Potential Response Options Research Articles

Thematic Relations

This study explores the processing of noun-prep-noun combinations in prepositional phrases in Brazilian Portuguese, focusing on the syntactic-semantic relationship marked by prepositions, implies the semantic sense in which the noun is being modified. We chose to contrast particularly two types of thematic relationships like 'made of' and 'made for’, categorized as: material and function (e.g. ‘toalha de crochê’, crocheted cloth vs. agulha de crochê, crochet needle). To do so, we conducted two psycholinguistic experiments: Experiment 1 consisted of a self-paced reading/picture matching task to investigate the impact of semantic relationship on processing time; and Experiment 2 employed a cloze task (e.g. ‘toalha de ______’) and Likert scale likelihood judgments to norm the stimuli and assess cognitive preferences for the types of relation explored (i.e., material or function). Our results revealed slower reading times for the function type relation, suggesting a higher processing demand, possibly due to covert semantic computations required for this relation. Cloze completions and likelihood ratings also indicated a cognitive preference for this type of relationship. We attribute these observed patterns to the robust syntactic-semantic relationship inherent to functional type relations, coupled with a broader range of potential response options. In contrast, material type relations demonstrated a higher level of convergence among participants for cloze responses, likely due to more restricted response options and, consequently, increased probability. Future EEG studies are proposed to identify specific moments in the cognitive processing of the constituents of these structures and assess possible anticipatory effects of prepositional phrase modifiers. These discoveries make a meaningful contribution to the broader literature on language processing, aligning with analogous patterns observed in different languages with a cognitive distinction between thematic relations and feature-based (i.e., telic and constitutive relations), such as in Wisniewsky & Love, 1998; Estes et al., 2003, 2011; Pustejovsky et al., 2016; Flick et al., 2021.

QISS: Quantum-Enhanced Sustainable Security Incident Handling in the IoT

As the Internet of Things (IoT) becomes more integral across diverse sectors, including healthcare, energy provision and industrial automation, the exposure to cyber vulnerabilities and potential attacks increases accordingly. Facing these challenges, the essential function of an Information Security Management System (ISMS) in safeguarding vital information assets comes to the fore. Within this framework, risk management is key, tasked with the responsibility of adequately restoring the system in the event of a cybersecurity incident and evaluating potential response options. To achieve this, the ISMS must evaluate what is the best response. The time to implement a course of action must be considered, as the period required to restore the ISMS is a crucial factor. However, in an environmentally conscious world, the sustainability dimension should also be considered to choose more sustainable responses. This paper marks a notable advancement in the fields of risk management and incident response, integrating security measures with the wider goals of sustainability and corporate responsibility. It introduces a strategy for handling cybersecurity incidents that considers both the response time and sustainability. This approach provides the flexibility to prioritize either the response time, sustainability or a balanced mix of both, according to specific preferences, and subsequently identifies the most suitable actions to re-secure the system. Employing a quantum methodology, it guarantees reliable and consistent response times, independent of the incident volume. The practical application of this novel method through our framework, MARISMA, is demonstrated in real-world scenarios, underscoring its efficacy and significance in the contemporary landscape of risk management.

Just say ‘I don’t know’: Understanding information stagnation during a highly ambiguous visual search task

Visual search experiments typically involve participants searching simple displays with two potential response options: ‘present’ or ‘absent’. Here we examined search behavior and decision-making when participants were tasked with searching ambiguous displays whilst also being given a third response option: ‘I don’t know’. Participants searched for a simple target (the letter ‘o’) amongst other letters in the displays. We made the target difficult to detect by increasing the degree to which letters overlapped in the displays. The results showed that as overlap increased, participants were more likely to respond ‘I don’t know’, as expected. RT analyses demonstrated that ‘I don’t know’ responses occurred at a later time than ‘present’ responses (but before ‘absent’ responses) when the overlap was low. By contrast, when the overlap was high, ‘I don’t know’ responses occurred very rapidly. We discuss the implications of our findings for current models and theories in terms of what we refer to as ‘information stagnation’ during visual search.

A survey for characterizing details of fall events experienced by lower limb prosthesis users.

Despite their importance to fall prevention research, little is known about the details of real-world fall events experienced by lower limb prosthesis users. This gap can be attributed to the lack of a structured, population-specific fall survey to document these adverse health events. The objective of this project was to develop a survey capable of characterizing the circumstances and consequences of fall events in lower limb prosthesis users. Best practices in survey development, including focus groups and cognitive interviews with diverse samples of lower limb prosthesis users, were used to solicit input and feedback from target respondents, so survey content would be meaningful, clear, and applicable to lower limb prosthesis users. Focus group data were used to develop fall event definitions and construct a conceptual fall framework that guided the creation of potential survey questions and response options. Survey questions focused on the activity, surroundings, situation, mechanics, and consequences of fall events. Cognitive interviews revealed that with minor revisions, survey definitions, questions, and response options were clear, comprehensive, and applicable to the experiences of lower limb prosthesis users. Administration of the fall survey to a national sample of 235 lower limb prosthesis users in a cross-sectional preliminary validation study, found survey questions to function as intended. Revisions to the survey were made at each stage of development based on analysis of participant feedback and data. The structured, 37-question lower limb prosthesis user fall event survey developed in this study offers clinicians and researchers the means to document, monitor, and compare fall details that are meaningful and relevant to lower limb prosthesis users in a standardized and consistent manner. Data that can be collected with the developed survey are essential to establishing specific goals for fall prevention initiatives in lower limb prosthesis users.

Generation, Selection, and Face Validation of Items for a New Generic Measure of Quality of Life: The EQ-HWB

ObjectivesThis article aims to describe the generation and selection of items (stage 2) and face validation (stage 3) of a large international (multilingual) project to develop a new generic measure, the EQ-HWB (EQ Health and Wellbeing), for use in economic evaluation across health, social care, and public health to estimate quality-adjusted life-years. MethodsItems from commonly used generic, carer, social care, and mental health quality of life measures were mapped onto domains or subdomains identified from a literature review. Potential terms and items were reviewed and refined to ensure coverage of the construct of the domains/subdomain (stage 2). Input on the potential item pool, response options, and recall period was sought from 3 key stakeholder groups. The pool of candidate items was tested in qualitative interviews with potential future users in an international face validation study (stage 3). ResultsStage 2 resulted in the generation of 687 items. Predetermined selection criteria were applied by the research team resulting in 598 items being dropped, leaving 89 items that were reviewed by key stakeholder groups. Face validation (stage 3) tested 97 draft items and 4 response scales. A total of 47 items were retained and 14 were modified, whereas 3 were added to the candidate pool of items. This resulted in a 64-item set. ConclusionsThis international multiculture, multilingual study with a common methodology identified many items that performed well across all countries. These were taken to the psychometric testing along with modified and new items for the EQ-HWB.

Parachute science through a regional lens: Marine litter research in the Caribbean Small Island Developing States and the challenge of extra-regional research

The Wider Caribbean (WC) comprises numerous diverse developing states and territories including Small Island Developing States (SIDS). In particular, the Eastern part of the WC with its 16 SIDS receives a disproportionate amount of marine litter. Addressing this serious and urgent environmental problem requires scientific evidence to support and inform policy formation and decision making. Yet, as this study demonstrates, marine scientific research on the issue of marine litter in the Caribbean SIDS is predominantly undertaken by extra-regional scientists and organisations which might weaken the science-policy transfer to develop suitable and tailor-made solutions. The view point paper highlights issues and the problems associated with parachute science for the Caribbean SIDS before offering a series of potential policy-ready response options to address the identified challenges.

Securing the Limits of Large Ocean States in the Pacific: Defining Baselines Limits and Boundaries amidst Changing Coastlines and Sea Level Rise

The Pacific Island States and Territories are traditionally described as ‘small island’ nations. However, they are also ‘large ocean’ nations with jurisdiction over substantial maritime spaces stretching to at least 200 nautical miles. The article addresses issues related to baselines along the coast on which these broad maritime claims depend. The article then examines geodynamic considerations coupled with sea and land level projections in the Pacific leading to an assessment of the vulnerability or resilience of atolls in particular. The article then discusses potential implications for the coastlines and baselines of the Pacific Island States and Territories, the limits of their maritime entitlements and both delimited and undelimited maritime boundaries. Potential response options, prospects, and concluding thoughts are then offered.

The private sector to the rescue? Analysis of a hypothetical scenario of SG deployment

As climate change risks become more severe, solar geoengineering (SG) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) are being considered more seriously as potential response options. However, these climate interventions do not fit completely into existing international governance structures. To grapple with and innovate proposed governance mechanisms that accommodate the associated technical, social, and environmental challenges, a scenario exercise took place at the 2019 International Geoengineering Summer School. The present paper summarizes and analyzes the experience working with one of the four hypothetical scenarios of geoengineering deployment, that titled “Private sector to the rescue?”. It describes SG deployment by a centralized non-state actor who also pursues CDR. The exercise revealed that early engagement of a wide range of stakeholders and open sharing of knowledge base are necessary to pursue a constructive international dialogue. First, the scenario directs a particular attention to the power limitations of state actors, suggesting the collaborative governance regime. Second, because governance is not exercised in a vacuum, it is crucial to consider a broader range of transnational challenges that may jeopardize even a thoroughly designed governance structure. Third, the exercise highlights the importance of an integrated view on climate policy response that recognizes interactions, trade-offs, and synergies between mitigation, adaptation, CDR, and SG.

Exploring the Role of Item Scenario Features on Situational Judgment Test Response Selections

Objective. To explore pharmacists' and pharmacy students' perceptions regarding the significance of changing the features of test item scenario (eg, switching from a health care to a non-health care context) on their situational judgment test (SJT) responses.Methods. Fifteen Doctor of Pharmacy students and 15 pharmacists completed a 12-item SJT intended to measure empathy. The test included six scenarios in a health care context and six scenarios in a non-health care context; participants had to rank potential response options in order of appropriateness and no two items could be of equal rank. Qualitative data were collected individually from participants using think-aloud and cognitive interview techniques. During the cognitive interview, participants were asked how they selected their final responses for each item and whether they would have changed their answer if features of the scenario were switched (eg, changed to a non-health care context if the original item was in a health care context). Interviews were transcribed and a thematic analysis was conducted to identify the features of the scenario for each item that were perceived to impact response selections.Results. Participants stated that they would have changed their responses on average 51.3% of the time (range 20%-100%) if the features of the scenario for an item were changed. Qualitative analysis identified four pertinent scenario features that may influence response selections, which included information about the examinee, the actors in the scenario, the relationship between examinee and actors, and details about the situation. There was no discernible pattern linking scenario features to the component of empathy being measured or participant type.Conclusion. Results from this study suggest that the features of the scenario described in an SJT item could influence response selections. These features should be considered in the SJT design process and require further research to determine the extent of their impact on SJT performance.

Species prioritization index for oiled wildlife response planning in New Zealand.

Birds are extremely vulnerable to the effects of oil pollution. For wildlife, prevention of oiling is the best response option, however if not feasible, the fastest response gives the highest chance of survival. Therefore, the development of an oiled wildlife preparedness plan based on analysis of areas at risk, vulnerable species and potential response options is critical. This research developed an area based, species priority index (SPI) for New Zealand birds to guide oiled wildlife planning. The SPI shows significant areas of New Zealand's shoreline and offshore islands have many highly vulnerable species that need careful consideration given restricted response options available. Identification of these areas and species allows priority planning for placement of personal and equipment. This SPI can be adapted for other species (marine mammals and reptiles) and for other geographical areas to help develop response plans for oil pollution and oiled wildlife response worldwide.

The individual contributions of three executive function components to preschool social competence

AbstractThe present study explored the role of three components of executive function (EF)—response inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility—in preschool children's social competence. Each component was expected to contribute uniquely to children's abilities to resolve peer conflict in a competent manner, namely, the inhibition of incompetent social responses (response inhibition), maintenance of social goals (working memory), and attentional shift between complex social rules and potential response options (cognitive flexibility). Seventy‐two 4‐to 5‐year‐old children were administered measures for each of the EF components and for peer conflict social competence. Positive associations were found between all three EF components and the social competence task, but working memory was the most highly associated with choosing competent responses to peer conflict. In addition, EF accounted for age‐related increases in competent responding. The results highlight the importance of representational abilities in the development of social competence during the preschool period.Highlights This study examined the normative developmental associations between three components of executive function and social competence in preschool. Executive function, particularly working memory, predicted age‐related changes on a peer conflict task between 4 and 5 years of age. The results suggest that the representational abilities associated with working memory may be important in the development of social competence.

Citizen reporting of wildlife interactions can improve impact-reduction programs and support wildlife carers

Context Wildlife can be injured or orphaned through a range of (often anthropogenic) activities, creating need for volunteer rescuers and wildlife carers, of which a substantial number is active in Australia. However, the causes and contributing factors for rescued wildlife are rarely reported, which limits development of response options to these wildlife issues. An understanding of the distribution and number of rescuers and carers in relation to injured and orphaned wildlife allows training and outreach to be targeted around specific seasonal peaks, species and causes of injury. Aims and methods We conducted an analysis of 22723 reports over 7 years to the Bonorong Wildlife Rescue Service in Tasmania, Australia, to determine the frequency of species and types of human–wildlife interaction, the report distances from the central facility, and the report distribution relative to the registered rescuer and carer networks. Key results Mammals accounted for over half of all reports, followed by birds, reptiles and invertebrates. Road trauma was the predominant cause for report, followed by orphans. Disease reports and animal attack were also common. Overall, reporting was highest in late spring and summer, but different seasonality in specific causes and species suggests that targeted response options are needed at different times of year. Areas with higher reporting relative to the number of registered rescuers and carers show where volunteer recruitment can be focussed. Conclusions We used a wildlife reporting dataset to illustrate trends (such as seasonality and species vulnerability) and causes of human–wildlife interaction to inform potential response options. Implications Continued citizen reporting can assist wildlife managers to allocate resources, plan training or recruit additional volunteers, track emerging issues, such as disease and climate-related stressors, and guide the planning of public education and mitigation initiatives, particularly for human-related wildlife issues.

It Pays to Prepare: Human Motor Preparation Depends on the Relative Value of Potential Response Options

Alternative motor responses can be prepared in parallel. Here, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to test whether the parallel preparation of alternative response options is modulated by their relative value. Participants performed a choice response task with three potential actions: isometric contraction of the left, the right, or both wrists. An imperative stimulus (IS) appeared after a warning cue, such that the initiation time of a required action was predictable, but the specific action was not. To encourage advanced preparation, the target was presented 200 ms prior to the IS, and only correct responses initiated within ±100 ms of the IS were rewarded. At baseline, all targets were equally rewarded and probable. Then, responses with one hand were made more valuable, either by increasing the probability that the left or right target would be required (Exp. 1; n = 31) or by increasing the reward magnitude of one target (Exp. 2, n = 36). We measured reaction times, movement vigor, and an EEG correlate of action preparation (value-based lateralized readiness potential) prior to target presentation. Participants responded earlier to more frequent and more highly rewarded targets, and movements to highly rewarded targets were more vigorous. The EEG was more negative over the hemisphere contralateral to the more repeated/rewarded hand, implying an increased neural preparation of more valuable actions. Thus, changing the value of alternative response options can lead to greater preparation of actions associated with more valuable outcomes. This preparation asymmetry likely contributes to behavioral biases that are typically observed toward repeated or rewarded targets.

Anchors away? The impacts of anchor scour by ocean-going vessels and potential response options

Shipping is critical to global trade and anchoring is a long-held practice for safe and effective ship operations. While it is well established that anchoring or mooring of small recreational vessels has physical impacts on the seafloor and associated biota, the impacts of larger ships on seafloor environments has received little attention. This is, however, an increasingly pressing issue as world trade increases and shipping impacts on valuable yet vulnerable marine environments escalate. Using a case study in south eastern Australia this article highlights the multifaceted issues surrounding the anchoring of large ocean-going vessels. How these activities interact with marine environments is explored, with emphasis on the significant uncertainty surrounding impacts on seafloor biota. Finally, a range of potential response options to mitigate the effects of anchoring are provided.

When Threat Is Near, Get Out of Here

When detecting a threat, humans and other animals engage in defensive behaviors and supporting physiological adjustments that vary with threat imminence and potential response options. In the present study, we shed light on the dynamics of defensive behaviors and associated physiological adjustments in humans using multiple psychophysiological and brain measures. When participants were exposed to a dynamically approaching, uncontrollable threat, attentive freezing was augmented, as indicated by an increase in skin conductance, fear bradycardia, and potentiation of the startle reflex. In contrast, when participants had the opportunity to actively avoid the approaching threat, attention switched to response preparation, as indicated by an inhibition of the startle magnitude and by a sharp drop of the probe-elicited P3 component of the evoked brain potentials. These new findings on the dynamics of defensive behaviors form an important intersection between animal and human research and have important implications for understanding fear and anxiety-related disorders.

Speeded Vibrotactile Navigation with Gestural Control in a Multiple Choice Environment

Vibrotactile communication technologies are viable candidates for the replacement of more traditional radio communication technologies, particularly in domains where visual and auditory resources are either inconvenient or in high demand. Of particular interest is the potential for improved speeded communications, to allow those directing to directly steer their target rather than describing their intentions. This study evaluated the potential performance of a simple vibrotactile gesture system versus a radio communication control condition, continuing the research paradigm of a previous study by expanding potential response options. However, results indicate faster responses for the control condition, suggesting the need for further modification of the research paradigm to reduce participant awareness of evaluation points and improve communication feedback.

Double-dip recession and policy options

It is reasonable to expect the Serbian economy to decline up to -1% in 2012. A double-dip recession is inevitable. Lessons from the previous recession in 2009 suggest that an expansionary fiscal policy has clear limits, and that any misalignment of economic policies might be highly costly. This time, in addition to a recession and lack of policy coordination, the Serbian economy is exposed to the political risk associated with new elections. All of these risks deserve proper attention. In this paper, we provide a growth forecast for 2012 and discuss three potential policy response options. Coordination between fiscal consolidation and monetary expansion is the preferred solution. However, no one should take this for granted, and even if it is adopted by the Serbian policy makers, the problem of unsustainable long-term growth will remain. The model developed in this paper is a New-Keynesian model, modified to tackle the issue of fiscal consolidation. We expect that the inflation targeting policy framework will prevail in 2012, despite its poor record, and that this provides a good reason for using DSGE models to simulate policy options.

The socially skilled teacher and the development of tacit knowledge

Skilled interpersonal relations are crucial for effective teaching and learning but much professional knowledge here is tacit and thus not easily communicated. This article presents the results of a study that examined the tacit knowledge of trainee and experienced teachers in relation to various problematic interpersonal aspects of school life. Trainee (n = 501) and experienced (n = 163) teachers in secondary schools were presented with a series of hypothetical vignettes and asked to rate each of 128 potential response options. Trainees completed the survey at the beginning and end of their professional training year. It was found that experience appeared to be related to the capacity to identify ‘bad’ responses, but there was little difference in relation to the identification of ‘good’ responses. Further differences between novice and experienced teachers in relation to preferred strategies are reported. Implications for teacher education and for future research are identified and discussed.

Introduction: Assessing the effects of climate change on Chicago and the Great Lakes

This paper introduces the analyses of the potential impacts of climate change on the city of Chicago and the Great Lakes region and potential response options that provide the basis for this special issue. Covering projected changes in climate and hydrology, this collection of studies first estimates the potential impacts of climate change on human health, natural ecosystems, water resources, energy, and infrastructure in the city of Chicago and the surrounding Great Lakes region. A consistent set of future climate projections have been used as the basis for each analysis, which together provide a vivid impression of the consequences likely to result under the SRES higher (A1FI) as compared to the lower (B1) emission scenarios. These findings highlight the importance of the next set of analyses, which focus on quantifying Chicago's greenhouse gas emissions and prioritizing emissions reduction and adaptation options in light of the projected impacts. Together, these analyses form the basis for the City of Chicago's Climate Action Plan, the first such plan to be based on a thorough climate change impact assessment exploring the implications of a range of future climate scenarios. Although focused on Chicago and the Great Lakes region, the methods described here are generally applicable across North America and many other parts of the world, serving as a pattern for future regional assessments to directly inform adaptation and mitigation policy at the local to regional scale.

Differential correlation of frontal and parietal activity with the number of alternatives for cued choice saccades

The time taken to choose a response appropriate for a cue increases with the number of potential response options (Hick's law). We used this temporal constraint of choice behavior in event-related fMRI experiments to identify brain areas carrying out the translation from a cue stimulus to response: Since the process takes longer with more alternatives, the activity of the areas would increase in correlation with the number of alternatives (NA) available at the time of choice decision. During a choice saccade task in which one target is selected among many alternatives based on the color of a cue in the center, the frontal eye fields (FEF) and intraparietal sulcus (IPS) were activated. Within these regions, signals were correlated with NA at the medial part of the FEF and the posterior part of the IPS, but not at the lateral FEF and anterior IPS. This suggests a functional differentiation within each cortical region. Furthermore, given the separate fronto-parietal projections linking sub-regions that are alike in NA-correlation, cognitive steps for choice decision may occur in different networks of the sub-regions: i.e., the stimulus–response translation step in a network of the posterior IPS and medial FEF, and response execution in the anterior IPS/lateral FEF network.