Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Extrinsic Reinforcement on Children with Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure.

BACKGROUND Prenatal alcohol exposure affects inhibitory control and other aspects of attention and executive function. However, the efficacy of extrinsic reinforcement on these behaviors has not been tested. METHODS Alcohol-exposed children (AE; n = 34), children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; n = 23), and controls (CON; n = 31) completed a flanker task with 4 reward conditions (no reward, reward, reward+occasional response cost, equal probability of reward+response cost). Inhibitory control was tested in the no reward conditions using a 3(group) × 2(flanker type) ANCOVA. Response to reinforcement was tested using 3(group) × 4(reward condition) × 4(flanker type) analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Response time (RT) and accuracy were tested independently. RESULTS Groups did not differ on demographic variables. The flanker task was successful in taxing interference control, an aspect of executive attention (i.e., responses to incongruent stimuli were slower than to congruent stimuli) and the AE group demonstrated impaired executive control over the other groups. Overall, the AE group had significantly slower RTs compared to the CON and ADHD groups, which did not differ. However, reinforcement improved RT in all groups. While occasional response cost had the greatest benefit in the CON group, the type of reinforcement did not differentially affect the AE and ADHD groups. Accuracy across reward conditions did not differ by group, but was dependent on flanker type and reward condition. CONCLUSIONS Alcohol-exposed children, but not children with ADHD, had impaired interference control in comparison with controls, supporting a differential neurobehavioral profile in these 2 groups. Both clinical groups were equally affected by introduction of reinforcement, although the type of reinforcement did not differentially affect performance as it did in the control group, suggesting that reward or response cost could be used interchangeably to result in the same benefit.
The General and Outcome-Specific Forms of Pavlovian-Instrumental Transfer Are Differentially Mediated by the Nucleus Accumbens Core and Shell

Tests of Pavlovian–instrumental transfer (PIT) demonstrate that reward-predictive stimuli can exert a powerful motivational influence on the performance of instrumental actions. Recent evidence suggests that predictive stimuli produce this effect through either the general arousal (general PIT) or the specific predictions (outcome-specific PIT) produced by their association with reward. In two experiments, we examined the effects of pretraining lesions (Experiment 1) or muscimol-induced inactivation (Experiment 2) of either the core or shell regions of the nucleus accumbens (NAC) on these forms of PIT. Rats received Pavlovian training in which three auditory stimuli each predicted the delivery of a distinct food outcome. Separately, the rats were trained to perform two instrumental actions, each of which earned one of the outcomes used in Pavlovian conditioning. Finally, the effects of the three stimuli on performance of the two actions were assessed in extinction. Here we report evidence of a double dissociation between general and outcome-specific PIT at the level of the accumbens. Shell lesions eliminated outcome-specific PIT but spared general PIT, whereas lesions of the core abolished general PIT but spared outcome-specific PIT. Importantly, the infusion of muscimol into core or shell made immediately before the PIT tests produced a similar pattern of results. These results suggest that whereas the NAC core mediates the general excitatory effects of reward-related cues, the NAC shell mediates the effect of outcome-specific reward predictions on instrumental performance, and thereby serve to clarify reported discrepancies regarding the role of the NAC core and shell in PIT.
Postnikov towers and Gottlieb groups of orbit spaces

Let X be a 1-connected space with the homotopy type of a CW -space and H a finite group acting freely on X by homeomorphisms homotopic to the identity. We prove that lkη∗Gk(X) ⊆ Gk(X/H) for all k > 1 and some estimated positive integer lk which depends on k, where Gk is the k′th Gottlieb group and η : X → X/H is the quotient map to the orbit space X/H. We show that lk is independent of k for X with the homotopy type of a finite CW -space. We also obtain that lπk(X) ⊆ Gk(X) for some positive integer l (independent on k) provided some restrictions are placed on the space X and the integer k > 1. Moreover, η∗Gk(X)p = Gk(X/H)p for the p-primary components, where p is a prime not dividing the order |H| of the group H.
The Micropolitics of Planning

Formalized approaches extant in the literature present strategic planning as a bureaucratic and objective exercise that will produce an integrated system of rational decisions. Yet power relationships and differences of interest among the players make planning a highly political activity. Focused on successive planning processes that occurred at the same university, this study sheds light on the micropolitical dynamics of planning and challenges several accepted premises regarding the planning process.
Race, Racial Discrimination, and the Risk of Work-Related Illness, Injury, or Assault: Findings From a National Study

Objective: This study examines whether workplace racial harassment or discrimination mediates the relationship between race or ethnicity and work-related illness, injury, or assault across time. Methods: A national random digit dial phone survey was conducted at two points in time (W1: 2003-2004; W2: 2004-2005) among a sample of Black, Hispanic and non-Hispanic white workers. As part of the survey, respondents indicated their experiences with racial harassment or discrimination, and occupational illness, injury, or assault in the past 12 months. Results: Hispanic respondents were more likely than whites to experience work-related illness, injury or assault, and these associations were mediated by experiences of racial harassment or discrimination. Conclusions: Interventions to reduce workplace harassment and discrimination may help decrease risk for work-related illness, injury, or assault among Hispanic workers.
From His Master’s Voice and Back Again? Presidential Inaugurations and South African Television - The Post-Apartheid Experience

This article examines the SABC television news coverage of the three presidential inaugurations in post-apartheid South Africa (Mandela 1994, Mbeki 1999 and 2004). The main question addressed is how the nation-building process and the broadcaster's relationship to government are reflected in the national television news. The news stories reporting the same national socio-political event at three different stages constitute a case through which to analyse the changing discourses of nation building. The aim of the article is to speak to discussions about nationhood, presidency, and politics in South Africa. The findings have a direct bearing on debates about the establishment and enhancement of democracy and nation building in contemporary South Africa, and emphasize how a serious reassertion of media control took place towards the end of the first decade of democracy.
Levels of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins and Dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) in Blood Samples of Occupationally Exposed Workers From a Transformer Recycling Plant in Dortmund, Germany—Initial Findings

Levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) were determined in 23 blood samples of exposed workers from a transformer recycling plant in Dortmund, Germany. Compared to the most recent studies on German background levels of adults, elevated concentrations of up to 71.6 pg WHO2005-TEq/glipid base were found for 8 participants, and for individual PCDF congeners for 15 participants.
Understanding Age Differences in Memory: Disentangling Conscious and Unconscious Processes

Distinct processes involved in memory development were explored by obtaining separate measures of preschoolers’ and college students’ use of familiarity and conscious recollection in picture recognition. In each of two testing sessions (separated by one week; with different video materials), participants viewed pictures in the context of hearing a story. Further phases of the experimental procedure were based on process dissociation, a methodology that provides separate estimates of the contributions of conscious recollection and familiarity. Consistent with existing literature on separate implicit and explicit tasks, the results revealed a reliable difference between preschoolers and adults for measures of conscious recollection. In contrast, but also consistent with past research with implicit memory tasks, no developmental differences were observed for familiarity estimates. Results were discussed in the context of controversy regarding the best procedures for measuring different memory processes.
Statistical Evaluation of the Predictive Toxicology Challenge 2000-2001

MOTIVATION The development of in silico models to predict chemical carcinogenesis from molecular structure would help greatly to prevent environmentally caused cancers. The Predictive Toxicology Challenge (PTC) competition was organized to test the state-of-the-art in applying machine learning to form such predictive models. RESULTS Fourteen machine learning groups generated 111 models. The use of Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) space allowed the models to be uniformly compared regardless of the error cost function. We developed a statistical method to test if a model performs significantly better than random in ROC space. Using this test as criteria five models performed better than random guessing at a significance level p of 0.05 (not corrected for multiple testing). Statistically the best predictor was the Viniti model for female mice, with p value below 0.002. The toxicologically most interesting models were Leuven2 for male mice, and Kwansei for female rats. These models performed well in the statistical analysis and they are in the middle of ROC space, i.e. distant from extreme cost assumptions. These predictive models were also independently judged by domain experts to be among the three most interesting, and are believed to include a small but significant amount of empirically learned toxicological knowledge. AVAILABILITY PTC details and data can be found at: http://www.predictive-toxicology.org/ptc/.
GRASP with Path Relinking for Three-Index Assignment

This paper proposes and tests variants of GRASP (greedy randomized adaptive search procedure) with path relinking for the three-index assignment problem (AP3). GRASP is a multistart metaheuristic for combinatorial optimization. It usually consists of a construction procedure based on a greedy randomized algorithm and of a local search. Path relinking is an intensification strategy that explores trajectories that connect high-quality solutions. Several variants of the heuristic are proposed and tested. Computational results show clearly that this GRASP for AP3 benefits from path relinking and that the variants considered in this paper compare well with previously proposed heuristics for this problem. GRASP with path relinking was able to improve the solution quality of heuristics proposed by Balas and Saltzman (1991), Burkard et al. (1996), and Crama and Spieksma (1992) on all instances proposed in those papers. We show that the random variable "time to target solution," for all proposed GRASP with path-relinking variants, fits a two-parameter exponential distribution. To illustrate the consequence of this, one of the variants of GRASP with path relinking is shown to benefit from parallelization.
Efficacy of enalapril for prevention of congestive heart failure in dogs with myxomatous valve disease and asymptomatic mitral regurgitation.

We evaluated the long-term effect of early angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition (enalapril maleate) as monotherapy to postpone or prevent congestive heart failure (CHF) in asymptomatic dogs with mitral regurgitation (MR) attributable to myxomatous valvular disease (MVD) in a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled multicenter trial involving 14 centers in Scandinavia. Two hundred twenty-nine Cavalier King Charles (CKC) Spaniels with MR attributable to MVD but no signs of CHF were randomly allocated to treatment with enalapril 0.25-0.5 mg daily (n = 116) or to placebo groups (n = 113). Each dog was evaluated by physical examination, electrocardiography, and thoracic radiography at entry and every 12 months (+/-30 days). The number of dogs developing heart failure was similar in the treatment and placebo groups (n = 50 [43%] and n = 48 [42%], respectively; P = .99). The estimated means, adjusted for censored observations, for the period from initiation of therapy to heart failure were 1,150 +/- 50 days for dogs in the treatment group and 1,130 +/- 50 days for dogs in the placebo group (P = .85). When absence or presence of cardiomegaly at the entrance of the trial was considered, there were still no differences between the treatment and placebo groups (P = .98 and .51, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that enalapril had no significant effect on the time from initiation of therapy to heart failure (P = .86). Long-term treatment with enalapril in asymptomatic dogs with MVD and MR did not delay the onset of heart failure regardless of whether or not cardiomegaly was present at initiation of the study.
The impact of direct experience on preservice teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching in inclusive classrooms

With current inclusion trends, teacher educators are challenged to redesign their programmes to prepare preservice teachers to educate a wide range of students in whole-class settings. This quantitative study examined the impact of an inclusion course and a field experience on preservice teachers' self-efficacy for teaching in inclusive classrooms. Based on data collected from 141 participants, the results indicated that both the inclusion course and the field experience produced significant gains in self-efficacy. Participants with prior experience with people with exceptional needs had significantly higher levels of self-efficacy than those without prior experience; however, both groups experienced significant gains after the course and the field experience. Also, the results showed that, during the field experience, as preservice teachers spent more time with direct, individual instruction with students with exceptional needs, and less time with observation and whole-class instruction, their self-efficacy was more likely to increase. Findings were discussed, and implications for practice and future research were suggested.
Cue-dose training with monetary reinforcement

AbstractOBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility and efficacy of two interventions for improving adherence to antiretroviral therapy regimens in HIV-infected subjects compared with a control intervention. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled, pilot study. SETTING: Department of Veterans Affairs HIV clinic and community-based HIV clinical trials site. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-five HIV-infected subjects on stable antiretroviral therapy regimens. Subjects were predominantly male (89%) and African American (69%), and had histories of heroin or cocaine use (80%). INTERVENTIONS: Four weekly sessions of either nondirective inquiries about adherence (control group, C), cue-dose training, which consisted of the use of personalized cues for remembering particular dose times, and feedback about medication taking using Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS) pill bottle caps, which record time of bottle opening (CD group), or cue-dose training combined with cash reinforcement for correctly timed bottle opening (CD+CR). MEASUREMENTS: Opening of the pill bottle within 2 hours before or after a predetermined time was measured by MEMS. RESULTS: Adherence to the medication as documented by MEMS was significantly enhanced during the 4-week training period in the CD+CR group, but not in the CD group, compared with the control group. Improvement was also seen in adherence to antiretroviral drugs that were not the object of training and reinforcement. Eight weeks after training and reinforcement were discontinued, adherence in the cash-reinforced group returned to near-baseline levels. CONCLUSIONS: Cue-dose training with cash reinforcement led to transient improvement in adherence to antiretroviral therapy in a population including mostly African Americans and subjects with histories of drug abuse. However, we were not able to detect any sustained improvement beyond the active training period, and questions concerning the timing and duration of such an intervention require further study. Randomized, controlled clinical studies with objective measures of adherence can be conducted in HIV-infected subjects and should be employed for further evaluation of this and other adherence interventions.
Attachment in Coping with Bereavement: A Theoretical Integration

Researchers have deplored shortcomings in theoretically based models of coping with bereavement. Integration of cognitive stress with attachment theory is proposed to predict adjustment to bereavement, describe different forms of effective coping, and resolve ongoing debates about continuing versus relinquishing bonds. These 2 generic approaches are integrated within a bereavement-specific perspective, the dual-process model of coping (Stroebe & Schut, 1999). Accordingly, (a) different coping styles are adopted by, and are differentially efficacious for, bereaved people according to their style of attachment; (b) bereaved people's ways of continuing bonds differ according to their attachment style; and (c) grief complications are associated with insecure attachment styles. The authors conclude that it is better for some bereaved individuals to work toward retaining ties and for others to work toward loosening ties.
Improved electrical and thermal properties of InP-AlGaAsSb Bragg mirrors for long-wavelength vertical-cavity lasers

The electrical, thermal and optical properties of n-doped InP-AlGaAsSb 1.5-/spl mu/m Bragg mirrors are reported. A voltage of 10 mV per pair at 1 kA/cm/sup 2/ has been obtained in these mirrors, due to a low conduction band offset. This record electrical performance, combined with a large refractive index contrast (n/sub H//n/sub L/=1.135) and improved thermal properties, makes the combination very promising for long wavelength vertical cavity surface emitting lasers.
DISTRIBUTION OF NOS ISOFORMS IN A PORCINE ENDOTOXIN SHOCK MODEL

Sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. NO, an endogenous vasodilator, has been associated with the hypotension, catecholamine hyporesponsiveness, and myocardial depression of septic shock. Although iNOS is thought to be responsible for the hypotension and loss of vascular tone occurring several hours after endotoxin administration, little is known on the effects of constitutive eNOS on LPS-induced organ dysfunction. This study assessed the distribution of eNOS and iNOS in various vascular beds in conscious pigs challenged with LPS. Cardiac and regional hemodynamic parameters were recorded over 8 h in the presence and absence of aminoguanidine, a rather selective inhibitor of iNOS activity, and N-methyl-l-arginine, a nonspecific NOS inhibitor. Our data show that LPS-induced cardiac depression was associated with coronary, renal, and mesenteric vasoconstrictions and a hepatic vasodilatation. LPS also induced increases in eNOS in the heart and lungs, whereas iNOS was mostly detected in the liver. Nitrotyrosine formation was mainly detected in the lungs, with traces in the kidney, liver, and gut. Accordingly, our results suggest that the early decrease in blood pressure and cardiac depression are likely due to activated eNOS, whereas both isoforms are involved in the hepatic vasodilation. In contrast, carotid, coronary, mesenteric, and renal vasoconstrictions were significant at 5 and/or 6 h after LPS infusion, suggesting that NO is not the primary mediator, facilitating and/or unmasking the release of vasoconstrictor mediators. Consequently, developing newer tissue- or isoform-specific NOS inhibitors can lead to novel therapeutic agents in septic shock.
Marketing Innovation: Study of Determinants of Innovation in the Design and Packaging of Goods and Services—Application to Portuguese Firms

The article analyzes factors stimulating firms’ capacity for marketing innovation in terms of the design and packaging of goods and services. The data were obtained from the 4th Community Innovation Survey. The results of the logistic regression show that RD acquisition of machinery, equipment, and software; acquisition of other external knowledge; and carrying out other procedures—plus the factor of marketing activities—influence Portuguese firms’ tendency to innovate in marketing. Keywords: Marketing Innovation, Logit Model, CIS
The Effect of Extra-Curricular Mental Training with Biofeedback on Short Running Performance of Adolescent Physical Education Pupils

In this study, the relationship between mental training with biofeedback and performance was investigated. An adapted version of the Wingate five-step approach was used as a mental preparation technique for enhancing the short-running performance among 16-18-year-old adolescent physical education pupils. Participants (n = 79) were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (a) experimental - regular training plus three stages of the Wingate mental training program, and (b) control - regular training and relaxing activities. After a baseline measurement, participants were tested on actual performance three times during a 12-week period. Results indicated that the experimental group exhibited a substantial increase in performance, whereas the control group remained relatively stable. Results are discussed in reference to previous work on the Wingate approach to mental training. Additional theoretical and methodological aspects are discussed that are relevant to the use of such interventions with other populations and tasks.
Affectivity, Organizational Stressors, and Absenteeism: A Causal Model of Burnout and Its Consequences

Abstract Exclusion of dispositional factors and common method variance have been identified as shortcomings in existing causal models of stress (e.g., Lee & Ashforth, 1993; Schaubroeck, Ganster, & Fox, 1992). These issues are addressed by testing a causal model of burnout that includes affectivity and absenteeism. Data on these variables, role stress, workload, autonomy, social support, and job satisfaction were collected from 487 healthcare workers. Positive (PA) and negative (NA) affectivity differentially affected these variables: NA predicted low social support and job satisfaction, and high emotional exhaustion and depersonalization; PA showed the reverse pattern. Also, whereas NA was associated with increased workload, PA resulted in higher personal accomplishment, greater autonomy and lower absenteeism. In terms of moderator effects, the results indicated that high NA experienced greater depersonalization from co-worker support than low NA. Conversely, high NA experienced lower depersonalization from peer support than low NA. A possible explanation may be that co-worker and peer support produces a misfit between available (i.e., informational) and preferred (i.e., emotional) coping strategies. These results have implications for broad strategies such as stress management programs, which may have differential outcomes depending on dispositional affect.