Preference and Reinforcer Effects of Different Forms of Attention in Young Children

Attention may function as a reinforcer for increasing appropriate behavior and inappropriate behavior; however, the conditions under which attention is most likely to function as a reinforcer are unclear. Previous research has suggested that various factors may influence the reinforcing efficacy of attention including magnitude (i.e., duration) of attention; immediacy of attention delivery; schedule of attention delivery; motivating operations; conditioning history; and type, content, and overall quality of attention. Various position papers and early childhood organizations (e.g., NAEYC, 2014; Serna, Lambros, Nielsen, & Forness, 2002) have suggested the use of various forms of attention in early childhood environments for the purpose of social-emotional development and teaching of young children. Common forms of attention that are suggested include praise, conversation, and physical attention (e.g., Kazdin, Silverman, & Sitter, 1975; Kelly et al., 2014; Roscoe, Kindle, & Pence, 2010; Smaby et al., 2007). Therefore, I developed an efficient assessment procedure to determine which, if any, of these types of attention were preferred by a large number of preschool-age children. Next, I conducted a reinforcer assessment under fixed-ratio (FR) 1 and progressive schedules to (a) validate the attention assessment and (b) determine whether these common types of attention function as reinforcers when used contingent on correct responding on a maintenance task. Overall, results showed that the majority of children preferred conversation or physical attention. In addition, in general, the results from our reinforcer assessments suggested that the forms of attention that were preferred in the assessment were more likely to function as reinforcers. Keywords: attention, reinforcer efficacy, praise, physical attention, conversation, progressive-ratio schedul

THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT IMMEDIATE HISTORIES OF REINFORCEMENT ON SUBSEQUENT RESPONDING IN YOUNG CHILDREN

Previous research has shown that providing continuous access to a stimulus decreases subsequent responding for that stimulus, and restricted access (i.e., no access) to a stimulus increases subsequent responding for that stimulus. An important implication of these findings is that certain immediate histories of reinforcement may affect whether certain stimuli may subsequently be used as reinforcers for effective teaching. Although previous research has shown that continuous and restricted access to reinforcers affect subsequent responding, little is known about the effect other immediate histories of reinforcement may have on subsequent responding to access those reinforcers. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to replicate and extend previous research by evaluating the effects of four different immediate histories of reinforcement on subsequent responding on a pre-academic task to access that reinforcer and other concurrently available stimuli

Treatment of Recurrent Vulvovaginal Candidiasis

A six-month treatment regimen with an antifungal agent decreases the recurrence of vulvovaginal candidiasis. (Strength of Recommendation [SOR]: A, based on good-quality randomized controlled trials [RCTs].) For women in mycologic remission, a six-month treatment regimen with an antifungal agent may result in an additional five to 10 months of clinical cure. (SOR: A, based on good-quality RCTs.) Suitable therapies include oral fluconazole (Diflucan; 150 mg once per week for six months) or oral itraconazole (Sporanox; 200 mg twice per day, one day per month for six months)

A Chromosomal Deletion and New Frameshift Mutation Cause ARSACS in an African-American

Autosomal Recessive Spastic Ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) is a rare, progressive, neurodegenerative disease characterized by ataxia, spasticity and polyneuropathy. First described in the French-Canadian population of Quebec in 1978, ARSACS has since been identified in multiple patients worldwide. In this clinical case report, we describe the evaluation of an 11-years-old African-American male who presented to neuromuscular clinic for assessment of a gait abnormality. He had a history of gross motor delay since early childhood, frequent falls and a below average IQ. Chromosomal microarray revealed a 1.422 megabase loss in the 13q12.12 region, which includes the SACS gene. Next Generation Sequencing then showed a novel, predicted to be pathogenic missense mutation (c.11824dup) of this gene. His clinical presentation and neurological imaging further confirmed the diagnosis of ARSACS. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of this disease in the African-American population of the United States. This case report further highlights the growing trend of identifying genetic diseases previously restricted to single, ethnically isolated regions in many different ethnic groups worldwide

What is the best age to start vitamin D supplementation to prevent rickets in breastfed newborns?

Evidence-based answer: It's unclear what age is best to start vitamin D supplementation because no comparison studies exist. That said, breastfed infants who take vitamin D beginning at 3 to 5 days of life don't develop rickets (strength of recommendation SOR]: B, randomized trial). Starting infants on vitamin D supplementation at one to 36 months of age reduces the risk of rickets (SOR: B, a controlled and a randomized controlled trial)

Does screening reduce lung cancer mortality?

Neither routine chest x-ray (with or without sputum cytology) nor low-dose computed tomography (CT) have been proven to reduce mortality when used for lung cancer screening, although low-dose CT screening does identify lung cancer at an early stage in high-risk patients (strength of recommendation: B, based on heterogeneous cohort studies). Large studies of both imaging approaches are ongoing

A functionally defined high-density NRF2 interactome reveals new conditional regulators of ARE transactivation

NRF2 (NFE2L2) is a cytoprotective transcription factor associated with >60 human diseases, adverse drug reactions and therapeutic resistance. To provide insight into the complex regulation of NRF2 responses, 1962 predicted NRF2-partner interactions were systematically tested to generate an experimentally defined high-density human NRF2 interactome. Verification and conditional stratification of 46 new NRF2 partners was achieved by co-immunoprecipitation and the novel integration of quantitative data from dual luminescence-based co-immunoprecipitation (DULIP) assays and live-cell fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCCS). The functional impact of new partners was then assessed in genetically edited loss-of-function (NRF2−/−) and disease-related gain-of-function (NRF2T80K and KEAP1−/−) cell-lines. Of the new partners investigated >77% (17/22) modified NRF2 responses, including partners that only exhibited effects under disease-related conditions. This experimentally defined binary NRF2 interactome provides a new vision of the complex molecular networks that govern the modulation and consequence of NRF2 activity in health and disease

Global patterns of diapycnal mixing from measurements of the turbulent dissipation rate

The authors present inferences of diapycnal diffusivity from a compilation of over 5200 microstructure profiles. As microstructure observations are sparse, these are supplemented with indirect measurements of mixing obtained from (i) Thorpe-scale overturns from moored profilers, a finescale parameterization applied to (ii) shipboard observations of upper-ocean shear, (iii) strain as measured by profiling floats, and (iv) shear and strain from full-depth lowered acoustic Doppler current profilers (LADCP) and CTD profiles. Vertical profiles of the turbulent dissipation rate are bottom enhanced over rough topography and abrupt, isolated ridges. The geography of depth-integrated dissipation rate shows spatial variability related to internal wave generation, suggesting one direct energy pathway to turbulence. The global-averaged diapycnal diffusivity below 1000-m depth is O(10?4) m2 s?1 and above 1000-m depth is O(10?5) m2 s?1. The compiled microstructure observations sample a wide range of internal wave power inputs and topographic roughness, providing a dataset with which to estimate a representative global-averaged dissipation rate and diffusivity. However, there is strong regional variability in the ratio between local internal wave generation and local dissipation. In some regions, the depth-integrated dissipation rate is comparable to the estimated power input into the local internal wave field. In a few cases, more internal wave power is dissipated than locally generated, suggesting remote internal wave sources. However, at most locations the total power lost through turbulent dissipation is less than the input into the local internal wave field. This suggests dissipation elsewhere, such as continental margins