Quantitation of contacts among sensory, motor, and serotonergic neurons in the pedal ganglion of aplysia

Present models of long-term sensitization in Aplysia californica indicate that the enhanced behavioral response is due, at least in part, to outgrowth of sensory neurons mediating defensive withdrawal reflexes. Presumably, this outgrowth strengthens pre-existing connections by formation of new synapses with follower neurons. However, the relationship between the number of sensorimotor contacts and the physiological strength of the connection has never been examined in intact ganglia. As a first step in addressing this issue, we used confocal microscopy to examine sites of contact between sensory and motor neurons in naive animals. Our results revealed relatively few contacts between physiologically connected cells. In addition, the number of contact sites was proportional to the amplitude of the EPSP elicited in the follower motor neuron by direct stimulation of the sensory neuron. This is the first time such a correlation has been observed in the central nervous system. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter most closely examined for its role in modulating synaptic strength at the sensorimotor synapse. However, the structural relationship of serotonergic processes and sensorimotor synapses has never been examined. Surprisingly, serotonergic processes usually made contact with sensory and motor neurons at sites located relatively distant from the sensorimotor synapse. This result implies that heterosynaptic regulation is due to nondirected release of serotonin into the neuropil.     

Complex Genetic Disorders: Evaluating When Genetic Research Findings Are Applicable for Genetic Counseling Practice

Traditional genetic counseling processes and principles will be extended to a new realm—complex disorders. Although it may seem like a daunting task, understanding the methodologies used to study complex genetic disorders will enable genetic counselors to critically analyze research studies involving complex disorders. In this article, we explain newly evolving methodologies for genetic research, including case-control studies and transmission disequilibrium testing (TDT). Additionally, a framework is provided for evaluating original research findings and replication studies.     

Ability factors and cognitive processes

Several measures of the speed of information processing were related to ability factors derived from the Cattell-Horn theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence. Ninety-one college students took a battery of paper and pencil tests designed to measure four ability factors: fluid intelligence (Gf), crystallized intelligence (Gc), spatial visualization (Gv), and clerical perceptual speed (CPS). They also performed paper and pencil and computerized versions of three information processing tasks: mental rotations, letter matching, and sentence verification. Correlations among the ability measures, among the information processing measures, and between the two domains were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis. The four ability factors were found to be largely independent in this college population. Speed of letter-matching and sentence verification were highly correlated, but neither was related to speed of mental rotation. Mental rotation speed was strongly correlated with Gv; letter matching speed was correlated with CPS; and sentence verification speed was correlated with both Gc and CPS.     

Application of a Sensemaking Approach to Ethics Training in the Physical Sciences and Engineering

Integrity is a critical determinant of the effectiveness of research organizations in terms of producing high quality research and educating the new generation of scientists. A number of responsible conduct of research (RCR) training programs have been developed to address this growing organizational concern. However, in spite of a significant body of research in ethics training, it is still unknown which approach has the highest potential to enhance researchers' integrity. One of the approaches showing some promise in improving researchers' integrity has focused on the development of ethical decision-making skills. The current effort proposes a novel curriculum that focuses on broad metacognitive reasoning strategies researchers use when making sense of day-to-day social and professional practices that have ethical implications for the physical sciences and engineering. This sensemaking training has been implemented in a professional sample of scientists conducting research in electrical engineering, atmospheric and computer sciences at a large multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary, and multi-university research center. A pre-post design was used to assess training effectiveness using scenario-based ethical decision-making measures. The training resulted in enhanced ethical decision-making of researchers in relation to four ethical conduct areas, namely data management, study conduct, professional practices, and business practices. In addition, sensemaking training led to researchers' preference for decisions involving the application of the broad metacognitive reasoning strategies. Individual trainee and training characteristics were used to explain the study findings. Broad implications of the findings for ethics training development, implementation, and evaluation in the sciences are discussed.     

Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Young Children: An Intervention Model and Case Series

This article presents an intervention model for young children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The intervention, designed to reduce compulsive behavior and improve parenting practices, was tested using a multiple baseline design with 7 children (M = 6 years old; 57% female) in which participants were randomly assigned to 1, 2, or 3 weeks of baseline (i.e., no treatment). All children were diagnosed with OCD using a semi-structured diagnostic interview. Baseline and weekly ratings of obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms and family accommodation were obtained. In addition, at pre- and post-treatment and 1-month follow-up, independent evaluators and/or parents completed measures assessing the severity and impact of OC symptoms and child and family functioning. Findings revealed that participants had a 33–66% reduction in OC symptoms (as measured by the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale; CYBOCS) at posttreatment and 6 of the 7 children were rated as treatment responders on the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) Scale. At the 1-month follow-up, participants had a 17–82% reduction in OC symptoms. Treatment was also effective in reducing parental accommodation of child OC behaviors. Overall treatment satisfaction was high and parents found most core treatment ingredients (e.g., psychoeducation, exposure and ritual prevention, contingency management) very helpful. Implications for further developing and testing psychosocial treatments for young children are discussed.     

The social policy context of child care: Effects on quality

Examined effects on the quality of children's child care environments of (a) the stringency of state child care regulations, (b) voluntary compliance with proposed federal child care standards, and (c) the legal auspice of the center. Quality of care was assessed in 227 child care centers in five metropolitan areas. Centers in states with more stringent child care regulations tended to have better staff-child ratios, staff with more child-related training, and lower staff turnover rates. Similarly, centers that more fully complied with the ratio, group size, and training provisions of a set of proposed federal child care standards had significantly lower staff turnover rates, more age-appropriate classroom activities, less harsh and more sensitive teachers, and more teachers with specialized training. For-profit centers offered children less optimal care than did nonprofit centers. These findings are placed in the context of ecological models of research and of contemporary policy debates about child care.     

A Qualitative Approach to Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training Development: Identification of Metacognitive Strategies

Although Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training is common in the sciences, the effectiveness of RCR training is open to question. Three key factors appear to be particularly important in ensuring the effectiveness of ethics education programs: (1) educational efforts should be tied to day-to-day practices in the field, (2) educational efforts should provide strategies for working through the ethical problems people are likely to encounter in day-to-day practice, and (3) educational efforts should be embedded in a broader program of on-going career development efforts. This article discusses a complex qualitative approach to RCR training development, based on a sensemaking model, which strives to address the afore-mentioned training concerns. Ethnographic observations and prior RCR training served the purpose of collecting information specific to a multi-disciplinary and multi-university research center with the goal of identifying metacognitive reasoning strategies that would facilitate ethical decision-making. The extensive qualitative analyses resulted in the identification of nine metacognitive reasoning strategies on which future RCR training will be developed. The implications of the findings for RCR training in the sciences are discussed.     

Broaching the Subjects of Race,Ethnicity, and Culture During the Counseling Process

The authors define broaching as the counselor's ability to consider how sociopolitical factors such as race influence the client's counseling concerns. The counselor must learn to recognize the cultural meaning clients attach to phenomena and to subsequently translate that cultural knowledge into meaningful practice that facilitates client empowerment, strengthens the therapeutic alliance, and enhances counseling outcomes. A continuum of broaching behavior is described, and parallels are drawn between the progression of broaching behavior and the counselor's level of racial identity functioning.