Lieberman is adamant that Vibram sponsorship had nothing to do with the outcome of the study, which was also funded by the American School of Prehistoric Research, the Goelet Fund and Harvard University.

CNN: Running debate: Bare or in shoes?

"If people come in and say my chest hurts, that gets attention, but if they say my leg hurts when I walk a couple of blocks, most doctors don't think that is a big deal, " says William Hiatt, professor of cardiovascular research at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and chairman of the American Heart Association's Peripheral Vascular Disease Council.

WSJ: Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) - When Achy Legs Are a Warning

For instance, the American Association of School Administrators, a national research and advocacy group, is projecting cuts of 227, 000 local education positions for the 2011-12 school year, a figure that includes teaching jobs as well as entry-level posts such as classroom support.

WSJ: Large Firms See More College Hiring

Among the signees are medical professionals from the Harvard School of Public Health, American Cancer Society and University of Illinois at Chicago Division of Pathology Research.

CNN: Group threatens suit over vitamins' anti-cancer claims

She heads the Fair Use and Free Speech research project at the Center for Social Media at the School of Communications at American University.

FORBES: YouTube's Curation Vision - The Impact.