Showing papers by "University of Hartford published in 2008"

The economic and social burden of compulsive hoarding.

Abstract: The aim of the present study was to determine the economic and social burden of compulsive hoarding in a large sample of individuals with self-identified hoarding, as well as a separate sample of family members of individuals who hoard. Self-identified hoarding participants ( N =864, 94% female, 65% met research criteria for clinically relevant compulsive hoarding) and family informants ( N =655, 58% described a relative who appeared to meet research criteria for compulsive hoarding), completed an internet survey. Questions were derived in part from those used in the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS), and when possible, hoarding participants were compared to NCS participants. Compulsive hoarding was associated with an average 7.0 work impairment days in the past month, equivalent to that reported by individuals with psychotic disorders and significantly greater than that reported by female NCS participants with all other anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders. Severity of hoarding predicted the degree of work impairment after controlling for age, sex, and non-psychiatric medical conditions. Hoarding participants were nearly three times as likely to be overweight or obese as were family members. Compared to female NCS participants, hoarding participants were significantly more likely to report a broad range of chronic and severe medical concerns and had a five-fold higher rate of mental health service utilization. Eight to 12% had been evicted or threatened with eviction due to hoarding, and 0.1–3.0% had a child or elder removed from the home. These results suggest that compulsive hoarding represents a profound public health burden in terms of occupational impairment, poor physical health, and social service involvement.

Cognitive and Psychological Profile of Males With Becker Muscular Dystrophy

Abstract: Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy are allelic X-linked disorders causing progressive muscle weakness in males. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by absence of dystrophin in muscle and brain; boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy have a static cognitive impairment with mean Full Scale IQ approximately 1 standard deviation below the mean. Less is known of the cognitive profile of males with Becker muscular dystrophy, which is associated with variable alterations in the amount or size of the dystrophin protein. The aim of this study was to describe the cognitive and psychological profile of males with Becker muscular dystrophy. This was a prospective cohort study. Clinical data collected included age at diagnosis and assessment, socioeconomic status, serum creatine kinase level, and site of gene deletion/mutation (by exon number). The following psychological tests were used to assess general intellectual functioning, academic achievement, incidence and nature of behavioral problems: The Wechsler Intelligence Scales, The Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised, The Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration, The Child Behavior Checklist, and The Conner's Parent Rating Scale. Twenty-four males were enrolled. The Wechsler Full Scale IQ was normally distributed with a mean of 95.6 (SD 23.3), which did not differ significantly from the population mean. The frequency of learning difficulties for reading was 21%, for spelling was 32%, and for arithmetic was 26%, significantly higher than the frequency in the general population. The frequency of total behavioral problems in the clinical range was 67%, and the frequency of autism was 8.3%. Patients with Becker muscular dystrophy demonstrate a less homogeneous cognitive phenotype than that seen in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Males with Becker muscular dystrophy have a high incidence of learning difficulties. Autism and behavioral and attention problems are also more common in Becker muscular dystrophy than in the general population.

Self-regulation strategies used by student musicians during music practice

Abstract: Individual music practice is a vital aspect of a student's development as a musician. Research indicates that expert music performers utilise substantial planning and a systematic approach to practice sessions, including problem identification, strategy planning and evaluation (Hallam 2001b), all of which are components of self-regulated thinking. The purpose of this study was to discover what self-regulating strategies adolescent instrumental musicians’ use during music practice. Sixteen middle school instrumental musicians were videotaped as they practiced a new piece of music. Immediately following the practice session, the student and researcher viewed the videotape of the session, and the student explained the strategies used during practice. Examination of the concurrent verbal report and music practice data revealed that repetition was referred to or used more frequently than other strategies. It is hoped that this study will aid in a better understanding of the self-regulation capabilities of stud...

Holistic media education: An assessment of the effectiveness of a college course in media literacy

Abstract: The general purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a college course in media literacy Specifically, the course took a holistic approach to media literacy and was designed to heighten college students' awareness of media structures, content, and impact, as well as to encourage students to become more critical/informed participants in the media environment A pre-test, post-test, control group post-test only, quasi-experimental design was employed to assess the effectiveness of this approach to media literacy education Overall, students' responses produced significant differences between the control group and the experimental groups' post-test scores on most (but not all) dependent measures The implications of these results and suggestions for future research were discussed

Sources of Pedagogical Content Knowledge Reports by Preservice Instrumental Music Teachers

Abstract: The purpose of the study was to better understand what influences preservice instrumental music teachers' acquisition of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Research questions were as follows: (a) Are there identifiable applications of PCK in the preservice teachers' interactions with students? (b) To what source—apprenticeship of observation, methods classes, cooperating teachers, or intuition—do preservice teachers attribute these applications of PCK? Video recordings of preservice teachers conducting a rehearsal were collected and analyzed for events that demonstrated PCK. Exemplary excerpts were selected and reviewed with each participant. Interviews revealed a substantial amount of identifiable PCK. Apprenticeship of observation, methods courses, and cooperating teacher were each cited by 2 participants as their primary source of PCK. One participant cited intuition and methods courses equally. Determining where preservice teachers go to access PCK is the first step in redesigning college methods co...

Intergroup Communication as a Predictor of Jewish-Israeli Agreement with Integrative Solutions to the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict: The Mediating Effects of out-Group Trust and Guilt

Abstract: The goal of this study is to empirically determine the extent to which controlled intergroup communicative contact—such as structured intergroup meetings between Israeli-Jews and Palestinians—increases the propensity for peaceful conflict resolution. The proposed model in this study was tested on public opinion data from a representative sample of Israeli-Jews using structural equation modeling. The model was successful in explaining variations in Jewish-Israeli out-group trust (R2= .24, R= .49) and in predicting agreement with integrative compromise solutions (R2= .55, R= .74). In line with the hypotheses, we found that Jewish-Israeli participation in structured intergroup meetings with Palestinians is associated with increased agreement with integrative compromise solutions and that this association is significantly and highly mediated by out-group trust. However, contrary to our expectations, Jewish-Israeli guilt toward Palestinians was not significantly associated with participation in intergroup meetings or with agreement with integrative compromise solutions. The findings are discussed in light of recent theorizing and research on deliberative communication and intergroup contact.

Simplified Estimation of Regeneration Energy of 30 wt % Sodium Glycinate Solution for Carbon Dioxide Absorption

Abstract: A simple method for estimating the regeneration energy of CO2 absorption was devised. The regeneration energy of a 30 wt % sodium glycinate (SG) solution was calculated by the summation of the enthalpy of reaction, the sensible heat and the heat of vaporization. Each form of heat energy was determined experimentally. Solubilities of carbon dioxide in the SG solution was determined by gas chromatography (GC) analysis for the gas phase with the help of a virial equation for the liquid phase in the temperature range of 40−120 °C. Heat capacity of the solution was measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and was used to calculate sensible heat. The heat of vaporization was evaluated by applying the Clausius−Clapeyron equation to 20 data points of vapor pressure. All of the experiments were carried out with either a 30 wt % aqueous solution of SG or the same concentration of monoethanolamine (MEA). Regeneration energy of the SG solution was found to be higher than that of the MEA solution by about...

What They Tell You to Forget: From Child Sexual Abuse to Adolescent Motherhood

Abstract: This study explores the relationship between child sexual abuse and adolescent motherhood, using a life story interview method. The sample consists of 27 mothers participating in a home-visitation parenting program for mothers at risk of child maltreatment. The failure to articulate the violation of child sexual abuse and to appropriately construct blame resulted in a range of self-destructive behaviors, some of which placed mothers at greater risk of teen pregnancy. Repressed feelings associated with the trauma often resurfaced with motherhood as victims re-experienced their innocence and vulnerability as children.

Gender differences and socioeconomic status biases in judgments about blame in date rape scenarios.

Abstract: Participants (80 men, 80 women) read hypothetical date rape scenarios, wherein the perpetrator's socioeconomic status (bus driver versus doctor) and the victim's level of resistance (verbal versus verbal and physical) were varied, and made judgments about who was at fault and what the consequences should be. In general, men assigned more blame to the victim and less blame to the perpetrator than did women. However, men assigned more blame to the bus driver than to the doctor. Women, on the other hand, assigned more blame to the victim who was raped by the bus driver than to the victim who was raped by the doctor. The results also indicated that participants recommended harsher punishments for the perpetrator when the victim resisted verbally than when she resisted verbally and physically. Future research on the role of the perpetrator's, the victim's, and the participants' socioeconomic status in judgments about date rape is suggested.

Ports and Highways Infrastructure: An Analysis of Intra- and Interstate Spillovers

Abstract: U.S. ports serve a vital role in the nation's supply chain and international trade. While the areas surrounding these ports bear the external costs of port expansion (congestion, air and noise pollution), neighboring regions feel the benefits and additional costs from port activity. Given the current debate over external costs from port activity, it is important to quantify the costs and benefits of ports on industry in the home state and neighboring states. This study assesses the role that transportation infrastructure plays in production and employment in the manufacturing industry. Using state-level data from the 48 contiguous states, the authors model manufacturing production and cost, incorporating state and local investment in port and highway infrastructure as variables. The authors find lower manufacturing costs in states with increased ports infrastructure. However manufacturing firms experience higher costs if a neighboring state increases its ports infrastructure, perhaps because productive re...

Cruisin' To Exclusion: Commodity Chains, the Cruise Industry, and Development in the Caribbean

Abstract: Cruise ship tourism has become one of the fastest growing segments of the global tourism industry and is a central facet of the industry in various regions. This is particularly the case in the Caribbean where at any given time as many as 70 cruise ships may be operating. This article utilizes a global commodity chains (GCC) approach to investigate the political economy of the cruise ship industry and consider the development consequences for the Caribbean. It shows that a small number of global cruise lines use a combination of producer-driven and buyer-driven strategies to maximize on-board revenues and capture a very high proportion of economic surplus. The implications for developing country destinations are disturbingly clear. A Chinese version of this article's abstract is available online at: www.informaworld.com/rglo

Stock returns and expected inflation: evidence from an asymmetric test specification

Abstract: Previous studies that examined the relationship between stock returns and inflation have used a symmetric test specification, and have reported evidence of an inverse relation. We use an asymmetric model to re-examine this fundamental relationship between stock returns and inflation. We partition the study period into sub-samples of high and low inflation regimes. An inverse relation between stock returns and inflation forecasts is found during only low inflation periods, while a positive relation is detected through high inflation periods. In combination, results from both high and low inflation regimes suggest that stocks have delivered favorable inflation protection.

The Effects of Age on Radiation Resistance and Oxidative Stress in Adult Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract: Parashar, V., Frankel, S., Lurie, A. G. and Rogina, B. The Effects of Age on Radiation Resistance and Oxidative Stress in Adult Drosophila melanogaster. Radiat. Res. 169, 707–711 (2008). Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) is a well-established model organism for genetic studies of development and aging. We examined the effects of lethal ionizing radiation on male and female adult Drosophila of different ages, using doses of radiation from 200 to 1500 Gy. Fifty percent lethality 2 days postirradiation (LD50/2) in wild-type 1-day-old adult fruit flies was ∼1238 Gy for males and 1339 Gy for females. We observed a significant age-dependent decline in the radiation resistance of both males and females. Radiation damage is postulated to occur by the generation of oxygen radicals. An age-related decline in the ability of flies to resist an agent that induces oxygen radicals, paraquat, was observed when comparing 10- and 20-day adults. Female flies are more resistant to paraquat than male flies. Oxidati...

“Re: We Really Need to Talk”: Affect for Communication Channels, Competence, and Fear of Negative Evaluation

Abstract: Demographic research has documented the ubiquitous use of computer-mediated communication (CMC). Researchers in this area have also explored various factors associated with CMC, including uses, gratifications, motives, and needs. This investigation examines the relationships among affect for communication channels (i.e., e-mail versus face-to-face), self-reports of competence, and fear of negative evaluation. Participants (N = 325) in an undergraduate public speaking course responded to three scales, Fear of Negative Evaluation (Leary, 1983), Affect for Communication Channels Scale (Kelly & Keaten, 2007), and a measure of communication competence. Results show that individuals who reported more competence when using e-mail (27%), as compared to individuals who reported more competence face-to-face (64%), also had greater affect for CMC, higher levels of fear of negative evaluation, and reported more use of e-mail in difficult personal situations.

Molecular markers of cancer in cartilaginous fish: immunocytochemical study of PCNA, p‐53, myc and ras expression in neoplastic and hyperplastic tissues from free ranging blue sharks, Prionace glauca (L.)

Abstract: Archival formalin-fixed tissues from wild-caught adult blue sharks, Prionace glauca (L.), were used for immunocytochemical detection of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), two oncoproteins from the oncogenes c-myc and pan-ras, and a protein product from the tumour suppressor gene p-53. All sharks were caught during summer months between 2000 and 2006 by recreational fishermen off the USA coast in the northwestern Atlantic. The sharks were necropsied on landing and selected organ samples were collected into elasmobranch formalin and processed for paraffin embedding and light microscopy. Paraffin-embedded sections from collected tissue were both stained with haematoxylin and eosin and processed by immunocytochemical techniques using antibodies raised against the PCNA, p-ras, c-myc and p-53 proteins. The lesions examined in this study included two well differentiated adenomatous gastric polyps, a testicular capsular mesothelioma, a gingival fibropapilloma with elements of ameloblastoma, three liver tumours, two pericardial fibropapillomas and six cases of proliferative serositis (pericarditis and peritonitis). Normal and hyperplastic tissues from blue sharks, and human neoplastic tissues served as negative and positive controls, respectively. We detected upregulation of PCNA in many neoplastic, one dysplastic and in some hyperplastic lesions, and positive p-ras and c-myc signals in some of the neoplastic lesions. None of the examined tissues showed positive p-53 signalling. This is the first literature report on immunocytochemical detection of molecular markers of cancer in sharks and in fish of the class Chondrichthyes.

Is high hypnotic suggestibility necessary for successful hypnotic pain intervention

Abstract: Hypnotic suggestibility is a trait-like, individual difference variable reflecting the general tendency to respond to hypnosis and hypnotic suggestions. Research with standardized measures of hypnotic suggestibility has demonstrated that there are substantial individual differences in this variable. Higher suggestibility has been found to be associated with greater relief from hypnotic pain interventions. Although individuals in the high suggestibility range show the strongest response to hypnotic analgesia, people of medium suggestibility, who represent approximately one third of the population, also have been found to obtain significant relief from hypnosis. Thus, high hypnotic suggestibility is not necessary for successful hypnotic pain intervention. However, the available evidence does not support the efficacy of hypnotic pain interventions for people who fall in the low hypnotic suggestibility range. However, some studies suggest that these individuals may benefit from imaginative analgesia suggestions, or suggestions for pain reduction that are delivered while the person is not in hypnosis.

Capability-Enhanced Microscopic Simulation With Real-Time Traffic Signal Control

Abstract: An application programming interface (API) is a feature that is available in some traffic simulation programs to enhance their capabilities by allowing users to customize changes in simulation such as driver behaviors, vehicle characteristics, user-defined control strategies, and advanced Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) applications. This paper presents an API in AIMSUN, which is a stochastic and microscopic simulation model, to evaluate a novel real-time signal control technique based on the dynamic programming (DP) algorithm. A transportation network of diamond interchanges is first created and calibrated in the AIMSUN environment. The API, which creates a dynamic link between the DP algorithm and AIMSUN, is then developed and deployed in C++. During simulation runtime, real-time traffic measurements, including vehicle counts and speeds, are provided by detectors in the network and fed into the DP algorithm that subsequently makes a decision on a signal control plan. The signal plan is then transferred back to and implemented in the simulated network, which emulates its actual operation. Extensive simulations have shown that the new signal control technique is superior to other common offline signal optimization tools in terms of handling the demand fluctuations. This paper has demonstrated that the API function is a useful tool to assess new ITS applications that are unavailable in simulation programs.

What about negotiator styles

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review research on styles of negotiating and distinguish them from conflict styles and individual difference measures studied in negotiation contexts.Design/methodology/approach – The literature on negotiating styles is reviewed, a model is presented that synthesizes previous research, and suggestions for future research are presented.Findings – Previous research has predominantly considered leadership styles in terms of the five conflict‐handling styles (collaborating, competing, compromising, accommodating, and avoiding) from the Dual Concerns Model. While this focus has been useful, the paper also points out that other measures exist that may be more useful for understanding negotiating styles, although they have yet to be validated.Originality/value – Negotiating styles, as distinct patterns of behavior, are critical for understanding effective negotiations as well as being able to train students in negotiation skills.

Frequency formats, probability formats, or problem structure? A test of the nested-sets hypothesis in an extensional reasoning task

Abstract: Five experiments addressed a controversy in the probability judgment literature that centers on the efficacy of framing probabilities as frequencies. The natural frequency view predicts that frequency formats attenuate errors, while the nested-sets view predicts that highlighting the set-subset structure of the problem reduces error, regardless of problem format. This study tested these predictions using a conjunction task. Previous studies reporting that frequency formats reduced conjunction errors confounded reference class with problem format. After controlling this confound, the present study’s findings show that conjunction errors can be reduced using either a probability or a frequency format, that frequency effects depend upon the presence of a reference class, and that frequency formats do not promote better statistical reasoning than probability formats.

Ethical Healthcare Agents

Abstract: We have combined a bottom-up casuistry approach with a top-down implementation of an ethical theory to develop a system that uses machine-learning to abstract relationships between prima facie ethical duties from cases of particular types of ethical dilemmas where ethicists are in agreement as to the correct action. This system has discovered a novel ethical principle that governs decisions in a particular type of dilemma that involves three potentially conflicting prima facie duties. We describe two prototype systems in the domain of healthcare that use this principle, one that advises human beings as to the ethically correct action in specific cases of this type of dilemma and the other that uses this principle to guide its own behavior, making it what we believe may be the first explicit ethical agent.

Integrating games and machine learning in the undergraduate computer science classroom

Abstract: A student will be more likely motivated to pursue a field of study if they encounter relevant and interesting challenges early in their studies. The authors are PIs on two NSF funded course curriculum development projects (CCLI). Each project seeks to provide compelling curricular modules for use in the Computer Science classroom starting as soon as CS 1. In this paper, we describe one curriculum module which is the synergistic result of these two projects. This module provides a series of challenges for undergraduate students by using a game environment to teach machine learning and classic Artificial Intelligence concepts.

Regional Specificity of Chlorhexidine Effects on Taste Perception

Abstract: Chlorhexidine (CHX) gluconate, a bitter bis-biguanide antiseptic, reduces the intensity of the salty taste of NaCl and bitter taste of quinine in humans. This study addresses regional specificity of CHX's effects on taste. Perceptual intensity and quality were measured for separate taste bud containing oral loci innervated either by afferent fibers of cranial nerve (CN) VII or CN IX. Measurements were obtained following three 1-min oral rinses with either 1.34 mM CHX or water, the control rinse. CHX rinse reduced the intensity of NaCl more at the tongue tip and palate than at posterior oral sites. Thus, fungiform and palatal salt-taste receptors may differ from salt-taste receptors of the foliate and circumvallate taste papillae. The intensity of quinine.HCl was reduced equally by CHX at all sites tested but was frequently tasteless on the less sensitive anterior sites, suggesting quinine receptor diversity. In rodents, a portion of NaCl-taste receptors in the receptive field of CN VII is sensitive to the epithelial Na+ channel blocker amiloride and a portion is amiloride insensitive; all CN IX receptors are amiloride insensitive. The current results are the first to suggest that there may also be distinct, regionally specific populations of NaCl-taste receptors in humans.

Television Attitudes and TV Types of African-Americans, Latinos, and Caucasians

Abstract: The growing influence of ethnic minorities and convergence of television with other communication technologies raises an important issue: are ethnic viewers different in their television attitudes and degree of technology acceptance and, if so, what are the implications for broadcasters and advertisers? This nationally representative study of 871 adult African-Americans, Latinos, and Caucasians revealed significant ethnic differences in the adoption of communication technologies, television programming preferences, and an established TV-type segmentation. Further analysis identified disparities in specific television and technology attitudes. Recommendations are offered for television programmers and advertisers to consider in targeting viewer segments based on their television and technology beliefs.

The Personality Assessment Inventory Borderline, Drug, and Alcohol Scales as predictors of overall performance in police officers: a series of exploratory analyses

Abstract: Previous studies have established the utility of self-report personality inventories in the pre-employment screening of police officers. The present study therefore sought to explore the relationship between the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) Borderline, Drug, and Alcohol Scales and performance as a police officer. The PAI results of 632 police officers who took the test as part of pre-employment screening procedures were used in discriminant function and multiple regression analyses to determine whether or not these scales are useful in the pre-employment screening of police officers. These scales did not predict performance as a police officer when the entire sample of 632 was used. However, the Borderline Negative Relations subscale combined with the Drug scale of the PAI were marginally predictive of the 132 poorest performing officers in the sample when an exploratory stepwise multiple regression model was used. The implications of these findings for police selection are discussed.