Competitiveness and an Emerging Sector: The Russian Software Industry and its Global Linkages

This paper analyzes the Russian software industry in the context of trade in information technology services. We assess Russia's underlying sources of competitive edge in software, such as its scientific establishments, education system, diaspora and low costs, and identify the institutional impediments to growth. A survey reveals that foreign outsourcing contracts, a high value-added niche and high education levels characterize Russia's small, privately held software firms. A comparison with the Indian software industry underscores the structural differences in outsourcing relationships developed by the two countries and emphasizes that national advantages are complex amalgamations of many factors and need to be overtly marketed. Beyond the resources that give comparative and competitive advantage to a transitioning economy, a critical role is played by powerful industry organizations and by non-market state institutions that can level the economic field and inject credibility into market structures.     

Perceived Facial Expressions of Emotion as Motivational Incentives: Evidence From a Differential Implicit Learning Paradigm.

Participants (N = 216) were administered a differential implicit learning task during which they were trained and tested on 3 maximally distinct 2nd-order visuomotor sequences, with sequence color serving as discriminative stimulus. During training, 1 sequence each was followed by an emotional face, a neutral face, and no face, using backward masking. Emotion (joy, surprise, anger), face gender, and exposure duration (12 ms, 209 ms) were varied between participants; implicit motives were assessed with a picture-story exercise. For power-motivated individuals, low-dominance facial expressions enhanced and high-dominance expressions impaired learning. For affiliation-motivated individuals, learning was impaired in the context of hostile faces. These findings did not depend on explicit learning of fixed sequences or on awareness of sequence-face contingencies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-determination and conflict in romantic relationships.

Four studies examined associations between E. L. Deci and R. M. Ryan's (1985, 2000) construct of autonomy, responses to relationship disagreements, and dissatisfaction after conflict. In Study 1, diary data showed that trait autonomy predicted relationship autonomy, which in turn predicted relative satisfaction after disagreements. In Study 2, trait autonomy predicted relationship autonomy, which was associated with less defensive and more understanding responses to conflict. Studies 3 and 4 examined whether one's partner's relationship autonomy uniquely predicted reported and observed behavior during conflict. Autonomous reasons for being in the relationship (of both self and partner) predicted both reported and observed responses to conflict and feelings of satisfaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Twelve-Week Outcomes From an Investigation of High-Dose Nicotine Patch Therapy for Heavy Smokers With a Past History of Alcohol Dependence.

This study reports findings from an investigation of the efficacy of high-dose nicotine patch (NP) therapy for heavy smokers with a past history of alcohol dependence. One hundred thirty participants were randomly assigned to 42 mg or 21 mg of transdermal nicotine for 4 weeks, followed by an 8-week dose titration. Follow-up assessments were conducted at 4 and 12 weeks. Differences between dose conditions were nonsignificant, although unexpectedly, outcomes favored participants in the 21-mg NP condition. Nicotine abstinence at follow-up was related to longer length of alcohol abstinence at time of enrollment. Future research should investigate ways to improve smoking quit rates in this population, including more frequent counseling sessions and/or other pharmacotherapies. These investigations should focus primarily on smokers in early alcohol recovery. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal Regulation of Infant Reactivity From 2 to 6 Months.

Previous research has investigated the effect of maternal soothing behaviors on reducing infant reactivity but not the differential effects of specific maternal behaviors on infant stress responses. The present study investigated maternal regulation of 2- and 6-month-olds' responses to an inoculation and found a significant decline with age in both the intensity and duration of infants' crying. Maternal affection and touching decreased from 2 to 6 months, whereas maternal vocalizing and distraction behaviors increased. At both ages, the combination of maternal holding/rocking and vocalizing was associated with decreases in all levels of infant reactivity. Neither strategy alone, however, was found to be effective. Feeding/ pacifying behaviors were effective only when initial distress was at a low or moderate level, which suggests that the effectiveness of maternal regulatory behaviors may depend on the intensity of infants' crying. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conducting Psychological Research in Medical Settings: Challenges, Limitations, and Recommendations for Effectiveness Research.

Efficacy research is insufficient and ineffective in changing practice, despite a large supporting psychotherapy efficacy literature. Concurrently, demand for supporting data and the burden on everyday practice for generating these data is increasing. The disconnect between efficacy and effectiveness is due to a lack of conceptual and methodological tools for testing efficacious procedures in real-world settings, particularly medical contexts. This article articulates the position that effectiveness studies pose more complex questions that require an alteration of conceptual and methodological frames of reference in order to make behavioral services available to the broadest patient base. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Decision-Theoretic Approach to Network Fault Diagnosis and Follow-up Action

Fault management and security of computer networks present new challenges of increasing complexity. Decision procedures for fault diagnosis, security-related threats, and follow-up actions must, however, be evaluated on the basis of sound theoretical foundations and economic costs of various strategies. This paper presents a minimum expected cost solution for fault diagnosis and corrective actions. Several notions new to fault management are introduced. The methodology is applicable to both non-malicious and malicious faults. As a novel security-related application, the problem of choosing between two strategies for containing the spread of network worms is discussed.     

Past is prologue: Teachers composing narratives about digital literacy

This study examines the technological literacy autobiographical narratives (TLANs) written by 23 graduate students enrolled in a teacher-preparation course, Teaching Writing in a Digital Age. The purpose of this research was to understand the meanings and values these future composition teachers ascribed to technological literacy in their own past histories, as well as potential sources of reluctance or resistance to engage technological literacy in the teaching of composition. Findings from these TLANs suggest that participants’ past experiences with technology in school were often less compelling than extracurricular motives for using technology, such as social contact, playful experimentation, and the pursuit of existing interests. The article also explores the TLAN as a pedagogical activity and its potential for helping future instructors realign their orientations toward digital literacies.