Differences between golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) and Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) in preference for the sole diet that they are eating

D. DiBattista (2002) reported that hamsters but not rats showed reduced preferences for the sole diet they had eaten for 10 days. In the current study, the authors fed Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) a nutritious diet for either 3 or 10 days, then tested them either immediately or 1 or 3 days later. The authors found that like golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), rats exhibited reduced preferences for a prefed diet but only if tested either immediately or 1 day after prefeeding, not if tested 3 days later (when D. DiBattista tested his hamsters). Rats and hamsters differed in the longevity, not the development, of reduced preferences for a palatable food eaten for several consecutive days. Such a response might aid dietary generalists in constructing balanced diets when no single available food is nutritionally adequate.     

The Atomistic Self versus the Holistic Self in Structural Relation to the Other

I argue that meaning or significanceper se, along with the capacity to be conscious thereof, and the values, motives and aspirations, etc. central to the constitution of our intrinsic personal identities, arise, as indeed do our extrinsic social identities, and our very self-consciousness as such, from socio-cultural structures and relations to others. However, so far from our identities and behavior therefore being determined, I argue that the capacity for critical reflection and evaluation emerge from these same structural relations, the more complex and quintessentially human aspects of our behavior being explained not in terms of responses to stimuli but as choices reflecting our evaluation of meaningful or significant alternatives. Finally I provide theoretical grounds for accepting the existence of other subjects and give a holistic, as opposed to a dialectical, account of the way individuals may challenge and change the very socio-cultural ways of relating to and interacting with others so central to constituting their capacities and identities.     

Rapid categorization of foveal and extrafoveal natural images: associated ERPs and effects of lateralization

Humans are fast and accurate at performing an animal categorization task with natural photographs briefly flashed centrally. Here, this central categorization task is compared to a three position task in which photographs could appear randomly either centrally, or at 3.6 degrees eccentricity (right or left) of the fixation point. A mild behavioral impairment was found with peripheral stimuli with no evidence in support of hemispheric superiority; but enlarging the window of spatial attention to three possible stimuli locations had no behavioral cost on the processing of central images. Performance in the central categorization task has been associated with a large difference between the potentials evoked to target and non-target correct trials, starting about 150 ms after stimulus onset on frontal sites. Present results show that this activity originates within extrastriate visual cortices and probably reflects perceptual stimuli differences processed within areas involved in object recognition. Latencies, slopes, and peak amplitudes of this differential activity were invariant to stimulus position and attentional load. Stimulus location uncertainty and lateralization did not affect speed of visual processing.     

Genetic Evaluation and Counseling of Couples with Recurrent Miscarriage: Recommendations of the National Society of Genetic Counselors

The objective of this document is to provide recommendations for genetic evaluation and counseling of couples with recurrent miscarriage (RM). The recommendations are the opinions of the multidisciplinary Inherited Pregnancy Loss Working Group (IPLWG), with expertise in genetic counseling, medical genetics, maternal fetal medicine, internal medicine, infectious disease, cytogenetics, and coagulation disorders. The IPLWG defines RM as three or more clinically recognized consecutive or non-consecutive pregnancy losses occurring prior to fetal viability (<24 weeks gestation). These recommendations are provided to assist genetic counselors and other health care providers in clinical decision-making, as well as to promote consistency of patient care, guide the allocation of medical resources, and increase awareness of the psychosocial and cultural issues experienced by couples with RM. The IPLWG was convened with support from the March of Dimes Western Washington State Chapter and the University of Washington Division of Medical Genetics. The recommendations are U.S. Preventive Task Force Class III, and are based on clinical experiences, review of pertinent English-language published articles, and reports of expert committees. This document reviews the suspected causes of RM, provides indications for genetic evaluation and testing, addresses psychosocial and cultural considerations, and provides professional and patient resources. These recommendations should not be construed as dictating an exclusive course of medical management, nor does the use of such recommendations guarantee a particular outcome. The professional judgment of a health care provider, familiar with the circumstances of a specific case, should always supersede these recommendations.     

The effects of the dopamine D1 receptor antagonist SCH23390 on memory reconsolidation following reminder-activated retrieval in day-old chicks

This series of experiments examined the involvement of the dopamine D1 receptor antagonist, SCH23390, on memory reconsolidation following reminder-activated retrieval. Day-old male New HampshirexWhite Leghorn chicks were trained on a single trial passive avoidance task. A dose of 0.5 mg/kg of SCH23390 was administered subcutaneously 5 min before reminder trials, which were presented at 30, 60, and 90 min following training. Memory deficits were observed when reminder trials were presented at 30 and 60 min following training, but not when a reminder was presented at 90 min. No effect on memory retention was observed when reminder trials were not presented, suggesting that reconsolidation mechanisms were both contingent on the presentation of the reminder and independent of the consolidation process. Following a reminder presented at 60 min post-training, deficits in memory retention emerged between 45 and 60 min. The deficit was prolonged, lasting for up until 48 h after reminder presentation. The results indicate an important role for the D1 receptor in reconsolidation processes.     

The challenge of raising ethical awareness: A case-based aiding system for use by computing and ICT students

Students, the future Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professionals, are often perceived to have little understanding of the ethical issues associated with the use of ICTs. There is a growing recognition that the moral issues associated with the use of the new technologies should be brought to the attention of students. Furthermore, they should be encouraged to explore and think more deeply about the social and legal consequences of the use of ICTs. This paper describes the development of a tool designed to raise students’ awareness of the social impact of ICTs. The tool offers guidance to students undertaking computing and computer-related courses when considering the social, legal and professional implications of the actions of participants in situations of ethical conflict. However, unlike previous work in this field, this tool is not based on an artificial intelligence paradigm. Aspects of the theoretical basis for the design of the tool and the tool’s practical development are discussed. Preliminary results from the testing of the tool are also discussed. An earlier version of this paper was presented by one of the authors at the First International Conference on Teaching Applied and Professional Ethics in Higher Education, Federal University of Surrey Centre for Applied Ethics, Southlands College, Roehampton, London, 2–4 September, 2003.     

Note on the relation between Kendall's tau and the Cronholm-Revusky test

It is shown that the rank testR proposed by Cronholm and Revusky for comparing the effect of two treatments on a single group ofn subjects is a linear function of Kendall'sτ-coefficient. The asymptotic results of Bennett for the distribution ofR are also applicable to that ofτ under a class of nonnull hypotheses.