An Investigation of Volitional Control in Information Ethics

The main motivation of this research is how the issue of volitional control might affect the application of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to research decisions related to information ethics. Specifically, a TPB- based model provides the best fit to the sample collected for the present study. In this model, the contribution of both the attitude and perceived behavioral control to the intention is shown to fluctuate depending upon the degree of volitional control concerning the targeted behavior. As the behaviorís degree of volitional control lessens, the weighted influence of perceived behavioral control increases and that of the attitude decreases. Thus we confirm that degree of volitional control concerning an ethical act indeed plays a central role in applying the theory of planned behavior to information ethics research

Neuroanatomical substrates for the volitional regulation of heart rate

The control of physiological arousal can assist in the regulation of emotional state. A subset cortical and subcortical brain regions are implicated in autonomic control of bodily arousal during emotional behaviors. Here, we combined human functional neuroimaging with autonomic monitoring to identify neural mechanisms that support the volitional regulation of heart rate, a process that may be assisted by visual feedback. During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), 15 healthy adults performed an experimental task in which they were prompted voluntarily to increase or decrease cardiovascular arousal (heart rate) during true, false, or absent visual feedback. Participants achieved appropriate changes in heart rate, without significant modulation of respiratory rate, and were overall not influenced by the presence of visual feedback. Increased activity in right amygdala, striatum and brainstem occurred when participants attempted to increase heart rate. In contrast, activation of ventrolateral prefrontal and parietal cortices occurred when attempting to decrease heart rate. Biofeedback enhanced activity within occipito-temporal cortices, but there was no significant interaction with task conditions. Activity in regions including pregenual anterior cingulate and ventral striatum reflected the magnitude of successful task performance, which was negatively related to subclinical anxiety symptoms. Measured changes in respiration correlated with posterior insula activation and heart rate, at a more lenient threshold, change correlated with insula, caudate, and midbrain activity. Our findings highlight a set of brain regions, notably ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, supporting volitional control of cardiovascular arousal. These data are relevant to understanding neural substrates supporting interaction between intentional and interoceptive states related to anxiety, with implications for biofeedback interventions, e.g., real-time fMRI, that target emotional regulation

Sub-cortical and brainstem sites associated with chemo-stimulated increases in ventilation in humans

We investigated the neural basis for spontaneous chemo-stimulated increases in ventilation in awake, healthy humans. Blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) functional MRI was performed in nine healthy subjects using T2weighted echo planar imaging. Brain volumes (52 transverse slices, cortex to high spinal cord) were acquired every 3.9 s. The 30 min paradigm consisted of six, 5-min cycles, each cycle comprising 45 s of hypoxic-isocapnia, 45 s of isooxic-hypercapnia and 45 s of hypoxic-hypercapnia, with 55 s of non-stimulatory hyperoxic-isocapnia (control) separating each stimulus period. Ventilation was significantly (p < 0.001) increased during hypoxic-isocapnia, isooxic-hypercapnia and hypoxic-hypercapnia (17.0, 13.8, 24.9 L/min respectively) vs. control (8.4 L/min) and was associated with significant (p < 0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons) signal increases within a bilateral network that included the basal ganglia, thalamus, red nucleus, cerebellum, parietal cortex, cingulate and superior mid pons. The neuroanatomical structures identified provide evidence for the spontaneous control of breathing to be mediated by higher brain centres, as well as respiratory nuclei in the brainstem

Repeated exercise stress impairs volitional but not magnetically evoked electromechanical delay of the knee flexors

The effects of serial episodes of fatigue and recovery on volitional and magnetically evoked neuromuscular performance of the knee flexors were assessed in twenty female soccer players during: (i) an intervention comprising 4x35s maximal static exercise; (ii) a control condition. Volitional peak force (PFV) was impaired progressively (-16 % vs. baseline: 235.3±54.7 to 198.1±38.5 N) by the fatiguing exercise and recovered to within -97 % of baseline values following six-minutes of rest. Evoked peak twitch force (PTFE) was diminished subsequent to the fourth episode of exercise (23.3 %: 21.4±13.8 vs. 16.4±14.6 N) and remained impaired at this level throughout the recovery. Impairment of volitional electromechanical delay performance (EMDV) following the first episode of exercise (25.5 % :55.3±11.9 vs. 69.5±24.5 ms) contrasted with concurrent improvement (10.0 %: 24.5±4.7 vs. 22.1±5.0 ms) in evoked electromechanical delay (EMDE) (p <0.05) and this increased disparity between EMDE and EMDV remained during subsequent periods of intervention and recovery. The fatiguing exercise provoked substantial impairments to volitional strength and EMDV that showed differential patterns of recovery. However, improved EMDE performance might identify a dormant capability for optimal muscle responses during acute stressful exercise and an improved capacity to maintain dynamic joint stabilty during critical episodes of loading

Investigation of robotics-assisted tilt-table therapy for early-stage rehabilitation in spinal cord injury

This article provides the outcome of an investigation of robotics-assisted tilt-table therapy for early-stage rehabilitation in spinal cord injur

Smartphone-based safety planning and self-monitoring for suicidal patients: Rationale and study protocol of the CASPAR (Continuous Assessment for Suicide Prevention And Research) study

Background: It remains difficult to predict and prevent suicidal behaviour, despite growing understanding of the aetiology of suicidality. Clinical guidelines recommend that health care professionals develop a safety plan in collaboration with their high-risk patients, to lower the imminent risk of suicidal behaviour. Mobile health applications provide new opportunities for safety planning, and enable daily self-monitoring of suicide-related symptoms that may enhance safety planning. This paper presents the rationale and protocol of the Continuous Assessment for Suicide Prevention And Research (CASPAR) study. The aim of the study is two-fold: to evaluate the feasibility of mobile safety planning and daily mobile self-monitoring in routine care treatment for suicidal patients, and to conduct fundamental research on suicidal processes. Methods: The study is an adaptive single cohort design among 80 adult outpatients or day-care patients, with the main diagnosis of major depressive disorder or dysthymia, who have an increased risk for suicidal behaviours. There are three measurement points, at baseline, at 1 and 3 months after baseline. Patients are instructed to use their mobile safety plan when necessary and monitor their suicidal symptoms daily. Both these apps will be used in treatment with their clinician. Conclusion: The results from this study will provide insight into the feasibility of mobile safety planning and self-monitoring in treatment of suicidal patients. Furthermore, knowledge of the suicidal process will be enhanced, especially regarding the transition from suicidal ideation to behaviour

Motivational, volitional and multiple goal predictors of walking in people with type 2 diabetes

Acknowledgment MN’s PhD scholarship was provided by Ministry of Health and Medical Education (Islamic Republic of Iran). This study was funded by the University of Aberdeen reference number: GP007RGC1618. FFS is funded by Fuse, the UK Clinical Research Collaboration Centre of Excellence for Translational Research in Public Health (grant number: MR/K02325X/1). The researchers gratefully acknowledge all the Type 2 diabetic patients and their household members who participated in the study for their contribution to this study; without them there would be no data. The researchers gratefully acknowledge the SDRN for providing the list of Type 2 diabetes and helping for sampling.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The relationship between children's motor proficiency and health-related fitness

The overall purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between motor proficiency and health-related fitness in children. In addition, the study aimed to determine if particular combinations of motor skills have a stronger relationship with individual health-related fitness measures

Meditation Matters: Replies to the Anti-McMindfulness Bandwagon!

A critical reply to the anti-mindfulness critics in the collection, who oppose the popular secularized adoption of mindfulness on various grounds (it is not Buddhism, it is Buddhism, it is a tool of neo-capitalist exploitation, etc.), I argue that mindfulness is a quality of consciousness, opposite mindlessness, that may be cultivated through practice, and is almost always beneficial to those who cultivate it