Attitudes on Drug Risk: A lesson from the Len Bias fatality

I have a tendency to refer to data from the Monitoring the Future study with some frequency. Unfortunately I’ve been too lazy to post the critical data figures for your entertainment. Until today DearReader.
One example of which I am particularly fond, is what I call the “Len Bias effect” on the public perception of “risk” associated with casual use of cocaine. I refer to this so often because of the casual sneering response I (and others of my approximate generation) retain for the “Just Say No” program championed by Nancy Reagan in the mid-80s. The MtF data suggest to me at any rate that our “gut feeling” that these types of programs are stupid should be more nuanced.

OMG! ScienceBorgTM is like totally killing science blogging!

One of the kids over at bayblab wants a shot at the title and so s/he’s thrown down a little smack. Tried to start some beef with ScienceBlogs. The main critiques appear to be the fact that SB bloggers get paid and that SB bloggers aren’t science-y enough. Bayblab contributor bayman amps it up:

You might also have entitled that post – “How ScienceBlogs Is Killing Blogging”.

Task Prioritization for Academic Scientists

Propter Doc published an interesting post today concerning her to-do list, which she characterized as more of a pyramid:

At the top there is a task, with some kind of importance. Not necessarily the most important thing to me, but someone has told me that I must do that before all other tasks. So then it becomes the apex of the pyramid. Immediately below it, on the next level, are the couple of that I think are important or urgent. The ones that are important to me. The next level is populated by those tasks that are on the horizon, not yet important but still demanding of some attention. Now, the problem starts when that top task becomes difficult for some reason. In this pyramid scheme I’m not allowed to move beyond the top level until the task there is complete.

She recognizes that this is counterproductive, as it keeps her from getting to what is really important for fulfilling her professional goals as an academic scientist. Some thoughts on how to construct a more self-fulfilling to-do system are below the fold.

More on Adderall Abuse

Jonah Lehrer has a piece up on The Frontal Cortex pointing to an entry from n+1 on the diversion of prescription Adderall® for non-treatment purposes in college students. There’s also an older piece on Slate which can only be described as a trip report. Adderall is prescribed, you may know, for amelioration of symptoms associated with Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Jonah says:

Adderall is a composite of several different amphetamines, which are digested by the brain at different rates.

while over at n+1 we read:

The drug comes in a gleaming capsule, blue or tangerine colored, and it can be swallowed or sprinkled over cafeteria applesauce. It is made of equal portions of four amphetamines, all of which the body metabolizes at different rates, and which are packaged in tiny rotund beads that dissolve at varied speeds, so the effect is consistent. A 10-milligram capsule lasts about six hours and a 20-milligram capsule doubles the duration.

These statements may give a slightly incorrect impression.

Clinical MDMA Brief (25 Feb 2008)

As a brief update on my posts on the clinical use of MDMA (Part 1, Part 2) I’ll note that the MAPS folks are trumpeting the initiation of yet another clinical trial with extra oomph because it is at dear auld Haavahd.

Insightful Animal Behavior: A “Sufficiently Advanced Technology”

In the midst of World War I, Wolfgang Köhler conducted a famous series of experiments to investigate problem solving ability in chimpanzees. The lasting impression of these experiments, reinforced by just about every introductory Psychology text, was Köhler’s assertion that the chimps demonstrated “insightful” learning.
Did they now?

Insightful Animal Behavior: A "Sufficiently Advanced Technology"

In the midst of World War I, Wolfgang Köhler conducted a famous series of experiments to investigate problem solving ability in chimpanzees. The lasting impression of these experiments, reinforced by just about every introductory Psychology text, was Köhler’s assertion that the chimps demonstrated “insightful” learning.
Did they now?

Blogrolling: Thesis – with Children

I’ve recently run across the Thesis – with Children blog penned by acmegirl. I think you’ll like this one DearReader…

Live-blogging a Vasectomy: PSA from Abel Pharmboy

Everyone is already all over this but Abel Pharmboy liveblogged his vasectomy yesterday. As the DM noted at the new digs, this was a Public Service Announcement:

But the very serious part of this post is to educate men on how mild a vasectomy is relative to tubal ligation in their female partner. As I said, this is the least I could do in return for my wife’s true suffering in bringing our lovely daughter into this world.

What some people will do for the greater good…

Do You Have the Stones for It?

Abel Pharmboy liveblogged his own vasectomy today. This takes some serious cajones, my friend. And it was all for a greater purpose:

But the very serious part of this post is to educate men on how mild a vasectomy is relative to tubal ligation in their female partner. As I said, this is the least I could do in return for my wife’s true suffering in bringing our lovely daughter into this world.

Well done, Abel, well done.

Research Ethics Are Is For Chumps

A recent post over at Adventures in Ethics and Science challenges “senior” scientists by asking “Hey you! Yes, YOU! What have you done to improve the snakepit?”.
I’m not exactly a “senior” scientist but when did a little quibble like that stop me from offering an opinion?

Research Ethics Are Is For Chumps

A recent post over at Adventures in Ethics and Science challenges “senior” scientists by asking “Hey you! Yes, YOU! What have you done to improve the snakepit?”.
I’m not exactly a “senior” scientist but when did a little quibble like that stop me from offering an opinion?

What Would You Trade For the Genome?

Uncertain Chad responds to a reader suggestion regarding the cost of the Human Genome Project:

The Human Genome Project (yes, you have to pronounce those capitals) cost about $3 billion. If $3 billion were yours to spend on scientific research, how would you spend the money?

by polling the house:

For the sake of variety, let’s restrict it to your own particular subfield, so, for example, how would I spend three billion dollars on physics?

Once we get past physicists’ notorious tendency to settle for order-of-magnitude accuracy

How much did the Human Genome Project cost U.S. taxpayers?
In 1990, Congress established funding for the Human Genome Project and set a target completion date of 2005. Although estimates suggested that the project would cost a total of $3 billion over this period, the project ended up costing less than expected, about $2.7 billion in FY 1991 dollars. Additionally, the project is being completed more than two years ahead of schedule.

we can discuss how we might have preferred to spend $2.7 billion of the US taxpayers’ money.

Is it Seniority Bias or Gender Bias?

PhysioProf was recently discussing a figure from the NIH Extramural Data Book which pointed to a poorer success rate for women submitting competing continuation applications but not for new projects. His title “Old Boys’ Network Favors Men’s Continuing Grants?” was perhaps intentionally rich since as I pointed out in the comments, these results could be explained more by the “Old” part of the descriptor than by the “Boy’s” part. Additional data from the NIH Data Book provide more support for the seniority hypothesis.

Old Boys’ Network Favors Men’s Continuing Grants?

NIH has just released a whole slew of fascinating statistical data about grants awarded from 1998 through 2007. This is a 150+ slide Powerpoint deck with all kinds of grant award breakdowns catagorized by award type, awardee’s career stage, awardee’s sex, and all sorts of other interesting stuff. There is lots to discuss, but one of the first things to hit me when I skimmed the deck was one particular dramatic sex difference.