Differentiating Tower of Hanoi performance: Interactive effects of psychopathic tendencies, impulsive response styles, and modality.

Previous research has demonstrated that performance on the computerized Tower of Hanoi is lower than performance on the manual Tower of Hanoi. The present study was conducted to elucidate potential factors that contribute to performance differences across modalities. Personality characteristics related to psychopathy and impulsive response styles were hypothesized to be correlates of poor performance on the computerized version of the Tower of Hanoi, which is a problem-solving task that requires working memory, planning, and inhibition. Eighty-four college students from a mid-sized university participated. Participants were grouped as low, middle, or high psychopathy based on their total scores on the Psychopathic Personality Inventory. A 2 (Modality) x 3 (Psychopathy) analysis of covariance, controlling for visuospatial working memory, yielded a significant interaction, in which the high psychopathy group did not differ in performance across modality, whereas the low and middle psychopathy groups performed more poorly on the computerized version. Subsequent analyses on reaction time and accuracy for the computerized modality indicated that a reflective, methodical approach to the computerized task was more productively utilized in the low psychopathy group, whereas the fast and accurate approach was more productively utilized in the high psychopathy group. These results suggest that individuals with elevated psychopathic tendencies within a normal population are not necessarily deficient in problem-solving performance on the Tower of Hanoi. Impulsive responding is associated with poor performance in the computerized version of the Tower of Hanoi, irrespective of psychopathic tendencies. Caution should be exercised in interpreting scores on the computerized Tower of Hanoi because the psychometric properties required for comparability with the manual version have not been sufficiently demonstrated

The effects of dietary tryptophan levels on growth and metabolism of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri)

1. Groups of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) (mean weight 14 g) were given diets containing 0.8, 1.3, 2, 3, 4 or 6 g tryptophan/kg diet for 12 weeks. 2. By analysis of the growth results, the dietary requirement of tryptophan was found to be 2.5 g/kg diet (equivalent to 50 mg/kg biomass per d). 3. Carbon dioxide expired by trout following intraperitoneal injection of [14COOH]tryptophan contained little radioactivity when dietary tryptophan level was low but, above 2.0 g/kg diet, it increased rapidly with increasing dietary tryptophan level. The break point in the dose-response curve did not, however, coincide with that from the growth results. 4. Changes in concentrations of free tryptophan in blood and liver and activity of hepatic tryptophan pyrrolase (EC 1.13.11.11) in response to changes in dietary tryptophan concentration did not provide reliable indicators for quantifying dietary requirement. Unlike the situation in mammals, blood tryptophan was not protein-bound to any appreciable extent. Tryptophan pyrrolase of trout has properties which suggest it has no apoenzyme form. 5. In fish given adequate levels of tryptophan injected intraperitoneally with a tracer dose of [14COOH]tryptophan, 60% of the dose was incorporated into body protein within 1 d. The turnover of the label in this protein is very slow. 6. Those trout given diets deficient in tryptophan suffered from severe scoliosis and lordosis as well as having increased liver and kidney levels of calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium

Multidisciplinary assessment of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: Using the ICF framework to inform assessment

The aim of this study was to describe relationships in young children with motor coordination problems between measures of motor, functional, self-efficacy, and communication administered by a multidisciplinary team and the fit of these measures within the framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) (World Health Organisation, 2001). Sixty children, 40 males and 20 females, with mean age 72.5 months (SD= 11.4 months) referred to a university physiotherapy clinic met the inclusion criteria for developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Each measure provided a different perspective of performance when considered within the framework of the ICF. The findings suggest caution when using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC) for the purpose of diagnosis with young referred children, since 25 of the 60 children scored > 15th percentile, despite demonstrating motor deficits at home and school. Further research is needed to address assessment at the participation level. Viewing children from the multiple perspective of each discipline highlights the range of challenges faced by children with DCD