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PubMed1997

Achievement goals and perceived ability predict investment in learning a sport task.

BACKGROUND: Contemporary views on motivation suggest that expectancy-value and social-cognitive perspectives can shed light on the important issue of student motivation. AIMS: To test the predictive value of achievement goals on the investment in learning a sport task. Two studies investigated whether investment in learning is affected by achievement goals and perceived ability. SAMPLES: Study 1: 57 school pupils selected from an initial sample of 212. Study 2: 99 pupils selected from 400. Selection was based on motivation and perceived ability scores from questionnaires. Pupils were aged 13-15 years and attended schools in northern France. METHODS: In Study 1 pupils prepared themselves for a sport task with a five-minute period of training. Study 2 pupils prepared themselves with a five-minute period of training after prior failure. RESULTS: Study 1 showed that those who were ego-involved with a low perceived ability had a weaker investment in the training situation than those ego-involved with a high perceived ability, or those task-involved regardless of their perceived ability. Ego-involved pupils used an attributional bias to minimise the effect of effort on performance. Study 2 confirmed these results by underlining the motivational deficits of ego involvement for those with a low perceived ability. CONCLUSIONS: School pupils with high ego involvement in a sport task and low perceived ability show motivational deficits which manifest themselves in less time spent on practising a task. A social-cognitive and expectancy-value perspective appears to be valid for the study of motivational processes in school physical education.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

New goals for the U.S. Human Genome Project: 1998-2003.

The Human Genome Project has successfully completed all the major goals in its current 5-year plan, covering the period 1993-98. A new plan, for 1998-2003, is presented, in which human DNA sequencing will be the major emphasis. An ambitious schedule has been set to complete the full sequence by the end of 2003, 2 years ahead of previous projections. In the course of completing the sequence, a "working draft" of the human sequence will be produced by the end of 2001. The plan also includes goals for sequencing technology development; for studying human genome sequence variation; for developing technology for functional genomics; for completing the sequence of Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster and starting the mouse genome; for studying the ethical, legal, and social implications of genome research; for bioinformatics and computational studies; and for training of genome scientists.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Perfusion imaging of the liver: current challenges and future goals.

Improved therapeutic options for hepatocellular carcinoma and metastatic disease place greater demands on diagnostic and surveillance tests for liver disease. Existing diagnostic imaging techniques provide limited evaluation of tissue characteristics beyond morphology; perfusion imaging of the liver has potential to improve this shortcoming. The ability to resolve hepatic arterial and portal venous components of blood flow on a global and regional basis constitutes the primary goal of liver perfusion imaging. Earlier detection of primary and metastatic hepatic malignancies and cirrhosis may be possible on the basis of relative increases in hepatic arterial blood flow associated with these diseases. To date, liver flow scintigraphy and flow quantification at Doppler ultrasonography have focused on characterization of global abnormalities. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can provide regional and global parameters, a critical goal for tumor surveillance. Several challenges remain: reduced radiation doses associated with CT perfusion imaging, improved spatial and temporal resolution at MR imaging, accurate quantification of tissue contrast material at MR imaging, and validation of parameters obtained from fitting enhancement curves to biokinetic models, applicable to all perfusion methods. Continued progress in this new field of liver imaging may have profound implications for large patient groups at risk for liver disease.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗
PubMed2003

Competition between saccade goals in the superior colliculus produces saccade curvature.

When saccadic eye movements are made in a search task that requires selecting a target from distractors, the movements show greater curvature in their trajectories than similar saccades made to single stimuli. To test the hypothesis that this increase in curvature arises from competitive interactions between saccade goals occurring near the time of movement onset, we performed single-unit recording and microstimulation experiments in the superior colliculus (SC). We found that saccades that ended near the target but curved toward a distractor were accompanied by increased presaccadic activity of SC neurons coding the distractor site. This increased activity occurred approximately 30 ms before saccade onset and was abruptly quenched on saccade initiation. The magnitude of increased activity at the distractor site was correlated with the amount of curvature toward the distractor. In contrast, neurons coding the target location did not show any significant difference in discharge for curved versus straight saccades. To determine whether this pattern of SC discharge is causally related to saccade curvature, we performed a second series of experiments using electrical microstimulation. Monkeys made saccades to single visual stimuli presented without distractors, and we stimulated sites in the SC that would have corresponded to distractor sites in the search task. The stimulation was subthreshold for evoking saccades, but when its temporal structure mimicked the activity recorded for curved saccades in search, the subsequent saccades to the visual target showed curvature toward the location coded by the stimulation site. The effect was larger for higher stimulation frequencies and when the stimulation site was in the same colliculus as the representation of the visual target. These results support the hypothesis that the increased saccade curvature observed in search arises from rivalry between target and distractor goals and are consistent with the idea that the SC is involved in the competitive neural interactions underlying saccade target selection.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Effects of end-goal on hand shaping.

The aim of the present study was to determine whether hand shaping was affected by planning of an action subsequent to object contact. Ten subjects (5 females and 5 males, ages 19-33) were requested to reach toward and grasp a convex object between the thumb and the four fingers of the right hand and to perform one of the following actions: 1) lift up the object; 2) insert the object into a niche of a similar shape and size as the object, or 3) insert the object into a rectangular niche much larger than the object. Flexion/extension at the metacarpal-phalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joints of all digits were measured using resistive sensors embedded in a glove. Although all experimental conditions required grasping the same object, we found different covariation patterns among finger joint angles across conditions. Gradual preshaping of the hand occurred only when planning object lift or when the end-goal required object placement into the tight niche. In contrast, for the larger niche, gradual preshaping was not evident for the ring and the little finger. Further, reaching movements were faster for movements ending with the larger niche than for the other movement conditions. The present results suggest that hand shaping takes into account end-goal in addition to object geometry. We discuss these findings in the context of forward internal models that allow the prediction of the sensorimotor consequences of motor commands in advance to their execution.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Neural representations of the target (goal) of visually guided arm movements in three motor areas of the monkey.

1. This study was designed to determine whether the supplementary motor area (SMA), the primary motor cortex (MC), and the putamen, all of which are components of the basal ganglia-thalamocortical "motor circuit," contain neural representations of the target or goal of a movement, independent of specific features of the movement itself. Four rhesus monkeys were trained to perform two visuomotor delayed step-tracking tasks in which the subject used a cursor to track targets on a display screen by making flexion and extension movements of the elbow. Single-cell activity was recorded from the SMA, MC, and putamen while the monkeys performed the two tasks. In the Standard task, the cursor and the forearm moved in the same direction. The Cursor/Limb Inversion task was identical to the Standard task except that there was an inverse relationship between the directions of movement of the forearm and cursor. Together, these tasks dissociated the spatial features of the target or goal of the movement from those of the movement itself. Both tasks also included features that made it possible to distinguish neuronal activity related to the preparation for movement from that related to movement execution. A total of 554 directionally selective, task-related neurons were tested with both tasks (SMA, 207; MC, 198; putamen, 149). 2. Two types of directionally selective preparatory activity were seen in each motor area. Cells with target-dependent preparatory activity showed selective discharge prior to all preplanned movements of the cursor toward one of the side targets (right or left), irrespective of whether the limb movement involved extension or flexion of the elbow. Comparable proportions of target-dependent preparatory cells were seen in the SMA (36%), MC (40%), and putamen (38%). Cells with limb-dependent preparatory activity showed selective discharge prior to all preplanned elbow movements in a particular direction (extension or flexion), irrespective of whether the target to which the cursor was moved was located on the right or left side of the display. The SMA contained a higher proportion of limb-dependent preparatory cells (40%) than either MC (15%) or putamen (9%). 3. Two types of directionally selective movement-related activity were also seen in each motor area.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1994

Modification of postural responses and step initiation: evidence for goal-directed postural interactions.

1. In this study, the interaction between anticipatory postural adjustments for step initiation and automatic postural responses to an external perturbation were investigated by having subjects initiate a voluntary forward step while perturbed by a backward surface translation, which caused forward sway of the body. The postural adjustments for step initiation act to move the body center of mass (COM) forward, whereas the automatic postural responses act to move the COM backward to restore stance equilibrium. Because the postural behaviors are in opposition, we asked whether a temporal hierarchy exists in which automatic postural responses are executed to restore equilibrium and followed by stereotypic postural adjustments for step initiation, or whether the interaction between these two postural behaviors is more dynamic. 2. Lower extremity electromyographs (EMGs), ground reaction forces, and kinematics were recorded from 10 subjects during three conditions: to quantify the anticipatory postural adjustments for step initiation, subjects stepped forward as soon as they felt a proprioceptive cue; to quantify the automatic postural responses to perturbation, subjects maintained stance equilibrium in response to a backward surface translation under both feet; and to quantify the interaction between the postural adjustments for the voluntary step and the automatic responses to the perturbation, subjects were exposed to a backward surface translation and instructed to step forward as soon as they felt the platform begin to move. 3. The anticipatory adjustments for step initiation included tibialis activation [stance limb = 163 +/- 28 (SE) ms; swing limb = 173 +/- 33 ms] and soleus inhibition resulting in center of foot pressure (COP) moving backward and lateral toward the swing limb to propel the COM forward over the stance limb. Subsequently, activation of the swing limb gastrocnemius resulted in heel-off. In contrast, the automatic postural adjustments for maintenance of stance equilibrium during a backward surface translation included activation of soleus and gastrocnemius (104 +/- 23 ms and 115 +/- 14 ms, respectively) resulting in a symmetrical forward displacement of the COP that moved the COM back to its original position with respect to the feet. 4. When a forward step was initiated in response to the translation, the automatic postural responses were reduced in amplitude bilaterally in soleus and in the stance limb gastrocnemius. When present the postural response occurred at the same latency when the goal was to initiate a step as when the goal was to maintain standing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed2006

[Lipid lowering goals in high risk and very high cardiovascular risk patients: a reasonable challenge?].

OBJECTIVE: The last modifications of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) indicate some lower therapeutic targets of low density protein cholesterol (LDL-c) in patients with very high vascular risk. Our study aims to establish the degree of compliance of the therapeutic targets defined by these modifications. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Descriptive and cross sectional study of patients from a cardiovascular clinic. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) was calculated and targets were established according the new update of NCEP-ATP III. RESULTS: 836 patients, 625 (75%) with HR and 211(25%) with VHR were studied 45% of HR and 67% of VHR were receiving treatment with statins (p < 0.001) but only 38% of HR and 15% of VHR achieved target LDL-c levels. The percentage of patients who could achieve LDL-goals using the maximum approved dose of the statins plus other lipid lowering drug was calculated: The 31% of HR and 51% of VHR were unable to achieve the LDL-c targets. CONCLUSIONS: Only 15% of very high risk patients achieve target levels of LDL-c according to the new NCEP-ATP III recommendations. Even using maximum dose of statins in combination with other lipid lowering drugs, less than half of the patients will be able to achieve LDL-c goal (< 70 mg/dl).

Aged↗
PubMed2000

DEA: An architecture for goal planning and classification.

We introduce the differential efficiency algorithm, which partitions a perceptive space during unsupervised learning into categories and uses them to solve goal-planning and classification problems. This algorithm is inspired by a biological model of the cortex proposing the cortical column as an elementary unit. We validate the generality of this approach by testing it on four problems with continuous time and no reinforcement signal until the goal is reached (constrained object moves, Hanoi tower problem, animat control, and simple character recognition).

Algorithms↗
PubMed1991

Analytical goals for interference.

Objective analytical goals for interference in clinical biochemical methods have not yet been advocated. We propose that, since total analytical error is ideally less than half the within-subject biological coefficient of variation (CVI), the maximum allowable systematic error produced by an interferent (I) is: I less than CVI-(1.96 CVA + SE), where CVA is the relevant experimental analytical imprecision and SE is the systematic error. Such a goal may be applicable also to non-specificity, matrix effects and carryover.

Chemistry Techniques, Analytical↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Goals, design, timing, and future opportunities for nonclinical drug metabolism studies.

The nonclinical ADME (adsorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) studies employed during drug development are dependent on the regulatory expectations and the changing development focus from nonclinical to clinical issues. These evolving issues necessitate that the development goals for ADME studies also change during the development process. The rationale for these goal changes and their impact on the timing and design of the ADME studies are discussed in the context of drug development at Glaxo Inc. The progress in the technology and knowledge in drug metabolism and in biology provide new opportunities for pharmaceutical companies in predicting drug toxicities relevant to humans. Two case examples are discussed to illustrate this opportunity.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Psychiatric training in gender specific psychology and goals for women in therapy.

A questionnaire addressing itself to the necessity of psychiatric training in gender specific issues and therapists' attitudes towards women in treatment was answered by almost half the total number of residents in psychiatric programs across Canada in the spring of 1980. Although the majority felt that training in gender specific psychology was a necessity, our survey indicated only a small proportion of Canadian programs (2 out of the 16 psychiatric schools) have incorporated this into their present curricula. An overview of the survey showed residents to agree with the following attitudes regarding women in therapy: 1) women's conflicts should be considered in the framework of their developmental life cycle and reproductive issues; 2) women do not present the same conflicts, goals and values as men; 3) therapy should help women to become more autonomous and assertive in the home and at work; and 4) women's primary goal should not necessarily be seen as that of caregivers and homemakers. Further, the residents expressed the beliefs that sex role ideology could interfere with therapy and that the "traditional hierarchy of power" should not be replicated between therapist and patient.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Long-term assessment of waste management options--a new, integrated and goal-oriented approach.

Selected waste management scenarios were evaluated with regard to the goals of the Austrian Waste Management Act, taking into account long-term environmental protection and resource conservation as well as costs. Municipal solid waste (MSW) and sewage sludge have been chosen as the system inputs. The scenarios were compared to the status-quo scenario by combining Material Flow Analysis (MFA) and economic evaluation methods. Both, welfare-oriented Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) and Modified Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (MCEA) were applied for this assessment. Unlike CBA, MCEA takes into consideration long-term impacts of landfilled material in non-monetary terms. The results of the CBA correspond to those of the MCEA. Both evaluation methods confirm: If long-term effects are taken into account with the same weight irrespective of when they occur, the Austrian goals of waste management are reached more efficiently by thermal waste treatment scenarios than by mechanical-biological treatment scenarios or by landfilling without pre-treatment.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
PubMed2005

Information sharing in interdisciplinary team meetings: an evaluation of hospice goals.

The author observed interdisciplinary team (IDT) meetings of "Town Hospice" to examine how the company goal of providing for the "psychosocial needs of the patient and their loved ones" is addressed. More specifically, she used an ethnographic approach to explore how case managers negotiate the addition of psychosocial information about patients during IDT meetings. She found that psychosocial information on patients was primarily limited to three types of information sharing: (a) information related to care goals, (b) family issues related to bereavement and caretaking, and (c) the request of additional help from team members. Furthermore, she understood that the addition of psychosocial information creates a dialectical tension for the team.

Anthropology, Cultural↗
PubMed1994

Oxygen transport goals in the resuscitation of critically ill patients.

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the limitations of conventional monitoring techniques of shock and examine more recent monitoring techniques that are used to titrate therapies to attain supranormal oxygen transport goals. DATA SOURCES: Review articles and investigations published since 1973. STUDY SELECTION: Articles were selected if they examined the monitoring or treatment of shock. Emphasis was placed on finding investigations involving humans that used innovative methods to assess and treat inadequate tissue perfusion. DATA EXTRACTION: Data were extracted primarily from original investigations and review articles published in or translated into English. DATA SYNTHESIS: The conventional monitoring of shock often fails to detect inadequate tissue perfusion, which may lead to inadequate resuscitation of patients, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. Attainment of supranormal values for oxygen transport variables has been associated with improved outcomes, especially in patients with hypovolemic shock or septic shock. Additionally, interventions used to increase these variables to supranormal values have resulted in improved survival in high-risk preoperative patients with hypovolemic or septic shock, but not in severely ill postoperative patients with multiple complications. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to increase oxygen transport variables to supranormal values cannot be recommended routinely for all critically ill patients. Preoperative patients in early stages of hypovolemic or septic shock may benefit from therapies titrated to achieve supranormal goals, but patients in later stages of illnesses may be harmed by such attempts. Questions remain regarding how quickly and how long the oxygen transport variables should be elevated. The most effective and least toxic therapeutic interventions for increasing the variables need to be determined.

Cardiac Output↗
PubMed2002

Pastoral counseling training: training goals in a changing environment.

Pastoral counseling training is redefining itself in a changing environment. Theological education and ordination and church relatedness once was the crucible that shaped pastoral counselors. Today that formation process is being redefined as an increasing number of non-theologically trained students who are not seeking ordination come to increasingly fewer pastoral counseling training programs for formation in integrating spirituality and psychotherapy. This article outlines a statement of who an ideal intern would be in one pastoral counseling training program, lists fourteen goals of the training program along with the method of achievement, and who in the training program is responsible to see that the goals are accomplished.

Achievement↗
PubMed2005

The use of ezetimibe in achieving low density lipoprotein lowering goals in clinical practice: position statement of a United Kingdom consensus panel.

There is no doubt that lowering serum cholesterol levels reduces the risk of major coronary events. This evidence has led treatment guidelines to set progressively lower targets for low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). However, despite widespread use of statins, substantial numbers of patients do not achieve the LDL-C goals. Using higher doses of statins in an attempt to achieve these targets may increase the risk of serious adverse effects. Furthermore, the use of combination therapy with agents such as bile acid sequestrants, niacin and fibrates has been limited by increased potential for side effects, drug interactions and poor compliance. Ezetimibe, a selective cholesterol transport inhibitor, reduces the intestinal uptake of cholesterol without affecting absorption of triglycerides or fat-soluble vitamins. In clinical studies, ezetimibe 10 mg, in combination with statins or as monotherapy, was well tolerated and reduced LDL-C by 34-53% and 17-18%, respectively. The available evidence for ezetimibe is reviewed. The role of ezetimibe in increasing the proportion of patients attaining LDL-C treatment goals is discussed.

Anticholesteremic Agents↗
PubMed2004

An approach to classifying human resources constraints to attaining health-related Millennium Development Goals.

BACKGROUND: For any wide-ranging effort to scale up health-related priority interventions, human resources for health (HRH) are likely to be a key to success. This study explores constraints related to human resources in the health sector for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in low-income countries. METHODS AND FRAMEWORK: The analysis drew on information from a variety of publicly-available sources and principally on data presented in published papers in peer-reviewed journals. For classifying HRH constraints an analytical framework was used that considers constraints at five levels: individual characteristics, the health service delivery level, the health sector level, training capacities and the sociopolitical and economic context of a country. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: At individual level, the decision to enter, remain and serve in the health sector workforce is influenced by a series of social, economic, cultural and gender-related determinants. For example, to cover the health needs of the poorest it is necessary to employ personnel with specific social, ethnic and cultural characteristics. At health-service level, the commitment of health staff is determined by a number of organizational and management factors. The workplace environment has a great impact not only on health worker performance, but also on the comprehensiveness and efficiency of health service delivery. At health-sector level, the use of monetary and nonmonetary incentives is of crucial importance for having the accurate skill mix at the appropriate place. Scaling up of priority interventions is likely to require significant investments in initial and continuous training. Given the lead time required to produce new health workers, such investments must occur in the early phases of scaling up. At the same time coherent national HRH policies are required for giving direction on HRH development and linking HRH into health-sector reform issues, the scaling-up of priority interventions, poverty reduction strategies, and training approaches. Multisectoral collaboration and the sociopolitical and economic context of a country determine health sector workforce development and potential emigration. CONCLUSIONS: Key determinants of success for achieving international development goals are closely related to human-resource development.

Journal Article↗