Sex differences: From mental rotation to object location memory, an ERP study

Sex differences in cognition have been largely investigated. The most consistent sex differences favoring females are observed in object location memory involving the left hemisphere whereas the most consistent sex differences favoring males are observed in tasks that require mental rotation involving the right hemisphere. Here we used a task involving these two abilities to see the impact of mental rotation on object location memory. To that end we used a combination of behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) electroencephalography (EEG) measures.A computer screen displayed a square frame of 4 pairs of images (a "teddy" bear, a shoe, an umbrella and a lamp) randomly arranged around a central fixation cross. After a 10-second interval for memorization, images disappeared and were replaced by a test frame with no image but a random pair of two locations marked in black. In addition, this test frame was randomly displayed either in the original orientation (0° rotation) or in the rotated one (90° clockwise - CW - or 90° counterclockwise - CCW). Preceding the test frame, an arrow indicating the presence or the absence of rotation of the frame was displayed on the screen. The task of the participants (15 females and 15 males) was to determine if two marked locations corresponded or not to a pair of identical images. Each response was followed by feedback.Findings showed no significant sex differences in the performance of the original orientation. In comparison with this position, the rotation of the frame produced an equal decrease of male and female performance. In addition, this decrease was significantly higher when the rotation of the frame was in a CCW direction. We further assessed the ERP when the arrow indicated the direction of rotation as stimulus-onset, during four time windows representing major components C1, P1, N1 and N2. Although no sex differences were observed in performance, brain activities differed according to sex. Enhanced amplitudes were found for the CCW compared to CW rotation over the right posterior areas for the P1, N1 and N2 components for men as well as for women. Major topographical differences related to sex were measured for the CW rotation condition as marked lateralized amplitude: left-hemisphere amplitude larger than right one was measured during P1 time range for men. These similar patterns prolonged from P1 to N1 for women. Early distinctions were found in interaction with sex between CCW and CW waveform amplitudes, expressing over anterior electrode sites during C1 time range (0-50 ms post-stimulus).In conclusion (i) women do not outperform men in object location memory in this study (absence of rotation condition); (ii) mental rotation, in particular the direction of rotation, influences performance on object location memory; (iii) CCW rotation is associated with activity in the right parietal hemisphere whereas the CW rotation involves the left parietal hemisphere; (iv) this last effect is less pronounced in males, which could explain why greater involvement of right parietal areas in men and of bilateral posterior areas in women is generally reported in mental rotation tasks; and (v) the early distinctions between both directions of rotation located over anterior sites could be related to sex differences in their respective involvement of control mechanisms.

Report on a special investigation of programs administered by the Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium (CIETC) and Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) for the period July 1, 2003 through December 15, 2005

Report on a special investigation of programs administered by the Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium (CIETC) and Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) for the period July 1, 2003 through December 15, 2005

G-1 Appeal Activity in the Public Assistance Programs, February 2007

G-1 - Appeal Activity in the Public Assistance Programs - February 2007

G-1 Appeal Activity in the Public Assistance Programs, April 2007

G-1 - Appeal Activity in the Public Assistance Programs - April 2007

G-1 Appeal Activity in the Public Assistance Programs, March 2007

G-1 - Appeal Activity in the Public Assistance Programs - March 2007

Does Prison Substance Abuse Treatment Reduce Recidivism?Performance Audit Report Iowa Department of Corrections Licensed Substance Abuse Programs, May 25, 2007

The Iowa Department of Corrections faces a growing prison population expected to quickly exceed current capacities. Additionally, nine out of every ten offenders have a history of alcohol or drug problems often both. Research suggests that alcohol and drugs lead to criminal behavior, which lead offenders right back to prison creating a vicious circle and placing a financial and societal burden on the state. However, research also shows that substance abuse treatment can minimize criminal behavior, and offers a way to shut the revolving prison door. Substance abuse programming attempts to change offender thinking patterns and behavior in order to facilitate re-entry back into the community, lessen substance abuse relapse and reduce recidivism. Yet nearly 60% of offenders with identified needs are not treated, and many lacking treatment are high risk. Additionally, the percentage of offenders returning to prison varies significantly from program to program and some programs can not show they have reduced recidivism when compared to offender groups with substance abuse problems and receiving no treatment at all. All of which minimize the effect substance Abuse programming has in curbing prison population growth and reducing crime.

Relationship between the users' contact time in educational programs on diabetes mellitus and self-care skills and knowledge

Abstract OBJECTIVE Check the relationship between the users' contact time in educational programs and self-care and knowledge variables in diabetes mellitus. METHOD A longitudinal study with a quantitative approach with the participation, in the initial phase, of 263 users linked to Basic Health Units in Belo Horizonte, Brazil during the years 2012 and 2013. The data were collected with respect to the total contact time of the users' participation in the educational program as regards knowledge and self-care in acquired diabetes mellitus. The data were analyzed using the Student t-test for comparison of means, considering a 0.05 significance level. RESULTS The final sample included 151 users. The analysis showed that the improvement in self-care scores was statistically higher during an educational intervention of eight hours or more (p-value <0.05). In relation to the scores for knowledge, there was a statistically significant improvement at the end of the educational program. It was not possible to identify a value for the contact time from which there was an increase in mean scores for the ability of knowledge. CONCLUSION To improve the effectiveness of the promotion of skills related to knowledge and self-care in diabetes mellitus, it is necessary to consider the contact time as a relevant factor of the educational program.

G-1 Appeal Activity in the Public Assistance Programs, May 2007

G-1 - Appeal Activity in the Public Assistance Programs - May 2007

Audit report on the Iowa Water Pollution Control Works Financing Program (Clean Water Program) and the Iowa Drinking Water Facilities Financing Program (Drinking Water Program), joint programs of the Iowa Finance Authority and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, for the year ended June 30, 2006

Audit report on the Iowa Water Pollution Control Works Financing Program (Clean Water Program) and the Iowa Drinking Water Facilities Financing Program (Drinking Water Program), joint programs of the Iowa Finance Authority and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, for the year ended June 30, 2006

Report on the Early Out Incentive (EOI) programs, including a Buy Out Program, for the period November 20, 2001 through February 28, 2006

Report on the Early Out Incentive (EOI) programs, including a Buy Out Program, for the period November 20, 2001 through February 28, 2006

Are rules-based government programs shielded from special-interest politics? Evidence from revenue-sharing transfers in Brazil

Manipulation of government finances for the benefit of narrowly defined groups is usuallythought to be limited to the part of the budget over which politicians exercise discretion inthe short run, such as earmarks. Analyzing a revenue-sharing program between the centraland local governments in Brazil that uses an allocation formula based on local population estimates,I document two main results: first, that the population estimates entering the formulawere manipulated and second, that this manipulation was political in nature. Consistent withswing-voter targeting by the right-wing central government, I find that municipalities withroughly equal right-wing and non-right-wing vote shares benefited relative to opposition orconservative core support municipalities. These findings suggest that the exclusive focus ondiscretionary transfers in the extant empirical literature on special-interest politics may understatethe true scope of tactical redistribution that is going on under programmatic disguise.

G-1 Appeal Activity in the Public Assistance Programs, June 2007

G-1 Appeal Activity in the Public Assistance Programs, June 2007

G-1 Appeal Activity in the Public Assistance Programs, August 2007

G-1 - Appeal Activity in the Public Assistance Programs - August 2007

G-1 Appeal Activity in the Public Assistance Programs, September 2007

G-1 - Appeal Activity in the Public Assistance Programs - September 2007

G-1 Appeal Activity in the Public Assistance Programs, July 2007

G-1 - Appeal Activity in the Public Assistance Programs