Assessing the effects of attention and emotion on startle eyeblink modulation

Two experiments were conducted to assess simultaneously the effects of attentional and emotional processes on startle eyeblink modulation. In each experiment, participants were presented with a pleasant and an unpleasant picture. Half the participants were asked to attend to the pleasant picture and to ignore the unpleasant picture, whereas the reverse was the case for the other participants. Startle probes were presented at 3500 and 4500 ins after stimulus onset in Experiment I and at 250, 750, and 4450 ms after stimulus onset and 950 ms after stimulus offset in Experiment 2. Attentional processing affected startle eyeblink modulation and electrodermal responses in both experiments, However, effects of picture valence on startle eyeblink modulation were found only in Experiment 2. The results confirm the utility of startle eyeblink modulation as an index of attentional and emotional processing. They also illustrate that procedural characteristics, such as the nature of the lead intervals and how attention and emotion are operationalized, can determine whether emotional or attentional processes will be reflected in startle eyeblink.

The English-only movement: A communication analysis of changing perceptions of language vitality

This paper reexamines the potential impact of the English-only movement on linguistic minorities and Anglos' perceptions of their own and minority groups' language vitality. Of particular interest is the Hispanic population-the fastest growing minority in the U.S. Communication scholars have paid only scant attention to the English-only movement and how it affects the social and communication climate for Latinos. However, literature reviews prepared for the American Psychological Association and for the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (in 1991 and 1995, respectively) concluded that English-only initiatives have negative consequences for limited-English proficiency groups. Revisiting this still-growing issue in the light of more recent studies across disciplines and media reports, we examine how Anglo support for English-only policies limits the use, promotion, and salience of minority languages like Spanish in institutional settings and in the linguistic landscape and suggest directions for future research.

Noninvasive tests of vascular function and structure: Why and how to perform them

Background Early atherosclerosis involves the endothelium of many arteries. Information about peripheral arterial anatomy and function derived from vascular imaging studies such as brachial artery reactivity (BAR) and carotid intima media thickness (IMT) may be pertinent to the coronary circulation. The prevention and early treatment of atherosclerosis is gaining more attention, and these tests might be used as indications or perhaps guides to the effectiveness of therapy, but their application in clinical practice has been limited. This review seeks to define the anatomy and pathophysiology underlying these investigations, their methodology, the significance of their Findings, and the issues that must be resolved before their application. Methods The literature on BAR and IMT is extensively reviewed, especially in relation to clinical use. Results Abnormal flow-mediated dilation is present in atherosclerotic vessels, is associated with cardiovascular risk factors, and may be a marker of preclinical disease. Treatment of known atherosclerotic risk Factors has been shown to improve flow-mediated dilation, and some data suggest that vascular responsiveness is related to outcome. Carotid IMT is associated with cardiovascular risk factors, and increased levels can predict myocardial infarction and stroke. Aggressive risk factor management can decrease IMT. Conclusions BAR and IMT ate functional and structural markers of the atherosclerotic process. The clinical use of BAR has been limited by varying reproducibility and the influence by exogenous factors, but IMT exhibits less variability. A desirable next step in the development of BAR and IMT as useful clinical tools would be to show an association of improvement in response to treatment with improvement in prognosis.

Contingent attentional capture or delayed allocation of attention?

Under certain circumstances, external stimuli will elicit an involuntary shift of spatial attention, referred to as attentional capture. According to the contingent involuntary orienting account (Folk, Remington, & Johnston, 1992), capture is conditioned by top-down factors that set attention to respond involuntarily to stimulus properties relevant to one's behavioral goals. Evidence for this comes from spatial cuing studies showing that a spatial cuing effect is observed only when cues have goal-relevant properties. Here, we examine alternative, decision-level explanations of the spatial cuing effect that attribute evidence of capture to postpresentation delays in the voluntary allocation of attention, rather than to on-line involuntary shifts in direct response to the cue. In three spatial cuing experiments, delayed-allocation accounts were tested by examining whether items at the cued location were preferentially processed. The experiments provide evidence that costs and benefits in spatial cuing experiments do reflect the on-line capture of attention. The implications of these results for models of attentional control are discussed.

Ali v Hartley Poynton Limited

The decision in Ali v Hartley Poynton Limited has significant implications for the stockbroking industry and investment advisors - likely to encourage brokers to adopt a more cautious understanding of their obligations to clients - illustrates the ability and willingness of small investors to challenge the quality of service being provided by their stockbroker.

Very limited transmission of FMD following introduction into a sheep flock

IN contrast to previous international experience, sheep played a critical role in the source and spread of foot-andnmouth disease (FNID) in the 2001 outbreak in the UK. At many stages during the outbreak, sheep wvere associated with the emergence of disease in new, that is, previously non-infected, areas, and in areas which had been apparently cleared of disease some weeks or months earlier. Although some information about this disease in sheep is available (Donaldson and Sellers 2000), an understanding of the natural history of FNIF in sheep will be improved based on lessons learned from the 2001 outbreak. This short communication describes an outbreak of FNID in a sheep flock in north-east England, where there was strong epidemiological and laboratory evidence of very limited transmission of disease following introduction.

Attitudes and practices of general practitioners in the diagnosis and management of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Objective: To assess understanding of, and actual and potential roles in management of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among GPs. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of Queensland GPs selected randomly from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners directory of members was carried out. Main outcome measures were knowledge levels of ADHD, current management practices, referral patterns and self-perceived information and training needs. Results: Three hundred and ninety-nine GPs returned a completed questionnaire (response rate 76%). Roles identified by GPs were: the provisional diagnosis of ADHD and referral to specialist services for confirmation of the diagnosis and initiation of management; assistance with monitoring progress once a management plan was in place; education of the child and their family regarding the disorder; and liaison with the school where necessary. Perceived barriers to increased involvement of GPs were: time and resource constraints of general practice; concerns regarding abuse and addiction liability of prescription stimulants; complex diagnostic issues associated with childhood behavioural problems; and lack of training and education regarding ADHD. Conclusions: General practitioners identify a role for themselves in ADHD care that is largely supportive in nature and involves close liaison with specialist services.

Using crop simulation to generate genotype by environment interaction effects for sorghum in water-limited environments

Multi-environment trials (METs) used to evaluate breeding lines vary in the number of years that they sample. We used a cropping systems model to simulate the target population of environments (TPE) for 6 locations over 108 years for 54 'near-isolines' of sorghum in north-eastern Australia. For a single reference genotype, each of 547 trials was clustered into 1 of 3 'drought environment types' (DETs) based on a seasonal water stress index. Within sequential METs of 2 years duration, the frequencies of these drought patterns often differed substantially from those derived for the entire TPE. This was reflected in variation in the mean yield of the reference genotype. For the TPE and for 2-year METs, restricted maximum likelihood methods were used to estimate components of genotypic and genotype by environment variance. These also varied substantially, although not in direct correlation with frequency of occurrence of different DETs over a 2-year period. Combined analysis over different numbers of seasons demonstrated the expected improvement in the correlation between MET estimates of genotype performance and the overall genotype averages as the number of seasons in the MET was increased.

Revisiting the question of limited genetic variation within Schistosoma japonicum

Recent electrophoretic data have indicated that Schistosoma japonicum in mainland China may be a species complex, with the existence of a cryptic species being predicted from the analysis of schistosome populations from Sichuan province. To investigate the Sichuan form of S. japonicum, 4.9 kbp of mitochondrial DNA from each of three samples of the parasite from China (two from Sichuan and one from Hunan) and one from Sorsogon in the Philippines were amplified, sequenced and characterized. The sequence data were compared with those from the related South-east Asian species of S. mekongi (Khong Island, Laos) and S. malayensis (Baling, Malaysia) and that from S. japonicum from Anhui (China). At both the nucleotide and amino-acid levels, the variation among the five S. japonicum samples was limited ( < 1%). This was consistent with the conclusions drawn from previous molecular studies, in which minimal variation among S. japonicum populations was also detected. In contrast, S. mekongi and S. malayensis, species recognized as separate but closely related, differ from each other by about 10%, and each differs by 25%-26% from S. japonicum. Phylogenetic trees provided a graphic representation of these differences, showing all S. japonicum sequences to be very tightly clustered and distant from S. mekongi and S. malayensis, the last two being clearly distinct from each other. The results thus indicate no significant intraspecific genetic variation among S. japonicum samples collected from different geographical areas and do not support the idea of a distinct form in Sichuan.