Focused attention tests

Inattention Did the patient have difficulty focusing attention Is there a reduced ability to maintain and shift attention How does the patient score on the Attention Screening Examination (ASE) 0 Visual component ASE tests the patient s ability to pay attention through recall of 10 pictures... 

Obviously, use of such databases often fails in case of interaction between additives. As an example we mention additive/antistat interaction in PP, as observed by Dieckmann et al. [166], In this case analysis and performance data demonstrate chemical interaction between glycerol esters and acid neutralisers. This phenomenon is pronounced when the additive is a strong base, like synthetic hydrotalcite, or a metal carboxylate. Similar problems may arise after ageing of a polymer. A common request in a technical support analytical laboratory is to analyse the additives in a sample that has prematurely failed in an exposure test, when at best an unexposed control sample is available. Under some circumstances, heat or light exposure may have transformed the additive into other products. Reaction product identification then usually requires a general library of their spectroscopic or mass spectrometric profiles. For example, Bell et al. [167] have focused attention on the degradation of light stabilisers and antioxidants... 

Generally, LEED experiments are conducted on specified faces of single crystals. When this is done, the diffraction pattern produced consists of a series of spots with a location, shape, and intensity that can be interpreted in terms of the surface structure. We focus attention on what can be learned from the location and shape of the spots since the study of intensity is beyond the scope of this book. It is generally assumed that the surface examined by LEED is an extension of an already-known bulk crystal structure. The correctness of this assumption can be tested, and results are often expressed in terms of modifications of the three-dimensional structure at the surface. Before we turn to the LEED patterns below, we must first figure out how they are read. 

Numerous studies investigating focused attention have used reaction time tests. Nicotine polacrilex gum (2 mg) produced faster motor reaction time, but did not affect recognition reaction time in overnight deprived smokers,75 nonabstinent smokers,76 and a group of nonabstinent smokers and nonsmokers.78 Le Houezec et al.84 found that SC nicotine (0.8 mg) increased the number of fast... 

Another test requiring focused attention is digit or letter cancellation, in which subjects mark through a certain numeral in a page of random numbers or a certain letter in a page of text or random letters. The typical duration of cancellation tests is 1 to 2 min. Two studies reported that diazepam (10 or 15 mg)157 and lorazepam (1 and 2 mg)124 impaired digit cancellation performance. Interestingly, Brown et al.157 found that impaired focused attention was not correlated with the ability to encode associative information. These studies confirm numerous previous studies that reported benzodiazepine-induced decrements in cancellation tests.7... 

Compared with focused attention, fewer studies have examined the effects of benzodiazepines on selective attention. Two studies have shown that performance on the Stroop test was impaired by lorazepam.119 131 Acute administration of triazolam and lorazepam produced dose-dependent decrements in response rate and accuracy in a simultaneous matching-to-sample task, which required subjects to determine which of two comparison visual stimuli was identical to the sample stimulus.148 161 The drug effects differed as a function of task difficulty, such that the benzodiazepine-induced impairment was reduced when discriminability of the non-matching stimulus was increased. 

A relatively large number of studies have investigated the effects of opioids on tests requiring focused attention. Morphine (2.5 to 10 mg, IV)185 and propofol (70 mg, IV)193 impaired an auditory simple reaction time test, and fentanyl (1 to 2.5 ng/ml, IV)182 impaired a visual choice reaction time test. Jenkins et al.197 reported that IV (3 to 20 mg) and smoked (2.6 to 10.5 mg) heroin impaired performance on a simple visual reaction time task. However, other studies reported no effect of butorphanol (0.5 to 2.0 mg, IV),186 fentanyl (25 to 100 pg, IV),191 meperidine (0.25 to 1.0 mg, IV),192 and nalbuphine (2.5 to 10 mg, IV)189 on an auditory simple reaction time test. It may be... 

A relatively large number of studies have investigated the effects of marijuana on focused attention, including reaction time tests and the DSST. Marijuana (1.8 and 3.6% THC) was shown to slow responding on a simple, visual reaction time task 242 however, others have not found marijuana to impair simple reaction time performance.11,40,236 Similarly, some studies have shown that marijuana impairs complex or choice reaction time tasks,11,233 whereas others have shown no effect.234 O Leary et al.243 found no effect of a 20-mg marijuana cigarette on reaction time in a dichotic listening task. 

Table 6.4 presents the individual tests of the AGARD-STRESS battery. Focused attention, divided attention, and memory categories of tasks are included in this battery, in addition to a variety of other tasks. 

Table 6.6 presents the individual tests of the NES2 battery. Motor ability, focused attention, selective attention, acquisition, and memory categories of tasks are included in this battery, in addition to a variety of other tasks. The battery is made up of separate tasks performance on combinations of these tasks is potentially altered by exposure to neurotoxic agents such as pesticides, solvents, or carbon monoxide. Many of the tasks are suitable for repeated testing of any individual. Five of the tests are similar to the core tests of the WHO battery.50... 

The NovaScan is presented on a PC-compatible computer equipped with standard memory and visual capabilities, and is run on a DOS-based operating system. A customized response apparatus, including a joystick, control keys, and a keypad, is recommended. Trials of the tasks chosen to be included in the test system are displayed on the computer monitor in a random manner, thereby eliminating the need for the user to focus attention among simultaneously presented tests. However, divided attention components can be added, if needed. The length of the test (i.e., number of trials presented) can be adjusted based on the demands of the test environment. Performance is evaluated in an automated fashion using a change-from-baseline approach, and the test can be administered in an automated or supervisor-controlled manner. 

Further studies revealed that in the first tests very coarse particles of these two derivatives had been used, while the testing of the other derivatives had been performed with fine particles. This focused attention for the first time on the great importance of particle size in the evaluation of the benzoyl-phenyl ureas. The series discussed included Du 19111 the first compound found, but the analyses indicated that other derivatives were more active. From two or three of the most active compounds PH 60-38 (ill) was chosen because it was found to be the one which could be synthetized most economically on an industrial scale. Consequently PH 6O-38 was taken for preliminary development both in the USA and in Europe. It is interesting to note that PH 6O-38 was one of the compounds retested after the QSAR studies. 

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