An experience selecting quality features of apps for people with disabilities using abductive approach to explanatory theory generation.

This study determines one of the most relevant quality factors of apps for people with disabilities utilizing the abductive approach to the generation of an explanatory theory. First, the abductive approach was concerned with the results' description, established by the apps' quality assessment, using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) tool. However, because of the restrictions of MARS outputs, the identification of critical quality factors could not be established, requiring the search for an answer for a new rule. Finally, the explanation of the case (the last component of the abductive approach) to test the rule's new hypothesis. This problem was solved by applying a new quantitative model, compounding data mining techniques, which identified MARS' most relevant quality items. Hence, this research defines a much-needed theoretical and practical tool for academics and also practitioners. Academics can experiment utilizing the abduction reasoning procedure as an alternative to achieve positivism in research. This study is a first attempt to improve the MARS tool, aiming to provide specialists relevant data, reducing noise effects, accomplishing better predictive results to enhance their investigations. Furthermore, it offers a concise quality assessment of disability-related apps.

Methylphenidate improves cue navigation in the Morris water maze in rats.

Despite its still rapidly increasing use in the treatment of the attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, the effects of methylphenidate on behavior and learning are not yet fully understood. We have used the Morris water maze to study effects of methylphenidate (1 mg/kg) on target-oriented behavior and visuospatial learning in young rats. Although the relatively low dose of 1 mg/kg methylphenidate changed the behavior in the Morris water maze when the goal was visible, reducing times to reach the visible platform, learning of the position of the hidden platform, was not influenced, nor was 'relearning' after shifting the position of the platform. These results indicate that methylphenidate can influence goal-oriented behavior at doses that do not change visuospatial learning.