Georgia State to host National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day event

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will hold an event to observe National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on March 10 at Georgia State University.

The event, sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Region IV and GSU's Department of Student Health Promotion, will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hall in Dahlberg Hall, 30 Courtland St.

Other co-sponsors include the Center for Black Women's Wellness, The Creative Conversations Group LLC, Girlfriends Health Guide and AID Atlanta.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in five people living with HIV infection in the United States do not know they are infected. In 2007, more than a quarter of diagnoses of HIV infection in the United States were among women and girls age 13 and older. The numbers are an indicator that it is time to increase awareness and prevention efforts.

According to the Office on Women's Health, National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a nationwide observance that encourages people to take action in the fight against HIV/AIDS and raise awareness of its impact on women and girls. Organizations across the country come together to offer support, encourage discussion, and teach women and girls about prevention of HIV, the importance of getting tested for HIV, and how to live with and manage HIV/AIDS.

During the event, Candice Wiggins of the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx will share her personal testimony in regards to HIV/AIDS while encouraging young women and girls to take a stand and get tested. The event will highlight a thought provoking HIV/AIDS awareness performance by the group "Substance Abuse Prevention Teen Theater (SAPTT)." In addition, the event will include a self esteem building workshop to inspire women and girls facilitated by AID Atlanta.

For more information on National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, please visit http://www.womenshealth.gov/nwghaad.

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Stable home prices key to thwarting deflation, double-dip recession

Deflation and an ensuing double-dip recession can be avoided if recently stabilized home prices don’t fall again, said Rajeev Dhawan, director of the Economic Forecasting Center at Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business.

In his quarterly Forecast of the Nation, released today, Dhawan said that the “D” word (deflation) is being heard more frequently because of factors such as the slowing of private job creation, yo-yoing retail sales, falling core CPI inflation (inflation excluding food and energy costs), and a rapidly falling 10-year bond yield, now below three percent.

“Consequently,” said Dhawan, “what happens to home prices over the next few months will be critical to consumer confidence. It will affect their spending decisions, especially for big ticket items. This, in turn, will send a signal to CEOs about whether or not to ramp up investment and hiring plans, which then will determine potential consumer income growth and, ultimately, the next round of spending.”

The importance of home price stability is also evident from the fact that one-third of the CPI Index derives from housing or shelter costs. Said Dhawan, “If we take shelter costs out of the core, there is no deflation. Hence, if home prices plunge again, spending power will be sapped, resulting in further price declines that will manifest as deflation leading to a double-dip recession.”

The good news, said Dhawan, is that the growth rate of investment in equipment and software, a precursor of job growth, has been in double digits for the past nine months. Sustaining that pace will depend, said the forecaster, “upon what happens with the currently polarized political atmosphere, costly unpopular reforms and high fiscal deficits causing uncertainty over the tax structure in coming years.

“Still,” Dhawan concluded, “the expectation that housing prices will rise only about 10 percent over the next five years (according to the July MacroMarkets home price survey) has kept consumer confidence flat, illustrating again why home prices are so critical to future growth.”

Highlights from the Economic Forecasting Center’s National Report

Real GDP growth in 2010 will be 2.8 percent for the year. Due to a rollback in government spending and subdued spending by consumers, it will decelerate sharply to 1.9 percent in 2011. In 2012, the real GDP will grow at an improved rate of 2.7 percent. Consumption growth will remain subpar throughout the forecast period, barely reaching 2.2 percent in 2012.
Inflation will be 0.8 percent in the second half of 2010, 1.3 percent in 2011, and will increase to 2.1 percent in 2012. Rate hikes will be on hold until late 2011. At that point the Fed will be aggressive with hikes, quickly raising the target rate to 3.0 percent by mid-2012, as core inflation gets closer to 2.0 percent.
Expect the 10-year bond rate to rise in the coming months to make for an average of 3.4 percent in 2010. It will rise further to 3.9 percent in 2011 and to 4.5 percent in 2012. The fiscal deficit will be 10.0 percent of GDP in 2010, moderating to 6.5 percent in 2012.
After growing by 14.3 percent in 2010, investment in equipment and software will decelerate to 10.1 percent in 2011. In 2012, the category will expand by 10.7 percent. Job growth will increase from the current pace of 100,000 in 2011 to 130,000 in 2012. Unemployment will remain consistently above 9.0 percent.
Georgia and Atlanta to Exhibit Quasi-Growth Prospects
Dhawan said that swings in the national economy, a cautious corporate sector and tempered consumer spending due to weakened prospects for increases in property values will lead to “quasi-growth” prospects locally.

In his Forecast of Georgia and Atlanta released today, he said that factors that reducing income potential going forward include yo-yoing retail sales, weak consumer confidence affecting business investment, and a lack of credit, particularly for smaller-sized corporations, due to continued fallout from the subprime crisis.

“The inability of banks to make loans continues to hamper construction at all levels,” said Dhawan, who added, “Big value projects are missing from the local growth picture. The same is true on the residential side, where many small developers are gone due to an inability to sell unfinished homes.” At the current permitting rate of about 6,000 annually, Atlanta has enough developed lots to build for the next 20 years, he said.

Despite this, housing permits have risen sharply in the last six months, “but only,” said Dhawan, “because people are doing major renovations rather than developers building big multi-family projects. Even with that,” he said, “actual permit levels are one-tenth of what they were at their peak in 2006.”

Things are not much better when it comes to government, which was hit hard in 2008. State government has seen some growth in collections due to a rebound in spending and tighter controls. At the county and city levels, however, the drop in home values has led to sharp declines in collections.

“The corporate sector,” said Dhawan, “has added jobs nationally in the last six months, but growth at the local level has been minimal.” In Georgia the sector has been aided somewhat by the opening of the Kia plant in West Point, the building of a new facility by NCR and, to a lesser extent, planned development of green-tech jobs.

Dhawan said to look for job gains in Atlanta to number only 3,700 for calendar year 2010. Job gains will rise substantially to 46,300 (including 13,800 premium jobs) in 2011 and 55,300 (14,300 premium jobs) by 2012. Unemployment rate, however, still remains above 9.0 percent even in 2012.

Highlights from the Economic Forecasting Center’s Local Report

Georgia will gain only 5,000 jobs in calendar year 2010. In the 2011 calendar year, the recovery pace will pick up somewhat with the creation of 60,300 jobs (including 18,100 premium jobs). Job growth will be stronger in calendar year 2012; 78,300 jobs will be created (with 17,200 premium job gains).
By year’s end, Georgia's unemployment rate will have increased modestly by 0.6 points to 10.2 percent. In 2011, unemployment will decrease slightly to 9.7 percent. In 2012, it will decrease further to 9.2 percent.
Atlanta's housing permits will increase in 2010 by a strong 39.9 percent, with both single and multi-family permits posting significant increases. Permit activity increases by 28.9 percent in 2011 and will grow by a robust 47.1 percent in 2012.
Nominal personal income in Georgia will rise by 3.0 percent in 2010, followed by an increase of 4.1 percent in 2011 and a decent increase of 4.8 percent in 2012. Georgia’s total tax collections are expected to increase by 3.5 percent in FY11, followed by another rise of 5.0 percent in FY12.

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New Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar to establish GSU research center in inflammation and infectious diseases

A Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar will establish a Georgia State University center that will focus on discoveries in inflammation and infectious disease treatments.

Dr. Jian-Dong Li, M.D., Ph.D., who is currently with the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, will lead the new Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infection (CIII) at GSU, to be launched in January 2011 and housed in the new state-of-the-art Parker H. Petit Science Center.

"Georgia State University is excited to welcome Dr. Li and his laboratory to Atlanta," said Robin Morris, vice president for research at GSU. "He is a top researcher in the field of inflammatory diseases, and his arrival at GSU will not only enhance the university's research profile, but will also boost the state of Georgia as a hub of innovation and discovery in the biomedical field."

Li said he is looking forward to working at Georgia State and is grateful for the significant support and commitment by the Georgia Research Alliance.

"This is an excellent opportunity to join GSU at a time when the university is making an enormous effort to bring an already outstanding university to the next level in many areas, particularly in translational biomedical science," Li said.

"Dr. Li is an extraordinary scientist and entrepreneur," said Mike Cassidy, president of the Georgia Research Alliance.  "He adds to our cadre of GRA Eminent Scholars not only great insight in immunology and inflammatory diseases, but also a commitment to translating his discoveries into new treatments on which new companies can be built."

Li received his doctorate in medicine from Tsingtao University School of Medicine in China in 1983, and his Ph.D. from the biomedical sciences program of the University of California San Francisco in 1997. Prior to his time at the University of Rochester Medical Center, he served as a section chief and professor at the House Ear Institute of the University of Southern California from 1998 to 2005.

Li will also bring ROCK Pharmaceuticals, LLC, a company he co-founded, to Atlanta. The company's major focus is to develop novel anti-inflammatory therapeutic agents for treating a variety of inflammatory diseases.

The new CIII has a goal to better understand the molecular basis of inflammatory diseases so that novel therapeutic strategies can be further developed. Inflammation is one of the body's defense mechanisms in response to infection or injury. But when inflammation is uncontrolled, it causes diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

"We feel like we know inflammation. But in fact, we don't," Li said. "We understand relatively well how inflammation is initiated, but in many cases, we don't know how it's turned off."

Some of the drugs used to turn off inflammation - namely steroids - cause serious side effects, including the risk of infection and liver damage. The center's goal is help develop better therapeutics without significant adverse effects so that they can be used for long-term treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases.

The CIII will build upon Georgia State's existing strengths in drug discovery and diagnostics research, including the Center for Biotechnology and Drug Design, led by medicinal chemist and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar Binghe Wang, and the Viral Immunology Center led by another Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, Julia Hilliard.

President Mark Becker said that the synergies between Dr. Li's nascent center and the centers led  by Wang and Hilliard stand to elevate all three centers to levels not possible individually.

"It is exciting and rewarding to recruit a scientist of Dr. Li's caliber, particularly when the result will be three centers where 1+1+1 will amount to something much greater than 3!" Becker said.

Li said the center will also collaborate with researchers across the university and with other Atlanta entities like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Emory University.

"I've been impressed and excited by the excellent opportunities for collaboration among many departments and centers, such as chemistry, biology, the Molecular Basis of Disease Program, Neuroscience Institute, psychology as well as the Institute of Public Health," he said.

The CIII will engage in drug discovery in the traditional way of screening for effective chemical compounds, evaluating effectiveness in the laboratory, and then moving toward clinical trials. This process is quite lengthy, and many drugs fail because they are too toxic to use. But the center will also work to find new uses for existing drugs in what is called a drug repositioning strategy.

"We can screen for those drugs that are potentially very powerful anti-inflammatory agents, and because they have already been used for years and years, we don't need to worry as much about side effects and safety issues," Li said.

For example, Li and his lab have found that Vinpocetine, a neurological drug used to treat memory loss that has been on the market for more than 30 years in Europe, Japan and China, is a very potent anti-inflammatory agent.

The university will hire additional faculty members under GSU's Second Century Initiative, an ambitious faculty hiring initiative to recruit 100 more faculty members to the university over the next five years, to serve as part of the CIII.
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GSU speaker series to focus on Georgia’s water wars

Diverse voices will address the many issues surrounding Georgia’s disputes about water resources during an upcoming lecture series at Georgia State University.

The university’s Department of Geosciences will present speakers who have different perspectives on the legal, social and physical aspects of the ongoing water dispute between Georgia, Alabama and Florida over water resources in the Chattahoochee River basin, especially Lake Lanier. The series is free and open to the public.

The lectures, to be held at 4 p.m. on the following dates, include sessions with:

· James Bross, professor of law at Georgia State University, who is an expert on water law and the history of the dispute; Jan.28 in Room 718 of the General Classroom Building.
· Neill Herring, a lobbyist with the Georgia chapter of the Sierra Club, who will speak about water conservation in Atlanta; Feb. 11 in Room 316 of Kell Hall.
· Frank Stephens, program analyst for Gwinnett County’s Department of Water Resources, who represents the county’s interests in the ongoing dispute; March 18, Room 316 of Kell Hall.
· David Feldman, professor in the Department of Planning, Policy and Design at the University of California Irvine, who will address similarities between Georgia’s water war with its neighboring states and the famous Los Angeles water grabs of the early 20th century; April 29, Room 718 of the General Classroom Building.

In July 2009, a federal judge ruled that by 2012, Georgia would have to drastically reduce water withdrawals from Lake Lanier to support Atlanta’s water needs to 1970s levels. Georgia recently won the right to appeal the case — part of the decades-long battle between Georgia, Florida and Alabama to settle the dispute.

“The series is timely, particularly given the ruling last summer in the dispute over water resources,” said Jordan Clayton, assistant professor of geosciences, a co-organizer of the speaker series with Katherine Hankins, assistant professor of geosciences. “It’s important to understand what the judge’s ruling is, its impact for Georgia, and the roles of Alabama and Florida in the dispute.”

“We are intentionally presenting speakers with opposing points of view who will provoke discussion in the audience, and who have different perspectives on the way water is being managed,” he added.

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Symposium to present 2009 Metro Atlanta Homeless Survey

As the recession impacts the social and economic fabric of communities, local governments and agencies will present the results of the 2009 Metro Atlanta Homeless Survey during the 2009 Homeless Symposium Nov. 20 at Georgia State University.

The symposium will be held at 8:30 a.m. in the Speaker's Auditorium at the GSU Student Center, 44 Courtland St. S.E., and will include a summary of the survey and a panel discussion about its results.

"The symposium is designed to get those involved with providing assistance to the homeless to look at the survey results and their meaning, and to discuss the issues surrounding homelessness," said Tim Crimmins, director of the GSU Center for Neighborhood and Metropolitan Studies.

The survey is a project of the Metropolitan Atlanta Tri-Jurisdictional Collaborative on Homelessness and Pathways Community Network. GSU's Center for Neighborhood and Metropolitan Studies, GSU's Department of Sociology, and the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Commission on Homelessness, are joining them in sponsoring the symposium.

The fourth-annual survey represents examines homelessness in the city of Atlanta and Fulton and DeKalb counties. The survey provides a way to look at different factors which might play a role in homelessness in 2009, including the effects of the recession, as well as the efforts in transitioning homeless persons into jobs, counseling and other programs, and those efforts' effects.

Prior to the 2009 survey, researchers completed a census of homeless persons within Atlanta and Fulton and DeKalb counties during a single day in January, and found a total of 7,019 homeless individuals and homeless family members in the three jurisdictions. The total census increased by 20 percent from 2003 to 2009, with a 6 percent increase from 2007 to 2009. The survey helps to flesh out this data, providing context and the factors behind the numbers.

For every survey since 2003, surveyors have gathered a standard set of demographic information, including history and reasons for homelessness, but with each year, researchers also hone in on different sets of specialized issues. This year, researchers also focused on vulnerability, foster care, and criminal history as a barrier to finding jobs and housing, among other issues, said Josie Parker, manager for research and data analysis for Pathways Community Network and a doctoral candidate in sociology at Georgia State.

The symposium is open to the public. For more information, contact Josie Parker at 404-639-9933, ext. 323, or josie.parker@pcni.org.

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Georgia State’s Play Therapy Training Institute nationally recognized

A national professional organization has recognized Georgia State University’s Play Therapy Training Institute in the College of Education for its substantial research, publications and graduate-level instruction.

The Association for Play Therapy, a non-profit based in California, recently designated Georgia State’s institute an “Approved Center of Play Therapy Education,” a gold seal of approval in the field.

“Because the rapidly increasing use of play therapy is also boosting demand for more university play therapy programs, [the association] applauds Georgia State University for its continued support of the Institute," said Bill Burns, executive director of the Association for Play Therapy.

Play therapy is a form of counseling in which licensed mental health professionals incorporate the use of play to better communicate with clients. It is particularly effective with children who communicate their ideas and feelings more easily through play.

Georgia State’s Play Therapy Training Institute was founded in 2007 by its initial director, JoAnna White, chair of the Department of Counseling and Psychological Services. She and the current director, Lauren Wynne, expanded its targeted participants from elementary and middle school counseling students to include students in other counseling programs and non-degree students who typically work in local mental health professions.

The institute was applauded for its efforts to provide play therapy training and supervision, which often takes place in the state-of-the-art play therapy room in the College of Education.
“It’s a wonderful space where our students can learn play therapy by doing,” Wynne said. “People can learn a lot from a book and watching a video, but it’s a different thing to spend time with children in play room that’s equipped with the different categories of toys a child can choose from and receive immediate feedback from an instructor about their play therapy skills.”

The institute’s research was also recognized; most notably an ongoing project on whether play therapy can improve children’s attendance, on-task behaviors and academic performance in schools.

Wynne, White and GSU doctoral students have trained more than 45 teachers at three elementary schools in metro Atlanta to use a form of play therapy, called “Kinder Training,” as an intervention to strengthen the bond between student and teacher. The project is a partnership between GSU, Gwinnett County Public Schools and Gwinnett County’s Safe and Drug Free Schools Program.

“These skills can help teachers relate to their children in a meaningful way and create a classroom environment centered around the whole child,” White said.

The institute has expanded its presence in the field through publications and by offering a day-long conference each spring that draws people from across the United States.

“Locally, people have known that we offer training and supervision in play therapy and people within our field know we’re contributing to the research base,” Wynne said. “But now we’re receiving regional and national interest in our program, which is wonderful.”

Established in 1982, the Association of Play Therapy advances the field of play therapy and offers core research, training and credentialing programs to its 5,600 member psychologists, social workers, counselors and family therapists. It publishes a quarterly peer-reviewed journal and a quarterly magazine, the September issue of which will feature Georgia State’s Play Therapy Training Institute.

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Expressing comparisons is possible even without language, researchers find

Making comparisons between objects, like comparing a tiger to a cat, is elemental in the development of a child’s ability to grasp the concept of categories.

Language plays an important part in expressing such comparisons, but even without the ability to speak or sign, deaf children can convey similarity comparisons through gesturing, according to a new article published by a Georgia State University researcher and colleagues.

“What we found was that these deaf children were able to make similarity comparisons by pointing sequentially at two perceptually similar objects,” said Şeyda Özçalışkan, assistant professor of psychology, whose research with Susan Goldin-Meadow and Carolyn Mylander of the University of Chicago, and Dedre Genter of Northwestern University, appears in the journal Cognition.

The deaf children were compared with hearing children during early childhood, examining comparisons made before and after children gained the use of the word “like.”

“In looking at the more detailed aspects of these early comparisons, we found that the deaf children’s comparisons in gestures were similar to the comparisons hearing children express across gesture and speech before they started using the word ‘like,’ such as pointing at a cat while saying the word tiger, ” she said.

As the children grew older, the comparisons diverged — deaf children's comparisons remained broader in nature, while hearing children's comparisons became more complex and focused, such as saying that the hair was brown like a brown crayon, after hearing children started using the word “like.”

The study speaks to a broader question, Özçalışkan said — does language actually have an effect on a person's thinking process?

The study examined data from observations taken by Goldin-Meadow during in the 1970s, when children did not receive sign language training at early ages. Instead, the focus was to get children to attempt to lip read spoken English. In current practice, many deaf children receive cochlear implants which improves their ability to learn spoken language, and deaf children are exposed to conventional sign language early in life.

“I think that learning a word that highlights comparison such as ‘like’ might actually change the kinds of similarity comparisons a child can produce,” Özçalışkan said.

The article, “Does language about similarity play a role in fostering similarity comparison in children?” is published in Cognition, 2009, 112(2), 217-228.

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Symposium to examine immigration policy and human rights

“Immigration Policy and Human Rights” symposium
8 a.m. June 17
Room 460/465 University Center
404-413-6159

Georgia State University’s Center for Human Rights and Democracy will host a symposium addressing immigration policies and the protection of human rights in the United States and abroad at 8 a.m. June 17 in room 460 of the University Center.

“Immigration policy ranks atop the challenges facing many economically advanced democratic states,” said William Downs, co-director of the Center for Human Rights and Democracy. “The lowering of barriers to the free movement of peoples has host country implications for national security, employment, housing, education and health care. Governments at all levels now confront these challenges in environments of severe budgetary contraction and voter suspicion.”

More than 15 panelists will address political, economic, social and legal issues related to immigration policy, as well as promising policy alternatives. The symposium also will acknowledge the transition from the Bush to the Obama Administration and the recent 60-year anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Deepa Iyer, executive director of South Asian Americans Leading Together, will be the keynote speaker discussing “Charting a Path Forward—The Post 9/11 Backlash Against Immigrants and Human Rights Responses.” Iyer is an immigrant who moved to the United States from India when she was twelve years old. Iyer served as a trial attorney at the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice where she worked closely on initiatives to address post 9/11 backlash discrimination. She also was the executive producer of a documentary about hate crimes in the post 9/11 environment.

“The post 9/11 atmosphere in America and Europe means renewed difficulties in protecting the fundamental rights of immigrants,” Downs said. “Democracies struggle to address the intolerance that often confronts immigrants, and issues of detention, denial of legal due process, deportation and hate crimes persist.”

Adelina Nicholls, of the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, and Azadeh Shahshahani, of ACLU of Georgia are among the panelists who will examine “Immigration as a Human Rights Issue.” Other panel topics during the symposium include, “Immigration and Belonging: Divergent Perspectives on Latinos and Human Rights in the United States”; “Immigration Detention”; and “Citizenship and Human Rights Challenges in Europe.”

“Immigrants and refugees seeking a better life and fleeing poverty, hunger, civil war and persecution are among society’s most vulnerable groups,” Downs said. “Research endeavors that explain immigration trends, critically evaluate alternatives for policy reform, and compare the effectiveness of efforts to defend immigrants’ human rights are both timely and necessary.”

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Georgia State receives $900,000 to develop West African university

Leaders from Georgia State University and the International University of Grand-Bassam on Monday signed a collaborative agreement, expanding the partnership between the two institutions over the next three years.

As part of the agreement, IUGB will give Georgia State $900,000 during the 2009-2010 academic year for help developing its programs. The grant is expected to total $3 million over the next three years.

“Today is a very important day in this relationship,” GSU President Mark Becker said. “Fifteen years in the making, this dream is now a reality.”

Georgia State began working with officials from the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire in 1994 to build IUGB. Progress was delayed because of civil war in the country and classes began in 2005 with 8 students. Today, more than 138 students are enrolled at IUGB with a goal of 1,200 students by 2014.

The International University of Grand-Bassam currently offers a two-year general education curriculum modeled after GSU’s offerings. The institution will add a third year to its programs in fall 2009 and year four will be added in 2011. IUGB currently offers majors such as computer science, mathematics, accounting, economics and international policy/governance.

Georgia State faculty members will be taking on administrative roles at IUGB. Sally Wallace, professor of economics in GSU’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, will serve as provost and vice president of academic affairs at the West African university.

Additionally, Georgia State has an exchange program with IUGB and 17 students from Cote d’Ivoire are now enrolled at Georgia State with 15 more expected to come in the fall.

“IUGB is poised to serve as a regional model of higher education in West Africa,” said IUGB President Salio Toure, who traveled to GSU for the ceremony. “But we cannot do it without the help of our friend and your institution, Georgia State.”

At Monday’s ceremony, GSU Provost Ron Henry was also presented with a medal of merit, the highest honor in higher education from the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire government, for his role in the partnership.

“I’m delighted to receive this and appreciate it very much,” said Henry, who will retire this summer. “I’m just one person who made this happen, but it’s been everyone else that’s done all the hard work.”

John Hicks, GSU’s chief international officer, is the principal investigator for the grant and the partnership with IUGB is managed by the Office of International Affairs, which he directs.

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Exploring the million-year origins of laughter by tickling apes

Laughing seems to be older than humanity itself, according to new research published this week by a team of international researchers, including a Georgia State University scientist.

Michael Owren, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience, was part of a team led by Marina Davila Ross, of the University of Portsmouth in England, with Elke Zimmerman of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover in Germany, which analyzed the recorded sounds made by young apes, as well as human infants, when tickled.

The study was published online last week in Current Biology.

Davila Ross went to zoos in Europe and Asia to record the vocalizations made from orangutans, gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees when tickled. The results were then taken to Georgia State, where she and Owren analyzed the acoustics of the samples.

The vocalizations of the species — humans’ closest evolutionary relatives — have different characteristics. For example, while humans make a continuously egressive sound in the form of a “haa haa haa,” without breathing in, chimpanzees make a pant-like sound, breathing in and out, Owren said.

The scientists conducted a phylogenetic analysis based on the acoustics of all of the vocalizations to reconstruct an evolutionary “family tree.” Usually, such an analysis is based on genetics, where scientists try to reconstruct the likely divergence in the evolution of species. Scientists believe that humans and the other great apes share a common ancestor.

“We already know what the phylogenetic tree looks like for these five species,” Owren explained. “This gave us the opportunity to ask, ‘if we make the same phylogenetic reconstruction based on acoustics, would we come out with the same tree?’”

The acoustical data independently produced a tree identical to the tree produced by genetic data, suggesting that the sounds derive from a common ancestor living somewhere between 10 to 16 million years ago.

“This then makes us comfortable to call these vocalizations laughter because they seem to have a common origin,” he said.

In examining the five species, human and chimpanzee laughter stand out from the other primates. Owren said it seems that during human and chimpanzee evolution, specialization occurred in opposite directions — where humans exhale and form vowel-like sounds, but chimpanzees pant, alternating between ingressive and egressive airflow.

Other species do something in between, as some alternate, and some produce consecutive sounds from egressive airflow.

Also during evolution, humans might have evolved from making very noisy, harsh sounding laughter, to producing a regular and stable vocalization, he said.

The results from this study lead to other evolutionary questions — why each species’ laughter evolved into their current forms, and what advantages the different acoustical features might give.

“The study gives us more specific information on which to begin to think about what the function of laughter was in the common ancestor of all these species, and how the function of laughter may have changed in early humans to produce differences in acoustics,” Owren said.

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Researcher finds higher summer ozone concentrations in southeast metro Atlanta

A Georgia State University researcher has found that the highest concentrations of summertime ozone — a major air pollutant and respiratory health hazard — tended to occur in the southeastern part of metro Atlanta during the past eight years.

Jeremy Diem, associate professor of geography at Georgia State, evaluated data from ozone monitoring stations around metro Atlanta from 2000 through 2007, in combination with weather data to evaluate the atmospheric characteristics that are conductive to high-ozone days in metro Atlanta.

“This is the first study to look at ozone concentrations southeast of the city, where ozone monitoring stations were put in place starting in 2000, where I found some of the highest ozone concentrations at those stations,” Diem said.

The highest concentration was found at a monitoring station near McDonough, located in Henry County. The pollution is not generated by McDonough itself, but instead, is carried by winds from Atlanta proper.

Ground-level ozone presents a respiratory hazard to those sensitive to these conditions. This often results in advisories for people to remain indoors during the hottest parts of the day, when concentrations are very high, with officials urging the public to use forms of alternate commutes.
High ozone days happen when the weather turns hot and dry under certain meteorological conditions.

“When we have conditions conducive to high ozone, the airflow is typically from the north-northwest, because that’s when you have very dry and hot conditions," Diem explained. “Ozone is a photochemical pollutant, and you also need a lot of sunshine to have high concentrations.”

In the past, researchers have focused almost exclusively on July through September in evaluating Atlanta’s air pollution. Diem’s study also examines data from March to June, and he found that concentrations were higher in June than they are in July.

It is possible that pollution not only from local contributors play a role in ozone levels— including some of Atlanta’s nearby coal-powered electricity plants — but also pollutants from power plants in the Ohio River Valley on certain days, though further research is needed in this area, Diem cautioned.

Also, further research activity must be done to see how far afield metro Atlanta’s pollution is carried — including locations farther to the southeast, such as Macon, as well as those east of the city, in places like Augusta and South Carolina.

Diem’s research, “Atmospheric Characteristics Conductive to High-Ozone Days in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area,” will appear in a forthcoming edition of the journal Atmospheric Environment.

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Study shows increased symptoms lead mentally ill to become victims of violence

Contrary to common stereotypes, individuals with major mental disorders are more likely to become victims of violent crimes when they are experiencing an increase in symptoms than they are to commit crime, according to a new study by Brent Teasdale, an assistant professor of criminal justice at Georgia State University.

Teasdale found that patients experiencing delusions, hallucinations and generally worsening symptoms are most likely to become victims of violence. In addition, individuals with mental disorders are particularly vulnerable for victimization during times of homelessness and when suffering from alcohol abuse.

“They actually have higher rates of victimization than they have of violence commission, which I think is counter to the stereotype that highly symptomatic, obviously delusional, visibly mentally disordered people are dangerous, unpredictable and violent,” Teasdale said. “There’s no one size fits all approach to these delusions, but the odds of victimization are multiplied almost by a factor of two when a person experiences these delusions.”

Teasdale analyzed data from the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study, a longitudinal study of psychiatric patients released from three psychiatric hospitals in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Mo., and Worchester, Mass. During the MacArthur study, participants were interviewed every 10 weeks for one year about violence committed against them, stress, symptoms and social relationships.

When individuals with mental disorders experience increases in delusions, symptom severity and alcohol problems they may be more focused on their internal states and have fewer cognitive resources available to devote to interactions with other people, Teasdale said. Other research suggests that victimization happens because caretakers may be driven away, leaving the disordered unprotected.

“If the stigma is that those are people we need to protect ourselves from, one of the ways in which we might do that is self defensive violence. We might strike first and that would lead to the victimization of these folks,” Teasdale said. “If there’s a person that could intercede before that happens, that may be one strategy for reducing victimization risk.”

The findings of the study are important for clinicians who must pay attention to warning signs of worsening disorders as potential risk markers for violent behavior committed by their client, Teasdale said. They could also aid in the creation of assessment tools that focus on victimization risk and classes that better educate families about caring for the mentally ill.

Clinicians also could provide clients suggestions for reducing victimization risk when they notice patients exhibiting greater than usual symptoms, Teasdale said. For instance, during these times clinicians may recommend spending less time in public spaces, increases in guardianship or mandated community treatment programs.

“Most of us know people who have mental disorders. These are our family members and our friends and so we should care about their victimization experience,” Teasdale said. “The stereotypes persist because people are unaware of the victimization risk to people with mental illness. If they learned that victimization risk were higher than the violence commission rates, I think that would help alleviate some of that stigma and help people think about people with mental disorders in a different way.”

The study, “Mental Disorder and Violent Victimization,” was published in the 2009 edition of Criminal Justice and Behavior.

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Despite winter rains, conservation measures still needed, researcher says

Recent heavy rains may have helped to end the exceptional drought the metro Atlanta region has faced for several years, but conservation measures are still needed to help boost the region’s water capacity during the drier summer months, according to a Georgia State University professor.

“This is no time to let go of conservation measures that are in place,” said Jordan Clayton, assistant professor of geosciences. “We need to maintain conservation levels so that we can increase storage capacity to the point where local reservoirs are mostly full.”

Typically, Atlanta’s reservoirs and streams are replenished during the winter, and then depleted during the summer due to many factors, including a process called evapotranspiration — a combination of evaporation and transpiration, or the loss of water from plants during photosynthesis.

“In metro Atlanta, we have a roughly equivalent annual rate of precipitation to evapotranspiration,” Clayton explained. “The balance is therefore sensitive because even small deviations in precipitation can result in water deficits. Conservation measures help reduce our vulnerability.”

Lake Lanier, Atlanta’s main source of water, is still several feet below full pool, despite recent heavy rains. Local aquifers, which are limited but also help to provide water, have improved, but due to metro Atlanta’s heavy runoff ratio from impermeable surfaces like concrete and asphalt, less water is stored locally than at times past, Clayton said.

Rainfall and runoff also affect local streams, their flows, and the fish and invertebrates which live there. These animals benefit from a limited range of variability of water flow, which both drought and recent heavy rains can disrupt.

When flows are low, chemicals and other items in the stream become more heavily concentrated, he said.

"This can cause problems," Clayton explained. “On the flip side, when we do get rain, our streams may clear out materials that help to regulate the flow.”

Clayton and colleagues, in conjunction with arborist Neil Norton, are working on a pilot study in Decatur to explore the impact of altered streamflow and water quality on erosion and invertebrates in Peavine and Glenn Creeks.

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IMF advisor to speak at GSU about global financial crisis today

Teresa Ter-Minassian, a special advisor to the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, will speak at Georgia State University at 2:30 p.m. Monday (April 6) in the 7th-floor seminar room of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. The former director of the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department will discuss the “Fiscal Implication of the Current Global Financial Crisis for Major Industrial and Emerging Market Countries” as the keynote speaker of the International Studies Program Lecture Series.

“Ter-Minassian’s presentation will focus in particular on the implications of the crisis for the public finances of the G-20 countries,” said Jorge Martinez-Vazquez, director of the International Studies Program.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced Thursday (April 2) that the leaders of the G-20 nations agreed to supply an additional trillion dollars into the troubled economy by funding groups like IMF. The leaders plan to provide an additional $500 billion for the IMF, $250 billion in IMF Special Drawing Rights and $250 billion to boost trade.

“Ter-Minassian will highlight the challenge of reversing the crisis-related deterioration in the public finances over the medium-term, a task made more compelling by the prospective rising fiscal costs of population aging,” Martinez-Vazquez said.

The IMF is an organization of 185 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world. Among the organizations tasks are to provide policy advice to governments and central banks on analysis of economic trends and providing loans to help countries overcome economic difficulties.

Ter-Minassian has served in various positions at the IMF, including chief of the Southern European Division in the European Department, where she negotiated the 1983 IMF Stand-By Agreement with Portugal. She also served as deputy director of the Western Hemisphere Department, in which she headed the negotiations of the IMF programs with Brazil and Argentina.

Ter-Minassian’s areas of expertise include macroeconomic analysis, fiscal policy, budget management and intergovernmental fiscal relations. She has published several papers in these areas, including the book Fiscal Federalism in Theory and Practice.

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Cops who multitask well less likely to shoot unarmed persons when threatened, study shows

In the midst of life-threatening situations requiring split-second decisions, police officers with a higher ability to multitask are less likely to shoot unarmed persons when feeling threatened during video simulations, a new Georgia State University study suggests.

Heather Kleider, Dominic Parrott and Tricia King, assistant professors of psychology at Georgia State, have taken a unique look at officer-involved shooting situations, signs of negative emotions and working memory capacity — the capacity to perform multiple mental tasks, such as reasoning, at the same time.

Other studies have examined factors such as ethnicity, stereotypes, neighborhood crime rates and other factors, but this study examines the effects of police officers’ characteristics on shooting decisions.

“In cognitive psychology, operation span, or working memory, is an overarching cognitive mechanism that indicates the ability to multitask, and the amount of available capacity to perform tasks varies by individual and situation,” Kleider said. “People with a higher capacity are able to keep more things ‘in play’ at one time.”

Urban police officers participated in the study, completing a test of working memory capacity, and then watched a video of an officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of the officer, during which time negative affect and stress indicators were measured; including elevated heart rates and increased sweating.

Following the video, officers participated in a computer-based simulation where they were required to make split-second decisions whether to shoot or not to shoot someone, based on 80 slides that presented a person holding either a gun or a harmless object like a cell phone, for only a fraction of a second. Officers then pressed either a “shoot” or a “don’t shoot” button.

Analyzing the data, the researchers found that lower levels of working memory capacity increased the likelihood of shooting unarmed people among those officers who had higher levels of negative emotionality — a score determined by comparing readings of facial movement and heartbeat rates between a baseline reading and readings taken during the stressful situation.

Officers with a higher working memory capacity seemed to buffer officers against the negative effects of a threat when making shooting decisions.

“An important thing to consider is that some decision making requires controlled processing wherein balanced/accurate decisions require impulse control” Kleider explained. “For some people, this usurps a substantial amount of available working memory capacity to control impulses, and if you are someone with a lower capacity, it's harder to do.”

Psychologists are not sure whether working memory capacity can be increased with training, but Kleider and her colleagues are planning to investigate this, and are also planning to work with several police departments on a broader study to see if training and years of experience influence shooting decisions.

The study, “Shooting Behavior: How Working Memory and Negative Emotionality Influence Police Officer Shoot Decisions” will appear in a 2009 edition of Applied Cognitive Psychology.

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Symposium to Examine Human Rights in Times of Threat March 27

“Human Rights in an Age of Insecurity” symposium
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 27
Speakers Auditorium, Georgia State Student Center, 44 Courtland St., Atlanta

In times of military or economic threat, public fear can breed indifference when it comes to human rights issues, says Michael Galchinsky, professor of English at Georgia State University, who is coordinating a symposium to address what happens to human rights in democracies that are under threat.

In times of national security threats, democracies have typically blocked the public’s right to information, expanded government surveillance and launched attacks on freedom of speech and the rights of due process and habeas corpus. International human rights issues are often ignored as well, Galchinsky said.

“People’s fear sometimes makes them consider human rights to be luxuries rather than entitlements,” he said. “We can see this in real concrete ways: Human rights watchdog groups get less money from the public at this time, they are able to place their information in fewer newspapers, and they have the ear of fewer government officials.”

What makes this especially difficult, Galchinsky said, is that at times of increased insecurity, human rights groups are most needed. With recent economic woes taking center stage, advocacy groups are now also needed to keep an eye on the financial welfare of those in the United States and abroad.

“In our country, we’ve often talked about civil and political rights, but not so much economic, social and cultural rights, which are a big deal in other parts of the world, especially the underdeveloped countries,” he said. “With the global economy tanking, it’s a good time to begin thinking about economic rights and social welfare.”

The symposium aims to address economic and other human rights issues from both a theoretical and a practical standpoint, inviting speakers who have extensive legal knowledge as well as those who have been involved as activists. Keynote speaker Elisa Massimino is CEO and executive director of Human Rights First and has been an advocate for international human rights for nearly 20 years.

In conjunction with the daylong symposium, a photographic exhibit titled “In Black and White: Political Violence in Argentina (1969-1985)” will be on display in the Gallery Lounge, Room 346 of the Student Center, March 22 through 27.

The time is ripe for examining human rights issues in Atlanta. The city is in the midst of finalizing plans to build the Center for Civil and Human Rights, and Georgia State is creating its own Center for Human Rights and Democracy.

“It makes a lot of sense that this conversation is happening here in Atlanta with its strong history of civil rights, and it was Dr. King who sought very much to link civil rights at home to human rights everywhere,” Galchinsky said. “We feel like this is the time to be having this conversation, and it needs to be in Atlanta.”

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Number of grandparents raising grandchildren likely to rise, Georgia State conference reveals

The number of grandparents raising children or helping to take care of children is likely to increase during the current recession, and support for these grandparents is even more critical, experts said this week during a symposium sponsored by Georgia State University.

Georgia State’s Symposium on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren brought together more than 100 experts and advocates for grandparents from around the United States and Canada to address challenges facing these caregivers and those who work for them. The symposium was sponsored by the National Center on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.

The most recent U.S. government estimates show that 2.5 million children are being raised by their grandparents. In Georgia, more than 164,000 children live in households headed by grandparents, and more than 98,000 live in households with grandparents without either parent present.

Advocates and researchers of grandparents caring for grandchildren are concerned that as states look for ways to trim budgets, needed financial and health care resources — especially critical as many grandparent care givers live close to or in poverty — may be cut.

“This will be a very difficult economic time, and it will last for a while. In the face of the downturn, we need to be very proactive for our families,” said Debbie Whitley, director of National Center on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and associate professor of social work at Georgia State.

Increasing the urgency is the economic situation, which will likely lead to more grandchildren being raised by their grandparents or living in households where grandparents aid in care giving, said Esme Fuller-Thomson, associate professor of social work at the University of Toronto and speaker at the symposium.

“Adding to several risk factors, there is a growing issue of unemployment and foreclosures of homes, as a lot of adult children are moving back home because they don't have a house anymore, or they don't have a job,” Fuller-Thomson said.

There is historical precedent, also, for grandparents raising grandchildren during tough times, she said.

Fuller-Thomson explained that African-American grandparents in 1940 — just before the United States’ entry into World War II, while the country was still reeling from the Great Depression — were taking care of grandchildren at higher rates than today, where nearly 29 percent of African-American women over 45 will take care of a grandchild for more than six months at some time in their lives.

Georgia State has long been an advocate for grandparents raising grandchildren. Since 1995, Project Healthy Grandparents has provided resources for grandparents raising grandchildren, and has served more than 635 families, including over 1,451 children.

The National Center on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren was founded in 2001 to inform service professionals, decision makers and the general public on the unique social and health service issues confronted by grandparents raising grandchildren.

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Tobacco Use Will Continue, Possibly Grow, during Recession, Georgia State Expert Says

Even though tobacco use is expected to kill 6 million people worldwide and drain $500 billion from the global economy each year — according to a new report co-authored by a Georgia State University tobacco expert — the recession will most likely do nothing to reduce use.

The third edition of The Tobacco Atlas, co-authored by Michael Eriksen, director of Georgia State’s Institute of Public Health, lays out a comprehensive picture of global tobacco use, regulations, financial costs and health tolls.

The new edition of the atlas was launched this week in Mumbai, India. Eriksen’s work and travel is sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In an economic downturn, products seen as giving comfort in the midst of stress tend to sell very well. In the U.S. and abroad, tobacco is no exception.

“It’s not well understood, but as people lose jobs, the unemployed and others affected by tough economic times may rely on ‘affordable pleasures,’” Eriksen said. “The irony is that the more deprived someone is, people will rely on simple pleasures that are unfortunately deadly pleasures.”

Since the last edition of the atlas was released in 2006, changes in issues around global tobacco use have been a mixed bag, Eriksen said.

Positive changes include the relatively rapid ratification of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the world's first public health treaty developed by the World Health Organization. The treaty obligates signatories to commit to actions such as advertising bans and indoor clean air laws to stem tobacco use, illness and death. Excluding the United States, 163 nations have ratified the treaty.

Another positive outcome has been the $500 billion investment by Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg’s philanthropic activities in tobacco control.

On the other hand, tobacco companies since 2006 have been able to adapt to changes, and continue to profit from a preventable cause of illness and death, to the tune of $30 billion in profits.

"At one level, they have figured out how to work in a new regulatory environment," Eriksen said, "and on another level, there are active attempts to undermine nations' attempts to fulfill their obligations around the treaty.”

Eriksen, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office on Smoking and Health, co-authored the work with Omar Shafey, medical anthropologist and adjunct professor of global health at Emory University; Hana Ross, economist and strategic director of international tobacco control research at the American Cancer society; and Dr. Judith Mackay (MD), fellow of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of Edinburgh and London and policy advisor to the World Health Organization.

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Reducing Suicidal Behaviors among Adolescents

Adolescent girls who view themselves as too fat may display more suicidal behaviors than those who are actually overweight, according to a study by Inas Rashad, an assistant professor of economics at Georgia State University.

Although studies have shown a link between obesity, depressive disorders and suicidal behaviors, Rashad and Dhaval Dave of Bentley University, analyze these indicators in conjunction with an individual’s perception of their weight. The study was accepted for publication last month and is forthcoming in Social Science and Medicine.

“Both obesity and suicide have been highlighted by the Surgeon General as areas of focus for adolescents and areas of great concern,” Rashad said. “We find that the role perception has independently of actual overweight status is an important one, which has implications in terms of any solutions to the obesity epidemic that are put forth.”

The researchers utilized data from 1999 to 2007 from the Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System, which indicated that 17 percent of high school students have seriously considered committing suicide. The data were used to not only investigate whether overweight status or perception are causal factors affecting suicidal thoughts and attempts among high school students, but also to estimate the potential economic costs.

“If being overweight not only imposes the usual health care and labor market costs, but also increases the risk of suicide, we need to take these costs into account when offering solutions,” Rashad said.

The study revealed that body dissatisfaction had a strong impact on all suicidal behaviors for girls and was generally insignificant for males. For instance, any perception of being overweight by girls raised the probability of suicidal thoughts by 5.6 percent, the probability of a suicide attempts by 3.2 percent, and the probability of an injury causing suicide attempts by 0.6 percent. The researchers also state that the risk of suicide by adolescent females could potentially add about $280 to $350 million to the costs of adolescent obesity, which includes the direct cost of illnesses and associated health care and indirect costs such as productivity losses, reduced income and premature mortality.

Rashad hopes more research will be done on the topic, but she recommends efforts aimed at preventing youth suicides focus on educating youths and fostering healthy attitudes with regard to weight.

“The prevalence of body dissatisfaction, among special populations of youths such as non-black girls, is significantly higher than the general youth population, even when the underlying weight is in a healthy range,” Rashad said. “Interventions that identify and assist these youths and educate them regarding a healthy body image will succeed in lowering suicide attempts.”

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State of Georgia and Georgia State University to Promote Problem Gambling Awareness

For most, gambling can be harmless entertainment. But for others, gambling is a problem that affects their financial well-being, their jobs, and their relationships.

Georgia State University’s Pathological Gambling Intervention Project is collaborating with the Georgia Department of Human Resources and the office of Gov. Sonny Perdue to reach out to those impacted by problem gambling during National Problem Gambling Awareness Week March 1-7.

Problem gambling occurs when someone’s gambling adversely affects a person’s well-being, including relationships, family, financial standing and career. This may lead to compulsive gambling — a psychological disorder where a gambler has become preoccupied with gambling to the point that he or she has lost control over it.

The Georgia State project is promoting awareness and outreach through a video public service announcement campaign on video monitors located on MARTA trains and buses, in addition to billboards throughout metro Atlanta targeting at-risk groups, including college students, offender populations and youth.

Youth and college students represent two of the fastest growing populations of problem gamblers, said James Emshoff, director of the Georgia State Pathological Gambling Intervention Project.

“With youth, problem gambling has increased due to the prolific nature of gambling in our society, which has not only increased in terms of tolerance and acceptance, but also glorification,” Emshoff explained, noting the popularity of televised poker tournaments and its impact on American culture. “Although illegal, on-line gambling provides access for youth who are not old enough to enter casinos.

“When you see gambling on TV, you only see winners,” he explained. “Even those who ‘lose’ in televised tournaments will win at least some money, but you don't see the people who staked a lot of money in tournaments but lost it all in the early rounds before the TV coverage picks up.”
A 2007 Georgia State study by Emshoff and his research team showed that almost 88 percent of Georgia residents have gambled at least once in their lifetime; about 4 percent of adult Georgians could be considered lifetime problem or compulsive gamblers.

Other Georgia State project activities include support of college- and faith-based counseling programs, research on the gambling behavior of offenders, and collaboration with a statewide veterans’ initiative that focuses on problem gambling.

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