Neurological Correlates

OK, time to close the book on adolescent self-indulgent angst-like introspection: on blogging.
After the Research Bloggers complained that I wasn’t research-y enough, (although they did backtrack a bit), I thought about it and concluded they were correct, in that I’m really not interested in the “gee-whiz” science so much as “what can this science do [...]

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Senator Kennedy has a brain tumor — I just heard. I felt sad, like it was my “Uncle Teddy”. No matter that I always personally blamed Sen. Kennedy for totally spending the jillions for the gorgeous and expensive Federal District Court in Boston as well as the Big Dig (I was always just [...]

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Nevermind that I haven’t read the book I’m about to review — this post is about white-shoe whistleblowers.

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There were some articles lately about blogger burnout — not sure if that’s what happened or what, but my mind totally was not on blogging here. Real life and all.
I’ve also had time to think — the Research Bloggers organization said my blog was not analytical enough, and they’re probably right. I generally write [...]

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Sunday morning in Fifth Avenue, New York
Just returned from a brief trip to NYC. We were in for a relative’s stage performance, and to help with some of the preparations — so it was a tight schedule.
Easter Sunday at St. Pat’s in NYC was spectacular, if you are so inclined. In fact, even if [...]

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When in Sweden, show your waiter some love: they may be bullied by other restaurant employees. Mathisen et al. report that workplace bullying is a serious problem in the Scandinavian restaurant industry, with significant societal consequences.

The Swedish Chef (click photo for link to Muppet Wiki)
Scand J Psychol. 2008 Feb;49(1):59-68. The occurrences and correlates [...]

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Is this a perfect drug? No. From an industry perspective, this is the perfect storm: you have the market data already. You know how big the market is. You know pretty much about any other side effects (except the heart binding, which is eliminated). You know market acceptability. You know safety and efficacy — if the heart receptor binding is eliminated.. . . And, you know mode of action, pretty much — that’s better than 90% of the drugs out there that work, but we have no idea why. The FDA and medical establishment still seems to think that body fat deposition is predominantly a matter of lifestyle choice — and so they are “eat less exercise more” focused rather than on getting this anti-obesity med throught the clinic and reversing the diabetes tidal wave.

And, you have virtually no competition in probably the largest therapeutic area ever (but who knows what’s coming up on the heels of lorcaserin.)

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Say you’re on life support, and, you are just racking up the ICU bills. Will your family be a little too enthusiastic in pulling the plug?

The hospital admin knows these bills won’t get paid, since the debt dies with the debtor, in most cases. So what do they do? The butter up your [...]

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Being in the biopharma business, I’m always amazed at the direct-to-consumer adverts on TV. It looks like unmitigated chutzpa to me, to advertise that you can get rid of stubborn belly fat or that you apply directly to forehead. Now, I feel a little vindicated. Except I wonder if taking away hope that a [...]

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In a previous post about white collar crime, somehow the”DOI’s” got mixed up on Research Blogging and the following study was cited instead:
MILLER, G., TYBUR, J., JORDAN, B. (2007). Ovulatory cycle effects on tip earnings by lap dancers: economic evidence for human estrus?☆☆. Evolution and Human Behavior, 28(6), 375-381. DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2007.06.002
I think this is the [...]

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NYT Sunday Magazine,  “Taking Play Seriously”

 
By ROBIN MARANTZ HENIG
Published: February 17, 2008
What can science tell us about why kids run and jump?

 
Yet another behavioral-neuroscience-psychology topic smack on the cover of NYT Sunday Magazine. I guess this topic must be a best seller. (If they only knew that Parle a mà main way outsells neuroscience.)
The [...]

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Fatal Bazooka feat Yelle - Parle à ma main
Good news: YouTube has the English translation now posted on the video page –Here are two English translations for Parle a ma main lyrics — thank you Fatal Bazooka and Mark (scroll down, slightly different). (Long post, English lyrics from both after the jump) for sending [...]

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I lurve Social Science Research Network, and this is why: a paper proposing doing away with many laws, in favor of a “How’s My Driving?” system for everyone and everything.
Strahilevitz, Lior, “‘How’s My Driving?’ for Everyone (and Everything?)” . NYU Law Review, Vol. 81, p. 1699, November 2006 Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=899144
Full abstract after the [...]

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Happy Groundhog Day! Six more weeks of winter!
The interferon-α gene family of Marmota himalayana, a Chinese marmot species with susceptibility to woodchuck hepatitis virus infection,
Lu, Y.a , Wang, B.a , Huang, H.a , Tian, Y.a , Bao, J.a , Dong, J.a , Roggendorf, M.b , Lu, M.b c , Yang, D.a
a [...]

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From the NY Times:
 

N.Y./Region
City Room: Would-Be Jumper Sues Empire State Building
By Anemona Hartocollis
Published: January 15, 2008
The professional parachute jumper who tried to leap off the city’s tallest building in 2006 released a video that shows him struggling with security guards and police officers on the observation deck.

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