Neural correlates and determinants of approach-avoidance conflict in the prelimbic prefrontal cortex

The recollection of environmental cues associated with threat or reward allows animals to select the most appropriate behavioral responses. Neurons in the prelimbic cortex (PL) respond to both threat- and reward-associated cues. However, it remains unknown whether PL regulates threat-avoidance vs. reward-approaching responses when an animals' decision depends on previously associated memories. Using a conflict model in which male Long-Evans rats retrieve memories of shock- and food-paired cues, we observed two distinct phenotypes during conflict: i) rats that continued to press a lever for food (Pressers); and ii) rats that exhibited a complete suppression in food seeking (Non-pressers). Single-unit recordings revealed that increased risk-taking behavior in Pressers is associated with persistent food-cue responses in PL, and reduced spontaneous activity in PL glutamatergic (PLGLUT) neurons during conflict. Activating PLGLUT neurons in Pressers attenuated food-seeking responses in a neutral context, whereas inhibiting PLGLUT neurons in Non-pressers reduced defensive responses and increased food approaching during conflict. Our results establish a causal role for PLGLUT neurons in mediating individual variability in memory-based risky decision making by regulating threat-avoidance vs. reward-approach behaviors.

Education, Conflict and Harmony in Book 1 of Plato’s Laws

Book 1 of Plato’s Laws, and particularly the image of the puppet introduced near its end, has been traditionally interpreted as presenting the moral psychology model that underlies the educational system delineated by the Athenian Stranger, which construes virtue as consonance between the non–rational and the rational elements of the soul. But a different and competing conception of virtue looms large in Laws 1, virtue as victory of the best part of the soul in psychic conflict. This paper argues that the Athenian’s conception of education as the correct conformation of originally conflicting psychic forces requires the simultaneous presence of the harmony and the conflict models of virtue in Laws 1. Education is in turn defined by calculation, the rational activity which persuasively leads the conflicting non–rational forces towards a consonant reciprocal rapport. By strategically developing his understanding of education and calculation in Laws 1, the Athenian shows how the harmony model of virtue overcomes the conflict model, while at the same time recognising that there is some truth to the conflict model after all and integrating it within the harmony model.

A qualitative exploration of pharmacovigilance policy implementation in Jordan, Oman, and Kuwait using Matland’s ambiguity-conflict model

Background As Arab countries seek to implement the ‘Guideline on Good Pharmacovigilance Practice (GVP) for Arab countries’, understanding policy implementation mechanisms and the factors impacting it can inform best implementation practice. This study aimed to explore the mechanisms of and factors influencing pharmacovigilance policy implementation in Arab countries with more established pharmacovigilance systems (Jordan, Oman), to inform policy implementation in a country with a nascent pharmacovigilance system (Kuwait). Results Matland’s ambiguity-conflict model served to frame data analysis from 56 face-to-face interviews, which showed that policy ambiguity and conflict were low in Jordan and Oman, suggesting an “administrative implementation” pathway. In Kuwait, policy ambiguity was high while sentiments about policy conflict were varied, suggesting a mixture between “experimental implementation” and “symbolic implementation”. Factors reducing policy ambiguity in Jordan and Oman included: decision-makers’ guidance to implementors, stakeholder involvement in the policy’s development and implementation, training of policy implementors throughout the implementation process, clearly outlined policy goals and means, and presence of a strategic implementation plan with appropriate timelines as well as a monitoring mechanism. In contrast, policy ambiguity in Kuwait stemmed from the absence or lack of attention to these factors. Factors reducing policy conflict included: the policy’s compliance with internationally recognised standards and the policy’s fit with local capabilities (all three countries), decision-makers’ cooperation with and support of the national centre as well as stakeholders’ agreement on policy goals and means (Jordan and Oman) and adopting a stepwise approach to implementation (Jordan). Conclusions Using Matland’s model, both the mechanism of and factors impacting successful pharmacovigilance policy implementation were identified. This informed recommendations for best implementation practice in Arab as well as other countries with nascent pharmacovigilance systems, including increased managerial engagement and support, greater stakeholder involvement in policy development and implementation, and undertaking more detailed implementation planning.

Disharmony of Regional Head Couples (Study of Local Leadership in Central Branch 2005-2019 Period)

This study provides an overview of the disharmony of the regional head pairs starting from the administrative formation of Central Bangka Regency to its third period. This study applies the conflict theory proposed by Ralf Dahrendorf who explains that the conflict of interest of each elite can be categorized as a struggle of position by the group that owns the authority position. The disharmony of the regional head pairs of Central Bangka is included in the authoritative conflict model that causes the occurrence of latent conflict between both of them to compete for position structure. This study used a descriptive qualitative method with the primary data obtained from the interview results with the informants including related officials, board members, civil servants, and the regional head pairs. The results of this study portray that the obtained data provide an overview regarding the conflict potential that results in the limited access for the vice-regents to perform government duties that have been regulated by law. Therefore, public and personal interests can no longer be distinguished since both interests are related to the matter of competition or race for the local election. In other words, the regents have another underlying interest to limit the vice-regents’ access to perform the government duties. Meanwhile, the last period has a different case regarding the authority role of the vice-regent to run the government since the regent concentrates individually more on his duties.

Dynamic plurilateral information conflict model with different participant strategies

Problem setting. The development of the information theory conflicts is connected with the need to form new models that take into account new factors and features of real actions of conflicting parties in the information area. Currently, a fairly developed scientific and methodological apparatus for study of information conflict are models in the formalism of the Markov theory processes and game theory. At the same time, models based on dynamic systems are not sufficiently developed, and dynamic models of multilateral conflicts are not available in well-known publications.Target. The purpose of the work is to form a dynamic plurilateral information conflict model with different participant strategies.Results. The research results in a dynamic plurilateral information conflict model with different participant strategies. The elements of the model scientific novelty are: the conflict formalization in the form of differential equations system, which are based on the original modification of the Lotki-Voltera model equations; nine strategies for action by parties to a multilateral conflict with varying degrees of conflict; each strategy formalization in the form of coefficients or complex functions with the modeling possibility of their application and change in duel conflicts between each pair of sides.Practical significance. The model presented using in the article allows: to study the dynamic of changes in the conflict parties resources; identify local wins and losses in transition mode; to make conclusions about global wins and losses of the parties over the conflict duration; to make recommendations about party-specific strategies choice and parameters of their strategies usefulness for achieving global wins. These studies may be useful to those skilled special purpose information systems field, electronic warfare or information warfare.

Neural correlates and determinants of approach-avoidance conflict in the prelimbic prefrontal cortex

The recollection of environmental cues associated with threat or reward allows animals to select the most appropriate behavioral responses. Neurons in the prelimbic cortex (PL) respond to both threat- and reward-associated cues. However, it remains unknown whether PL regulates threat-avoidance vs. reward-approaching responses when an animal decision depends on previously associated memories. Using a conflict model in which rats retrieve memories of shock- and food-paired cues, we observed two distinct phenotypes during conflict: i) rats that continued to press a lever for food (Pressers); and ii) rats that exhibited a complete suppression in food seeking (Non-Pressers). Single-unit recordings revealed that increased risk-taking behavior in Pressers is associated with persistent food-cue responses in PL, and reduced spontaneous activity in PL glutamatergic (PLGLUT) neurons during conflict. Activating PLGLUT neurons in Pressers attenuated food-seeking responses in a neutral context, whereas inhibiting PLGLUT neurons in Non-Pressers reduced defensive responses and increased food approaching during conflict. Our results establish a causal role for PLGLUT neurons in mediating individual variability in memory-based risky decision making by regulating threat-avoidance vs. reward-approach behaviors.

A qualitative exploration of pharmacovigilance policy implementation in Jordan, Oman, and Kuwait using Matland's ambiguity-conflict model

Background As Arab countries seek to implement the 'Guideline on Good Pharmacovigilance Practice (GVP) for Arab countries', understanding policy implementation mechanisms and the factors impacting it can inform best implementation practice. This study aimed to explore the mechanisms of and factors influencing pharmacovigilance policy implementation in Arab countries with more established pharmacovigilance systems (Jordan, Oman), to inform policy implementation in a country with a nascent pharmacovigilance system (Kuwait). Results Matland's ambiguity-conflict model served to frame data analysis from 55 face-to-face interviews which showed that policy ambiguity and conflict were low in Jordan and Oman suggesting an "administrative implementation" pathway. In Kuwait, policy ambiguity was high while sentiments about policy conflict were varied suggesting a mixture between "experimental implementation" and “political implementation”. Factors reducing policy ambiguity in Jordan and Oman included: decision-makers' guidance to implementors, stakeholder involvement in the policy's development and implementation, training of policy implementors throughout the implementation process, clearly outlined policy goals and means, and presence of a strategic implementation plan with appropriate timelines as well as a monitoring mechanism. In contrast, policy ambiguity in Kuwait stemmed from the absence or lack of attention to these factors. Factors reducing policy conflict included: the policy's compliance with internationally recognised standards and the policy's fit with local capabilities (all three countries), decision-makers' cooperation with and support of the national centre as well as stakeholders' agreement on policy goals and means (Jordan and Oman), and adopting a stepwise approach to implementation (Jordan). Conclusion Using Matland’s model, both the mechanism of and factors impacting successful pharmacovigilance policy implementation were identified. This informed recommendations for best implementation practice in Arab as well as other countries with nascent pharmacovigilance systems including increased managerial engagement and support, greater stakeholder involvement in policy development and implementation, and undertaking more detailed implementation planning.

A Construct That Obstructs: The Church Parties Model of Sixteenth-Century Russian Church Relations

The dominant construct to explain early sixteenth-century internal Russian Church relations was for over a hundred years one of conflict between two parties – the Possessors (a.k.a. Josephians) and the Non-Possessors (a.k.a. Trans-Volga Elders). Source-based research challenged that conflict model by demonstrating that Iosif Volotskii, the presumed leader of the Possessors, and Nil Sorskii, the presumed leader of the Non-Possessors, and their disciples and followers were not antagonists but collaborators with each other. Nonetheless, the Church parties model has continued being used to explain Russian Church relations for the mid-sixteenth-century. Yet, it is just as faulty to explain the evidence of mid-century as it is for earlier. Evidence, instead of being analyzed, is shoehorned to fit the model. The Church parties-in-conflict model is a historiographical construct that obstructs rather than informs understanding the source testimony. That testimony is far more complex and nuanced than the simplistic Church parties model allows for.