Goal orientation and task demand effects on motivation, affect, and performance.

Two studies tested the joint effects of goal orientation and task demands on motivation, affect, and performance, examining different factors affecting task demands. In Study 1 (N?=?199), task difficulty was found to moderate the effect of goal orientation on performance and affect (i.e., satisfaction with performance). In Study 2 (N?≠&189), task consistency was found to moderate the effect of goal orientation on self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation. Results are discussed in relation to self-regulatory processes cued by goal orientations, attentional resource demands, and the need to match goal orientations to the nature of the task. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Decision rule-based approach to automatic tree crown detection and size classification

The goal of this study was to develop a decision rule heuristic that would incorporate theories of forest stand dynamics and crown competition into an automatic crown detection and crown size search algorithm. Specifically, we sought to develop new multi-dimensional template matching methods fused with knowledge-based decision rules that model spatial considerations for crown competition and develop multi-scale assessment criteria for appraisal of crown detection and crown size at the stand, local neighbourhood and individual crown levels. The decision rule approach to crown detection and crown size was tested on a mature mixed coniferous and deciduous forest typical of southern New England, USA. Multi-dimensional template matching was applied to a high resolution (30 cm per pixel side) colour infrared image of the study site. The decision rule heuristic developed for this study effectively reduced 2626 potential crown detections to 568 crowns, producing a 91% rate of crown detection when compared with the 516 field-measured crowns. The automatically derived crown size class distribution was shown to be statistically similar to the distribution of field crown size classes using the Kolomogorov–Smirnov statistic. Finally, a fuzzification of classification assignments to crown classes either one above or below actual crown size class resulted in an 80% match between individual field crowns and remotely sensed crowns within a 6 m spatial lag.     

Right anterior cingulate: A neuroanatomical correlate of aggression and defiance in boys.

Variation in emotional processes may contribute to aggressive and defiant behavior. This study assessed these problem behaviors in a large sample of children and adolescents in relation to the volume of two cortical regions with prominent roles in emotion processing, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). One hundred seventeen participants (61 boys, 56 girls), ages 7-17, were recruited from the community. Aggressive and defiant behavior was measured using the parent- and teacher-reported Pediatric Behavior Scale and volumetric measures were generated using structural MRI. Regression analyses indicated a significant sex X ACC volume interaction in predicting aggressive and defiant behavior, without significant results for the vmPFC. Follow-up analyses showed that aggressive and defiant behavior is associated with decreased right ACC volume in boys and a nonsignificant reduction in left ACC volume in girls. These results are consistent with the notion that the right ACC acts as a neuroanatomical correlate of aggression and defiance in boys. The authors discuss this finding in light of its implications for understanding the neural correlates of antisocial behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anti-Angiogenic Therapy in ALK Rearranged Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

The management of advanced lung cancer has been transformed with the identification of targetable oncogenic driver alterations. This includes anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene rearrangements. ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are established first-line treatment options in advanced ALK rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with several next-generation ALK TKIs (alectinib, brigatinib, ensartinib and lorlatinib) demonstrating survival benefit compared with the first-generation ALK TKI crizotinib. Still, despite high objective response rates and durable progression-free survival, drug resistance inevitably ensues, and treatment options beyond ALK TKI are predominantly limited to cytotoxic chemotherapy. Anti-angiogenic therapy targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling pathway has shown efficacy in combination with platinum-doublet chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC without a driver alteration, and with EGFR TKI in advanced EGFR mutated NSCLC. The role for anti-angiogenic therapy in ALK rearranged NSCLC, however, remains to be elucidated. This review will discuss the pre-clinical rationale, clinical trial evidence to date, and future directions to evaluate anti-angiogenic therapy in ALK rearranged NSCLC.     

The Effect of Membrane Thickness on a Microvascular Gas Exchange Unit

For reducing anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, carbon capture and sequestration technologies benefit from the creation of new and efficient gas exchange systems. Vascularized systems provide a means of exchanging CO₂ by providing high specific surface areas and patterned, intimate contact between capture fluids and gases. The well‐defined geometrical arrangement of fluid and gas channels, separated by semipermeable membranes, also provides a new platform for augmenting the function of liquid chemical solutions to carbon capture. In particular, the separation distance of the channels, or polymer membrane thickness, is closely related to the absorption rate as gases must permeate through the membrane before reacting with a fluid. Here, a study of the relationship between the membrane thickness in 3D microvascular contactors and absorption rates via a selective etching process is reported. By decreasing the membrane thickness, the mass transport rate of CO₂ in the vascular contactor is increased by up to 160%.     

Lebbeus – A Postmodernist? Early Scenes of Shopping and Dwelling

Vivid colours, commedia dell’arte, collage and hypergraphics, and villae jutting out of the cliffsides designed for the unknown dwellers – are these projects postmodern? American art, architecture and design critic Aaron Betsky investigates this question and its context, focusing on the V.I.P. Center Shopping Mall, an unbuilt scheme that was to win Lebbeus Woods his first professional acknowledgement under the auspices of the Progressive Architecture Award.     

胶东军区四五式步枪

胶东军区兵工建设简况 1937年12月24日,中共胶东特委发动天福山起义,举起山东人民抗日救国军第三军的红色旗帜,建立胶东人民第一支抗日武装.为了修复损坏枪支,1938年3月,第三军一大队在文登李家庄村建立了6人修械所;胶东抗日游击队第三支队攻克掖县县城后也筹办了一座修械所修理枪支.同月,黄县第三大队进驻黄县县城后在城...     

The Diagnostic Performance of Ultrasonography in the Evaluation of Extrathyroidal Extension in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Extrathyroidal extension (ETE) in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is an indication of disease progression and can influence treatment aggressiveness. This meta-analysis assesses the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography (US) in detecting ETE. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed by searching PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane for studies published up to April 2022. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were calculated. The areas under the curve (AUC) for summary receiver operating curves were compared. A total of 11 studies analyzed ETE in 3795 patients with PTC. The sensitivity of ETE detection was 76% (95%CI = 74–78%). The specificity of ETE detection was 51% (95%CI = 49–54%). The DOR of detecting ETE by US was 5.32 (95%CI = 2.54–11.14). The AUC of ETE detection was determined to be 0.6874 ± 0.0841. We report an up-to-date analysis elucidating the diagnostic accuracy of ETE detection by US. Our work suggests the diagnostic accuracy of US in detecting ETE is adequate. Considering the importance of ETE detection on preoperative assessment, ancillary studies such as adjunct imaging studies and genetic testing should be considered.