Risky business: emotion,decision-making,and addiction

Although metabolic abnormalities in the orbitofrontal cortex have been observed in substance dependent individuals (SDI) for several years, very little attention was paid to the role of this brain region in addiction. However, patients with damage to the ventromedial (VM) sector of the prefrontal cortex and SDI show similar behaviors. (1) They often deny, or they are not aware, that they have a problem. (2) When faced with a choice to pursue a course of action that brings an immediate reward at the risk of incurring future negative consequences, they choose the immediate reward and ignore the future consequences. Studies of patients with bilateral lesions of the VM prefrontal cortex support the view that the process of decision-making depends in many important ways on neural substrates that regulate homeostasis, emotion, and feeling. Parallel lines of study have revealed that VM cortex dysfunction is also evident in subgroups of individuals who are addicted to substances. Thus, understanding the neural mechanisms of decision-making has direct implications for understanding disorders of addiction and pathological gambling, and the switch from a controlled to uncontrolled and compulsive behavior. On the clinical front, the approach to treat addictive disorders has been dominated by a diagnostic system that focuses on behaviors, physical symptoms, or choice of drugs. The article emphasizes the concept of using neurocognitive criteria for subtyping addictive disorders. This is a significant paradigm shift with significant implications for guiding diagnosis and treatment. Using neurocognitive criteria could lead to more accurate subtyping of addictive disorders, and perhaps serve as a guide for more specific, and potentially more successful, behavioral and pharmacological interventions.     

电子网络环境下的营销渠道管理

首先,给出电子网络环境一个明确的定义,即特指那些在生产、经营或管理中使用了电子网络的企业的生存环境;接着根据电子网络和营销渠道管理的基本知识和理论,以营销渠道管理程序为分析框架,从渠道设计、渠道成员选择、物流配送、渠道协调和渠道控制等方面,讨论了电子网络环境下营销渠道管理可能发生的变化和特点,得到了一些初步的、但对企业具有指导意义的推论。     

Signal crimes and signal disorders: notes on deviance as communicative action

In this paper a 'signal crimes' perspective is outlined in an effort to unpack the relationships between experiences of crime and disorder, and perceptions of criminogenic risk. Grounded in symbolic interactionist sociology, and developing a social semiotic understanding of risk perception, it is a perspective that focuses upon processes of social reaction and the ways in which people interpret and define threats to their security. It is proposed that people interpret the occurrence of certain incidents as 'warning signals' about the levels of risk to which they are either actually or potentially exposed. These signals tend to take the form of signal crimes and/or signal disorders and are important in terms of how social space is symbolically constructed.     

Gambling Participation and Problems Among Employees at a University Health Center

This study evaluated the frequency and intensity of gambling behaviors among employees at an academic health center. Employees were sent an anonymous questionnaire assessing demographic characteristics, participation in gambling activities, and gambling-related problems. Of the 904 respondents, 96% reported gambling in their lifetimes, with 69% gambling in the past year, 40% in the past two months, and 21% in the past week. The most common forms of gambling were lottery and scratch tickets, slot machines, card playing, sports betting, bingo, and track. Only 1.2% of the sample reported gambling on the internet. Using scores on the South Oaks Gambling Screen, 3.0% of the respondents were classified as Level 2 (or problem) gamblers, and an additional 1.8% were Level 3 (or pathological) gamblers. Compared to Level 1 (non-problem) gamblers, Level 2 and Level 3 gamblers were more likely to be male, single, and employed full-time, and to have lower income and education. About half of the Level 2 and Level 3 gamblers reported interest in an evaluation of their gambling behaviors and treatment interventions. These data suggest the need to screen for gambling problems in health care professionals and to provide gambling-specific treatments.     

网络传播者的道德教育研究

在虚拟的网络世界中,构建网络道德,很大程度上要依赖于网络传播者的道德和素质.本课题试图通过探讨网络传播者的思想道德素质状况,分析如何加强传播者的网络道德教育,提升其道德自律能力,从而促进网络道德体系和网络文明建设.     

运用新媒体开展群众工作的对策思路

新媒体以其独特的方式介入到社会各个领域,深刻改变了人们的生产和生活方式。新媒体为群众工作带来机遇和挑战,但目前新媒体环境下的群众工作存在认识不到位、态度不主动、运用不得法的问题。为此,提出运用新媒体开展群众工作的对策：党政机关、职能部门及其领导干部要提高运用新媒体的技能,从而运用新媒体一方面教育和引导群众,一方面与群众沟通互动;同时,拓宽对党员干部监督管理的新媒体渠道。     

中国公民网络问责的现实基础追寻

公民网络问责在中国兴起和发展有着深刻的政治、经济和社会基础。民主化的推进、问责制度的实施是公民网络问责的政治基础;生活水平的提高、电脑与手机的普及、市场经济的深化,为公民网络问责奠定了经济基础;网络社会的逐渐形成、网络公共领域的出现、各种社会矛盾的凸显是公民网络问责的社会基础。未来中国,随着政治民主化、经济市场化、社会网络化的推进,公民网络问责必将随之深化和发展。     

技术进步影响农村的内部信任了吗?——基于农业机械技术与互联网技术的考量

运用中国家庭追踪调查2014—2018年的面板数据,建立双向固定效应模型,讨论农业机械技术和互联网技术进步对中国农村内部信任的影响及作用机制。研究表明:农业机械技术和互联网技术进步均显著增加了农村内部信任。农业机械技术进步削弱了农户间的生产协作,但提供了同一地区农户统一机械耕作的协调机会,总体上增强了农村的受限制信任及一般性信任。互联网技术进步缩短了乡村与城市间的心理距离,打破了传统乡村的封闭性,通过拓宽村民的社会交往及社会网络,增强农村的一般性信任。     

网络语言中英语形式的特征和性质探讨

网络语言是随着网络技术的发展而出现的一种网络交际语,因其鲜明的语言表现形式引起众多人的关注。网络语言具有英语词汇的简洁性、句法的经济性、译词的创新性和不确定性等特征,以此为切入点就可以探讨英语网络语言的性质,从而就能够对网络语言中的英语表达形式有一个正确的认识。     

Alcohol’s Effects on Video Lottery Terminal (VLT) Play Among Probable Pathological and Non-Pathological Gamblers

This study tested whether alcohol increases behaviors associated with video lottery terminal (VLT) play, particularly among probable pathological gamblers. Forty-four regular VLT players were designated either probable pathological gamblers or non-pathological gamblers on the basis of scores on the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS); [Lesieur & Blume (1997). American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 1184–1188] Gamblers from each SOGS category were randomly assigned to either a moderately intoxicating alcohol dose or a control beverage condition (n = 11 per cell in the 2 × 2 between-subjects design). Following beverage consumption and absorption, participants played a video poker VLT game for up to 30 minutes. Four behaviors were measured: “power-bets” (doubling bet after viewing only two cards of the five-card poker hand); total money spent; mean bet magnitude; and number of minutes played. Alcohol increased time spent playing and rate of power-bets, particular among the probable pathological gamblers. Post hoc analyses revealed that alcohol also influenced the proportion of losing hands played––increasing them among the probable pathological gamblers while decreasing them among the non-pathological gamblers. Clinical and policy implications of the findings are discussed.