Meanwhile, back at personality ranch: The augmenters and reducers ride again.

Assessed the kinesthetic aftereffect by following the procedure of A. Petrie (1967) and using a wide-inducing block. Several other plausible indexes of the augmenter/reducer personality dimension, which refers to the tendency to increase or reduce incoming stimulation, were also assessed via questionnaires and behavioral tasks. Ss were 53 undergraduates. Induction measures derived from the Petrie procedure had excellent reliability. Substantial evidence of reliability and construct validity was obtained for 4 of the personality indexes. In 3 of those cases, the Petrie induction measure correlated significantly in the predicted direction with the personality index. On balance, results indicate that the Petrie procedure does provide a reliable and valid indicator of augmenting/reducing for basic research purposes. In its present form, however, the procedure is too cumbersome to have much potential in applied settings. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Roundup time at personality ranch: Branding the elusive augmenters and reducers.

The kinesthetic aftereffect was induced 8 times in a single session with each of 72 undergraduates by traditional wedge-adjustment procedures. Narrow and wide inducing blocks were alternated from one induction cycle to the next. Results for repeated-measurement trends and for measurement artifacts strongly replicate previous findings. Although induction measures showed poor test–retest reliability (i.e., very low correlations between induction measures from different induction cycles), the estimated reliability of aftereffect scores based on the first induction cycle was considered acceptable. However, no wedge-judgment measures were related to questionnaire-derived personality measures. It is suggested that the link between the induction effect and questionnaire-derived personality measures is elusive. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inositol phospholipids: translocation, translocation, translocation..

The pleckstrin homology (PH) domains of a number of proteins have been found to interact in vitro with inositol phospholipids; recent experiments show that these interactions may be important in directing protein translocation to specific parts of the cell following stimulus-induced lipid breakdown or synthesis.     

Psychiatrist looks back at decades of change, worries about specialty's future

Psychiatrist Quentin Rae-Grant is putting his career in academic medicine and administration behind him in favour of private practice in London, Ont. In this article he reflects on the changes that have occurred in psychiatry during his academic career.     

Sudan, through the back door

South Sudan has five million inhabitants and has been fighting a war of independence with North Sudan since 1959. The hostilities have totally disrupted society and the country is the most inaccessible of Africa. International non-government organizations co-operate in relief activities in the 'Operation Life Line'. Semi-nomadic pastoral tribes populate South Sudan. Doctors Without Borders assisted in fighting a major epidemic of kala azar in the late eighties which cost some 200,000 lives; the organization still provides medical aid in the country.     

Just say no! sounds right, but..

A review is provided of the results from the National Health Interview Survey of health-risk behavior among our nation's youth. The results indicate a high prevalence of risk taking among preteen and teenage girls and boys.     

The affirmation of the scientist-practitioner: A look back at Boulder.

Discusses the coming professionalization of psychology after World War II with the synthesis of the Boulder Conference on Graduate Education in Clinical Psychology in 1949. The major outcome of the Boulder conference was the endorsement of the scientist-practitioner model of training in professional psychology. The article discusses the contributions, motivations, and the events that led up to this conference. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Person, body, cadaver, and back

Because of the small size of their genome, viral genes have been forerunners in helping us understand gene expression. It is also because of their small size that viruses have elaborated the amazing variety of strategies that enables them to produce all the proteins they require for their multiplication. As a consequence, many of the strategies of expression known to occur in cell systems were first demonstrated in viruses. The aim of this review is to highlight the contribution of viruses to our knowledge of cell processes.     

Outreach at Indiana University School of Dentistry: giving back to the community

This article describes the development, scope, and nature of numerous outreach programs initiated at I.U.S.D. It also addresses their intended impact at local, state, and national levels.