Cognitive processes involved in the appraisal of stress

Four experiments were organized around a central question: What is the form of relationship between estimated stress level on the one hand and situation strain, personal resources and social support, on the other? The first experiment examined the form of the relationship between estimated level of stress, situation strain and personal resources. The participants were students. They integrated situation strain and personal resources information in a non‐additive way. In particular, the effect of personal resources on the estimated level of stress varied as a function of the level of situation strain considered. When the situation strain was low, the stress level related with this circumstance largely depended on the personal resources of the individual. When the situation strain was high, the stress level related with this circumstance was much less dependent on the personal resources of the individual. The second experiment replicated these results among first‐aid workers, fire‐fighters and persons that had recently been injured. The third and fourth experiments replicated these results in various conditions differing as regards the level of social support. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Longitudinal decline in pulmonary function in atopic cough and cough variant asthma

OBJECTIVE: Cough variant asthma and atopic cough are different clinical manifestations of eosinophilic airway inflammation presenting with isolated chronic non-productive cough. The aim of this study was to examine the longitudinal change in pulmonary function in cough variant asthma and atopic cough. METHODS: Longitudinal change in FEV1 was prospectively examined in 20 patients with cough variant asthma, 14 patients with atopic cough and 271 asymptomatic healthy subjects. All were lifetime non-smokers. Of the 20 cough variant asthma patients, 13 were taking long-term inhaled corticosteroid therapy (ICS) (beclomethasone dipropionate 615 +/- 58 micro g/day) and the other seven were not. Spirometry was taken at first visit, after cough was almost completely relieved on therapy, and at least once every year for 5 or more years afterwards. RESULTS: The slope of longitudinal change in FEV1 was not significantly different among cough variant asthma patients (- 0.029 +/- 0.007/year), atopic cough patients (- 0.021 +/- 0.022/year) and asymptomatic subjects (- 0.028 +/- 0.002 L/year). In patients with cough variant asthma, the slope in patients not taking inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) was 0.032 +/- 0.007 L/year, which was not significantly different from that in patients taking ICS (- 0.027 +/- 0.010 L/year). CONCLUSION: Pulmonary function decline is not greater in cough variant asthma than atopic cough and the normal population, and long-term ICS has no effect on the decline in cough variant asthma.     

血管性认知功能损害的全脑DTI直方图分析

目的利用扩散张量成像(DTI)直方图分析,明确血管性认知损害(VCI)患者的脑异常改变及DTI直方图指标与简易智能量表(MMSE)评分的相关性。方法对19例VCI患者和19例健康志愿者行常规MRI和DTI检查,获得全脑平均扩散率(MD)和各向异性分数(FA)图像后,分别绘制出全脑FA和MD直方图并对其进行分析。结果VCI患者的全脑MD和FA直方图与正常志愿者不同。与正常对照比较,VCI患者平均全脑FA直方图示峰位置左移、平均FA值降低(P=0.008),MD直方图右移、平均MD值增高(P=0.026),峰位置增高(P=0.041),峰高降低(P=0.002)。平均FA值(r=-0.486,P=0.036)、FA峰高(r=0.498,P=0.030)和FA峰位置(r=-0.641,P=0.003)与MMSE评分相关。结论VCI的患者存在脑扩散异常,DTI直方图部分指标可以帮助评价认知功能损害的严重程度。     

外语多媒体软件界面设计的认知策略模式

外语学习软件界面的设计除了应注意实现软件功能的技术因素、表现媒体的物理性状以及信息内容的学科把握 ,还应对软件界面的内容组织方略、交互通达方式、语用认知功能等方面提出要求。界面设计的出发点 ,应该是学生、学习任务及其相应的学习活动。应该根据需求分析、学习者分析、任务和内容分析来确定目标和步骤。外语教学应以语言能力、交际能力、学习策略能力为目标 ,界面设计应以此为据选择表现媒体、结构层次、交互方式和技术手段。     

Effects of haloperidol on motor and cognitive functioning in aged mice

The effects of haloperidol on motor and functioning and cognitive functioning were studied in young (3-5 months old) and aged (20-22 months old) male mice by examining haloperidol-induced catalepsy and haloperidol-induced decrements in performance on a radial arm maze. The aged mice were much more sensitive to these adverse effects of haloperidol than were the young mice. Studies of the distribution of radioactivity from [3H]haloperidol to the brain indicated that the differences in sensitivity to this drug were not due to pharmacokinetic differences. The results demonstrate that mice are suitable for studies of aging-induced changes in the behavioral effects of neuroleptic agents.     

Interpreting the Internal Structure of a Connectionist Model of the Balance Scale Task

One new tradition that has emerged from early research on autonomous robots is embodied cognitive science. This paper describes the relationship between embodied cognitive science and a related tradition, synthetic psychology. It is argued that while both are synthetic, embodied cognitive science is antirepresentational while synthetic psychology still appeals to representations. It is further argued that modern connectionism offers a medium for conducting synthetic psychology, provided that researchers analyze the internal representations that their networks develop. The paper then provides a detailed example of the synthetic approach by showing how the construction (and subsequent analysis) of a connectionist network can be used to contribute to a theory of how humans solve Piaget's classic balance scale task.     

Parental Perceptions, Early Maladaptive Schemas, and Depressive Symptoms in Young Adults

Cognitive models of depression propose that negative schemas contribute to depressive symptoms. Early experiences, particularly parenting, have been proposed to influence cognitive schemas and have also been shown to correlate with depression. This study explores the concurrent relationship between retrospective reports of parenting, Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMSs) described by J. E. Young (1994), and symptoms of depression in a sample of undergraduate students (N = 194). The EMSs of defectiveness/shame, insufficient self-control, vulnerability, and incompetence/inferiority were associated with perceptions of parenting and depressive symptomatology. There was evidence that these four EMSs partially mediate the relationship between parental perceptions and depressive symptomatology. Results are discussed in relation to previous findings, theory, and the measurement of EMSs.     

The positive automatic thoughts questionnaire (ATQ-P) and the automatic thoughts questionnaire—Revised (ATQ-RP): Equivalent measures of positive thinking?

We examined two recently developed measures of positive automatic thought, the Positive Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ-P) and the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire—Revised (ATQ-RP). Internal consistency, concurrent validity, and convergent and discriminant validity were addressed. Two hundred one undergraduates completed self-report measures of positive automatic thoughts, negative automatic thoughts, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and positive affectivity. The ATQ-P and ATQ-RP both showed high internal consistency, strong negative associations with depressive symptoms, specificity to depressive symptoms rather than anxiety symptoms, an average state-of-mind (SOM) ratio in the positive dialogue range, and a stronger relation with each other than with a measure of positive affectivity. The only notable difference between the measures was a significantly lower mean score (correcting for number of items) on the ATQ-RP. This paper is based on a thesis completed by the first author, under the supervision of the second author, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree at American University. We are grateful to thesis committee members Lorah Dorn and Jim Gray for feedback on this material.     

吉林省七年鼠情监测结果分析

吉林省经七年来的鼠情监测,基本查清与人们接触密切的鼠类,特别是传播疾病的主要鼠类的分布规律,分析出我省家鼠有两个高峰(6月和10～11月),野鼠也有两个高峰(6月和10月),这与我省流行性出血热两个高峰相吻合,鼠峰在病峰之前。1986年以后,由于我省开展大规模灭家鼠活动,家鼠高峰已不存在规律性。通过几年来的灭鼠活动,使家鼠密度呈下降趋势,城镇褐家鼠和小家鼠构成比发生变化。城镇未爆发家鼠型流行性出血热。鼠情监测为灭鼠防病工作提供了科学依据。     

Functional decline in frail community-dwelling stroke patients

Patients who suffer a stroke event are at high risk of functional decline after the post-acute rehabilitation period. The aim of the present study was the evaluation of factors associated with functional decline in a large sample of older patients with stroke living in the community. The study population consisted of all patients admitted to home care programs after a post-acute rehabilitation program--with at least 1 year of follow-up--in twenty-two Italian Home Health Agencies from 2000 to 2002 (n=1338). For the present study we selected 355 (26%) patients with diagnosis of stroke. After 1 year of in-home care program, 149 out of 355 stroke survivors (42%) had presented a worsening in the activities of daily living (ADL) scale score. In the final adjusted model, patients with cognitive impairment (OR 2.59, 95% CI, 1.45-4.64), pressure ulcer (OR 2.74, 95% CI, 1.45-5.18), urinary incontinence (OR 1.64, 95% CI, 1.01-3.29), or hearing impairment (OR 1.83, 95% CI, 1.02-3.29) were more likely to significantly decline in physical functioning after a period of 1 year in-home care program. Our study documents that functional decline of stroke patients was largely dependent on specific subjects' clinical characteristics. Three of four concomitant disabling conditions associated in our sample with functional decline--pressure ulcer, urinary incontinence, hearing--can be prevented and eventually treated or modified. Appropriate post-acute rehabilitation programs and adequate home care interventions focused on the prevention and treatment of these conditions might be correlated to better outcomes in older post-stroke patients.