Genetic testing: Psychological aspects and implications.

As the number of genes associated with inherited disease continues to grow, researchers and practitioners in behavioral medicine will encounter complex psychological issues faced by individuals at risk for these diseases. A review of the literature concerning prenatal, carrier, and predictive genetic testing suggests that the severity of psychological risks posed by research-based genetic testing is not great. However, subgroups of individuals with particular psychological traits may be more vulnerable to adverse effects. Available data do not provide evidence that genetic testing promotes changes in health-related behaviors. Thus, although there may be less of a role for mental health professionals in the psychological counseling of genetic testing participants, there is a need for research and practice to facilitate health protective behaviors in response to genetic risk information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder with comorbid panic attacks: Combining cognitive processing therapy with panic control treatment techniques.

A large proportion of patients who present for treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience comorbid panic attacks, yet currently available PTSD treatment programs do not address this problem. This report provides an initial evaluation of a newly developed treatment, multiple channel exposure therapy (M-CET), for comorbid PTSD and panic attacks. The treatment uses elements of cognitive processing therapy treatment for PTSD and elements of panic control treatment to target physiological, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms. Results suggest that M-CET may be a promising treatment program for a subset of PTSD patients who experience panic attacks. Preliminary guidelines for conducting M-CET in a group format with participants exposed to diverse traumatic events are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Research on telehealth and chronic medical conditions: Critical review, key issues, and future directions.

Objective: To provide a critical review of studies on the impact of telecommunication-based interventions for persons with chronic disabilities. Design: Only those studies that focused on specific health care or clinical interview outcomes and included at least 1 comparison condition were selected for review. Ten studies met these criteria. Results: Overall, the results of initial studies suggest that telecommunication-based interventions may be an efficient and effective way of providing services for chronically disabled populations, even for those who have no previous experience with the technologies. Conclusions: The number of controlled trials examining telecommunication-based interventions for those with chronic disabilities remains small. Future research should endeavor to increase sample size, use conceptually meaningful control groups, focus on cost utility, and investigate which types of telecommunication-based interventions provide the best match with specific populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Risk factors for adolescent substance abuse and dependence: Data from a national sample.

A national household probability sample of 4,023 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years was interviewed by telephone about substance use, victimization experiences, familial substance use, and posttraumatic reactions to identify risk factors for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) defined substance abuse/dependence. Age and ethnicity data were available for 3,907 participants. Major findings were (a) adolescents who had been physically assaulted, who had been sexually assaulted, who had witnessed violence, or who had family members with alcohol or drug use problems had increased risk for current substance abuse/dependence; (b) posttraumatic stress disorder independently increased risk of marijuana and hard drug abuse/dependence; and (c) when effects of other variables were controlled, African Americans, but not Hispanics or Native Americans, were at approximately 1/3 the risk of substance abuse/dependence as Caucasians. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Antimutagenicity of polyphenol-rich fractions from sorghum bicolor grain

Polyphenols extracted from a bird-resistant sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench) grain cultivar SSK30 were separated into three crude fractions: non-tannin polyphenols with small M_r (F₁); proanthocyanidins with M_r values between 2000 and 10000 (F₂); and proanthocyanidins with much larger M_r values of around 10000-50000 (F₃). Each fraction was tested for mutagenicity using mutants of Salmonella typhimurium (the Ames test) or the somatic mutation and recombination test (SMART) employing Drosophilu melanogaster. None of the fractions was positive with either test. On the other hand the crude polyphenols all acted as antimutagens when coincubated with mutants of S typhimurium and standard mutagens (sodium azide, daunomycin and 2-aminofluorene). The order of antimutagenicity was F₃> F₂> F₁, a decrease with decreasing M_r. It is possible that a different mechanism of polyphenol antimutagenicity occurs against the mutagen sodium azide when compared with the mutagens daunomycin and 2-aminofluorene.     

An upgraded high-velocity dust particle accelerator at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota

In 1975, Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota acquired a 2 MeV dust particle accelerator from NASA/GSFC that was used to test the lunar ejecta and micrometeorite (LEAM) experiment flown on Apollo 17. This high-speed dust particle accelerator is still fully functional and is currently being upgraded. Improvements to the electronic detection system have been undertaken including a computer-based, data acquisition system and new particle detection sensor electronics. These sensors have additional amplifiers that extend the range of charge detection to 1×10⁻¹² C allowing for the detection of larger particles. Improvements to the vacuum system have also been made. The accelerator beam line is now pumped with an oil-free, turbomolecular pump reducing possible problems with hydrocarbon contamination. In this work, we describe the facility, and outline some of the recent improvements to the dust particle accelerator and discuss its capabilities and limitations. We also summarize some of the recent experiments conducted using the facility.     

Finding a Clear Path: Structuring Strategies for Visualization Sequences

Little is known about how people structure sets of visualizations to support sequential viewing. We contribute findings from several studies examining visualization sequencing and reception. In our first study, people made decisions between various possible structures as they ordered a set of related visualizations (consisting of either bar charts or thematic maps) into what they considered the clearest sequence for showing the data. We find that most people structure visualization sequences hierarchically: they create high level groupings based on shared data properties like time period, measure, level of aggregation, and spatial region, then order the views within these groupings. We also observe a tendency for certain types of similarities between views, like a common spatial region or aggregation level, to be seen as more appropriate categories for organizing views in a sequence than others, like a common time period or measure. In a second study, we find that viewers’ perceptions of the quality and intention of different sequences are largely consistent with the perceptions of the users who created them. The understanding of sequence preferences and perceptions that emerges from our studies has implications for the development of visualization authoring tools and sequence recommendations for guided analysis.     

Child sexual abuse, early family risk, and childhood parentification: Pathways to current psychosocial adjustment.

In this study, the authors examined the role of parentification (children assuming adult-like roles in the family) as it relates to family risk (parental psychopathology, parental illness, and domestic violence), child sexual abuse (CSA), and psychosocial adjustment in 499 college women. Structural equation modeling was used to test a model of direct, indirect, and mediational pathways through which CSA, family risk, and parentification contributed to later psychosocial maladjustment. Results indicate that CSA and family risk independently and directly predicted higher levels of maladjustment, but only family risk positively predicted parentification in childhood. Parentification was unexpectedly related to less maladjustment. Parentification failed to mediate the relation between early family risk and maladjustment. Findings suggest that family risk factors may contribute to parentification and that parentification is not always related to poorer psychosocial outcomes. Future research should examine the impact of parentification on other aspects of functioning and should assess how individual, familial, and cultural variables (e.g., age, gender, duration, perceived fairness, ethnicity, and family support) moderate the impact of parentification on long-term adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sound matters: Notes toward the analysis and design of sound in multimodal webtexts

In this essay, I draw from approaches in voice, music, theater, and film studies to examine four elements of sound: vocal delivery, music, special effects, and silence. Within this four-part schema, I discuss a variety of frameworks that I hope may serve as resources for those seeking to engage in both the analysis and production of sound in multimodal webtexts. Throughout the essay, I analyze several poetic Flash texts, and I consider the relationship of part-to-whole and whole-to-part when seeking to analyze and compose with multiple modes.