Mrs. Alice Palmatier to Mr. Meredith (1 October 1962)

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/mercorr_pro/1305/thumbnail.jp

Occasion-setting by drug states: Functional equivalence following similar training history

Three experiments examined whether a drug state serving as a positive feature for pairings between a discrete conditional stimulus (CS, 15-s light or 15-s noise) and sucrose could transfer facilitative control to a CS with which it had never been presented. To do so, a CS was paired with a sucrose reward in the nicotine (0.4 mg/kg), amphetamine (AMP, 1 mg/kg), or chlordiazepoxide (CDP, 5 mg/ kg) drug state; in separate saline sessions the CS was presented but was not followed by any reward. All three drug states facilitated responding to a discrete CS; previous studies found that this facilitation did not depend on direct associations between the drug state and sucrose. When a second discrimination was trained (e.g., CDP: light-sucrose and nicotine: noise-sucrose) the drug states facilitated responding to the CS trained in that state (nicotine: noise) as well as the CS normally presented in the other drug state (e.g., nicotine: light). A novel drug state (e.g., amphetamine) did not affect responding to either CS, indicating that the originally trained drug states had acquired functional similarity based on learning history. Also, a novel or ambiguous CS did not evoke responding in the previously trained drug state, indicating that both the features (drug states) and target conditional stimuli had to be trained in discriminations before transfer could occur

Occasion-setting by drug states: Functional equivalence following similar training history

Three experiments examined whether a drug state serving as a positive feature for pairings between a discrete conditional stimulus (CS, 15-s light or 15-s noise) and sucrose could transfer facilitative control to a CS with which it had never been presented. To do so, a CS was paired with a sucrose reward in the nicotine (0.4 mg/kg), amphetamine (AMP, 1 mg/kg), or chlordiazepoxide (CDP, 5 mg/ kg) drug state; in separate saline sessions the CS was presented but was not followed by any reward. All three drug states facilitated responding to a discrete CS; previous studies found that this facilitation did not depend on direct associations between the drug state and sucrose. When a second discrimination was trained (e.g., CDP: light-sucrose and nicotine: noise-sucrose) the drug states facilitated responding to the CS trained in that state (nicotine: noise) as well as the CS normally presented in the other drug state (e.g., nicotine: light). A novel drug state (e.g., amphetamine) did not affect responding to either CS, indicating that the originally trained drug states had acquired functional similarity based on learning history. Also, a novel or ambiguous CS did not evoke responding in the previously trained drug state, indicating that both the features (drug states) and target conditional stimuli had to be trained in discriminations before transfer could occur

Addressing the Barriers to Bicycling: A Bike Access Program in Lewiston and Auburn, ME

Efforts by municipalities and advocacy groups to encourage biking for transportation and recreation has been associated with improvements in emissions reductions, economic development, public health, and social equity (Gardner and Gaegauf 2014, 2013). The aim of this project was to identify barriers to biking in the towns of Lewiston and Auburn. Given this aim, the primary objective was to determine a strategy to overcome these barriers in the form of a bike access program. There are many methods that support biking as a viable form of transportation, including bicycling infrastructure (parking and bike lanes), promotional events, and educational initiatives. The primary focus of our group, however, was to determine the viability of some form of a “bike access” program in Lewiston and Auburn. In order to determine what an equitable bike access program might look like, we sought community feedback from local businesses and residents through interviews and surveys, discussed the project with government officials in both Lewiston and Auburn, consulted operators of other bike access programs in Maine and across the US, and identified some local leaders to champion this program. Such conversations and outreach provided a thorough understanding of the primary barriers to bicycling, the specific locations where people want access to bikes, and the existing bicycling culture of town. Additionally, our conversations with traditional bikeshare operators and other Maine bike access programs helped us gain a better understanding of the costs of these programs, as well as the logistics of implementation and maintenance. Our findings indicated a large interest in bicycling for both recreational and transportation purposes, as well as general interest in a program that would allow for greater access to bikes in the downtown Lewiston and Auburn areas. From an economic and equity standpoint, we found that a traditional ‘bikeshare’ program would be too costly and too much of an infrastructural investment. Rather, our outreach and research lead us to conclude that a ‘bike library’ or other type of public bike access program would be more effective at promoting ridership. A bike access program also serves as a proof of concept. If such a program is successful for a pilot period, perhaps it will generate support for a more comprehensive bikeshare program in the future. For the time being, energy and funding should be concentrated on developing and implementing a bike access program. We recommend developing bike access programs out of the public libraries at both Lewiston and Auburn, in which users can check out a bicycle for free, and in exchange for collateral that they will get back at the end of their rental. While users are free to take the bikes wherever they wish, we also recommend establishing a safe route that leads cyclists on low-stress paths away from car traffic where they are supported with signage and infrastructure. Such a route enables users to freely travel between the two libraries, thereby gaining confidence travelling on a bicycle. Encouraging bicycle transportation on one specific route is likely to result in a a significantly safer bicycling environment due to the phenomenon of “Safety in Numbers” (Jacobsen, 2003). Once this route is established and the program gains some visibility and credibility in the community, there is the possibility that this could extend to other venues. In its initial implementation, though, we suggest starting with just two locations with a protected “safe route”

Estimating the size of Huffman code preambles

Data compression via block-adaptive Huffman coding is considered. The compressor consecutively processes blocks of N data symbols, estimates source statistics by computing the relative frequencies of each source symbol in the block, and then synthesizes a Huffman code based on these estimates. In order to let the decompressor know which Huffman code is being used, the compressor must begin the transmission of each compressed block with a short preamble or header file. This file is an encoding of the list n = (n(sub 1), n(sub 2)....,n(sub m)), where n(sub i) is the length of the Hufffman codeword associated with the ith source symbol. A simple method of doing this encoding is to individually encode each n(sub i) into a fixed-length binary word of length log(sub 2)l, where l is an a priori upper bound on the codeword length. This method produces a maximum preamble length of mlog(sub 2)l bits. The object is to show that, in most cases, no substantially shorter header of any kind is possible

A theory of multiformat communication: mechanisms, dynamics, and strategies

Extant communication theories predate the explosion of digital formats and technological advances such as virtual reality, which likely explains their predominant focus on traditional and format-level (e.g., face-to-face, email) rather than digital or characteristic-level (e.g., visual cues, synchronicity) design decisions. Firms thus lack insights into how to create and use emerging digital formats, individually or synergistically. To establish a holistic framework of bilateral multiformat communication for relationship marketing, this article reviews communication theory to establish a foundation for understanding multiformat communication and to identify any gaps (e.g., AI agents, simulated cues). The authors then review bilateral communication research in light of the identified theoretical gaps, to inform their framework. Finally, by decomposing these formats according to six fundamental characteristics, they predict how each characteristic might promote effective, efficient, and experiential communication goals, in light of distinct message, temporal, and dyadic factors. Ultimately, these combined insights reveal an overarching framework, with characteristic-level propositions grouped into five key themes, that can serve as a platform for academics and managers to develop multiformat communication theory and relationship strategies

The functioning of patients and partners after the coronary artery bypass graft surgery process: examining the patient’s psychosocial and physical adjustment

The coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) process is one of the methods used to assist individuals with serious forms of coronary artery disease. CABG patients may experience difficulty with depression, anxiety, physical functioning, and quality of life problems post-surgery. Research has shown that caregivers/partners have become more responsible for assisting the patient with their quality of life post-surgery and the caregivers have become increasingly vulnerable to psychological distress. Research has also demonstrated that distressed caregivers are associated with decreased post-surgical well-being in patients. Other studies examining the patient and partner’s relationship satisfaction have found that greater relationship satisfaction and support before and after surgery are important predictors of the patient’s well-being post-surgery. In addition, there have been few studies that provide information concerning what coping skills may serve as potential buffers of patient distress. The aim of this study was to examine the significance of several possible predictors of post-surgical psychological adjustment and quality of life, including the patient’s history of cardiovascular disease/coronary artery disease, history of CABG, number of vessels bypassed, history of angina, and history of myocardial infarction, the patient and partner’s ratings of relationship satisfaction before and after surgery, the partner’s ratings of depression and anxiety, and the patient and partner’s social problem-solving ability. The study consisted of 31 dyads from the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Hahnemann University Hospital. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed and as predicted the patients reporting greater relationship satisfaction after surgery experienced lower depression and greater general quality of life post-surgery. However, the results unexpectedly indicated that patient’s reporting greater relationship satisfaction before surgery had an increase in depression and a decrease in general quality of life post-surgery. Also, the results indicated that the patient’s physical status, partner’s ratings of relationship satisfaction and ratings of depression and anxiety, and the patient and partner’s social problem-solving ability did not predict the patient’s post-surgical psychosocial and physical adjustment. Results suggest that the patient’s post-surgical relationship satisfaction could be an important coping mechanism related to their mood and quality of life. Implications of findings, limitations of the study, and future directions are discussed.Ph.D., Clinical Psychology -- Drexel University, 200

An empirical investigation of Network-Oriented Behaviors in Business-to-Business Markets

This study is concerned with the extent to which network-oriented behaviors directly and/or indirectly affect firm performance. It argues that a firm's interaction behaviors in relation to an embedded network structure are key mechanisms that facilitate the development of important organizational capabilities in dealing with business partners. Such network-oriented behaviors, which are aimed at affecting the position of a company in the network, are consequently important drivers of firm performance, rather than the network structure alone. We develop a conceptual model that captures network-oriented behaviors as a driving force of firm performance in relation to three other key organizational behaviors, i.e., customer-oriented, competitor-oriented and relationship-oriented behaviors. We test the hypothesized model using a dataset of 354 responses collected via an on-line questionnaire from UK managers, whose organizations operate in business-to-business markets in either the manufacturing or services sectors. This study provides four key findings. First, a firm's networkoriented behaviors positively affect the development of customer-oriented and competitor-oriented behaviors. Secondly, they also foster relationship coordination with its important business partners within the network. Thirdly, the effective management of the firm's portfolio of relationships is found to mediate the positive impact of network-oriented behaviors on firm profitability. Lastly, closeness to end-users amplifies the positive effect of network-oriented behaviors on relationship portfolio effectiveness