Aftereffects in the perception of emotion following brief, masked adaptor faces

Adaptation aftereffects are the tendency to perceive an ambiguous target stimulus, which follows an adaptor stimulus, as different from the adaptor. A duration dependence of face adaptation aftereffects has been demonstrated for durations of at least 500ms, for identity related judgments. Here we describe the duration dependence of the adaptation aftereffects of very brief (11.7ms-500ms) backwardly masked faces, on both expression and identity category judgments of ambiguous target faces. We find significant aftereffects at minimum duration 23.5ms for emotional expression, and 47ms for identity, but these are abolished by backward masking with an inverted face, although these same adaptors can be correctly categorized above chance. The presence of a short duration adaptation effect in expression might be mediated by rapid transfer of low spatial frequency (LSF) information. We tested this possibility by comparing aftereffects in low pass and high pass filtered ambiguous targets, and found no evidence of independent adaptation of a LSF specific channel

Neither backward masking of T2 nor task switching is necessary for the attentional blink

Identification of the second of two targets (T1, T2, inserted in a stream of distractors) is impaired when presented within 500 ms after the first (attentional blink, AB). Barring a T1-T2 task-switch, it is thought that T2 must be backward-masked to obtain an AB (Giesbrecht & Di Lollo, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 24, 1454- 1466, 1998). We tested the hypothesis that Giesbrecht & Di Lollo's findings were vitiated by ceiling constraints arising from either response scale (experiment 1) or data limitations (experiment 2). In experiment 1, digitdistractors were replaced with pseudoletters to increase task difficulty, bringing performance below ceiling. An AB occurred without backward masking of T2. In experiment 2, a ceiling-free procedure estimated the number of noise dots needed for 80% T2 identification. An AB was revealed: fewer noise dots were required during the AB period than outside it. Both outcomes confirm that an AB can be obtained without either masking of T2 or task switching

Prioritizing Public- Private Partnership Models for Public Hospitals of Iran Based on Performance Indicators

Background: The present study was conducted to scrutinize Public- Private Partnership (PPP) models in public hospitals of different countries based on performance indicators in order to se-lect appropriated models for Iran hospitals.Methods: In this mixed (quantitative-qualitative) study, systematic review and expert panel hasbeen done to identify varied models of PPP as well as performance indicators. In the second stepwe prioritized performance indicator and PPP models based on selected performance indicatorsby Analytical Hierarchy process (AHP) technique. The data were analyzed by Excel 2007 andExpert Choice11 software’s.Results: In quality – effectiveness area, indicators like the rate of hospital infections(100%), hospital accidents prevalence rate (73%), pure rate of hospital mortality (63%), patientsatisfaction percentage (53%), in accessibility equity area indicators such as average inpatientwaiting time (100%) and average outpatient waiting time (74%), and in financial – efficiency area,indicators including average length of stay (100%), bed occupation ratio (99%), specific incometo total cost ratio (97%) have been chosen to be the most key performance indicators. In the prioritizationof the PPP models clinical outsourcing, management, privatization, BOO (build, own,operate) and non-clinical outsourcing models, achieved high priority for various performance indicatorareas.Conclusion: This study had been provided the most common PPP options in the field of public hospitals and had gathered suitable evidences from experts for choosing appropriate PPP option for public hospitals. Effect of private sector presence in public hospital performance, based on which PPP options undertaken, will be different

The Qur’anic Principles of the “Divine Assistance” in the Words of Imam Khomeini

The divine assistance is given to the faithful Muslims through various ways by the will of God and it leads to the astonishment of all people. This assistance relies on some principles mentioned in the Qur’an such as faith in God, obedience to the divine commands, definite trust in God and His divine promises, decisiveness and persistence for doing pure acts, and finally the divine traditions that exist in all times and places. Using descriptive analysis, the present study aims to delve deep into the subject of divine assistance. A monotheistic look at human history reveals that when faithful Muslims take action relying on the above principles, they can leave the obstacles and arduous challenges behind. Imam Khomeini himself conducted his measures from the beginning of Islamic revolution in Iran with reliance on the above principles and periodically used to emphasize on them in his speeches. People in the world have of course witnessed the real impact of those principles because when the victory of Islamic revolution seemed unlikely at the time of Pahlavi regime that was dominant in Iran as a stable Island, the divine and unseen assistance of God as well as the efforts of the leader and Iranian people who trusted in God and His definite promises to assist the believers against the enemies could defeat the former regime to the astonishment of World Arrogance. Therefore, people could choose their favorite government as a result of divine will and the fulfillment of one of the great traditions of God to give victory to those who aim to assist the religion of God with their pure actions   © A’rabi,  Gh;  Naseh, A.A; Jannati.  L. (2020) The Qur’anic Principles of the “Divine Assistance” in the Words of Imam Khomeini. Biannual Journal of Comparative Exegetical Researches, 6 (11) 7-18.  Doi: 10.22091/ptt.2020.5335.173

Barriers to Implementing Performance-Based Budgeting at Iranian Universities of Medical Sciences: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: A performance-based budgeting system provides the link between performance indicators and resource allocation. This study aimed to identify the barriers to implementing performance-based budgeting at Iranian universities of medical sciences. Method: In this qualitative study with the framework analysis approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 university professors and directors of the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education using purposive sampling and snowball model. MAXQDA-10 software was used to apply the codes and manage the data. The codes were extracted using deductive and inductive methods. Results: Barriers of performance-based budgeting were classified in three main areas including elements of environmental, human, and organizational management, and 14 themes. Conclusion: Having a deep understanding of the barriers to implementing evidence-based budgeting can help managers and policymakers to reach careful planning and successful implementation of budgeting. Paying attention to the environmental, human, and organizational infrastructure is essential for the successful deployment of performance-based budgeting at Iranian universities of medical sciences. Keywords: Budget, Budgeting, Universities, Ira

The effects of waveform and current direction on the efficacy and test–retest reliability of transcranial magnetic stimulation

[Abstract] The pulse waveform and current direction of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) influence its interactions with the neural substrate; however, their role in the efficacy and reliability of single- and paired-pulse TMS measures is not fully understood. We investigated how pulse waveform and current direction affect the efficacy and test–retest reliability of navigated, single- and paired-pulse TMS measures. 23 healthy adults (aged 18–35 years) completed two identical TMS sessions, assessing resting motor threshold (RMT), motor-evoked potentials (MEPs), cortical silent period (cSP), short- and long-interval intra-cortical inhibition (SICI and LICI), and intracortical facilitation (ICF) using either monophasic posterior–anterior (monoPA; n = 9), monophasic anterior–posterior (monoAP; n = 7), or biphasic (biAP-PA; n = 7) pulses. Averages of each TMS measure were compared across the three groups and intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to assess test–retest reliability. RMT was the lowest and cSP was the longest with biAP-PA pulses, whereas MEP latency was the shortest with monoPA pulses. SICI and LICI had the largest effect with monoPA pulses, whereas only monoAP and biAP-PA pulses resulted in significant ICF. MEP amplitude was more reliable with either monoPA or monoAP than with biAP-PA pulses. LICI was the most reliable with monoAP pulses, whereas ICF was the most reliable with biAP-PA pulses. Waveform/current direction influenced RMT, MEP latency, cSP, SICI, LICI, and ICF, as well as the reliability of MEP amplitude, LICI, and ICF. These results show the importance of considering TMS pulse parameters for optimizing the efficacy and reliability of TMS neurophysiologic measures

The Effect of Organizational Justice and Perceived Organizational Support on University Staff JobBurnout (Case ofUniversityStaff ofIsfahan)

Abstract: One of the problems human resource managers encounter nowadays is the job burnout phenomenon. This can even happen in universities and cause a decline in work efficiency and a failure to reach long-term purposes. This study aims at manifesting the job burnout state and the effect of organizational justice and perceived organizational support onjob burnoutstaff of the University of Isfahan who are working in administrative sections. The data gathering tools consist of three standard questionnaires for perceived organizational justice, organizational support and job burnout assessment which areadministered among a sample of 150 individuals out of 448 staff working in administrative sections of the University of Isfahan. The volume of the sample is also calculated bystratificationusing Cochran formula. By using of structural equation modeling (SEM) method, it can be said that organizational justice and perceived organizational support has a negative effects onjob burnout, but perceived organizational support doesn't significantly affect onjob burnout

Dynamic Inhibitory Control Prevents Salience-Driven Capture of Visual Attention

The salience-driven selection theory is comprised of three main tenets: (a) the most salient stimulus within a monitored region of the visual field captures attention, (b) the only way to prevent salience-driven distraction is by narrowly focusing attention elsewhere, and (c) all other goal-driven processes are possible only after the most salient item has been attended. Evidence for and against this theory has been provided from two experimental paradigms. Here, event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded in a novel Go/No-Go paradigm disconfirmed all three of tenets of the theory. Participants were instructed to search cyan-item displays for a salient orientation singleton (Go trials) and to ignore randomly intermixed yellow-item displays that could also contain an orientation singleton (No-Go trials). ERP components associated with attentional orienting (N2pc), distractor suppression (PD), and stimulus relevance (P2a) were isolated to test predictions stemming from the salience-driven selection theory. On No-Go trials, the salient oddball elicited a PD rather than an N2pc, indicating that it was suppressed, not attended. Moreover, a P2a emerged before the N2pc on Go trials, demonstrating that observers first evaluated the global color of each display and then decided to search for the oddball (Go trials) or to ignore it (No-Go trials). We conclude that goal-driven processes can lead to the prevention of salience-driven attention capture by salient visual objects within the attentional window