13,277 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
A Tablet-Based Assessment of Rhythmic Ability.
The exponential rise in use of mobile consumer electronics has presented a great potential for research to be conducted remotely, with participants numbering several orders of magnitude greater than a typical research paradigm. Here, we attempt to demonstrate the validity and reliability of using a consumer game-engine to create software presented on a mobile tablet to assess sensorimotor synchronization, a proxy of rhythmic ability. Our goal was to ascertain whether previously observed research results can be replicated, rather than assess whether a mobile tablet achieves comparable performance to a desktop computer. To achieve this, younger (aged 18-35 years) and older (aged 60-80 years) adult musicians and non-musicians were recruited to play a custom-designed sensorimotor synchronization assessment on a mobile tablet in a controlled laboratory environment. To assess reliability, participants performed the assessment twice, separated by a week, and an intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated. Results supported the validity of this approach to assessing rhythmic abilities by replicating previously observed results. Specifically, musicians performed better than non-musicians, and younger adults performed better than older adults. Participants also performed best when the tempo was in the range of previously-identified preferred tempos, when the stimuli included both audio and visual information, and when synchronizing on-beat compared to off-beat or continuation (self-paced) synchronization. Additionally, high ICC values (>0.75) suggested excellent test-retest reliability. Together, these results support the notion that consumer electronics running software built with a game engine may serve as a valuable resource for remote, mobile-based data collection of rhythmic abilities
Rumination and Performance in Dynamic, Team Sport
People high in rumination are good at tasks that require persistence whereas people low in rumination is good at tasks that require flexibility. Here we examine real world implications of these differences in dynamic, team sport. In two studies, we found that professional male football (soccer) players from Germany and female field hockey players on the US national team were lower in rumination than were non-athletes. Further, low levels of rumination were associated with a longer career at a higher level in football players. Results indicate that athletes in dynamic, team sport might benefit from the flexibility associated with being low in rumination
Recommended from our members
System development guidelines from a review of motion-based technology for people with MCI or dementia
As the population ages and the number of people living with dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) continues to increase, it is critical to identify creative and innovative ways to support and improve their quality of life. Motion-based technology has shown significant potential for people living with dementia or MCI by providing opportunities for cognitive stimulation, physical activity and participation in meaningful leisure activities, while simultaneously functioning as a useful tool for research and development of interventions. However, many of the current systems created using motion-based technology have not been designed specifically for people with dementia or MCI. Additionally, the usability and accessibility of these systems for these populations has not been thoroughly considered. This paper presents a set of system development guidelines derived from a review of the state of the art of motion-based technologies for people with dementia or MCI. These guidelines highlight three overarching domains of consideration for systems targeting people with dementia or MCI: (i) cognitive, (ii) physical, and (iii) social. We present the guidelines in terms of relevant design and use considerations within these domains and the emergent design themes within each domain. Our hope is that these guidelines will aid in designing motion-based software to meet the needs of people with dementia or MCI such that the potential of these technologies can be realized
Spectral Analysis of Guanine and Cytosine Fluctuations of Mouse Genomic DNA
We study global fluctuations of the guanine and cytosine base content (GC%)
in mouse genomic DNA using spectral analyses. Power spectra S(f) of GC%
fluctuations in all nineteen autosomal and two sex chromosomes are observed to
have the universal functional form S(f) \sim 1/f^alpha (alpha \approx 1) over
several orders of magnitude in the frequency range 10^-7< f < 10^-5 cycle/base,
corresponding to long-ranging GC% correlations at distances between 100 kb and
10 Mb. S(f) for higher frequencies (f > 10^-5 cycle/base) shows a flattened
power-law function with alpha < 1 across all twenty-one chromosomes. The
substitution of about 38% interspersed repeats does not affect the functional
form of S(f), indicating that these are not predominantly responsible for the
long-ranged multi-scale GC% fluctuations in mammalian genomes. Several
biological implications of the large-scale GC% fluctuation are discussed,
including neutral evolutionary history by DNA duplication, chromosomal bands,
spatial distribution of transcription units (genes), replication timing, and
recombination hot spots.Comment: 15 pages (figures included), 2 figure
From the emotional integration to the cognitive construction: the developmental approach of Turtle Project in children with autism spectrum disorder
Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder show a deficit in neurobiological processes. This deficit
hinders the development of intentional behavior and appropriate problem-solving, leading the child to implement
repetitive and stereotyped behaviors and to have difficulties in reciprocal interactions, empathy and in the
development of a theory of mind. The objective of this research is to verify the effectiveness of a relationship-based
approach on the positive evolution of autistic symptoms.
Method: A sample of 80 children with autism spectrum disorder was monitored during the first four years of
therapy, through a clinical diagnostic assessment at the time of intake and then in two follow-up.
Results: The results showed that through the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule it is possible to
assess the socio-relational key elements on which the therapy is based. There was evidence, in fact, of significant
improvements after two and four years of therapy, both for children with severe autistic symptoms and for those in
autistic spectrum.
Conclusions: Socio-relational aspects represent the primary element on which work in therapy with autistic
children and can be considered as indicators of a positive evolution and prognosis that will produce improvements
even in the cognitive are
A Trip to the Moon: Personalized Animated Movies for Self-reflection
Self-tracking physiological and psychological data poses the challenge of
presentation and interpretation. Insightful narratives for self-tracking data
can motivate the user towards constructive self-reflection. One powerful form
of narrative that engages audience across various culture and age groups is
animated movies. We collected a week of self-reported mood and behavior data
from each user and created in Unity a personalized animation based on their
data. We evaluated the impact of their video in a randomized control trial with
a non-personalized animated video as control. We found that personalized videos
tend to be more emotionally engaging, encouraging greater and lengthier writing
that indicated self-reflection about moods and behaviors, compared to
non-personalized control videos
- …