Role of the striatal cholinergic system in the regulation of learned manipulation in rats

The experiments were performed on adult Wistar male rats trained to push with the forepaw on a fixed piston inside a narrow tube. It was found that after localized intracerebral injection of a cholinergic antagonist into the dorso-lateral (but not medial) neostriatum (i.e., the caudato-putamen) the behavioral performance requiring brief innate movements remained unchanged, but the performance requiring a prolonged pushing movement (> 50 msec) became disrupted. Microinjection of carbacholine (0.03-3 μ g/1 μ1) did not affect the performance of the acquired movements, whereas scopolamine (3 μ g/1 μ1) led to the significant decrease in pushing time. We conclude that changes in the state of the dorso-lateral neostriatal cholinergic system result only in disturbances of the sensory-controlled component of a complex instrumental movement. The 1994 Pavlovian Society Young Investigator Awardee was Nadezda Dubrovskaya, first author of this paper, which was presented at the annual meeting of the Pavlovian Society, July 3, 1994, in Prague, Czech Republic.     

Correction to: Lambek Calculus with Conjugates

Studia Logica - We, the authors, would like to thank Guillaume Aucher for informing us of his “Displaying Updates in Logic”, published in the Journal of Logic and Computation,...     

The Croatian version of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire: Links with higher- and lower-level personality traits and mood

The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) measures habitual use of two emotion regulation strategies, cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. The present study tested the psychometric properties and validity of a newly developed Croatian adaptation of the ERQ. In a sample of 347 participants, we first sought to confirm the ERQ's original factor structure. Next, we tested its convergent, divergent and incremental validity. In the first subsample (N = 140), we linked the ERQ with a measure of the Five-Factor Model dimensions and their facets (Revised NEO Personality Inventory). In the second subsample (N = 207), we tested its ability to predict personality dimensions assessed by a different measure (Big Five Inventory) as well as the traits of positive and negative affect, including its incremental validity in predicting the latter. The results corroborated earlier findings, showing that the Croatian ERQ has equivalent psychometrics and predictive validity as ERQs in other languages. Crucially, the observed links between the ERQ and the facets of the Five-Factor Model dimensions enrich our understanding of the personality mechanisms behind the employment of these emotion regulation strategies.     

Decreased levels of N-acetylaspartate in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in a case of intractable severe sympathetically mediated chronic pain (complex regional pain syndrome,type I)

In our previous in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H MRS) study we found reduced levels of N-acetylaspartate in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of chronic back pain patients. This study tests whether these chemical abnormalities can be detected in other pain states. Using (1)H MRS, we measured levels for N-acetylaspartate and other identifiable chemicals relative to creatine in four bilateral brain regions, including dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, cingulate, and thalamus, in a case of intractable severe sympathetically mediated chronic pain [complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) type I]. The subject's chemical variations in the brain were compared to the same regional chemicals in 10 normal subjects (age- and sex-matched). Univariate statistics showed reduced levels of N-acetylaspartate in bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and increased levels of myo-inositol in left orbitofrontal cortex of the patient with intractable severe CRPS type I. These data support our original hypothesis that depletion of N-acetylaspartate in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is a chemical marker of chronic pain, indicating for neuronal degeneration. Unpredicted changes of orbitofrontal myo-inositol may be related to the specific mood/affective state in an extreme pain perception. This is the first report, which identifies chemical markers in the prefrontal cortex for objective measurement and monitoring of CRPS type I. This information might lead to valuable insights into diagnosis and future effective interventions of CRPS type I (e.g., prefrontal brain stimulation).     

A Principled Solution to Fitch’s Paradox

To save antirealism from Fitchs Paradox, Tennant has proposed to restrict the scope of the antirealist principle that all truths are knowable to truths that can be consistently assumed to be known. Although the proposal solves the paradox, it has been accused of doing so in an ad hoc manner. This paper argues that, first, for all Tennant has shown, the accusation is just; second, a restriction of the antirealist principle apparently weaker than Tennants yields a non-ad hoc solution to Fitchs Paradox; and third, the alternative is only apparently weaker than, and even provably equivalent to, Tennants. It is thereby shown that the latter is not ad hoc after all.     

Causation, Principle of Common Cause and Theoretical Explanation: Wesley C. Salmon and G. W. F. Hegel

The aim of this article is to analyze the main contributions of Wesley C. Salmon to the philosophy of science, that is, his concepts of causation, common cause, and theoretical explanation, and to provide a critique of them. This critique will be based on a comparison of Salmon??s concepts with categories developed by Hegel in his Science of Logic, and which can be applied to the issues treated by Salmon by means of the above given three concepts. It is the author??s contention that by means of Hegelian categories it becomes possible to provide a critique of Salmon??s philosophy of science and at the same time to enlarge the concept framework of philosophy of science.     

Civilian Response Corps Force Review: The Application of Multi‐Criteria Decision Analysis to Prioritize Skills Required for Future Diplomatic Missions

Created by the State Department's Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, the Civilian Response Corps (CRC) contains a diverse pool of qualified and ready‐to‐deploy civilian professionals that support conflict prevention and response efforts in countries or regions that are at risk of, are currently in, or are transitioning from conflict or civil strife. As such, it is vital to optimize the CRC's skill groupings to maximize adaptability and responsiveness to highly uncertain and trying political conditions and crises across the globe. The nature of the CRC value proposition is such that determining which skill set compositions deliver the greatest benefit requires a multi‐faceted perspective that looks at a number of attributes and factors, both tangible and intangible. To meet these needs, an organizational decision‐making approach utilizing multi‐criteria decision analysis (MCDA) was applied to ensure that skill‐grouping allocations were determined in a logical and robust manner. The MCDA analysis allowed for a wide range of worldviews and perspectives, drawn from select members of academia and partner agencies of the CRC who provided their expert opinions on the expected demand for skill groupings commonly identified as most necessary in a civilian ‘surge’ capacity. These skills were assessed with reference to a values hierarchy of representative country scenarios, missions and sub‐missions identified by the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization. Of particular interest was the use of the MCDA method to prioritize CRC skill groupings and to help inform the Department of State's understanding of the ‘ideal’ proportion and types of civilian skills for inclusion in the CRC. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Smiles as signals of lower status in football players and fashion models: Evidence that smiles are associated with lower dominance and lower prestige

Across four studies, the current paper demonstrates that smiles are associated with lower social status. Moreover, the association between smiles and lower status appears in the psychology of observers and generalizes across two forms of status: prestige and dominance. In the first study, faces of fashion models representing less prestigious apparel brands were found to be more similar to a canonical smile display than the faces of models representing more prestigious apparel brands.?In a second study, after being experimentally primed with either high or low prestige fashion narratives, participants in the low prestige condition were more likely to perceive smiles in a series of photographs depicting smiling and non-smiling faces. A third study of football player photographs revealed that the faces of less dominant (smaller) football players were more similar to the canonical smile display than the faces of their physically larger counterparts. Using the same football player photographs, a fourth study found that smiling was a more reliable indicator of perceived status-relevant personality traits than perceptions of the football players' physical sizes inferred from the photographs.     

The philosophy of time of Henri Bergson and Russian culture of the nineteenth–early twentieth centuries

Studies in East European Thought - The article provides proof that the concept of time articulated in Russian philosophy of the nineteenth century was very close to the understanding of time in the...     

Validity evidence of Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version (Short) in a sample of Mexican adolescents / Evidencias de validez del Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version (Short) en una muestra de adolescentes mexicanos

The aim of this study was to obtain evidence on the validity of the Emotional Quotient Inventory Youth Version-Short Form (EQ-i:YV-S) with a sample of Mexican adolescent participants. The sample comprised 375 adolescents, 183 males (48.8%), from years seven to 12 (M_age = 14.80, SD = 1.72). Different tests were carried out to provide evidence of the questionnaire’s validity: (1) reliability and internal consistency analyses; (2) exploratory and confirmatory analyses; and (3) correlational and predictive validity analyses through structural equation modelling. The four EQ-i:YV-S subscales (interpersonal, intrapersonal, stress management and adaptability) provided acceptable indexes of reliability. Exploratory factor analysis supported the multidimensionality of the questionnaire. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis showed that the hierarchical model that hypothesized four first-order factors and one second-order factor (social-emotional intelligence) had the best fit for the data. Finally, the positive correlations found between the four specific EQ-i:YV-S subscales, general self-concept and satisfaction with life, supported the convergent validity of the questionnaire; in addition, the questionnaire’s capacity to predict satisfaction with life corroborated its predictive validity. It can therefore be affirmed that the EQ-i:YV-S is a brief questionnaire that is suitable for measuring the emotional intelligence of Mexican adolescents.