Factors affecting the efficacy of feedback use during source monitoring

The current study considers how individual differences in working memory capacity (WMC) affect feedback effectiveness. Participants, selected to have high and low WMC, first watched a video of a crime. Subsequently, a post-test questionnaire was administered concerning events taken from the video and additional information suggested to have occurred in the video. After a 10 minute filler task, participants were given a two-part memory test requiring them to identify the source of the information presented in the test statements. During the training portion of the test, half of the participants received feedback as to the accuracy of their source decisions. On the second (assessment) portion of the test, participants did not receive any feedback. Both high and low WMC participants benefited equally from the presentation of feedback; both groups significantly reduced their misattributions of suggested items to the video. There was also a trend toward better source monitoring performance on suggested items in high WMC than low WMC participants, regardless of whether they received feedback. These findings suggest that feedback may be used to improve memory accuracy without requiring substantial executive resources

Monetary policy shocks: analyzing the quasi-narrative approach

This dissertation empirically identifies exogenous changes in monetary policy and estimates their effects on the economy. The framework is the Romer and Romer (2004) quasi-narrative approach to identifying exogenous changes in monetary policy. The first essay replicates the Romer-Romer (RR) “quasi-narrative” measure of shocks and updates them with Greenbook forecasts to 2003. A key result is the quasi-narrative approach is robust to updates and corrections for serial correlation. An alternative, independently formed measure of the intended funds rate from Thornton (2005) is compared to the RR measure. The measures are highly correlated and display slight differences concerning the timing of the changes in the intended funds rate. The second essay examines the relative importance of three sources of monetary policy shocks in the quasi-narrative approach. The sources analyzed are changes in operating regimes, changes in chairmen, and the credit controls of 1980. It is found that the responses of monetary policy to forecasted increases in output and inflation were strongest during the NBR targeting period and during the term of Paul Volcker as chairman. The most important source analyzed is shown to be the changes in chairmen. The third essay utilizes the quasi-narrative approach to create measures of monetary policy shocks from alternative real-time data. Three real-time data sources are constructed and explained. When jointly considered with the Greenbooks data used by RR, alternative real-time data is found to add significant information in the response of monetary policy. However, when compared to the RR results, the shocks produced from incorporating alternative data along with the Greenbook data produce only small and transitory differences in the responses of macroeconomic variables. Next, monetary policy shocks are constructed using only alternative real-time data that can be updated with a much shorter lag than is the case for shocks estimated using only Greenbook data. These new shocks are found to be highly correlated with the original RR measures. The shocks obtained from two specifications are shown to be reasonable substitutes for the RR measures, displaying only transitory, slight differences in the responses of output and prices

Validating The Rate of Perceived Stability Scale To Gauge Balance Training Difficulty

An effective way of measuring balance training difficulty is needed to properly conduct balance training. The instructor must ensure that the subject is partaking in the proper balance training difficulty. If the difficulty of the training is too hard, the subject may be at higher risk for injury. If the difficulty is too low, the subject may not receive all the benefits of the program. The purpose of the research study was to validate the Rate of Perceived Stability (RPS) scale. We recruited 25 subjects over the age of 50. The subjects were community ambulators with no musculoskeletal issues. The subjects completed three clinical balance tests and had their motion data captured while playing the gaming conditions. Subjects were asked to give an RPS score at certain times during the gaming. The scores should correlate with the perception of their own stability. We hypothesized that the subjects\u27 rank of gaming condition difficulty should match the RPS scores assigned to the condition. A clear majority of subjects matched their easiest gaming difficulty with their lowest RPS score and their hardest gaming difficulty with their highest RPS score. Only four subjects perfectly matched their gaming difficulty with their respective RPS scores, and only two subjects had zero matches.https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/u_poster_2017/1023/thumbnail.jp

Validating The Rate of Perceived Stability Scale To Gauge Balance Training Difficulty

An effective way of measuring balance training difficulty is needed to properly conduct balance training. The instructor must ensure that the subject is partaking in the proper balance training difficulty. If the difficulty of the training is too hard, the subject may be at higher risk for injury. If the difficulty is too low, the subject may not receive all the benefits of the program. The purpose of the research study was to validate the Rate of Perceived Stability (RPS) scale. We recruited 25 subjects over the age of 50. The subjects were community ambulators with no musculoskeletal issues. The subjects completed three clinical balance tests and had their motion data captured while playing the gaming conditions. Subjects were asked to give an RPS score at certain times during the gaming. The scores should correlate with the perception of their own stability. We hypothesized that the subjects\u27 rank of gaming condition difficulty should match the RPS scores assigned to the condition. A clear majority of subjects matched their easiest gaming difficulty with their lowest RPS score and their hardest gaming difficulty with their highest RPS score. Only four subjects perfectly matched their gaming difficulty with their respective RPS scores, and only two subjects had zero matches.https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/u_poster_2017/1023/thumbnail.jp

DNA fingerprinting of Alberta bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) populations

xvii, 161 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm.Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) populations from Alberta river drainage systems were compared using molecular techniques. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP's) within the NDI and ND5/6 regions of the mitochondrial genome were observed. In addition, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA profiles (RAPD's) from total genomic DNA extracts were compared. Interdrainage comparisons using mtDNA revealed significant population heterogeneity among Alberta bull trout. Percent sequence divergence in mtDNA ranged from 0.14% to 0.92%. Most fish in each population were composed of a small number of common haplotypes, and the remaining fish displayed rare or locally unique haplotypes. RAPD profiles were used to calculate genetic distance values for Alberta, Canada and Montana, U.S.A. populations. Both Nei and Cavalli-Sforza distance values were used to generate neighbor-joining, FITCH and KITSCH distance trees. Two genetically distinct groups of bull trout were revealed by the RAPD analysis and the possiblity that post-glacial bull trout populations are derived from two separate refugia is suggested

Adolescent health: A rural community's approach

First published in Rural and Remote Health [http://www.rrh.org.au]. Authors of articles published in Rural and Remote Health retain copyright.Introduction: Significant health problems encountered in adulthood often have their roots in health behaviours initiated during adolescence. In order to reverse this trend, school and health personnel, as well as parents and other community members working with high school students, need to be aware of the health-related beliefs and choices that guide the behaviours of teenagers. Although a wide variety of research has been conducted on this topic among urban adolescents, less is known about the health beliefs and behaviors of adolescents residing in rural areas, particularly in Canada. In general, rural Canadians are less healthy than their urban counterparts. Building on the knowledge and understanding of their own community, key stakeholders were invited to engage in the design and implementation of a participatory action research project aimed at understanding and improving the health of rural adolescents. Methods: A group of parents, teachers, students, school administrators and public health nurses engaged in a participatory action research project to better understand determinants of the health of rural adolescents at a high school in Western Canada. Group members developed and administered a health survey to 288 students from a small rural high school, in an effort to identify areas of concern and interest regarding health practices and beliefs of rural adolescents, and to take action on these identified concerns. Results: Results indicated some interesting but potentially worrying trends in this population. For example, while frequent involvement in a physical activity was noted by 75.9% of participants, close to half of the females (48%) described their body image as ‘a little overweight’ or ‘definitely overweight’, and approximately 25.8% of respondents noted that they skipped meals most of the time. Differences between the genders were apparent in several categories. For example, more girls smoked (16.2%) than boys (12.3%), and more males (55.0%) than females (41%) had tried illegal drugs. Participants indicated awareness of other health-compromising behaviours, including unsafe driving habits and high stress levels, and acknowledged several steps they wanted to take to improve their health, as well as the barriers to taking those steps. Students identified improved nutrition, stress reduction, and increased levels of physical activity as particular important health goals. Students also recommended ways in which information and support could be provided within the school environment to enable them to achieve their health-related goals. Several activities developed in collaboration with students have incorporated the recommendations, and have spawned other activities in response to the ongoing identification of new concerns. Conclusions: The process of including the rural community in the identification of health assets and needs from the perspective of students - as well as the planning and implementation of appropriate strategies to address those needs - demonstrates the strengths inherent within a small rural population. Community members’ awareness of the need to create a healthy environment for youth is reflected in their willingness to participate in activities leading to improved health. Greater awareness of the health needs of rural adolescents, and of the influence of gender in some aspects of health behaviors, will help researchers to explore ways in which the unique culture of rural communities can be harnessed to help shape health-focused interventions.Ye

A20, a modulator of smooth muscle cell proliferation and apoptosis, prevents and induces regression of neointimal hyperplasia

A20 is a NF‐κB‐dependent gene that has dual anti‐inflammatory and antiapoptotic functions in endothelial cells (EC). The function of A20 in smooth muscle cells (SMC) is unknown. We demonstrate that A20 is induced in SMC in response to inflammatory stimuli and serves an anti‐inflammatory function via blockade of NF‐κB and NF‐κB‐dependent proteins ICAM‐1 and MCP‐1. A20 inhibits SMC proliferation via increased expression of cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitors p21waf1 and p27kip1. Surprisingly, A20 sensitizes SMC to cytokine‐ and Fas‐mediated apoptosis through a novel NO‐dependent mechanism. In vivo, adenoviral delivery of A20 to medial rat carotid artery SMC after balloon angioplasty prevents neointimal hyperplasia by blocking SMC proliferation and accelerating re‐endothelialization, without causing apoptosis. However, expression of A20 in established neointimal lesions leads to their regression through increased apoptosis. This is the first demonstration that A20 exerts two levels of control of vascular remodeling and healing. A20 prevents neointimal hyperplasia through combined anti‐inflammatory and antiproliferative functions in medial SMC. If SMC evade this first barrier and neointima is formed, A20 has a therapeutic potential by uniquely sensitizing neointimal SMC to apoptosis. A20‐based therapies hold promise for the prevention and treatment of neointimal disease.—Patel, V. I., Daniel, S., Longo, C. R., Shrikhande, G. V., Scali, S. T., Czismadia, E., Groft, C. M., Shukri, T., Motley‐Dore, C., Ramsey, H. E., Fisher, M. D., Grey, S. T., Arvelo, M. B., Ferran, C. A20, a modulator of smooth muscle cell proliferation and apoptosis, prevents and induces regression of neointimal hyperplasia. FASEB J. 20, 1418–1430 (2006)Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154452/1/fsb2fj054981com.pd