Congressional access to executive branch information: Lessons from Iran-Contra

The Iran-Contra affair highlights the ongoing contest between Congress and the President over access to information. To carry out their constitutional functions, each branch needs information and the ability to protect the disclosure of that information. In the case of Iran-Contra, legitimate protection of information was replaced by lies and deception on the part of Executive officials, the pursuit of contradictory policies by the Executive Branch, and the violation of congressional statutes. Congress was denied the information it needed to discharge constitutional responsibilities, requiring it to reassert legislative prerogatives by tightening oversight statutes and scrutinizing presidential nominees who had some involvement in Iran-Contra. As a result of prosecutions by the Independent Counsel, a number of Executive officials and private citizens who participated in Iran-Contra have already pled guilty or been found guilty by Federal juries. Other than some temporary mending of fences and promises of good-faith, it is uncertain whether Iran-Contra will yield more permanent and beneficial lessons.     

Putting PhDs to Work: Career Planning for Today's Scientist

Individual development plans (IDPs) have been promoted nationally as a tool to help research trainees explore career opportunities and set career goals. Despite the interest in IDPs from a policy perspective, there is little information about how they have been used. The authors examined IDP awareness and use, the benefits of creating an IDP, and ways to facilitate its use by administering a survey to current or former postdoctoral researchers via the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) and University of Alabama at Birmingham email lists; individuals belonging to Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology member societies who mentored postdocs; and postdoctoral administrators at member institutions of the Association of American Medical Colleges and the NPA. Although most postdoctoral administrators (>80%) were familiar with IDPs, less than 50% of postdocs and only 20% of mentors were aware of IDPs. For those postdocs and mentors who reported creating an IDP, the process helped postdocs to identify the skills and abilities necessary for career success and facilitated communication between postdocs and their mentors. Despite the fact that creating an IDP benefits postdocs and mentors, IDP use will likely remain low unless institutions and research mentors encourage trainees to engage in this process.     

Latent profiles of children's shyness: Behavioral,affective, and physiological components

Shyness can manifest on behavioral, affective, and physiological levels, but little is known about how these components cluster. We coded behavioral expressions of avoidance/inhibition, collected self-reported nervousness, and measured cardiac vagal withdrawal in 152 children (M_age = 7.82 years, 73 girls, 82% White) to a speech task in 2018–2021. A latent profile analysis using these behavioral, affective, and physiological indicators revealed four profiles: average reactive (43%), lower affective reactive (20%), higher affective reactive (26%), and consistently higher reactive (11%). Membership in the higher reactive profile predicted higher parent-reported temperamental shyness across 2 years. Findings provide empirical support for the long-theorized idea that shyness might exist as an emotional state but also represents a distinct temperamental quality for some children.     

The organic puppet theatre

For most youngsters, the insides of their bodies are squishy, bloody, mysterious, and hard to understand. Definitely not looked upon as something to love, or even sneak a peek at! Sad commentary on awareness of our own health and well-being.Illustrated by Duane G. Barnhart This article is excerpted from The Organic Puppet Theatreavailable from Night Owl Press, 1537 West Iowa Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108 © 1983.     

第三世界国家的科技传播

第三世界人民渴望科学 ,媒体在科学信息社会化、大众化的历程中 ,肩负着义不容辞的重任。另一方面 ,科学的社会化传播 ,离不开新闻记者与科学家的不断交流和沟通 ,也离不开知识的民主化和新技术的普及。只有调动科学家积极参与科学传播 ,和记者学会正确传播科学 ,科学才能真正服务于社会。