On the Similarity Between the Reinforcing and the Discriminative Properties of Intracranial Self-Stimulation.

Rats work very hard for intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) and tradeoff effort or time allocation for intensity and frequency parameters producing a sigmoidal function of the subjective reward magnitude of ICSS. Previous studies using electrical intracranial stimuli (ICS) as a discriminative cue focused on estimating detection thresholds or on the discrimination between intensities. To our knowledge, there is no direct comparison of the reinforcer tradeoff functions with the discriminative functions. Rats were trained to press and hold the lever for ICSS using the maximum reinforcing intensity below motor alterations or avoidance behavior. First, rats were trained to hold the lever for 1 s; after stability, they undergo trials where intensity or frequency was decreased on 0.1 log step. Thereafter, they undergo further training with a hold of 2 and later of 4 s to determine tradeoff with intensity or frequency. The same rats were trained on a discrimination task where the previously used ICSS signaled a lever where a 1 s hold response was followed by a reinforcing ICSS; on randomly alternating trials, a -0.6 log ICS signaled an alternate lever where a similar hold response led to a reinforcer. After mastering discrimination, generalization tests were carried out with varying intensity or frequency. Rats completed training with 2 and later 4 s hold response. After the completion of each task, the rats had different doses of a pimozide challenge while their intensity and hold-down requirement were varied. With regards to the rats' tradeoff response time allocation as a function of intensity or frequency, sigmoid functions were displaced to the right when long responses were required. Rats that learned the discrimination task attained a discrimination index of 90-98%. Discrimination accuracy decreased slightly with the increase of hold requirement, but generalization gradients were not displaced to the right as a function of the response requirement. Pimozide induced a dose-dependent displacement of the time-allocation gradients, but it did not affect the generalization gradients. It is concluded that rats integrate response requirements as part of the reinforcement tradeoff function, but the response cost is not integrated into the discriminative function of ICSS.

Attentional Mechanisms during the Performance of a Subsecond Timing Task.

There is evidence that timing processes in the suprasecond scale are modulated by attentional mechanisms; in addition, some studies have shown that attentional mechanisms also affect timing in the subsecond scale. Our aim was to study eye movements and pupil diameter during a temporal bisection task in the subsecond range. Subjects were trained to discriminate anchor intervals of 200 or 800 msec, and were then confronted with intermediate durations. Eye movements revealed that subjects used different cognitive strategies during the bisection timing task. When the stimulus to be timed appeared randomly at a central or 4 peripheral positions on a screen, some subjects choose to maintain their gaze toward the central area while other followed the peripheral placement of the stimulus; some others subjects used both strategies. The time of subjective equality did not differ between subjects who employed different attentional mechanisms. However, differences emerged in the timing variance and attentional indexes (time taken to initial fixation, latency to respond, pupil dilatation and duration and number of fixations to stimulus areas). Timing in the subsecond range seems invariant despite the use of different attentional strategies. Future research should determine whether the selection of attentional mechanisms is related to particular timing tasks or instructions or whether it represents idiosyncratic cognitive "styles".

Análisis bibliométrico de la revista Medicina y Seguridad del Trabajo durante el periodo 2007-2012 / Bibliometric analysis of Medicina y Seguridad del Trabajo journal for the period from 2007 to 2012

Introducción: Se realiza un análisis bibliométrico de la revista Medicina y Seguridad del Trabajo para conocer los principales indicadores de producción científica en cuanto a visibilidad, tipología documental, autoría, referencias bibliográficas y citas. Materiales y métodos: Estudio bibliométrico transversal y temporal con análisis de tendencias durante el periodo comprendido entre 2007 y 2012. Los datos se obtienen de SciELO y de la propia revista. El tratamiento de datos se realiza mediante un estudio de frecuencias y porcentajes para los datos cualitativos y utilizando medias y desviaciones estándar en el caso de los cuantitativos. Resultados: El número de artículos originales y de revisión se mantienen con datos similares a los del quinquenio anterior. El índice de cooperación, 3 autores por artículo, es similar al descrito en otros trabajos. El número de referencias bibliográficas por artículo aumenta a partir de 2009 y se mantiene estable posteriormente. El porcentaje de artículos procedentes de Latinoamérica supone el 34% de los publicados. Discusión: Se observa un incremento del número de artículos originales del 50% aunque es inferior al descrito en otros estudios. El número de referencias bibliográficas medias por artículo es inferior al máximo recomendado en las normas de publicación de la revista. Durante los últimos años se detecta un fuerte impulso de la revista en lo que se refiere tanto a indicadores cuantitativos como a cualitativos (AU)

Introduction: A bibliometric analysis of Medicina y Seguridad del Trabajo journal was carried out with the aim of getting to know the principal indicators of the scientific output as regards visibility, documentary typology, authorship, bibliographic references and citations. Materials and methods: Transversal and temporal bibliometric study which includes the trend analysis for the period from 2007 to 2012. Data were obtained from SciELO and from the journal itself. Data processing was carried out by means of a frequency and percentage study in the case of qualitative data and using average and standard deviation for quantitative ones. Results: The number of visits to articles using SciELO reached an increase of 12 thousand during 2012 in comparison with the results of previous years. The number of original and review articles were very similiar to the previous quinquennium. The value of the cooperation index, 3 authors per article, is similar to the one described in other works. The number of bibliographic references increase from 2009 and afterwards keep steady. The percentage of articles coming from Latin America mean the 34% of all the published articles. Discussion: It is observed an increase in the number of original articles of the 50% though is lower than the obtained in other studies. The average of bibliographic references per article is lower than the maximum recommended in the publication standards of the journal. In the last years it has been detected a strong boost of the journal as regards both quantitative and qualitative indicators (AU)

Introducción a los Sistemas de Gestión de la Calidad Total: Modelo de Excelencia EFQM y Autoevaluación / Introduction to Total Quality Management Systems: EFQM Excellence Model and self assessment

La alta competencia existente entre las organizaciones, acentuada por la vigente situación económica, hace necesaria la utilización de diversas herramientas de gestión de la calidad para mantener y mejorar su eficacia a lo largo del tiempo. Siendo dicha gestión imprescindible en todos los sectores empresariales, cabe esperar que esta adquiera una mayor relevancia en el ámbito sanitario dado que el principal objetivo que se plantea desde las instituciones de la salud es obtener la satisfacción de los pacientes y de la sociedad en general. Dentro de las herramientas para la mejora continua de la calidad, una de las más utilizadas es la autoevaluación, que consiste en un examen de la propia organización en comparación con un modelo de perfección. De esta manera las empresas pueden identificar sus puntos fuertes y sus áreas de mejora y, por ende, conocer el punto en el que se encuentran respecto a la excelencia. De entre los modelos de perfección existentes, el Modelo propuesto desde la Fundación Europea de Gestión de la Calidad, el Modelo EFQM, es el que presenta un uso más extendido en la actualidad en Europa. En las siguientes páginas se presenta de una manera sencilla la estructura y los conceptos fundamentales tanto del procedimiento de autoevaluación como del Modelo EFQM, todo ello con el propósito de acercar este tipo de herramientas a los profesionales de la salud y proporcionar a los mismos nociones básicas acerca de su implantación (AU)

The high competence existing between organisations, increased by the current economic situation, requires the use of various quality management tools to mantain and improve their efectiveness over time. This management is essential in every business sector, but is expected to be more relevant in the health area as the main aim in this field is achieving patients and society satisfaction. Among the tools for continuous quality improvement, self assessment is one of the most used, which is a review of the own organisation compared with a perfection model. This procedure enables organisations to identify their strengths and improvement areas and therefore to know their current situation in relation with quality. Nowadays the model proposed by the European Foundation for Quality Management, called EFQM Excellence Model, is the most extendedly used all over Europe. The following pages present in a simple manner the structure and the fundamental concepts of the self assessment procedure and the EFQM Model, all of it with the main objective of making health professionals aware about these kind of tools and providing them the basic ideas about its implementation (AU)