Conditioned inhibition: a below zero effect/

Utilizing the rabbit »s nictitating membrane response preparation, it was demonstrated that Pavlov\u27s procedure for producing conditioned inhibition resulted in a stimulus which controlled a response strength below zero. Due to the use of appropriate control groups, it was concluded that the inhibition produced was not due to non-associative processes. The results were interpreted as lending empirical support for Hull\u27s, and Rescorla and Wagner\u27s theoretical assumptions

UNDERSTANDING CONSISTENT EXERCISE: PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS RELATED TO LONG-TERM EXERCISE FREQUENCY MAINTENANCE

Exercise results in numerous health promoting benefits, such as improved health-related quality of life, reduced stress, and improved physical functioning. However, much of the research in exercise and health psychology has focused on starting and increasing exercise. In contrast, limited research has investigated the subset of the population who maintain exercise. Identifying psychosocial processes that are involved in successful self-regulation and, in turn, long-term exercise maintenance is needed. Maintaining engagement in exercise requires self-regulation for successful pursuit over weeks, months, and years. Previous research has attempted to compile, describe, and explain different theoretical ideas of maintenance, identifying several key motives, with accompanying psychosocial factors. Considerable exercise research exists using various psychosocial factors (e.g., self-regulatory efficacy) to differentiate individuals meeting and not meeting public health guidelines. However, evidence is lacking on how individuals consistently self-manage their schedule, reach personal goals, and maintain their personally-set weekly exercise frequency. Thus, the primary study purpose was to determine whether individuals who differed in their weekly exercise frequency differed in psychosocial factors that were identified in prior research as providing theoretical explanations about how individuals maintain health behaviours over time. Based on the assumption that higher weekly exercise frequency patterns require the greatest challenge to maintain (Chao, Foy, & Farmer, 2000; Kwasnicka, Dombrowski, White, & Sniehotta, 2016), the group with the highest frequency of exercise maintenance was hypothesized to report significantly greater scores for the value of, and satisfaction with proximal and distal outcome expectations and various self-efficacy beliefs compared to low frequency maintainers. The secondary study purpose was to determine whether individuals who approached the exercise public health recommendation differed from a group who exceeded the recommendation relative to the same psychosocial factors as mentioned for the primary study purpose. Participants were 357 self-identified exercise maintainers (M = 31.88 ± 11.89 years) with an average 6.98 ± 3.92 years of maintenance of their weekly exercise frequency pattern. Maintainers included individuals who consistently followed their pattern of weekly exercise for more 6+ months for at least 2 days per week lasting 30 minutes or more. An online survey assessing outcome expectations, satisfaction, self-regulatory efficacy to overcome barriers, recovery efficacy, task self-efficacy, exercise level relative to the public health recommendation, and awareness of the public health recommendation was completed. To assess the primary purpose, three groups were identified based on frequency of weekly exercise bouts: low, 2-3 days (n = 79); medium, 4-5 days (n = 178); and high, 6-7 days (n = 100). A MANOVA revealed that high frequency maintainers reported significantly higher ratings of proximal satisfaction with outcome expectations, distal satisfaction with outcome expectations, self-regulatory efficacy to overcome barriers, and recovery efficacy than low frequency maintainers. To assess the secondary purpose, two groups were identified based on whether participants self-identified as approaching/meeting (n = 71) or exceeding (n = 286) the public health exercise recommendation. A MANOVA revealed that exercise maintainers exceeding the public health exercise recommendation reported significantly higher ratings of value of distal outcome expectations, proximal satisfaction with outcome expectations, distal satisfaction with outcome expectations, self-regulatory efficacy to overcome barriers, and recovery efficacy than those approaching/meeting the recommendation. Further, only 56 individuals reported being correctly aware of the public health recommendation. In conclusion, this study was one of the first in the exercise literature to identify psychosocial factors consistent with maintenance theorizing and begins to fill a gap in this under-investigated area. Findings provide initial support for the notion that psychosocial factors involved in the successful self-management of individuals’ maintenance of exercise frequency appear to be related to personal behavioral goals. This conclusion is strengthened by the finding that the present maintainer sample was unaware of, or incorrect about, public health recommendation

Asteroseismic test of rotational mixing in low-mass white dwarfs

We exploit the recent discovery of pulsations in mixed-atmosphere (He/H), extremely low-mass white dwarf precursors (ELM proto-WDs) to test the proposition that rotational mixing is a fundamental process in the formation and evolution of low-mass helium core white dwarfs. Rotational mixing has been shown to be a mechanism able to compete efficiently against gravitational settling, thus accounting naturally for the presence of He, as well as traces of metals such as Mg and Ca, typically found in the atmospheres of ELM proto-WDs. Here we investigate whether rotational mixing can maintain a sufficient amount of He in the deeper driving region of the star, such that it can fuel, through HeII-HeIII ionization, the observed pulsations in this type of stars. Using state-of-the-art evolutionary models computed with MESA, we show that rotational mixing can indeed explain qualitatively the very existence and general properties of the known pulsating, mixed-atmosphere ELM proto-WDs. Moreover, such objects are very likely to pulsate again during their final WD cooling phase.Comment: accepted for publication in A&A Letter

Plant specimens for identification

PLANT names and the naming of plant specimens are of fundamental importance in the science of botany. In applied botany as well, proper identification is of the utmost importance. In agriculture for instance, accuracy in naming poisonous plants and weeds, as well as fodder and pasture species, can save farmers considerable sums of money, and may be responsible for avoiding heavy stock losses

European household waste management schemes: Their effectiveness and applicability in England.

This paper reviews European household waste management schemes and provides an insight into their effectiveness in reducing or diverting household waste. The paper also considers the feasibility of replicating such schemes in England. Selected case studies include those implemented using variable charging schemes, direct regulation and household incentivisation (reduced disposal charges). A total of 15 case studies were selected from developed countries in the EU where some schemes have operated for more than a decade. Criteria for assessing the effectiveness and replicability of schemes were developed using scheme progress towards targets, response time, compatibility with government policy, ease of administration and operation, and public acceptance as attributes. The study demonstrates the capability of these schemes to significantly reduce household waste and suggests changes to allow their possible adoption in England. One of the main barriers to their adoption is the Environmental Protection Act, 1990 that prevents English local authorities (LAs) from implementing the variable charging method for household waste management. This barrier could be removed through a change in legislation. The need to derive consistent data and standardise the method of measuring the effectiveness of schemes is also highlighted