548 research outputs found
The Hubble Hypothesis and the Developmentalist's Dilemma
Developmental psychopathology stands poised at the close of the 20th century on the horns of a major scientific dilemma. The essence of this dilemma lies in the contrast between its heuristically rich open system concepts on the
one hand, and the closed system paradigm it adopted from mainstream psychology for investigating those models on
the other. Many of the research methods, assessment strategies, and data analytic models of psychologyÂ’s paradigm are predicated on closed system assumptions and explanatory models. Thus, they are fundamentally inadequate forstudying humans, who are unparalleled among open systems in their wide ranging capacities for equifinal and
multifinal functioning. Developmental psychopathology faces two challenges in successfully negotiating the developmentalistÂ’s dilemma. The first lies in recognizing how the current paradigm encourages research practices
that are antithetical to developmental principles, yet continue to flourish. I argue that the developmentalistÂ’s
dilemma is sustained by long standing, mutually enabling weaknesses in the paradigmÂ’s discovery methods and
scientific standards. These interdependent weaknesses function like a distorted lens on the research process by
variously sustaining the illusion of theoretical progress, obscuring the need for fundamental reforms, and both
constraining and misguiding reform efforts. An understanding of how these influences arise and take their toll provides a foundation and rationale for engaging the second challenge. The essence of this challenge will be finding ways to resolve the developmentalistÂ’s dilemma outside the constraints of the existing paradigm by developing indigenous research strategies, methods, and standards with fidelity to the complexity of developmental phenomena
National Institute of Mental Health Roundtable Discussion: Promissory Notes and Prevailing Norms in Social and Behavioral Sciences Research
Most workshops convened by the National Institute's of Health are devoted to the puzzle-solving activities of
normal science, where the puzzles themselves and the strategies available for solving them are determined largely
in advance by the shared paradigmatic assumptions, frameworks, and priorities of the scientific community's
research paradigm. They are designed to facilitate what Thomas Kuhn referred to as elucidating topological detail
within a map whose main outlines are available in advance. And apparently for good reason. Historical studies by Kuhn and others reveal that science moves fastest and penetrates most deeply when its practitioners work within well-defined and deeply ingrained traditions and employ the concepts, theories, methods, and tools of a shared paradigm. No paradigm is perfect and none is capable of identifying, let alone solving, all of the problems relevant to a given domain of inquiry. Thus, the essential day-to-day business of normal science is not to question the limits
or adequacy of a given paradigm, but rather to exploit the presumed virtues for which it was adopted. As Kuhn
cautioned in his discussion of paradigms, re-tooling, in science as in manufacture, as an extravagance to be
reserved for the occasion that demands it. Well, as the marketing people say --- this is not your father's Oldsmobile. We are breaking with tradition today by stepping outside the map to initiate and pursue a long-overdue dialogue about paradigm reform and scientific retooling. Our warrant for prosecuting this agenda is a Kuhnian occasion that demands it--- is a protracted paradigm crisis, the neglect of which has hurt us terribly and the resolution of which will determine the viability and fate of the social and behavioral sciences in the 21st century. Since the details of the crisis are well know within and outside our ranks, a brief sketch of its main outlines will suffice as a framework for our dialogue
today. They include, (a) widespread dissatisfaction with the meager theoretical progress and practical yield of
more than a century of social and behavioral sciences research in many substantive domains, (b) long-neglected
yet widely recognized deficiencies in the epistemological assumptions, discovery practices and justification
standards of the dominant paradigm on which the social and behavioral sciences have relied --- and rely--- to conceptualize, interpret, and guide their empirical research, (c) a broadly based consensus among leading
scholars and scientists about the need for fundamental paradigm reforms, and (d) institutional incentive structures
that not only encourage and reinforce the status quo but discourage constructive reform efforts.
Our objective for the next eight hours is to formulate strategies and recommendations for leveraging the
resources and influence of the National Institute of Mental Health to foster a climate of constructive reforms where
they are needed by freeing investigators in from the oppressive constraints of existing paradigms and facilitating, encouraging, and funding their retooling their effort
Psychiatry's Turbid Solution
Psychiatry?s generic concept of disorder has long served an important legitimizing function for the broad array of conditions for which individuals seek mental health treatment, regardless of their presumed causes. Wakefield?s proposal to restrict the mental disorder concept to only a subset of these conditions has given rise to concerns about the uncertain consequences of classifying others as non-disorders. In Bergner?s recent counterproposal, this concern is masked in the form of a conspicuously overinclusive definition of mental disorder. Bergner?s resistance to Wakefield?s classification objective underscores an important, unmet, and often unacknowledged need within the clinical treatment community. The challenge ahead lies in finding ways to address this need without compromising the integrity of efforts to develop a more coherent concept of mental disorder
The Abduction of Disorder in Psychiatry
The evolutionary cornerstone of J. C. Wakefield's (1999) harmful dysfunction thesis is a faulty assumption of comparability between mental and biological processes that overlooks the unique plasticity and openness of the brain?s functioning design. This omission leads Wakefield to an idealized concept of natural mental functions, illusory interpretations of mental disorders as harmful dysfunctions, and exaggerated claims for the validity of his explanatory and stipulative proposals. The authors argue that there are numerous ways in which evolutionarily intact mental and psychological processes, combined with striking discontinuities within and between evolutionary and contemporary social/cultural environments, may cause non-dysfunction variants of many widely accepted major mental disorders. These examples undermine many of Wakefield's arguments for adopting a harmful dysfunction concept of mental disorder
Policies, Legislation and Organizations Related to Water in South Africa, with Special Reference to the Olifants River Basin
water resources management / river basins / water use / organizations / institutions / mapping / government / political aspects / ethnology / social status / water policy / water law / land tenure / water supply /sanitation / water users / land use / conflict / private sector / nongovernmental organizations / local government / water user associations / catchment areas / monitoring / South Africa / Olifants river basin / Steelpoort river basin
Associations between religiosity and sexuality in a representative sample of Australian adults
Many studies have examined the influence on sexual attitudes and behavior of religious belief (i.e., religious denomination) or religiosity (e.g., attendance at services, subjective importance of religion). However, few studies have examined the combined effects of religion and religiosity on sexual attitudes and behavior. This study examined such effects in a representative sample of 19,307 Australians aged 16–59 years (response rate, 73.1%). The study compared members of four religious groups (Protestant, Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim) and two levels of frequency of attendance at religious service (less than monthly, at least monthly). Religious participants were compared to their non-religious peers in analyses adjusted for potential confounding by demographic variables. The outcomes were five sexual behaviors and five corresponding measures of sexual attitudes. The study revealed inconsistent patterns of association between religion/religiosity and a range of sexual behaviors and attitudes. In general, greater attendance at religious services was associated with more conservative patterns of behavior and attitudes. However, religious people who attended services infrequently were more similar to their non-religious peers than their more religious peers. The results of this study highlight the importance of considering not only religion or religiosity, but the intersection between these two variables
Hydro-institutional mapping in the Steelpoort River Basin, South Africa
River basins / Institutions / Organizations / Private sector / Public sector / Local government / Mapping / Water resource management / Water policy / Legislation / Rural women / Constraints / Groundwater / Surface water / Water quality / Water use / Water users / Dams / Reservoirs / Large-scale systems / Irrigation management / Industrialization / Case studies / Operations / Maintenance / Canals / Conflict / Farmer-agency interactions / Policy / Water supply / Rural development
Best practices for bioinformatic characterization of neoantigens for clinical utility
Neoantigens are newly formed peptides created from somatic mutations that are capable of inducing tumor-specific T cell recognition. Recently, researchers and clinicians have leveraged next generation sequencing technologies to identify neoantigens and to create personalized immunotherapies for cancer treatment. To create a personalized cancer vaccine, neoantigens must be computationally predicted from matched tumor-normal sequencing data, and then ranked according to their predicted capability in stimulating a T cell response. This candidate neoantigen prediction process involves multiple steps, including somatic mutation identification, HLA typing, peptide processing, and peptide-MHC binding prediction. The general workflow has been utilized for many preclinical and clinical trials, but there is no current consensus approach and few established best practices. In this article, we review recent discoveries, summarize the available computational tools, and provide analysis considerations for each step, including neoantigen prediction, prioritization, delivery, and validation methods. In addition to reviewing the current state of neoantigen analysis, we provide practical guidance, specific recommendations, and extensive discussion of critical concepts and points of confusion in the practice of neoantigen characterization for clinical use. Finally, we outline necessary areas of development, including the need to improve HLA class II typing accuracy, to expand software support for diverse neoantigen sources, and to incorporate clinical response data to improve neoantigen prediction algorithms. The ultimate goal of neoantigen characterization workflows is to create personalized vaccines that improve patient outcomes in diverse cancer types
Processing and Transmission of Information
Contains research objectives and reports on two research projects.National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NsG-334)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NsG-496)Joint Services Electronics Programs (U. S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force) under Contract DA 36-039-AMC-03200(E)National Science Foundation (Grant GP-835)Sloan Fund for Basic Research (M.I.T. Grant
- …