A forced-choice preference assessment was conducted in which two dependent measures were used to select preferred stimuli: (a) approach responding and (b) latency to the first aberrant response. Stimuli identified as preferred based on both dependent measures were then evaluated during treatment. The results suggested that latency may be a useful measure in the selection of preferred stimuli du...

In forced-choice questionnaires, respondents have to make choices between two or more items presented at the same time. Several IRT models have been developed to link respondent choices to underlying psychological attributes, including the recent MUPP (Stark, Chernyshenko & Drasgow, 2005) and Thurstonian IRT (Brown & Maydeu-Olivares, 2011) models. In the present article, a common framework is p...

The recently developed short-time linear response algorithm, which predicts the response of a nonlinear chaotic forced-dissipative system to small external perturbation, yields high precision of the response prediction. However, the computation of the shorttime linear response formula with the full rank tangent map can be expensive. Here we propose a numerical method to potentially overcome the...

This article describes an investigation of whether Thurstonian item response modeling is a viable method for assessment of maladaptive traits. Forced-choice responses from 420 working adults to a broad-range personality inventory assessing six maladaptive traits were considered. The Thurstonian item response model’s fit to the forced-choice data was adequate, while the fit of a counterpart item...

Exercise during the inactive period can entrain locomotor activity and peripheral circadian clock rhythm in mice; however, mechanisms underlying this entrainment are yet to be elucidated. Here, we showed that the bioluminescence rhythm of peripheral clocks in PER2::LUC mice was strongly entrained by forced treadmill and forced wheel-running exercise rather than by voluntary wheel-running exerci...

Three doses of fenoterol were administered by metered-dose inhaler to 20 adult subjects with asthma in order to determine the optimal dose for routine administration. Inhaled doses of 100 micrograms, 200 micrograms, and 400 micrograms of fenoterol with isoproterenol and placebo controls were administered in a randomized double-blind crossover regimen. We found that 200 micrograms of fenoterol b...

Pulmonary function test results of individuals with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) were analyzed to determine the prevalence of abnormally low forced expiratory flow rates and bronchial hyperreactivity. Of 99 individuals with AIDS, a total of 44 (44 percent) had either low forced expiratory flow rates or a significant response to inhaled bronchodilator. Thirty-one (31 percent) in...

The bronchomotor effects of a deep inhalation (DI) may provide relevant information about the mechanisms of exercise-induced airway obstruction in children and may be assessed by respiratory conductance (Grs) measured using the forced oscillation technique. The aims of the present study were to assess the effect of DI on Grs after exercise in relationship to the lung function response to exerci...