Social cognition in schizophrenia.

The study of social cognition in schizophrenia may augment the understanding of clinical and behavioral manifestations of the disorder. In this article, the authors describe social cognition and differentiate it from nonsocial cognition. They garner evidence to support the role of social cognition in schizophrenia: Nonsocial information-processing models are limited to explain social dysfunction in schizophrenia, measures of social cognition may contribute greater variance to social functioning than measures of nonsocial cognition, task performance on nonsocial-cognitive measures may not parallel performance on social-cognitive tasks, and symptomatology may be best understood within a social-cognitive framework. They describe the potential implications of a social-cognitive model of schizophrenia for the etiology and development of the disorder. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Tough Minded and the Tender Minded: A Pragmatic Turn for Sustainable Development Planning and Policy

Among the many approaches being taken to sustainable development planning and policy, a basic dichotomy exists. The dichotomy is the classic one recognized over a century ago by pragmatist philosopher William James—between the tough minded and the tender minded, or in this case, those who trust in more and better information to address sustainability challenges and those who rest on the power of a plurality of voices. In this paper we demonstrate how this dichotomy confounds the construction of a holistic, actionable sustainability planning paradigm, frustrating in pragmatic terms the effort to develop sustainability planning that makes a difference. We argue for an approach to sustainable development grounded in the philosophy of pragmatism as a means to connect tough and tender minded perspectives on sustainability planning, policy and action. After detailing how tough and tender minded temperaments among sustainability advocates translate into different types of understandings and initiatives, a pragmatic framework for a holistic sustainability planning and policy suite is proposed. This framework is argued based on an understanding of pragmatic theories of truth and rationality, integration and a process basis for action, and human experience as a touchstone for public values and action priorities. This article contributes to the growing body of planning scholarship that draws upon pragmatic philosophy, connecting this with the growing body of work within environmental philosophy that highlights the utility of pragmatism in building a philosophy of sustainable development. If planners and members of the democratic public can work towards a common understanding that it is a process of continuous communication and interaction among citizens and experts that needs to be sustained in the push toward sustainable development, that knowledge is to be generated and tested in public contexts, and that stories have standing alongside scientific models and statistics, important moves toward sustainability can be made in the planning profession as a whole.     

Nasal sinus adenocarcinoma in patients exposed to wood dust in the Community of Cantabria, Spain

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the hepatovenous intrahepatic anastomoses exist in normal humans. METHODS: A total of 13 livers were isolated during the early autopsies of normal men who died in accidents. Perfusion venography of the branches of hepatic veins using meglucamine diatrizoate was performed in 6 cases. This method of investigation has not been reported in the literature. In one case, a portal venography was done. In the remaining 6 cases, liver substance stainings were done by injecting ink through the middle hepatic vein, and the tissue sections of these livers were observed under light microscope. RESULTS: There were intrahepatic anastomoses between the hepatic veins within the liver. These anastomoses belonged to the 4th or 5th branch of hepatic vein near the capsule. There were also anastomoses between the middle hepatic vein and the hepatic short veins. Shunts existed between the portal veins and hepatic veins. CONCLUSIONS: The detection of anastomoses of intrahepatic veins in normal individuals provide anatomical rationale for the performance of irregular hepatectomy, as well as rationale for the ligation of one or two hepatic veins should such veins be traumatized or invaded by liver cancer.     

Assessing environmental factors that affect disability: Establishing a baseline of visitability in a rural state.

Purpose: The homes in which people live are one element of the shared built environment. The concept of visitability describes features of private homes that provide a minimal level of accessibility, allowing a person with mobility impairments to visit the homes of family and friends. This study's aim was to establish a baseline rate of basic home visitability in Montana. Method: A visitability question was included as part of the 2004 Montana Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Questionnaire, a random-digit-dialed telephone survey of 5,005 Montana adults. Results: Nearly 1 in 5 respondents (19.3%) said "a person who uses special equipment such as a wheelchair...could get into [their] house without being carried up steps or over other obstacles." Respondents with a disability who reported living in a visitable house were less likely than those who did not live in a visitable house to report any days of poor mental health in the past month. Conclusion: The BRFSS affords the opportunity to measure elements of the community environment important to the health and life quality of people with disabilities. Here, BRFSS data provided a baseline rate for visitable homes in the state. Strategies to increase this number are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting male and female contraceptive behavior: A discriminant analysis of groups high, moderate, and low in contraceptive effectiveness.

An exploratory, multivariate study assessed (a) whether 3 contraceptive-effectiveness groups (high, moderate, and low) could be differentiated on the basis of variables that have been theoretically and empirically associated with contraceptive behavior and (b) whether an identified set of discriminating variables could accurately classify sexually active college students into these groups. 211 male and 154 female sexually active, never-married undergraduates completed instruments measuring variables related to contraception. Four separate discriminant analyses were performed, 1 for each sex for both their initial sexual encounter and their current sexual interactions. Discrimination and classification of the 3 contraceptive groups for both males' and females' initial sexual experience was not very successful. Moderate discrimination was achieved for the female current sexual activity subsample, and good discrimination and classification were made for the currently sexually active male subsample. Results are discussed in terms of the implications of the findings for understanding contraceptive behavior of males and females, problems with the dependent variable of contraceptive use, and the mounting evidence that emotional orientation to sexuality influences contraceptive behavior. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex, sex guilt, and contraceptive use.

The Mosher True–False Guilt Scale, the Mosher Sex Guilt Scale, and questionnaires about sexual activity and contraceptive use were administered to 109 female undergraduates in 1973 and 111 Ss in 1978. Comparisons revealed an increase in sexual activity and a decrease in the use of effective contraception between 1973 and 1978. The data confirmed the utility of the Mosher scales for predicting sexual activity and contraceptive use, while indicating that the level of sex guilt sufficient to inhibit sexual activity in 1973 was no longer sufficient in 1978. Clinical implications of these trends in contraceptive use among unmarried Ss and methodological implications for use of the Mosher Sex-Guilt Scale as a predictor of sexual activity are discussed. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived Discrimination and Substance Use in African American Parents and Their Children: A Panel Study.

The relation between perceived racial discrimination and substance use was examined in a panel of 684 African American families, using the prototype-willingness model of adolescent health risk (F. X. Gibbons, M. Gerrard, & D. Lane, 2003). Discrimination was concurrently and prospectively related to use in the parents and the children (mean age = 10.5 years at Wave 1). The discrimination →use relation in the parents was mediated by distress (anxiety and depression). Among the children, the relation was mediated by distress as well as their risk cognitions (favorability of their risk images and their willingness to use) and the extent to which they reported affiliating with friends who were using substances. Each of these relations with discrimination was positive. In contrast, effective parenting was associated with less willingness and intention to use. Theoretical and applied implications of the results are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Particle Image Velocimetry of Human Cough

Cough generated infectious aerosols are of interest while developing strategies for the mitigation of disease risks ranging from the common cold to SARS. In this work, the velocity field of human cough was measured using particle image velocimetry (PIV). The project subjects (total 29) coughed into an enclosure seeded with stage fog. Cough flow velocity profiles, average widths of the cough jet, and maximum cough velocities were measured. Maximum cough velocities ranged from 1.5 m/s to 28.8 m/s. The average width of all coughs ranged between 35 to 45 mm. Wide variability in the data suggests that future cough simulations consider a range of conditions.