Mastery-approach goals eliminate retrieval-induced forgetting: the role of achievement goals in memory inhibition

The present study examined how achievement goals affect retrieval-induced forgetting. Researchers have suggested that mastery-approach goals (i.e., developing one’s own competence) promote a relational encoding, whereas performance-approach goals (i.e., demonstrating one’s ability in comparison to others) promote item-specific encoding. These different encoding processes may affect the degree to which participants integrate the exemplars within a category and, as a result, we expected that retrieval-induced forgetting may be reduced or eliminated under mastery-approach goals. Three experiments were conducted using a retrieval-practice paradigm with different stimuli, where participants’ achievement goals were manipulated through brief written instructions. A meta-analysis that synthesized the results of the three experiments showed that retrieval-induced forgetting was not statistically significant in the mastery-approach goal condition, whereas it was statistically significant in the performance-approach goal condition. These results suggest that mastery-approach goals eliminate retrieval-induced forgetting, but performance-approach goals do not, demonstrating that motivation factors can influence inhibition and forgetting

I. Bismethidium Intercalators: The Binding of Nucleic Acids and II. Experiments in the Design of Site Specific DNA Cleaving Agents

CHAPTER I Part I Bis(methidium)spermidine (BMSpd), an analog of ethidium bromide in which two phenanthridine chromophores are tethered by a 10 Å Spermidine linker, has been synthesized and characterized in order to test the effect of linker length on DNA binding. Like bis(methidium)spermine (BMSp),1 a dimer with a 15 Å tether, BMSpd unwinds DNA 36.5°. Unlike BMSp, the binding of BMSpd to calf thymus DNA, poly dG·poly dC, poly rA·poly dT, and poly dA·poly dT is complicated. At 0.4 M (M+) and pH 7, the binding site sizes and binding constants of BMSpd range from 2.75 base pairs (calf thymus DNA) to 4.0 base pairs (rA·dT, dG·dC) and 5 x 105 M-1 (dA·dT) to 6 x 106M-1 (r A·dT). These affinities are on the average, ten times higher than the analogous affinities of ethidium bromide and 300 times less than the binding constants of BMSp. The most dramatic change occurs in the binding specificity of BMSpd. Whereas, BMSp binds poly rA·dT 1440 times more tightly than poly dA·dT, the spermidine analog (BMSpd) binds poly rA·dT only 10 times more tightly than poly dA·dT. Part II The ethidium dimers, bis(methidium)spermine (BMSp) and bis(methidium)spermidine (BMSpd), were found to site selectively inhibit DNase I and a variety of restriction enzymes on the plasmid pBR322. In contrast to the dimers, the monomer, ethidium bromide (EB), shows no site selective action in competition with any of the enzymes tested. The sites preferentially inhibited by BMSp and BMSpd appear to be in the first third of the plasmid. These observations and the clustering of inhibited restriction sites then suggests that selective inhibition may be due to the recognition or perturbation of DNA secondary structure. CHAPTER II The compounds methidiumpropyl-EDTA, distamycin-EDTA, and pentaN-methylpyrrolecarboxamide-EDTA are three representative examples of a class of rationally designed DNA cleaving agents. By appending an iron chelator to different DNA binding vehicles certain properties of the resulting DNA cleaving agent can be controlled. Methidiumpropyl-EDTA randomly single strand cleaves DNA with high efficiency. Distamycin-EDTA nicks at 5 base pair recognition sites, and penta-N-methylpyrrolecarboxamide-EDTA double strand cleaves DNA at 6 base pair recognition sites. The success of these compounds led to the design of a controlled site cleaving agent, oligonucleotide-EDTA. The construction of the molecule was approached in two ways, synthetically and enzymatically. Synthetically, the oligonucleotide-EDTA was constructed by known nucleotide triester methodology. Enzymatically, a modified uridine, EDTA-dUTP, was incorporated into a DNA fragment. Unfortunately, neither strategy yielded an active DNA cleaving agent. These failures, however, do not directly reflect on the viability of an oligonucleotide-EDTA. It is possible that an extended research effort will uncover the methods needed to create an active oligonucleotide-EDTA.</p

Achievement goals affect metacognitive judgments

The present study examined the effect of achievement goals on metacognitive judgments, such as judgments of learning (JOLs) and metacomprehension judgments, and actual recall performance. We conducted five experiments manipulating the instruction of achievement goals. In each experiment, participants were instructed to adopt mastery-approach goals (i.e., develop their own mental ability through a memory task) or performance-approach goals (i.e., demonstrate their strong memory ability through getting a high score on a memory task). The results of Experiments 1 and 2 showed that JOLs of word pairs in the performance-approach goal condition tended to be higher than those in the mastery-approach goal condition. In contrast, cued recall performance did not differ between the two goal conditions. Experiment 3 also demonstrated that metacomprehension judgments of text passages were higher in the performance-approach goal condition than in the mastery-approach goals condition, whereas test performance did not differ between conditions. These findings suggest that achievement motivation affects metacognitive judgments during learning, even when achievement motivation does not influence actual performance

Metacognition and proofreading: the roles of aging, motivation, and interest

Objectives: The current study examined younger and older adults’ error detection accuracy, prediction calibration, and postdiction calibration on a proofreading task, to determine if age-related difference would be present in this type of common error detection task. Method: Participants were given text passages, and were first asked to predict the percentage of errors they would detect in the passage. They then read the passage and circled errors (which varied in complexity and locality), and made postdictions regarding their performance, before repeating this with another passage and answering a comprehension test of both passages. Results: There were no age-related differences in error detection accuracy, text comprehension, or metacognitive calibration, though participants in both age groups were overconfident overall in their metacognitive judgments. Both groups gave similar ratings of motivation to complete the task. The older adults rated the passages as more interesting than younger adults did, although this level of interest did not appear to influence error-detection performance. Discussion: The age equivalence in both proofreading ability and calibration suggests that the ability to proofread text passages and the associated metacognitive monitoring used in judging one’s own performance are maintained in aging. These age-related similarities persisted when younger adults completed the proofreading tasks on a computer screen, rather than with paper and pencil. The findings provide novel insights regarding the influence that cognitive aging may have on metacognitive accuracy and text processing in an everyday task

On-chip two-octave supercontinuum generation by enhancing self-steepening of optical pulses

Dramatic advances in supercontinuum generation have been made recently using photonic crystal fibers, but it is quite challenging to obtain an octave-spanning supercontinuum on a chip, partially because of strong dispersion in high-index-contrast nonlinear integrated waveguides. We show by simulation that extremely flat and low dispersion can be achieved in silicon nitride slot waveguides over a wavelength band of 500 nm. Different from previously reported supercontinua that were generated either by higher-order soliton fission in anomalous dispersion regime or by self phase modulation in normal dispersion regime, a two-octave supercontinuum from 630 to 2650 nm (360 THz in total) can be generated by greatly enhancing self-steepening in nonlinear pulse propagation in almost zero dispersion regime, when an optical shock as short as 3 fs is formed, which enables on-chip ultra-wide-band applications

High-Dose Chemotherapy with Autologous Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Rescue for Pediatric Brain Tumor Patients: A Single Institution Experience from UCLA

Background. Dose-dependent response makes certain pediatric brain tumors appropriate targets for high-dose chemotherapy with autologous hematopoietic stem-cell rescue (HDCT-AHSCR). Methods. The clinical outcomes and toxicities were analyzed retrospectively for 18 consecutive patients ≤19 y/o treated with HDCT-AHSCR at UCLA (1999–2009). Results. Patients' median age was 2.3 years. Fourteen had primary and 4 recurrent tumors: 12 neural/embryonal (7 medulloblastomas, 4 primitive neuroectodermal tumors, and a pineoblastoma), 3 glial/mixed, and 3 germ cell tumors. Eight patients had initial gross-total and seven subtotal resections. HDCT mostly consisted of carboplatin and/or thiotepa ± etoposide (n = 16). Nine patients underwent a single AHSCR and nine ≥3 tandems. Three-year progression-free and overall survival probabilities were 60.5% ± 16 and 69.3% ± 11.5. Ten patients with pre-AHSCR complete remissions were alive/disease-free, whereas 5 of 8 with measurable disease were deceased (median followup: 2.3 yrs). Nine of 13 survivors avoided radiation. Single AHSCR regimens had greater toxicity than ≥3 AHSCR (P < .01). Conclusion. HDCT-AHSCR has a definitive, though limited role for selected pediatric brain tumors with poor prognosis and pretransplant complete/partial remissions

Hybrid Airship Multi-Role (HAMR) Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) mission capability

The Hybrid Airship Multi-Role (HAMR) Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Mission Module project applies established systems engineering principles and processes to the design of an ASW payload module that examines the capability of the HAMR to perform persistent ASW mission support. Critical system functions and objectives are identified and are assigned appropriate quantitative metrics. Additionally, three alternative architectures are generated and evaluated using the appropriate metrics based on results from modeling using Naval Systems Simulation (NSS). Manning is considered as a key stakeholder parameter and is included as an evaluation concern. The alternatives are also compared through the examination of life cycle costs. The recommendation to the stakeholders based on the research and results is an unmanned ASW sensor platform that uses other ASW assets for prosecution.http://archive.org/details/hybridairshipmul109456935N

Nursing care in combating and preventing the risks of hospital infection

The aim of this study was to understand the factors predisposing to the development of hospital infections, as well as to explain the risks of contracting hospital infections to which patients and professionals are exposed in hospitals. The study was conducted through a narrative review research, with the collection of data in books, official publications of the health area and, mainly, published articles. Through this study it was possible to conclude that there are numerous biological risks to which nurses, other health professionals and patients are exposed, which predisposes them to the development of hospital infections. Therefore, it is necessary that nurses receive instructions and training on the biological risks to which they are exposed, as well as on the need for the use of personal protective equipment and other precautionary measures. Here is the warning about the importance of adopting biosecurity measures to avoid exposure to these risks

Importance of Early Recognition of Arterial Hypertension in Children and Adolescents: The Nursing Function in Ambulatory Monitoring

Arterial hypertension is considered an epidemic, remaining as the main cause of death and global disability. As high blood pressure in childhood is highly predictive of high blood pressure in adulthood, there has been a growing interest in the early recognition of this condition in the pediatric population, through outpatient screening in children over three years of age. Objective: to emphasize the importance of routine monitoring of blood pressure measurement in children and adolescents in childcare consultations. Methodology: This is a literature review of published articles, searched through the PubMed, Virtual Health Library and Google Scholar databases. Results: 12 scientific articles were selected as the data source for the present study, seven in English and five in Portuguese. Conclusion: the measurement of blood pressure in all consultations with children is important. If the disease is identified, treatment must be instituted, which will vary between non-pharmacological and pharmacological therapies, which should be introduced for all pediatric patients with blood pressure values above the acceptable percentile for age. In this sense, it is pertinent that nurses acquire and develop skills that make it possible to implement strategies for the prevention of hypertension, as well as the early identification of children and adolescents at risk of arterial hypertension

Alvarado’s Criteria for Diagnosis of Children’s Acute Apendicitis

Acute abdomen in children is a condition that causes great distress to parents, and appendicitis is its most common cause, being more frequent at school age. This pathology is the cause of numerous visits to public and private hospitals around the world, and brings several complications. It is important that the health team is aware of the possibility of appendicitis in children, due to its high incidence and difficulty in establishing its diagnosis, because the symptoms are nonspecific and there are different clinical presentations. Objective: to explain the importance of the Alvarado criterion for the diagnosis of acute childhood appendicitis. Methodology: This is an integrative bibliographic review, in articles published in the PubMed, Virtual Health Library and Google Scholar databases. For the search for data, the descriptors “Acute abdomen”, “Appendicitis”, “Children” and the keyword “Alvarado score” were used. Data were collected in December 2020. Results: 16 articles were selected as the final sample for analysis of the review, six in English, nine in Portuguese and one in Spanish. Conclusion: Through this review it can be concluded that the use of the Alvarado Score for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children is useful and effective, avoiding the use of imaging tests in patients with a score above 7 on this scale