Attentional inhibition determines emotional responses to unfamiliar faces

Complex abstract images that are ignored in a simple localization task are subsequently judged more negatively in an emotional evaluation task than previously unseen or attended images, suggesting that attentional inhibition may have affective consequences (Raymond, Fenske, & Tavassoli, in press). We examined the generality of this finding by asking whether inhibitory processes might also influence the generation of emotional responses to unfamiliar faces. To do this, we incorporated an emotional evaluation task within a paradigm that has been used to demonstrate long-term inhibition-of-return (IOR) of attention (Tipper, Grison, & Kessler, in press). On each 2-task trial, observers were first shown a unique pair of unfamiliar faces while performing a speeded go/no-go task. In this task, observers were required to withhold a response if there was an abrupt onset of an exogenous cue (no-go trials), and to make a response if a different stimulus was presented (go ‘catch’ trials). Following the completion of an intervening task, observers where asked to make an affective evaluation about the faces they had previously seen in the go/no-go task (e.g., Which of these people looks more friendly?). We found that observers were less likely to make positive affective responses to faces that attention had been exogenously drawn to in no-go trials than to faces to which attention had never been exogenously allocated. These results converge with our previous finding to suggest that inhibition may be associated with an episode encoded into memory, and that later retrieval acts to reinstate inhibitory processing. Importantly, our results suggest that this inhibitory processing involves affective devaluation, which may serve to encourage examination of new information.

The influence of variations in eating disorder-related symptoms on processing of emotional faces in a non-clinical female sample:an eye-tracking study

This study aimed to: i) determine if the attention bias towards angry faces reported in eating disorders generalises to a non-clinical sample varying in eating disorder-related symptoms; ii) examine if the bias occurs during initial orientation or later strategic processing; and iii) confirm previous findings of impaired facial emotion recognition in non-clinical disordered eating. Fifty-two females viewed a series of face-pairs (happy or angry paired with neutral) whilst their attentional deployment was continuously monitored using an eye-tracker. They subsequently identified the emotion portrayed in a separate series of faces. The highest (n=18) and lowest scorers (n=17) on the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI) were compared on the attention and facial emotion recognition tasks. Those with relatively high scores exhibited impaired facial emotion recognition, confirming previous findings in similar non-clinical samples. They also displayed biased attention away from emotional faces during later strategic processing, which is consistent with previously observed impairments in clinical samples. These differences were related to drive-for-thinness. Although we found no evidence of a bias towards angry faces, it is plausible that the observed impairments in emotion recognition and avoidance of emotional faces could disrupt social functioning and act as a risk factor for the development of eating disorders.

The effect of disfiguring features on covert and overt attention to faces

It is well documented that facial disfigurements can generate avoidance responses in observers towards the afflicted person, yet less is known about the effect of a facial disfigurement on attention to and perception of faces. In two experiments we studied overt and covert attention to laterally presented face stimuli when these contained a unilateral disfiguring feature (a simulated portwine stain), an occluding feature, or no salient feature. In Experiment 1, observers’ eye movements were tracked while they explored laterally presented faces which they had to rate for attractiveness. Overt attention, as measured by the patterns of fixations on the face, was found to be significantly affected by the presence of a facial disfigurement or an occluder. In Experiment2, we used a covert orienting task with bilaterally presented target and distractor to measure the interference effect induced by a distractor face (disfigured, occluded, or normal) on a non facetarget discrimination task. The presence of a face increased response times to the target stimulus,but this interference was not modulated by the presence of a salient feature (disfigurement or occluder). Together, these results suggest that the presence of salient features affect overt but not the covert processing of faces.

How consistent is the new Common Agricultural Policy with the challenges it faces?

The latest reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has recently been accepted, identifying important challenges for EU agriculture, but proposing only limited changes to the previous CAP. Now it is time for the implementation of the new measures. However, from a theoretical point of view, it seems that the CAP can hardly meet the challenges it faces due to the inconsistencies between the predefined challenges and the measures proposed to meet them. The aim of the paper is to systematically analyse the consistency between the challenges of European agriculture and the policy measures aimed at meeting them. It seems that not all measures are consistent with the challenges.

How consistent is the new common agricultural policy with the challenges it faces?

The latest reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has recently been accepted, identifying important challenges for EU agriculture, but proposing only limited changes to the previous CAP. Now it is time for the implementation of the new measures. However, from a theoretical point of view, it seems that the CAP can hardly meet the challenges it faces due to the inconsistencies between the predefined challenges and the measures proposed to meet them. The aim of the paper is to systematically analyse the consistency between the challenges of European agriculture and the policy measures aimed at meeting them. It seems that not all measures are consistent with the challenges.

Infants' selective attention to faces and prosody of speech: The roles of intersensory redundancy and exploratory time

One of the overarching questions in the field of infant perceptual and cognitive development concerns how selective attention is organized during early development to facilitate learning. The following study examined how infants' selective attention to properties of social events (i.e., prosody of speech and facial identity) changes in real time as a function of intersensory redundancy (redundant audiovisual, nonredundant unimodal visual) and exploratory time. Intersensory redundancy refers to the spatially coordinated and temporally synchronous occurrence of information across multiple senses. Real time macro- and micro-structural change in infants' scanning patterns of dynamic faces was also examined. ^ According to the Intersensory Redundancy Hypothesis, information presented redundantly and in temporal synchrony across two or more senses recruits infants' selective attention and facilitates perceptual learning of highly salient amodal properties (properties that can be perceived across several sensory modalities such as the prosody of speech) at the expense of less salient modality specific properties. Conversely, information presented to only one sense facilitates infants' learning of modality specific properties (properties that are specific to a particular sensory modality such as facial features) at the expense of amodal properties (Bahrick & Lickliter, 2000, 2002). ^ Infants' selective attention and discrimination of prosody of speech and facial configuration was assessed in a modified visual paired comparison paradigm. In redundant audiovisual stimulation, it was predicted infants would show discrimination of prosody of speech in the early phases of exploration and facial configuration in the later phases of exploration. Conversely, in nonredundant unimodal visual stimulation, it was predicted infants would show discrimination of facial identity in the early phases of exploration and prosody of speech in the later phases of exploration. Results provided support for the first prediction and indicated that following redundant audiovisual exposure, infants showed discrimination of prosody of speech earlier in processing time than discrimination of facial identity. Data from the nonredundant unimodal visual condition provided partial support for the second prediction and indicated that infants showed discrimination of facial identity, but not prosody of speech. The dissertation study contributes to the understanding of the nature of infants' selective attention and processing of social events across exploratory time.^

Limited-Service/Economy Lodging Sector Faces Challenges Ahead

Changing cost structures and discounting by more upscale hotels are creating the need for new competitive methods in order to attract and retain guests. One author contends that only those chains that can quickly embrace change and find innovative ways for providing more with less are likely to survive.

Waikiki Faces Major Problems: Does New Master Plan Hold Solutions?

Waikiki, Hawaii, faces declining tourism numbers, sinking property values, and possibly a destination entering the decline phase of the tourism life cycle. Seeking the advice of world renowned planners, it has set its sights on a new master plan aimed at correcting much that seems to have gone wrong

Cuba Faces the Transition , Lecture by Antonio G. Rodiles

This flyer promotes the event "Cuba Faces the Transition : Lecture by Antonio G. Rodilesl", cosponsored by the FlU College of Law, FlU Cuban Research Institute (CRI) and FlU Vaclav Havel Initiative for Human Rights and Democracy.

Humanização do direito e da justiça: reconhecimento e efetividade dos direitos da criança e do adolescente

The crisis of the model of technical and formal rationality is discussed in light of a paradigmatic change of the Law that arises in the context of recent transformations of capitalism worldwide, proposing a humanization of Law and Justice with a new ethical-political foundation that promotes a reconciliation between the rules that governs the social order and the world of life, a process of society’s emancipation. As empirical cut it is taken the Right of Children and Youth and, in a practical perspective, the recognition and effectiveness of the Rights of Children and Adolescents in Brazil. It is proposed to analyze the process of democratization and legitimacy of the children and youth rights from the study and apprehension of knowledge that advocate a multidisciplinary view of knowledge and a dialogic praxis for construction of a thought able to contribute to the analysis of public policies and to develop strategies that allow a real change on the social thinking about the doctrine of integral protection of children and adolescents. The proposed methodological approach was developed from a dialectical view of science and as a research strategy for data collection of symbolic cartography or cartographic sociology of law and justice. It is shown that in the process of humanization of the Law and Justice there is a gap between the rights and the democratic participation of these rights.

Os efeitos do reconhecimento da diversidade sexual como um direito humano pelo sistema interamericano de proteção

La diversidad sexual emerge en las Américas como una de las cuestiones más importantes en relación con la protección y promoción de los derechos humanos. A partir de la democratización de la mayor parte de los Estados Sudamericanos en los años 80, se ha iniciado una discusión acerca de la ampliación del concepto de igualdad con el fin de introducir el derecho a la diferencia como otra expresión de la dignidad de la persona humana, cuyos estudios fueron encabezado de lo que se llamaba La hermenéutica de la Diversidad. En este escenario, el Derecho Internacional de los Derechos Humanos aparece como el principal responsable por el proceso de reconocimiento de la diversidad sexual como un derecho humano, lo que permite la asignación de temas tales como la sexualidad y el género en la agenda de los principales órganos regionales de protección de derechos humanos, así como en la agenda de algunos Estados, que por su promoción de políticas de diversidad han llegado a ser considerados empresarios normativos en relación con el libre ejercicio de la sexualidad humana. En este sentido, se pretende con esta tesis analizar el proceso de reconocimiento de la diversidad sexual como un derecho humano en el marco del sistema interamericano de protección, comprobando el potencial normativo de Argentina, Brasil y Uruguay con respecto a la adopción de normas internas promoción de la diversidad sexual. También tenemos la intención de analizar la norma internacional llamada Convención Interamericana contra todas las formas de discriminación e intolerancia como el primer tratado producido por el sistema interamericano para la protección de la sexualidad como un derecho digno de protección. La investigación ha demostrado que después de la posición adoptada por la Comisión y la Corte Interamericana respecto al ejercicio de la sexualidad, países como Argentina, Brasil y Uruguay promovieron un progreso significativo en el campo de las libertades individuales y en el campo de las políticas públicas de asignación de la sexualidad como un derecho que necesita de una protección efectiva del Estado

Pistas visuais no reconhecimento intra e interespecífico em duas borboletas miméticas impalatáveis

Duas espécies de borboletas miméticas Heliconius erato e Heliconius melpomene apresentam coloração similar. Tal similaridade pode atuar confundindo o reconhecimento de seus co-específicos no momento da escolha de parceiros sexuais. As duas espécies possuem um conjunto de variações sutis na cor de suas asas que são compartilhadas por ambas espécies, como os pontos vermelhos encontrados acima da faixa amarela. Em H. erato variações na cor de suas asas são exclusivas da espécie como os red raylets e pontos amarelos na região distal da asa posterior. Acredita-se que tais variações fenotípicas auxiliem no reconhecimento de seus co-específicos, para tanto, o presente estudo tem por intuito verificar se as duas espécies envolvidas na análise reconhecem seus co-específicos. Experimentos com modelos que contemplaram variações sutis foram montados e apresentados aos machos de H. erato e H. melpomene. Em cada experimento foi verificado a probabilidade relativa de aproximação do macho ao modelo. O teste de likelihood indicou que as diferenças sutis encontradas nos padrões de asas de H. erato e H. melpomene podem atuar como pistas de reconhecimento de indivíduos da mesma espécie. Sendo que a espécie H. erato pode ser considerada um discriminador mais refinado no reconhecimento, e ambas as espécies selecionaram modelos que possuem variações médias, indicando seleção normalizadora para a escolha do padrão de asa. Podemos concluir, que a cor e, principalmente, os padrões sutis na variação da cor são utilizados como um sinal usado por borboletas no reconhecimento de seus co-específicos.

Estabelecimento, reconhecimento e defesa territorial em Stegastes fuscus

Os estudos da territorialidade e de comportamentos associados a ela favorecem o entendimento da maneira como as interações ecológicas afetam a composição de espécies e a dinâmica de uma comunidade. No presente estudo tivemos como objetivo geral investigar o comportamento de Stegastes fuscus, um peixe-donzela territorialista, em ambiente natural e em cativeiro, com foco na capacidade de localização territorial, reconhecimento e defesa de uma área estabelecida. Para tanto subdividimos o trabalho em 3 capítulos. O primeiro teve como foco o estudo da espécie em ambiente natural objetivando estimar a área do território ocupado e os padrões comportamentais da por ela expressos. Sendo encontrado que a área média ocupada por S. fuscus foi de 274 cm2 e os comportamentos mais observados foram: vigilância, ingestão de alimento, tempo no abrigo/toca e displays agressivos. O segundo capítulo teve como alvo investigar a capacidade de localização espacial da espécie mediada por pistas visuais. Os resultados demonstraram que S. fuscus apresenta marcante aprendizagem condicionada e possibilidade de existência de orientação espacial na espécie. O terceiro capítulo teve como objetivo avaliar a influência da residência prévia estabelecida e do reconhecimento de coespecíficos nos resultados de confrontos agonísticos. Os resultados apontaram a residência como fator prioritário na dinâmica das disputas agonísticas e que aspectos relacionados à familiaridade como relevantes e destacam-se mais quando não existe um território previamente estabelecido. Diante disso nossos resultados podem favorecer o entendimento da dinâmica estrutural da comunidade na qual S. fuscus esta inserida, sendo isto significativo tendo em vista a importância ecológica da espécie para o ecossistema.

Depreciação no serviço público: reconhecimento e evidenciação nas demonstrações contábeis dos estados e municípios brasileiros

Public institutions, as well as other entities, if use of various assets for development of its activities. These assets are tools that help with the generation of benefit present and future. For the assets that compound the Property, Plant and Equipament, this loss of generation of future benefits is called Depreciation and must be recognized as an expense in the period in which it occurs. This way, be considered as an expense, the depreciation has negative influence on the composition of the entity’s income, as this is the result of the confrontation between revenue and expenditure incurred in the same period. The Brazilian legislation regulates it is necessary to recognize and disclosure in the financial statements, all of the situations that interfere with the composition of economic and financial income of the public institution. The main objective of this work was to verify if the states and cities recognize and disclosure the depreciation on their Statements of Financial Position. The data were extracted from datas of the Brazilian public administration’s entities.. The sample analyzed is 100% of the States (including the Federal District) and 91% of the Brazilian cities. The research found the historical evolution of the expenditure with depreciation, evidenced in the balance sheets of the Brazilian cities, in the last 10 years, in the period 1999 to 2008. The results indicate that 10 Brazilian states (37 %) did not show the depreciation of fixed assets in the Statements of Financial Position of the year 2008. The situation is even more worrying in relation to cities, because 4,971 (98.4 %) of 5,050 municipalities not evidenced the depreciation. The evidence found in this study indicate that public entities do not recognize the expense with depreciation, which may indicate that the economic income and financial position presented in the financial statements of these public entities does not accurately reflect the actual situation of institutional performance.

Reconstrução e reconhecimento de imagens binárias utilizando o algoritmo Máquina de Boltzmann

The objective of this work is to use algorithms known as Boltzmann Machine to rebuild and classify patterns as images. This algorithm has a similar structure to that of an Artificial Neural Network but network nodes have stochastic and probabilistic decisions. This work presents the theoretical framework of the main Artificial Neural Networks, General Boltzmann Machine algorithm and a variation of this algorithm known as Restricted Boltzmann Machine. Computer simulations are performed comparing algorithms Artificial Neural Network Backpropagation with these algorithms Boltzmann General Machine and Machine Restricted Boltzmann. Through computer simulations are analyzed executions times of the different described algorithms and bit hit percentage of trained patterns that are later reconstructed. Finally, they used binary images with and without noise in training Restricted Boltzmann Machine algorithm, these images are reconstructed and classified according to the bit hit percentage in the reconstruction of the images. The Boltzmann machine algorithms were able to classify patterns trained and showed excellent results in the reconstruction of the standards code faster runtime and thus can be used in applications such as image recognition.