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(03/14/12 5:00am)
The Hopkins Brain Science Institute (BSi) and the Walters Art Museum held a symposium entitled, Touch-Touch and the Visual Arts: Neuroscience, Art, and Art History on Mar. 5 in Mason Hall. As a collaboration with a current exhibit at the Walters Art Museum, Touch and the Enjoyment of Sculpture: Exploring the Appeal of Renaissance Statuettes, it explored the associations of touch perception with enjoyment of sculpture. Approximately 50 people attended the all day event, which lasted from 8:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Most attendees were Hopkins affiliates. According to Jeffrey D. Rothstein, the director of BSi and Gary Vikan, director of the Walters Art Museum, in their introduction to the symposium's pamphlet, BSi and the museum "meld[ed] research of how the brain reacts to tactile stimuli and the increased appreciation of tactility." The symposium featured artists and researchers in several informal lectures. The event discussed many aspects of aesthetics, architecture, art and dance. The symposium began with a welcome by director Vikan and the director of the Interdisciplinary Partnerships of the BSi, Susan Magsaman. Some of the featured lectures that followed included "The Two Sides of Touch: One Senses, One Feels. . ." by Francis McGlone of Liverpool John Moores University in England; "The aesthetics of touch in the sighted and blind" by Steven Hsiao of Hopkins and "The role of touch in decision making by buyers and scholars of Chinese porcelain" by the Executive Vice President of Sotheby's North America, Henry Howard-Sneyd.Howard-Sneyd, Sotheby's leading auctioneer globally in the field of Asian Art, discussed the importance of touch as a deciding factor in the evaluation and buying of fine Chinese works. He began his presentation by showing a photograph of a $150 million Hong Kong vase and asked, "Why would someone buy this?"Howard-Sneyd answered this question through his presentation of different Chinese pieces, ranging from rough, smooth, cool, heavy, even and soft. Touch can create exotic feelings within a buyer or show someone an aspect unable to be understood without touch, Howard-Sneyd said. "Touch was the reason I fell in love with Chinese art," Howard-Sneyd told the audience. The lecture elicited a positive response from the audience. People were able to feel the objects Howard-Sneyd was talking about. "This presentation made me view objects and my own relationship to them in a much different light," Louise Washer, who attended the symposium, said. "As a sculptor, I am drawn to touching and modeling, but now I understand more about the origins of that pull." The symposium's foundations are rooted in a Walters Art Museum exhibit, Touch and the Enjoyment of Sculpture: Exploring the Appeal of Renaissance Statuettes, which opened earlier this January. It's goal was to create an exhibit where visitors could explore the sense of touch and understand its role in the enjoyment of the visual arts. The museum's exhibit uses copies of small statuettes from the Renaissance period in order to promote exploration of the importance of touch.
(03/14/12 5:00am)
I justify my stubbornness by telling myself that I am saving the world. Every time I turn down a round of antibiotics or anti-bacterial soap, I feel that I am taking a stand. No one wants to play a part in the evolution of resistant bacterial strains, yet people still hit the z-packs anytime they have a sore throat. And America's pill popping culture doesn't stop there; it extends to antidepressants, sleep aides, appetite suppressants and painkillers. Drugs can help us focus, allow us to relax and lead the charge in the endless fight against acne. This casual attitude toward powerful chemicals strikes me as a problem, but maybe I'm the only one who is freaked out by the drastic side effects associated with even the most common over the counter drugs. And what's funny is that I am a huge proponent of establishment medicine. I absolutely believe that all of those intimidating drugs can be lifesaving, but that doesn't mean I can be nonchalant about taking them. This is where my willfulness kind of degrades into pigheadedness. If I have a headache I should view taking aspirin as an option, but I don't. I tell myself that if I mask my pain, I won't know if something serious is going on. If I have a cold, I should take a decongestant, but I don't. I remind myself that these drugs suppress immune response and that I will actually get better faster if I just get some sleep. Maybe these justifications sound all right, but they are really just enabling me to suffer as a sort of silent and overdramatic protest. I can tell that my actions are irrational because I never hold my friends and family to the same standard and often suggest that they take something for their pulled muscles or flu-like symptoms. I negate my own example through a demeanor of indifference. This whole scheme is clearly half-baked. When I analyze it objectively, though, I think my ideological instincts are right even if my attempts at protest are horribly misguided. Drugs are potent, more so now than ever. They will definitely do something, whether this has the intended therapeutic outcome or not. People think that if a drug is over the counter they are in control of it and, by extension, in control of their condition. If they are sick and taking care of themselves, they can take the appropriate drug to get better. But, really, they are putting the drugs in control. They are assuming that taking the drug will have the desired effect without risks. They are counting on it to solve a problem without necessarily evaluating other ways that the problem could be addressed. And this attitude can translate to prescription drugs as well. But even if a drug constitutes a new scientific discovery, it may not be a magic bullet. Or it may require lifestyle changes to work. Or taking it may have a physical toll. I worry that the scientific community, the pharmaceutical industry and even reputable media are all inadvertently conspiring to make drug therapy seem like the first choice in medical treatment. Courses like aspirin therapy that are touted as effective in multiple channels start to seem appealing. If enough sources say that a preventive measure is safe, people would be crazy not to use it. But, drug therapy is rarely, probably never, one size fits all. If Americans don't start to gain awareness they could be endangering themselves or settling for inadequate care. That is why I am taking my pill strike public, and I hope it will catch on, in a reasonably modified form of course.
(03/14/12 5:00am)
Motivation can hinder goal achievement
(03/14/12 5:00am)
Bootup Baltimore is a unique community service group on campus that intersects technology with charity. If you're interested in technology - even if you don't have much computer knowledge - and in reaching out to the Baltimore community, you may be interested in Bootup Baltimore. The News-Letter sat down with Bootup Baltimore's Secretary and Publicity Manager, Daniel Levenson, who talked to us about how the group works. In a nutshell, Bootup Baltimore is a computer community service organization that provides substantive technology-related aid to those in need in the form of computers and the teaching of computer skills. It has two main divisions. The first is refurbishment; computers are donated to the group, which either breaks them down for parts or refurbishes them to make them ready for re-donation to other charitable organizations, churches and schools. Many of these schools are ones that the group coordinates with to conduct teaching sessions, which comprise the second main operation of Bootup Baltimore. Elementary school students are trained in computer skills, such as word processing, image editing, basic programming, hardware maintenance and web development. As Levenson puts it, these are "very applicable skills that students in public schools aren't necessarily taught," adding, "It's a really interesting program, really fun."Levenson emphasizes that computer knowledge is not necessary for active participation in the group: "If you think you're very computer-unsavvy, it's totally not an issue." While the group seeks members of all skill levels, he points out that "you just need to have an interest. We've definitely had people come who haven't had computer experience, and they've loved it." The group trains and briefs its teachers on what is to be taught, and there is a refurbishment coordinator who is always at refurbishing sessions to show everyone how the process works. "It's pretty algorithmic to a certain level, so it's definitely not too challenging, but it's pretty cool," says Levenson. But, as he points out, "it's a great opportunity to crack open computers - we've got tons." For teachers, this opportunity to help and nurture computer skills in elementary school students is a very engaging one. As Levenson points out, "It's not like you're at the outskirts of the process by helping teaching. You're really teaching." Thus, while it is easy to get involved in Bootup Baltimore's programs, the impact of the group's activities is formidable.Levenson also stresses the importance of what Bootup Baltimore does: "There's definitely very much a need for our services. There will always be more public school students that could use our aid, absolutely. There are tons of organizations that are reaching out to us." And, as extra incentive for elementary schools to participate, Bootup Baltimore has also been known to give them computers at the end of the program. Moreover, members of Bootup Baltimore become part of a powerful and personal process. According to its mission statement, the organization aims to "both expand computer access in Baltimore and create opportunities for [their] participants to engage with technology in a personal way." The skills that Bootup Baltimore fosters, which are crucial in the modern world, are also provided in tandem with Bootup Baltimore's goal of promoting sustainability, as well as other valuable services. If you are interested in being a part of Bootup Baltimore's efforts, check them out at bootupbaltimore.org, where you can join their mailing list and get in touch with their officers.
(03/14/12 5:00am)
From handshakes to hugs, humans communicate through touching on a daily basis. But what if this communication extended beyond humans or even the animal kingdom? Recent studies at UC Santa Barbara suggest that bacteria use touch to communicate with one another and to perform various functions. Christopher Hayes, a UCSB associate professor of biology, and graduate students Elie Diner, Christina Beck and Julia Webb recently published a study about uropathogenic E. coli (UPECT) in Genes & Development. UPECT is the bacteria responsible for urinary tract infections in humans. Their findings show that there is cooperative link among cell systems that were previously considered as competitive. The team's findings illustrate that bacteria expressing CDI, which is a contact-dependent growth inhibition system, can inhibit other bacteria within the same system as long as the potentially inhibited target bacteria has CYsK. CYsK is a metabolic enzyme that plays a role in the synthesis of cysteine, an amino acid. The inhibition occurs when CysK binds to the enzyme that breaks RNA??, the CDI toxin, and activates it. This discovery is incredibly surprising because cell systems were previously understood in context of their capacity to destroy other bacteria. According to Hayes, the research shows that the CDI and the inhibitor cell must essentially ask for permission from the target to inhibit it. Furthermore, Hayes makes note of the complex and unusual characteristics of this touching and talking process. The team's findings indicate that cells could use CDI as a means to communicate to achieve a common goal. The CysK enzyme catalyzes the bacterial communication. It acts as a touching signal or a password to turn the process on. One of the applications of this communication, according to Hayes, is that the bacteria could communicate as a team to form a biofilm, a tool bacteria use to increase bacterial strength and chances for survival. Furthermore, the findings of this study could lead to possible discoveries for other bacteria. Although the study conducted only applied to UPECT, the team's discoveries could have implications for diseases, such as bacterial meningitis or even for plant-based destructive bacteria. While the current applications of this discovery have yet to be studied, according to David Low, co-author of the paper, the research could have potentially revolutionary implications for studies on how bacteria communicate.
(03/14/12 5:00am)
In the almost endless and cyclical struggle of ups and downs, "not-Romneys" and pizza moguls, the 2012 GOP primary season has come to distinguish itself from the standard operating procedure in modern politics. The Republican base has become so fragmented and volatile that it's often impossible for even the mainstream pundits to predict the tide of the race. One week, Newt Gingrich, the former House Speaker, seems to be awakening another one of his nine lives. The next week, he's all but forgotten, and Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania Senator, is the talk of the town. Come another week, and Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts Governor, enters stage right and seems to garner a respectable portion of the electorate - only to have the cycle restart itself a week later. With all the fluidity and fickleness that has come to embody the GOP campaign, though, there has remained one constant throughout it all: the media's seeming obsession with the horse race. Flip to any news channel, and you get a never-ending marathon. And smattered in between the reportage of the current status of the race is analysis by pundits, telling us what everything means: Gingrich's reluctance to leave is good news for Romney because it splits the conservative vote, but bad news for Santorum because he's the conservative candidate, but good news for Obama because a split field is a weak field. And on and on it goes. But with all the flashbulbs and finish lines, pundits and reporters, negative ads and super PACs, we've all been drawn away from the real substance of the campaign. We've forgotten the one question that this election - and any election, for that matter - really comes down to: what would a Republican or Democratic victory mean for America? It seems a simple enough question. Yet it's rarely touched upon. Our news media, the self-professed "Fourth Estate," has come to view our presidential elections as a sporting event with a clear winner and loser. For those of us observing, there is a growing disassociation from the implications of victory and defeat. But, this isn't a sporting event. The winning team doesn't simply head to the locker room and spray champagne. The losing team doesn't sulk back to the sidelines, heads hanging low. We are all players in this game: with victory and defeat come consequences. And with a Republican victory, the consequence is war with Iran or something just short of it. Romney, the most likely nominee, considers Iran "the greatest threat the world faces." There is "no price," he declares, "that is worth an Iranian nuclear weapon." And as president, he would ensure that Iran would never build one. Santorum would order an immediate and unrelenting air strike on all nuclear facilities within Iran. Gingrich has compared Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Adolf Hitler and has stated that "overthrowing the government of Iran" might be necessary to deter its nuclear ambitions. But in the news media, we never hear about an impending war concomitant with a Republican victory. We never hear of its grave implications. We hear nothing about a war fought without provocation or mandate from the U.N. Security Council. We hear nothing about a war fought in direct violation of international law. We hear nothing about the coming deaths of innocent civilians and global unrest. Nothing of Middle East instability, of the rise of violent extremism against the U.S. We hear nothing about how far a Republican victory would push us from the edge of sanity into the dark abyss of war. Caught up in the dust of the horse race, the news media has become enamored by glitz and glamour. The hard truths and repercussions of the candidacies they extoll are all but forgotten. Sure, the race is fun, and everybody loves an old-fashioned boxing match between greasy haired, well-dressed politicians, but war is on the horizon, lives are on the line, peace is in jeopardy. We need to face reality and start asking ourselves if another war in the Middle East is really something to be desired. More lives lost, more money wasted, more animosity bred, more instability produced? The news media needs to start doing its job again. It needs to start asking tough questions. It needs to lay out for the American people the clear choices this election season because come November, we are going to need a level head in the White House, not the winning horse.
(03/14/12 5:00am)
Hopkins students use Charles Village as a kind of home base to the point where it almost seems like the stores and restaurants lining North Charles and St. Paul are extensions of Homewood. In fact, Hopkins students are actually guests of a wider community when they venture to off-campus locales. Charles Village is a close community of neighbors who are known for their off-beat interests. It's no wonder that Video Americain, the local rental store that was underground both literally and figuratively, was so beloved and is being mourned so openly. When the store announced that it was closing it also announced a candlelight vigil that would provide a forum and outlet for grief. The large crowd that attended and the number of people who offered testimonials spoke to the diversity and support that can exist in Charles Village. Unfortunately, small businesses are fast becoming a minority in the neighborhood as chains like Freshii and Quiznos move in. This page is concerned that these restaurants are catering to Hopkins students first and the local community second. No one can deny that much of the Charles Village economy is bolstered by Hopkins students, but this page would hope that students would frequent independent businesses in the same numbers as familiar chains. Video Americain was a casualty of the switch to digital media, not necessarily a trend in local businesses, but its closing and the community response surrounding it should serve as a reminder to Hopkins students that Charles Village is more than just a temporary stomping ground. Hopefully small businesses will continue to open alongside the national, and international, chains that have already shown up and the neighborhood can remain just that. When students are electing to attend an urban college they should be looking for diversity, not a mall food court, in their immediate surroundings.
(03/14/12 5:00am)
Grief and sorrow accompanied the gray skies of Tohoku last Sunday morning as citizens and dignitaries throughout all of Japan commemorated the one year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami, which devastated the country's northeast and triggered the most harrowing nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, 26 years ago. In the wake of Japan's most disastrous catastrophe since World War II (the earthquake was one of the five strongest recorded in human history, and it shifted the Earth on its axis by about four inches), 16,000 people have been confirmed dead, and 300,000 survivors have been displaced, forced to become refugees with absolutely nothing but their tattered attires. Unfortunately, however, the aftermath extends far beyond the number of casualties: Japan, one of the most energy-thirsty nations in the world, is now facing a rapidly diminishing source of energy - nuclear power. Since the mid-1900s, Japan has harnessed the peaceful use of nuclear technology to provide a reliable source of energy in the form of electricity. Prior to the disaster last year, 30 percent of Japan's electricity was produced by its own nuclear reactors, while 84 percent of its total energy needs were met by imports, mostly oil from the Middle East. When considering that Japan lacks the natural resources for its own energy production, it is unsurprising to find the country particularly vulnerable to even minute fluctuations in oil prices. And it's for this reason why energy self-sufficiency through the expansion of nuclear technology was a national strategic priority for Japan since 1973. But that goal has been "under review" since last March when the Fukushima meltdown in Okuma staged a terrifying show to the world, with Japan, of course, in the front seat. Located along the seaside coast of northeast Japan is a small town called Okuma, a once pleasant community of around 10,000 middle class residents, including engineers and technicians employed by the local nuclear power plant, Fukushima Daiichi. Today, a 20-kilometer radius around the power plant (called the exclusion zone) prohibits entry into the barren, tsunami-leveled remains of what used to be Okuma. In accordance with officials' declaration that the population count of the town will remain zero for the next several decades, a satellite image of Okuma conjures movie-like scenes of a nuclear wasteland -uninhabitable, beyond salvation and perhaps teeming with mutated, unrecognizable life forms. The fear of this disastrous scene reoccurring elsewhere is understandably great, but it has become the most significant threat to Japan's nuclear energy industry. Since last March, Japan's nuclear industry has skidded to an abrupt halt. With all but two of the 54 commercial reactors being disabled since the disaster, it's somewhat irritating when reports understate the situation and declare the industry crippled; a better description would be "crushed." Granted, the reactors will most likely be back online in the future, but when recognizing the fact that Japan is the only country to have fully suffered the destructive consequences of nuclear technology during war time, the irony becomes blatantly obvious. It explains why the Japanese government has already faced strong opposition from traumatized citizens. It explains why a majority of Japanese citizens oppose the restarting of the nuclear reactors. On a fundamental level, Japanese citizens have lost faith in nuclear power as a safe source of energy. In a country where a tragic history with atomic power will be forever vivid, the technology to harness nuclear energy will face ceaseless doubt. And especially now, with a serious commercial accident adding fuel to the fire of fear, nuclear energy will certainly not be welcomed until the Japanese government somehow convinces the public of its safety. I'm confident that this won't happen for a very long time - if ever. Now with the summer season fast approaching, it's possible that Japan is in for an energy crisis. Though drastic conservation practices to minimize energy demands have been encouraged since the disaster first struck, the country still operated 19 nuclear plants last summer. With only two plants left now, Japan should immediately focus on searching for alternative sources of energy supply. Importing oil is a given, but liquefied natural gas (LNG) seems like another viable alternative that's gaining more and more appeal. The United States has one of the world's largest natural gas reserves. Boasting advancements in shale gas extraction technologies and about a dozen LNG terminals, the U.S. could certainly supply Japan with the energy to at least get by this summer with minimal energy shortages. Japan's problems aren't just confined to the archipelago, however; they've spread around the world. Today, eight of Germany's 17 nuclear reactors have been decommissioned, and Switzerland has taken a similar route by promising a slow phase-out of nuclear power. Both countries have set goals to eliminate nuclear power from their energy sources by 2022 and 2019, respectively. Interestingly, however, the U.S. has expressed little hesitation in continuing its operation of reactors. Instead, a long litany of security measures has been proposed immediately following Fukushima. The tragedy that struck Japan has acted as a much needed wake up call for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the independent agency which governs nuclear safety in the U.S. with regulations backed by federal law. The United States should take this as an opportunity to improve existing safety measures and ensure a reliable source of energy from atomic technologies. Shutting down American nuclear reactors and impeding the construction of additional ones, however, is an illogical and impractical solution to the nuclear energy scare. As of today, there are no known casualties of the Fukushima disaster, which is hardly the case in the coal industry. For over a century, thousands - if not millions - of coal miners have died from accidents, lung disease and exposure to other hazardous byproducts of coal production. Other populations near coal mining sites too have been exposed to enormous health risks due to air pollutants and water contamination. The whole world, in fact, is at risk, because coal consumption spews greenhouse gas exhausts capable of accelerating global warming. What's more, if we shut down our nuclear reactors, the cost of our rate of energy consumption would soar to an unimaginable level, shaking an already fragile economy. So why is nuclear energy vilified? Perhaps for the same reason that we demand infinite safety measures in air travel, yet we thoughtlessly accept the fact that thousands more die each year in automobile accidents than in air crashes. Especially with the most recent reports declaring U.S. nuclear reactors safer than they were before and ready for even more improvements, it seems as though the measures imposed on the nuclear power industry have effectively brought reforms for better energy security and health safety for America's future. France is evidence that nuclear energy can be safely used. 78.8 percent of its energy is produced by the uranium cores of its 56 nuclear reactors, providing the country with cheap, carbon dioxide-free energy. At the very least, France has been capable of providing a reliable source of energy without becoming a massive radiation wasteland like the exclusion zone encompassing Okuma. The point here isn't that nuclear energy should become the dominant player in the U.S. energy mix like it is in France. But the U.S. should approach the Fukushima disaster prudently, using it as a chance to call for tightened oversight by the NRC and reformed safety measures in line with the latest technologies. This safe supply of nuclear energy can then be joined by an increasing supply of natural gas and advanced solar and wind energy technology. With these careful steps, U.S. dependence on fossil fuels will most likely diminish while its energy security increases. This whole idealized process, though, will not occur overnight, but rather over a period of several decades. Just as the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico didn't put an end oil drilling, the Fukushima disaster shouldn't become an impediment to the advancement of nuclear energy in the U.S.
(03/14/12 5:00am)
There are several motivations behind seeking an ADHD diagnosis, and it's often challenging for physicians to tell the difference between real and fake complaints. Is the patient just a hypochondriac? One could legitimately have a genetic disposition and be sure of his ailment, are his complaints real, or is he fabricating the symptoms just to gain access to medication? Since there is currently no definitive method of identification other than clinical diagnosis based on self-reported symptoms and patient history, it's easy to see why such confusion is widespread. Many studies have been conducted to test the fallible methods of diagnosis. One such study at UCLA suggests that four commonly used diagnostic tests are not readily conclusive. Students were given the tests and told to answer the questions as if they were suffering from ADHD. All the tests lent themselves easily to being falsified and evaluators were unable to clearly distinguish between the falsified and sincere results. College students seem to have figured out how to work this system to their advantage, and they're especially notorious for feigning illness to open up a steady, legal stream of medication. Students often use their new stimulants as study aides, recreational drugs or even easy profit. These dubious motives beg the question: what can we do to stop misdiagnosis? If uncertainty in diagnosis can be prevented, these controversial issues will inevitably lessen and patients with legitimate diagnoses will be treated with less skepticism. To this end, it's necessary that the motive of ADHD patients be called into question before the doctor passes over the pills. Since childhood impairments are a critical part of the diagnosis, perhaps a definitive check of family history or an interview with other family members would be beneficial. Requiring opinions of employers and teachers could also be helpful, as they would validate the complaints and lessen the likelihood of drug abuse. Regular psychotherapy could also be useful, as dishonest students would have to create a new life story in order to stay consistent with the results of their testing. The more difficult it is to struggle through the process of diagnosis, the more likely it is that liars will not attempt to break the system. One also has to wonder if ADHD is worthy of diagnosis at all. Many psychological disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder, share the symptoms assigned to this alleged disorder. Could the symptoms of ADHD actually be the signs of a more general psychiatric ailment? Or, on a more disconcerting note, could physicians be misevaluating normal signs of the human condition as symptoms of a syndrome? What could be misconstrued as an abnormal lack of attention in the classroom could actually be due to lack of interest, not a physiological hindrance to concentration. What seems like a pitiable inability to listen to others could actually be due to arrogance, not psychological distress. Essentially, this controversial disorder needs to be more fundamentally understood so that misdiagnoses can be kept to a minimum.
(03/14/12 5:00am)
When trying to master a difficult subject, many students may prefer to study with a human tutor rather than a machine. However, computer systems that teach students are rapidly becoming more advanced and may already provide greater learning gains than do human tutors. Scientists from MIT and Notre Dame have developed a computer software, which they named AutoTutor, to help students learn complex subjects, such as Newtonian physics, computer literacy and critical thinking. This system operates more like a human tutor than any software before and may soon redefine the human-computer interaction. Humans usually communicate with computers through menus, windows and text. The developers of AutoTutor, however, wanted to create a software that would allow a computer to interact with a student through speech and nonverbal cues, similar to the way humans interact with one another. The AutoTutor software allows a computer to read facial expressions, eye contact, posture and other gestures. This gives the computer information about the mental state and motivation level of the student whom it is tutoring. Specifically, the AutoTutor technology works by first evaluating the student's current knowledge through his or her responses to questions. The software can find and correct misconceptions, as well as respond to the student's own questions. It also responds to comments and complaints. The interactive tutor provides challenging problems that require collaboration between the student and the computer. Another novel feature of the AutoTutor is a program known as the Affective AutoTutor, which monitors the student's nonverbal cues to identify his or her emotions. When it spots signs of boredom or frustration, the AutoTutor can alter its teaching strategy to help reengage the student. The researchers gave Affective AutoTutor its name because it can monitor emotions, which are also known as affective states. See AUTOTUTOR, Page B8
(03/14/12 5:00am)
Recent research at Hopkins School of Medicine suggests that providing drug-free housing to opioid users upon their completion of a detoxification program can significantly improve their chances of remaining abstinent after six months. For opioid dependent individuals seeking to become abstinent, enrolling in a detoxification program is often the first step taken. Here at the Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, an organized outpatient detox program provides detoxification from opiates and alcohol under medical supervision. This program also provides educational resources and information about referrals to follow-up programs. However, surveys have shown that 65 to 80 percent of individuals who successfully complete a detoxification program relapse by one month. Participants who return to their homes after completing a program may be influenced by social and environmental cues, which can trigger relapse. In Baltimore City, efforts to reduce the risk of relapse include the formation of recovery houses, available to recovering patients, as long as they pay rent, follow house rules and remain drug-free. Michelle Tuten and her colleagues at Hopkins School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences sought to determine whether recovery housing contingent on the individual remaining drug-free is effective in sustaining abstinence in patients after they completed a detoxification program. In addition, they tested whether a day treatment program coupled with recovery housing could improve outcomes further. Their report, recently published in the journal Addiction, shows strong evidence that providing individuals drug-free recovering housing and counseling for six months following detox increased their chances of remaining abstinent. The researchers developed a randomized trial, in which they followed opioid-dependent individuals who had successfully completed a medication-assisted detoxification program at Hopkins Bayview Medical Campus. They assigned assigned 243 participants to one of three experimental groups and performed follow-up assessments for six months. One group was given information about local resources and referrals to receive after-care substance treatment, which emulates the care that is currently given to those who complete a detoxification program. Another group was assigned to recovery housing following treatment completion, and were able to remain there for six months, given that they remained abstinent from drug use. The third group was also assigned to recovery housing, but also received reinforcement-based intensive out-patient treatment, which involves individual therapy sessions as well as regularly scheduled treatment activities. The patients underwent follow-up assessments after one, three, and six months following their induction into one of the experimental conditions. Researchers found that 25.9% of patients who received access to both abstinence contingent recovery housing as well as reinforcement-based intensive out-patient treatment remained abstinent consistently throughout the six month period, whereas only 2.5% of those under the usual care condition did so. 12.3% of those who received housing without treatment remained abstinent for the entire six months without relapse, supporting the efficacy of abstinent-contingent recovery housing following detoxification. Consistent with previous research, which has shown that longer participation in treatment programs results in more favorable outcomes such as long-term abstinence, this study provides strong support for the efficacy of enrollment in abstinent-contingent recovery housing. Opioid dependent individuals who are willing to consider recovery housing may be making a valuable investment in their road to recovery.
(03/14/12 5:00am)
One of Hopkins's greatest allures is its pristine campus. From re-bricked walkways to multimillion-dollar building renovations, many financial resources have been dedicated to beautifying Homewood. While prospective students and visiting scholars may be dazzled by Gilman's new atrium or Mason Hall, ask any undergraduate where the most appealing spot on campus is and chances are she or he will respond with: the Beach. The Beach is often a visitor's first impression of Hopkins. Furthermore, it is a favorite place for students to congregate on sunny days. But these dual functions as a focal point of campus and a hang out mean that the beach comes with great responsibility for those who use it. While eating and drinking on the Beach gives Hopkins the typical "chilling out on the quad" college vibe, the litter left after a day of fun is a real eyesore for the community. Students should make a conscious effort to clean up after themselves. Leaving trash behind not only spoils Homewood's beauty, but also tarnishes the student body's reputation as mature and responsible. How embarrassing would it be if the school had to resort to fining students for leaving garbage on what is effectively Hopkins' front yard? It should be noted that Beach litter is not a problem unique to the 2011-2012 student body, but rather a perennial one that plagues the school whenever the weather warms. The News-Letter has covered the issue in the past, as recently as April 2010. This year, the gift of an early spring should be met with a proactive student effort to keep the campus clean. We shouldn't pollute the most chill place on campus.
(03/14/12 5:00am)
Anyone on the Hopkins Emergency Response Unit - or at a college party, for that matter - has probably seen their fair share of drunk kids puking their guts out. People vomit for a wide variety of reasons; maybe they have the flu, maybe the biochemistry test was upsetting to the stomach, or perhaps riding a roller-coaster gave their stomach the flip-flops. While highly unpleasant, vomiting is actually quite an important adaptation. Ever wonder why rats take tiny bites all the time? That's because rats lack the ability to vomit, so they have to take extra care to not swallow any toxins. Surprisingly, humans are not the only organisms that unload their stomachs as a result of environmental stimuli. Researchers at the Estaci??n Experimental de Zonas ??ridas, CSIC, recently found that baby Eurasian rollers (a bird species) spew a smelly orange liquid when scared by predators, an adaptive signal that warns parents to stay away from the nest. At a glance, the behaviors of these self-sacrificing babies seem to be evolutionarily counterproductive. After all, isn't survival of the youngsters critical to perpetuating the species? Not, as behavioral research indicates, if the birds are long-lived. According to researcher Deseada Parejo, parental birds must weigh the benefits of their own survival against those of defending their nestlings. In the animal world, parental love is truly conditional - virtually every parenting decision is made in an attempt to improve the individual's net reproductive success. The algorithm is quite simple: when you are a short-lived bird, such as the quail, you have few opportunities to mate and produce viable offspring. Given the threat of many predators, such as hawks, snakes and foxes, the quails are more likely to prioritize the safety of their young above your own survival. By contrast, Eurasian rollers have a longer life span, so they have multiple opportunities to mate and do not have to prioritize the safety of their young. These parenting behaviors may seem heartless and brutal to us, but that's just how the animal world works - survival of the fittest. When it comes to sex, birds are no less ambitious. The image of the monogamous bird is mostly just an illusion. Most, if not all, songbirds would start an affair with a handsome stranger if their current mate is, genetically speaking, a loser. Known scientifically as Coracias garrulous, Eurasian rollers are beautiful birds, with violet and turquoise plumage and chestnut-brown backs. They are solitary outside the mating season and prevail in many parts of the world, including Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. See BIRDS, Page B9 BIRDS, From B7 In attempt to better understand their unique vomiting adaptation, the researchers recruited rollers from nests in breeding boxes in southeastern Spain. The subjects, 15 nests of baby birds no older than 10 days old, were observed for half a day. Then, the researchers applied either baby bird vomit or lemon scent to the bird nests and continued their observation for another 100 minutes. A researcher under the single-blind condition counted how quickly and often parents returned to the nest boxes. As you might expect, vomit-coated birds do not make a tasty snack, and predators and bird parents alike are not very willing to get near the odorous hatchlings. When vomit was applied to the nests, the parents delayed their visit to the nest for about 27 minutes and skipped two regular feeding visits during the first 20 minutes of observation. It took almost 100 minutes for the birds to fully conquer their "vomit-smell" fear. Conversely, the lemon scent caused the opposite effect, increasing the frequency of nest visits. For the rollers, bird vomit signals fear and alerts the parents of a disturbance at the nest. To us, this would be equivalent to seeing our apartment door open when we come home from class, suggesting that a stranger has been in our house. According to Parejo, birds use olfactory cues in several biologically relevant contexts, including orientation, navigation, prey detection and recognition of conspecifics. As rollers tend to dwell in dark places, they may be more likely than other birds to utilize scented cues. The researchers must have had a hard time working with the birds because they vomit when handled by humans, a sign that vomiting may also have a defensive function. Interestingly, Eurasian rollers are not the only birds who regurgitate their lunches under pressure. Study leader Parejo says that the phenomenon is not common in birds, but the adult Northern Fulmars, Fulmaris glacialis, has been known to use its digestive enzymes against intruders. The behavior is actually more common in other animals - many arthropods lose their lunches when disturbed. Even in humans, vomit has its use as a defensive mechanism. Scientists believe that incredibly nauseating phenomenon of chain-vomiting is an evolved trait in primates. The reason behind this is quite clear: if a member in your early human hunting party consumes a toxic animal or plant, it would do well for other party members to not befall the same fate. While the unfortunate taster may not live to pass on his or her genes, the people around him or her get the benefit of blacklisting whatever morsel that person swallowed. Just because vomiting useful, though, does not mean that it is particularly pleasant. According to an online survey conducted by the University of Salford's Acoustic Research Centre, most people find the sound of vomiting "the most disgusting." ?
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Samuel J. Palmisano, chairman of the board of IBM, will speak at graduation, According to Hopkins's Commencement website.
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Billed as the country's preeminent "positive psychologist," Tal Ben-Shahar addressed a full auditorium in Shriver Hall on Tuesday as this year's G. Stanley Hall Lecturer in Clinical Research.
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Pi Beta Phi hosted a self-defense and safety education course for Hopkins women through a national affiliate organization on Saturday.
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Nearly 147 students tested their stamina by participating in the second annual eight-hour Dance Marathon for the Hopkins Children's Center. To fulfill the pledges and sponsorships that participants obtained, they began dancing at 11 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 3 and remained on their feet until 7 a.m. on Sunday, Mar. 4. Out of the 147 student dancers, approximately 60 lasted all eight hours. Participants raised $10,000 in total.
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Recently, the Arab Spring and Senator Rick Santorum have led to the resurgence of healthy discussions about democracy and its expansion. Spreading democracy, either directly or indirectly, has been the United States' proud goal for almost a century, and many of its European allies have joined this seemingly noble cause.
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Whether in the form of Gatorade to replenish electrolytes after a hard workout, 5-hour Energy to get through a long day of classes or Pepsi to get a short-lived energy boost at work, we've all experienced the benefits of drinks with high sugar content. In moderation, the drinks appear helpful — hardly harmful — but how would you feel if your favorite sugary beverage was taxed?
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Seniors look forward to graduation for one of two reasons. Either because it symbolizes the end of college, and even the end of school for some, or because of the ceremony itself. Corny at worst, graduations can actually be significant and memorable at best. But year after year Hopkins attracts uneven speakers to this prestigious event.
