indeed, both of these psychoses exhibit much the same behavioral as well as neurochemical properties across species. Therefore, in order to study the link between schizophrenia and cocaine addiction, we used a behavioral paradigm called Acoustic Startle. …

Neural Processing Of Facial Identity And Emotion In Infants At High-Risk For Autism Spectrum Disorders, Sharon E. Fox, Jennifer B. Wagner, Christine L. Shrock, Helen Tager-Flusberg, Charles A. Nelson

Publications and Research

Deficits in face processing and social impairment are core characteristics of autism spectrum disorder. The present work examined 7-month-old infants at high-risk for developing autism and typically developing controls at low-risk, using a face perception task designed to differentiate between the effects of face identity and facial emotions on neural response using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. In addition, we employed independent component analysis, as well as a novel method of condition-related component selection and classification to identify group differences in hemodynamic wave forms and response distributions associated with face and emotion processing.The results indicate similarities of waveforms, but differences in the …

The Impact Of Demographics On 21st Century Education, Norman Eng

Publications and Research

Do all students need STEM education or should it be focused primarily on the mathematically and scientifically inclined? Here, demographics may hold the key to such questions from which a 21st century education model should be based on.

Development And Validation Of The Weight Control Strategies Scale, Angela Marinilli Pinto, Joseph L. Fava, Hollie A. Raynor, Jessica Gokee Larose, Rena R. Wing

Publications and Research

Objective To develop and validate the Weight Control Strategies Scale (WCSS), a self-report instrument to assess use of specific behaviors thought to facilitate weight loss. Design and Methods Factor analysis was conducted on 323 overweight and obese adults (mean age=48.7±10.9 years, mean BMI=35.4±4.9 kg/m2, 74% female) enrolled in three different behavioral weight loss trials who completed the WCSS prior to starting treatment. To evaluate construct validity, additional data on dietary intake, physical activity, treatment session attendance, and weight change were obtained from a subsample of participants before and after participation in a 48-week weight loss program. Results Principal components analysis …

Friendship, Education, And Justice Teaching: The Professional Development Of Two Teacher-Friends, Debbie Sonu

Publications and Research

This paper discusses the distinct nature of friendship between teachers. Using literature on both the philosophical study of friendship and that of professional development, I present data from a qualitative study with two elementary school teachers in New York City in order to explore how the benefits of friendship might deepen an understanding of one's work with students. While literature on professional development tends to focus on effectively designed and structured activity, this article highlights the importance of teacher amity in (a) staving off negative judgments about teacher work, (b) harnessing the freedom to create and err, and (c) cultivating …

End-Point Variability Is Not Noise In Saccade Adaptation, James P. Herman, C. Phillip Cloud, Josh Wallman

Publications and Research

When each of many saccades is made to overshoot its target, amplitude gradually decreases in a form of motor learning called saccade adaptation. Overshoot is induced experimentally by a secondary, backwards intrasaccadic target step (ISS) triggered by the primary saccade. Surprisingly, however, no study has compared the effectiveness of different sizes of ISS in driving adaptation by systematically varying ISS amplitude across different sessions. Additionally, very few studies have examined the feasibility of adaptation with relatively small ISSs. In order to best understand saccade adaptation at a fundamental level, we addressed these two points in an experiment using a range …

Dissociated Grey Matter Changes With Prolonged Addiction And Extended Abstinence In Cocaine Users, Colm G. Connolly, Ryan P. Bell, John J. Foxe, Hugh Garavan

Publications and Research

Extensive evidence indicates that current and recently abstinent cocaine abusers compared to drug-naïve controls have decreased grey matter in regions such as the anterior cingulate, lateral prefrontal and insular cortex. Relatively little is known, however, about the persistence of these deficits in long-term abstinence despite the implications this has for recovery and relapse. Optimized voxel based morphometry was used to assess how local grey matter volume varies with years of drug use and length of abstinence in a cross-sectional study of cocaine users with various durations of abstinence (1–102 weeks) and years of use (0.3–24 years). Lower grey matter volume …

Evaluating Amazon's Mechanical Turk As A Tool For Experimental Behavioral Research, Matthew J. C. Crump, John V. Mcdonnell, Todd M. Gureckis

Publications and Research

Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT) is an online crowdsourcing service where anonymous online workers complete web-based tasks for small sums of money. The service has attracted attention from experimental psychologists interested in gathering human subject data more efficiently. However, relative to traditional laboratory studies, many aspects of the testing environment are not under the experimenter's control. In this paper, we attempt to empirically evaluate the fidelity of the AMT system for use in cognitive behavioral experiments. These types of experiment differ from simple surveys in that they require multiple trials, sustained attention from participants, comprehension of complex instructions, and millisecond accuracy …

Unconscious Processing Of Unattended Features In Human Visual Cortex, Tatiana Aloi Emmanouil, Philip Burton, Tony Ro

Publications and Research

Unconscious processing has been convincingly demonstrated for task-relevant feature dimensions. However, it is possible that the visual system is capable of more complex unconscious operations, extracting visual features even when they are unattended and task irrelevant. In the current study, we addressed this question by measuring unconscious priming using a task in which human participants attended to a target object's shape while ignoring its color. We measured both behavioral priming effects and priming-related fMRI activations from primes that were unconsciously presented using metacontrast masking. The results showed faster RTs and decreases in fMRI activation only when the primes were identical …

Cuny's Critical Thinking Skills Initiative: Redesigning Workforce Education Through Information Literacy Learning, Irene Gashurov, Ann Matsuuchi

Publications and Research

In the wake of the recent financial upheaval, there is a feeling in academia that colleges should pay more attention to what employers are saying; and the common concern of employers is that many new hires are coming out of college unprepared.

In job situations that demand approaching problems from a variety of perspectives, using innovative approaches to find solutions, and communicating effectively, employers said these recent graduates were coming up short. They called on educators “to teach [students] the analytical skills, the critical thinking skills and the communication skills that are necessary for almost every job in today’s economy.”

Searching Mindfully: Are Libraries Up To The Challenge Of Competing With Google Books?, Amrita Dhawan

Publications and Research

Traditional research tools used by libraries, such as encyclopedias and catalogs (OPACs) were created in an age of print and information scarcity. They have not kept up with changes in the information world which assume an abundance of online information in different formats and interdisciplinary topics which attempt to solve ‘real world’ messy problems and not traditional theoretical questions. The traditional tools rest on an unwieldy and somewhat outdated collaboration between OCLC, LOC, private aggregators, librarians and faculty. The search results they deliver offer excessive information with very little guidance on how to systematically sift through them. This makes the …

Sexual Orientation And Functional Pain In U.S. Young Adults: The Mediating Role Of Childhood Abuse, Andrea L. Roberts, Margaret Rosario, Heather L. Corliss, David Wypij, Jennifer R. Lightdale, S. Bryn Austin

Publications and Research

Objective: Pain without known pathology, termed ‘‘functional pain,’’ causes much school absenteeism, medication usage, and medical visits. Yet which adolescents are at risk is not well understood. Functional pain has been linked to childhood abuse, and sexual orientation minority youth (gay, lesbian, bisexual, ‘‘mostly heterosexual,’’ and heterosexual with same-sex sexual contact) are more likely to be victims of childhood abuse than heterosexuals, thus may be at greater risk of functional pain.

Methods: We examined sexual orientation differences in past-year prevalence of functional headache, pelvic, and abdominal pain and multiple sites of pain in 9,864 young adults (mean age = …

A Naturally-Occurring Histone Acetyltransferase Inhibitor Derived From Garcinia Indica Impairs Newly Acquired And Reactivated Fear Memories, Stephanie A. Maddox, Casey S. Watts, Valerie Doyere, Glenn E. Schafe

Publications and Research

The study of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the consolidation and reconsolidation of traumatic fear memories has progressed rapidly in recent years, yet few compounds have emerged that are readily useful in a clinical setting for the treatment of anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Here, we use a combination of biochemical, behavioral, and neurophysiological methods to systematically investigate the ability of garcinol, a naturallyoccurring histone acetyltransferase (HAT) inhibitor derived from the rind of the fruit of the Kokum tree (Garcina indica), to disrupt the consolidation and reconsolidation of Pavlovian fear conditioning, a widely studied rodent model …

Motivational Interviewing Targeting Risk Behaviors For Youth Living With Hiv In Thailand, Chokechai Rongkavilit, Sylvie Naar-King, Bo Wang, Apirudee Panthong, Torsak Bunupuradah, Jeffrey T. Parsons, Supalak Phonphithak, Juline A. Koken, Pichai Saengcharnchai, Praphan Phanuphak

Publications and Research

Healthy Choices, a four-session motivational interviewing-based intervention, reduces risk behaviors among US youth living with HIV (YLWH). We randomized 110 Thai YLWH (16–25 years) to receive either Healthy Choices or time-matched health education (Control) over 12 weeks. Risk behaviors were assessed at baseline, 1, and 6 months post-session. The pilot study was not powered for between-group differences; there were no statistical differences in sexual risks, alcohol use, and antiretroviral adherence between the two groups at any visit. In within-group analyses, Healthy Choices group demonstrated decreases in the proportion of HIV-negative partners (20 vs 8.2 %, P = 0.03) and HIV …

Functional Neural Correlates Of Attentional Deficits In Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment, Nicholas T. Van Dam, Mary Sano, Effie M. Mitsis, Hillel T. Grossman, Xiaosi Gu, Yunsoo Park, Patrick R. Hof, Jin Fan

Publications and Research

Although amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI; often considered a prodromal phase of Alzheimer’s disease, AD) is most recognized by its implications for decline in memory function, research suggests that deficits in attention are present early in aMCI and may be predictive of progression to AD. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine differences in the brain during the attention network test between 8 individuals with aMCI and 8 neurologically healthy, demographically matched controls. While there were no significant behavioral differences between groups for the alerting and orienting functions, patients with aMCI showed more activity in neural regions …

High Levels Of Adherence And Viral Suppression In A Nationally Representative Sample Of Hiv-Infected Adults On Antiretroviral Therapy For 6, 12 And 18 Months In Rwanda, Batya Elul, Paulin Basinga, Harriet Nuwagaba-Biribonwoha, Suzue Saito, Deborah Horowitz, Denis Nash, Jules Mugabo, Veronicah Mugisha, Etienne Rugigana, Richard Nkunda, Anita Asiimwe

Publications and Research

Background Generalizable data are needed on the magnitude and determinants of adherence and virological suppression among patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Africa. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey with chart abstraction, patient interviews and site assessments in a nationally representative sample of adults on ART for 6, 12 and 18 months at 20 sites in Rwanda. Adherence was assessed using 3- and 30-day patient recall. A systematically selected sub-sample had viral load (VL) measurements. Multivariable logistic regression examined predictors of non-perfect (<100%) 30-day adherence and detectable VL (>40 copies/ml). Results Overall, 1,417 adults were interviewed and 837 had VL measures. Ninety-four percent and 78% …

Effects Of Texture Component Orientation On Orientation Flow Visibility For 3-D Shape Perception, Michelle L. Fowler, Andrea Li

Publications and Research

In images of textured 3-D surfaces, orientation flows created by the texture components parallel to the surface slant play a critical role in conveying the surface slant and shape. This study examines the visibility of these orientation flows in complex patterns. Specifically, we examine the effect of orientation of neighboring texture components on orientation flow visibility. Complex plaids consisting of gratings equally spaced in orientation were mapped onto planar and curved surfaces. The visibility of the component that creates the orientation flows was quantified by measuring its contrast threshold (CT) while varying the combination of neighboring components present in the …

From Toxic Tours To Growing The Grassroots: Tensions In Critical Pedagogy And Community Development, Celina Su, Isabelle Jagninski

Publications and Research

Structural inequalities in American public education are inextricably tied to deep-seated patterns of racial and economic segregation. Children in poor neighborhoods are less likely to have the household resources, neighborhood institutions, or school amenities necessary for a good, challenging education. In response, a growing number of organizations have launched initiatives to simultaneously revitalize neighborhoods and improve public education, emphasizing youth participation as an essential component in their efforts. We draw upon ethnographic data from two such organizations to examine their practice of place-based critical pedagogy in community development. We focus on how they engage marginalized, “hard-to-reach” youth via (1) experiential …

New Thinking On Commercial Surrogacy, Richard Storrow

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Racial Inequality In Contracting: Teaching Race As A Core Value, Deborah Zalesne

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Challenging The Status Quo, Raquel Gabriel

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

“Information Is Cheap, But Meaning Is Expensive”: Building Analytical Skill Into Legal Research Instruction, Yasmin Sokkar Harker

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Schaefer Works To Facilitate Better Communication, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Siue Theater Students Find Inspiration In London, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Teaching And Pedagogy In Africana Studies: Implications Of An African Worldview, Karanja Keita Carroll

Publications and Research

The African worldview has informed much of the African centered scholarship produced within contemporary Africana/Black Studies. In doing so, the African worldview has functioned as the methodological foundation for the production, interpretation and dissemination of knowledge related to people of African ancestry. Africana Studies instructors and professors can also utilize the philosophical assumptions that inform the African worldview to create and recreate dynamic, culturally centered teaching practices. Given the central role of teaching at the undergraduate level within the discipline of Africana Studies it is crucial that instructors and professors concentrate on the development of discipline-specific pedagogical practices. This essay …

Students Learn More Than Spanish In Spain, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Surviving The City: Resistance And Plant Life In Woolf’S Jacob’S Room And Barnes’ Nightwood, Ria Banerjee

Publications and Research

In Jacob’s Room (1922) and Nightwood (1936), Virginia Woolf and Djuna Barnes use plant life to express a profound ambivalence about the masculine-inflected ordering functions of art and morality. They show that these processes codify lived experience and distance it from the feminine and sexual. To counter this turn towards the urban inauthentic, both novels depict non-urban spaces to upend conventional notions of usefulness. They fixate on evanescent flowers, wild forests, and untillable fields as sites of resistance whose fragility and remoteness are strengths. In Jacob’s Room, I argue that the eponymous protagonist is destroyed by his conventional education …

Adoption Of Short Message Service: Gender Difference, Chulsung Kim, Dong-Gook Kim, Chongwoo Park

Publications and Research

While the adoption of mobile devices has recently received research attention, there has been little research focusing on a specific application or service running in mobile devices. In this study, we examine the adoption of short message service (SMS) with the technology acceptance model. The model has been assessed with the data collected from 225 SMS users. Results from the partial least squares analysis show that perceived ease of use of SMS positively affects perceived usefulness of SMS and intention to adopt SMS, and perceived usefulness of SMS also positively affects intention to adopt SMS. Comparing the two factors, perceived …

Isabel Archer's "Delicious Pain": Charting Lacanian Desire In The Portrait Of A Lady, Phyllis E. Vanslyck

Publications and Research

This essay offers a reading of Henry James's Portrait of a Lady that examines Isabel Archer's choices through a Lacanian lens. This reading traces Isabel's consistent turning away from, even against, the very postulates she claims to live by. Isabel’s discovery of love through the ideal image of herself she finds mirrored in Gilbert Osmond’s gaze leads to a reversal of her most noble impulses. Her choice of a suitor also points to something that would seem the opposite of desire, but which is, in fact, its foundation. In choosing Gilbert Osmond, Isabel seeks to experience, however unconsciously, what Jacques …

Anxiety In Disabling Osteoarthritis: Implications For Research And Practice, Ray Marks

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.