Belief in Control: Voluntary Choice Enhances Subsequent Task Performance under Undefeated Choice-Outcome Causation

Humans are believed to have volition through which they act upon and change the external environment. As an exercise of volition, making a voluntary choice facilitates the subsequent behavioral performance relative to a forced choice. However, it is unclear how this facilitation is constrained by the perceived relationship between a choice and its outcome. In a series of experiments, participants were free or forced to choose one of two presented pictures. The outcome of the choice was then revealed, which could be always the chosen picture or always the unchosen picture (i.e., a confirmed choice-outcome causation), a blank screen with no picture at all (i.e., an unrevealed choice-outcome relation), the chosen or unchosen picture with equal probability (i.e., a defeated choice-outcome causation), or a third picture different from the two preceding options (again, a defeated choice-outcome causation). Participants then complete a visual search task with the task-irrelevant picture (or the blank screen) serving as a background. Results showed that the search performance was improved after a voluntary choice under both the confirmed causation and the unrevealed relation, but not under the defeated causation. Over individuals, the improved performance due to voluntary choice under confirmed causation positively correlated with the improved performance under the unrevealed relation, and with the reported belief in controlling the outcome of the choice. Our findings suggest that the exercise of volition motivates subsequent behavior, and this motivation is restricted to an “undefeated” choice-outcome causation which affords a belief in controlling the outcome by exerting volition.

Edukacja oraz pomoc psychologiczno-pedagogiczna realizowana zdalnie w opinii rodziców, uczniów i nauczycieli

Remote education, and thus also psychological and pedagogical assistance, became a necessity during the pandemic, and not a voluntary choice or a tool supporting traditional education. Therefore, it was necessary to consider whether and how the pandemic influenced the entire education process? Did the students, parents and teachers cope with the change and how? Have they encountered difficulties and what difficulties – especially in the field of providing psychological and pedagogical help? Did the pandemic affect the psychophysical functioning of students, parents and teachers, and how? The planned research allowed to show the current situation in education at the level of primary school, and also showed the scope and expectations of respondents regarding the psychological and pedagogical help provided. These studies allowed to show not only the first experiences, suggestions and conclusions, but also to show psychophysical changes among respondents (such as, for example, overloading parents, phobias, fears, etc.), their fears, psychophysical condition and perceived threats (e.g. symptoms). depression among children and parents, lack of motivation, etc.) and expected changes in the future and in education, including the traditional one.

Analysis of Cosmetic Effect of Nanocomposite Resin on Anterior Teeth

The problems of anterior teeth include dental plaque, dental caries, and fracture, which are usually treated with common composite resin clinically. Although good repair effect can be achieved, patients are prone to anterior tooth sensitivity after surgery. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the cosmetic effect of nanocomposite resin on anterior teeth. Up to 176 patients (176 teeth) undergoing anterior dental cosmetic restoration in our hospital were selected and assigned to the LR group ( n = 88 ) and the NR group ( n = 88 ) according to patients’ voluntary choice of prosthetic materials. The LR group was cured with light-cured composite resin, while the NR group was cured with nanocomposite resin. By comparing the related indexes of patients in the two groups, it was discovered that in the NR group, the excellent and good rate and patients’ evaluation of the repair effect were higher, while the periodontal attachment, gingival index, dental plaque index, VAS score, and the incidence of tooth sensitivity were lower, all P < 0.05 . The results indicated that the nanocomposite resin had significant cosmetic effect on anterior teeth and had application value.

Discontinuation Due to Toxicity Limits Treatment Duration of BTK Inhibitors in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Background: Although clinical trial data exist describing the adverse effects of Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi)s, the patient experience outside clinical trials, including differences among agents is less well-described. We evaluated the selection criteria, efficacy and toxicities related to the use of BTKi at our site. Methods: A retrospective patient chart review was used to collect data from patients treated with one or more BTKi. Demographics, prior therapies, duration of treatment, response to treatment, and incidence and severity of pre-determined toxicities of interest were collected for each patient. Descriptive statistics for each variable were reported. Association between variables of interest and the study cohort were examined using ANOVA for categorical variables and Pearson correlation coefficient for continuous variables. Survival and duration of treatment were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method according to first novel agent. Survival analysis for each novel agent was conducted using Cox proportional hazards models and log-rank tests. Results: One hundred forty patients were included in this study, including 94 patients with CLL, 24 with MCL, and 22 with other NHL subtypes. One hundred thirteen patients received ibrutinib, while 17 patients received acalabrutinib (n=16) or zanubrutinib (n=1), which were combined in the statistical analysis. Of patients receiving ibrutinib, 69% reported at least one toxicity event during the duration of their treatment. Across all patients who received ibrutinib, 35 individuals did not report a toxicity, 48 individuals reported one toxicity, and 30 individuals reported two or more toxicities. Among the 78 patients who experienced at least one toxicity, 41 (52.5%) discontinued the medication due to these adverse effects, most commonly cytopenias (n=9), diarrhea (n=8), and fatigue (n=9). 57% of patients who reported diarrhea, 36% of patients who reported cytopenias, and 33% of patients who reported fatigue discontinued therapy due to that reported AE. In total, 60/113 patients receiving ibrutinib discontinued therapy, including 40 (66%) due to toxicity and 14 (23.3%) due to disease progression. The remaining patients discontinued therapy due to voluntary choice of new therapy or due to personal decision to stop treatment. Patients remained on ibrutinib therapy for a median duration of 40 months. 53% of patients taking zanabrutinib or acalabrutinib reported at least 1 toxicity, but only 11.7% of patients discontinued therapy for any reason. All patients who discontinued zanubrutinib/acalabrutinib therapy did so due to toxicity, with no patients ceasing therapy due to disease progression. Because only 2 of 17 patients discontinued zanubrutinib/acalabrutinib treatment, a raw median duration of treatment was calculated to be 5 months. 12.4% of patients taking ibrutinib experienced a gastrointestinal toxicity, whereas 5.9% of patients taking acalabrutinib/zanubrutinib experienced a gastrointestinal toxicity (Table 1). Additionally, 8% of individuals taking ibrutinib reported a musculoskeletal toxicity, while no acalabrutinib/zanubrutinib patients reported a musculoskeletal toxicity. There were no statistically significant differences in frequency of toxicities encountered, possibly due to study size. Other toxicities common to all analyzed BTK inhibitors included hematological, cardiovascular, and constitutional adverse effects with no significant difference between agents. Conclusions: We identified that &gt;1/3 of individuals taking BTK inhibitors are stopping therapy prematurely due to toxicity related outcomes rather than due to disease progression. Our findings suggest that proactive identification and management of adverse effects could prolong therapy duration and provide better outcomes for patients. Strategies to personalize therapy selection to limit therapy discontinuation due to toxicity are needed as additional targeted agents are developed. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Valla: BeiGene: Speakers Bureau. Cohen: Janssen, Adaptive, Aptitude Health, BeiGene, Cellectar, Adicet, Loxo/Lilly, AStra ZenecaKite/Gilead: Consultancy; Genentech, Takeda, BMS/Celgene, BioInvent, LAM, Astra Zeneca, Novartis, Loxo/Lilly: Research Funding.

Why do Firms Operate Informally? Insights from a Systematic Literature Review

This paper investigates factors that motivate entrepreneurs to completely operate within informality and the drivers of formal companies to underreport revenues. In particular, this work identifies and organizes the determinants of firm informality through a systematic literature review in Scopus and Web of Science databases. The article presents several contributions. First, it examines the two main frameworks of informality (structuralist/exclusion and legalistic/exit dimensions) and links this with the different roles of unregistered firms in economic development (survival, De Soto, and parasite views). It also studies the theoretical basis of informality, including economic, institutional, psychological, and sociological aspects. Second, the paper summarizes business informality determinants based on studies with different methodological approaches (macro, microeconomic), contexts (developed, emerging, transition economies), and periods (1983-2018). Our results show that firm informality is mostly addressed in the examined literature as a decision or voluntary choice by companies and entrepreneurs (legalistic vision). Third, the article proposes an integral theoretical model, according to which the firm informality level is determined by structural elements (company and entrepreneur’s characteristics) and environmental factors (corruption, bureaucracy, taxes, etc.). The analysis is relevant for researchers studying this subject and for policymakers as well.

The social-political challenges of internal displacements in Ukraine

Migratory threats which are connected with mass internal inter-regional migrations, caused by the annexation of Crimea and military aggression in Donbas by Russia, have been disclosed in the article. The social-political and psychological threats of large-scale forced displacement are determined. Traditional migrations are mainly due to social-economic factors and the independent voluntary choice of participants in these processes regarding the intention to move, dictated by the freedom of choice of the person. Instead, forced displacements are caused by immediate threats to life and health. Analyzing the factors of migratory attraction, the cluster analysis was performed using the k-means method and using the STATISTICA program. The results of cluster analysis show that in large regions the level of IDP migratory activity is higher and the impact on the formation of demographic capital is more significant. It does not affect the number and composition of the population as a whole, but causes changes in its location, gender, and the age structure of the inhabitants of individual regions, is a consequence and an important factor of regional differences, directly related to industrialization and urbanization, rural depopulation. In terms of volume, internal migration significantly outperforms international migration. Measures for the proper formation and development of demographic potential at the macro level are proposed. Without proper regulation, forced displacement becomes a growing burden on host communities' ability to provide basic services, destroys civilian infrastructure and community cohesion, undermines public investment in reform, and creates insecurity, hopelessness, and despair among large populations that can easily become national and global risks.

Depression, anxiety and stress amongst students in science verses non-science stream: a comparative study

Background: Depression (D), anxiety (A) and stress (S) are common issues among students nowadays. The occurrence of D, A, and S was primarily considered to be associated with the students’ academics, especially in twelfth standard because these groups are highly vulnerable to immense pressure, rising competition for undergraduate courses and constant changes in the education system. The objective of this study was to find the comparative magnitude of occurrence and severity of D, A, and S in the science and non-science stream among twelfth standard students. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out across 460 students of twelfth standard from all streams. A socio-demographic questionnaire along with DASS-42 was distributed. The scores were calculated and percentage, mean scores, standard deviation, p values, odds ratio were obtained.Results: A statistically significant difference was seen in the mean scores of depression and anxiety among science and non-science students (p<0.005). Students belonging to science stream showed more depression and anxiety overall as well as when compared on basis of age groups. Similar results were also observed among science students who said it was not their own decision to choose their stream. Anxiety was found to be higher in science students from nuclear families where as depression was higher in those from joint family. On the contrary, occurrence of all states was found to be more in females of non-science field as compared to science field.Conclusions: Along with academic pressure, various other factors like gender, voluntary choice of stream, type of student’s family etc. contributed to D, A, and S in students.

A decision-neuroscientific intervention to improve cognitive recovery after stroke

Functional recovery after stroke is dose-dependent on the amount of rehabilitative training. However, rehabilitative training is subject to motivational hurdles. Decision neuroscience formalizes drivers and dampers of behaviour and provides strategies for tipping motivational trade-offs and behaviour change. Here, we used one such strategy, upfront voluntary choice restriction (‘precommitment’), and tested if it can increase the amount of self-directed rehabilitative training in severely impaired stroke patients. In this randomized controlled study, stroke patients with working-memory deficits (n = 83) were prescribed daily self-directed gamified cognitive training as an add-on to standard therapy during post-acute inpatient neurorehabilitation. Patients allocated to the precommitment intervention could choose to restrict competing options to self-directed training, specifically the possibility to meet visitors. This upfront choice restriction was opted for by all patients in the intervention group and highly effective. Patients in the precommitment group performed the prescribed self-directed gamified cognitive training twice as often as control group patients who were not offered precommitment (on 50% vs. 21% of days, pcorr = .004, d = .87, CI95% = [.31, 1.42]), and, as a consequence, reached a three times higher total training dose (90.21 vs. 33.60 minutes, pcorr = .004, d = .83, CI95% = [.27, 1.38]). And, add-on self-directed cognitive training was associated with stronger improvements in visuospatial and verbal working-memory performance (pcorr =.002, d = .72, and pcorr = .036, d = .62). Our decision-neuroscientific add-on intervention strongly increased the performed amount of an effective cognitive training in severely impaired stroke patients. These results warrant a full clinical trial to directly link decision neuroscientific interventions to clinical outcome.

Spiritual Education in Russia: Law and Theology

It is impossible to imagine modern life without education. It allows a person to learn something new, to know the reality around, to realize their abilities, to reveal their talents, to find a vocation in life. Education is not only the process of learning new information, but it is also the upbringing and development of the individual, their exposure to the world and national culture, the formation of a certain system of values. Currently, there are several problems in education, like in any other public sphere, that cause active discussion in society and require resolution at the legislative level. This article presents a legal study of spiritual education, taking into account its legal regulation and implementation in Russia at the present stage. The authors of the article consider the most important aspects of the implementation of the right to spiritual education in Russia and conduct a comparative legal analysis of the Russian legislation on spiritual education. The article considers the types of educational organizations that provide religious education and their educational programs, describes the foreign experience of religious education, and conducts a systematic analysis of educational standards of higher education. The authors identify current problems in the field of organization and implementation of religious education, give recommendations for their solution, and indicate areas for improving legislation on religious education. It is concluded that the introduction of subjects teaching religion in educational institutions is legal in compliance with the principle of voluntary choice of education.