Psychoanalysis and neurosciences: fuzzy outlines? Notes on the notion of cerebral plasticity

“Psychoanalysis versus psychiatry” and “unconscious versus brain” are classic oppositions between different perspectives on the human being and mental suffering. This article draws on certain elements of this discussion and reflects on how new ideas about the brain and biology favor closer interaction between psychoanalysis and the neurosciences. These questions are redefined through the notion of cerebral plasticity, by which the brain is open to interaction with the social environment and the influence of psychoanalytical therapy. Conceiving of the brain as a plastic organ allows for the possibility of interchange between psychoanalysis and the neurosciences.Fil: Mantilla, Maria Jimena. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Instituto de Investigaciones ; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Towards a Digressive Society

This paper is a copy of Digressive Society’s conclusions. In the book Digressive Society, I describe a society that would be based on the principle that no one is allowed to impose a principle on others. This paradoxical principle is, as I demonstrate, equivalent to the global maximisation of individual choices as well as the combating of all forms of alienation. A digression should be understood in the positive sense, it is distancing ourselves from an initial intention, deviate from a pre-established or expected discourse. This book is, I hope, a productive attempt to develop a system at the crossroads of critical theory, existentialism, libertarianism, and anarchism: a system founded not on any preconceived notion of justice or human rights, but rooted in the ambiguous nature of human existence

A scale development study: Nursing competency perception scale

Aim: Training and employment of competent nurses are among the priorities of nursing. This study was conducted to develop a valid and reliable measurement tool for determining the competency perceptions of senior nursing students. Methods: The methodological study was carried out with 372 senior nursing students who studied in nursing departments of two universities in Istanbul between January and March 2018. The item pool of the scale was created with the learning outcomes within the scope of the “Quality and Safety Education for Nurses” project in the United States of America. After content validity, the scale consisted of 55 items and six main dimensions. Data were collected using a questionnaire, including a personal information form and the Nursing Competency Perception Scale. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, t-test in dependents groups, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Results: As a result of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, 39 items with a 6-factor structure were retained to form the Nursing Competency Perception Scale. These factors showed senior nursing students’ competency perceptions in patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, safety, and informatics. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was between 0.77 and 0.90. There was no statistical difference between the test–retest measurements in the six dimensions (P > .05). Pearson correlation coefficients from 0.71 to 0.90 were found in the six main dimensions (P < .001). Conclusion: The Nursing Competency Perception Scale is a valid and reliable tool for determining the competency perceptions of senior nursing students and new graduate nurses with no professional experience

On Using a Mobile Application to Support Teledermatology: A Case Study in an Underprivileged Area in Colombia

Background. The use of mobile applications in dermatology to support remote diagnosis is gaining acceptance, particularly in rural areas, where dermatology services are commonly managed by healthcare personnel with no specialty training. Moreover, ontologies—sets of concepts that represent knowledge in a given domain—are increasingly being used to support medical diagnosis. A specific case is ONTODerm: an ontology to aid dermatological diagnosis. However, there is little information on the combined use of mobile applications and ontologies as support solutions in dermatology. Objective. Assessing the reliability of ONTODerm as a tool to support remote dermatological diagnosis when used together with a mobile dermatological application in underprivileged areas. Methods. A mobile application that allows characterization of skin lesions was developed, and the information about the lesions was sent to ONTODerm. An exploratory study was conducted in a remote area without access to a dermatologist. A total of 64 dermatological queries were recorded in the application and consulted with ONTODerm. Later, an experienced dermatologist evaluated the characterization and diagnosis of each query to determine the accuracy of the system. Results. The results showed that the probability of obtaining a correct diagnosis was between 64.4% and 85.6% with a confidence interval of 95%. A higher accuracy rate was obtained when the skin lesion occurred on the face or when its border was categorized as poorly demarcated. Conclusions. This study demonstrates the implementation of a teledermatology strategy based on mobile applications and domain ontology-driven knowledge base to provide timely assistance to healthcare professionals. This approach was found to be pertinent in the Colombian rural context, particularly in forest regions, where dermatology specialists are not available. The results of this article do not represent a final validation of the proposed approach; they suggest how the ontology can be improved to effectively support medical staff in marginalized regions

Advancing oral medicine through informatics and information technology: a proposed framework and strategy.

The implementation of information technology in healthcare is a significant focus for many nations around the world. However, information technology support for clinical care, research and education in oral medicine is currently poorly developed. This situation hampers our ability to transform oral medicine into a 'learning healthcare discipline' in which the divide between clinical practice and research is diminished and, ultimately, eliminated. This paper reviews the needs of and requirements for information technology support of oral medicine and proposes an agenda designed to meet those needs. For oral medicine, this agenda includes analyzing and reviewing current clinical and documentation practices, working toward progressively standardizing clinical data, and helping define requirements for oral medicine systems. IT professionals can contribute by conducting baseline studies about the use of electronic systems, helping develop controlled vocabularies and ontologies, and designing, implementing, and evaluating novel systems centered on the needs of clinicians, researchers and educators. Successfully advancing IT support for oral medicine will require close coordination and collaboration among oral medicine professionals, information technology professionals, system vendors, and funding agencies. If current barriers and obstacles are overcome, practice and research in oral medicine stand ready to derive significant benefits from the application of information technology

Biomedical and Ontological Transformation of Death Into Sickness

This piece seeks to present some origins of the biomedical transformation and ontological of death -as an ontological determinant- into sickness, a step that will be possible thanks to the advancements in medicine and biotechnology. From that exposition, the contributions of Craig Venter, María Blasco, Raymond Kurzweil, and Nick Bostrom about the control and overcoming of aging, robotic humanizations, and constant improvement of human life limitations in front of its determinant possibility (finitude). Those issues were studied from the philosophical platform that Martin Heidegger expresses in Being and Time, where he understands death as the most proper, irrespective, and unavoidable possibility the Dasein must face. Finally, the problem of death with senescence in its current state is articulated. The article promotes, in conclusion, new propositions to prosecute the characterization of this biomedical and ontological transformation of death -as an ontological determinantinto sickness

Light-Weight Wearable Gyroscopic Actuators Can Modulate Balance Performance and Gait Characteristics:A Proof-of-Concept Study

Falling is a major cause of morbidity, and is often caused by a decrease in postural stability. A key component of postural stability is whole-body centroidal angular momentum, which can be influenced by control moment gyroscopes. In this proof-of-concept study, we explore the influence of our wearable robotic gyroscopic actuator “GyroPack” on the balance performance and gait characteristics of non-impaired individuals (seven female/eight male, 30 ± 7 years, 68.8 ± 8.4 kg). Participants performed a series of balance and walking tasks with and without wearing the GyroPack. The device displayed various control modes, which were hypothesised to positively, negatively, or neutrally impact postural control. When configured as a damper, the GyroPack increased mediolateral standing time and walking distance, on a balance beam, and decreased trunk angular velocity variability, while walking on a treadmill. When configured as a negative damper, both peak trunk angular rate and trunk angular velocity variability increased during treadmill walking. This exploratory study shows that gyroscopic actuators can influence balance and gait kinematics. Our results mirror the findings of our earlier studies; though, with more than 50% mass reduction of the device, practical and clinical applicability now appears within reach.</p

From Digital Twins to Digital Selves and Beyond

This open access book aims at deepening the understanding of the relation between cyber-physical systems (CPSs) as socio-technical systems and their digital representations with intertwined artificial intelligence (AI). The authors describe why it is crucial for digital selves to be able to develop emotional behavior and why a humanity-inspired AI is necessary so that humans and humanoids can coexist. The introductory chapter describes major milestones in computer science which form the basis for the implementation of digital twins and digital selves. The subsequent Part I then lays the foundation to develop a socio-technical understanding of the nature of digital twins as representations and trans-human development objects. Following the conceptual understanding of digital twins and how they could be engineered according to cognitive and organizational structures, Part II forms the groundwork for understanding social behavior and its modeling. It discusses various perception-based socio-emotional approaches before sketching behavior-relevant models and their simulation capabilities. In particular, it is shown how emotions can substantially influence the collective behavior of artificial actors. Part III eventually presents a symbiosis showing under which preconditions digital selves might construct and produce digital twins as integrated design elements in trans-human ecosystems. The chapters in this part are dedicated to opportunities and modes of co-creating reflective socio-trans-human systems based on digital twin models, exploring mutual control and continuous development. The final epilog is congenitally speculative in its nature by presenting thoughts on future developments of artificial life in computational substrates. The book is written for researchers and professionals in areas like cyber-physical systems, robotics, social simulation or systems engineering, interested to take a speculative look into the future of digital twins and autonomous agents. It also touches upon philosophical aspects of digital twins, digital selves and humanoids