Is the Smartphone Smart in Kathmandu?

This is the extensive study of the smartphone in the developing country of Nepal, specifically the Kathmandu valley. Throughout my research I conducted various interviews with businesses, Tibetan refugees, and Nepali millennials (18yrs-33yrs) with the goal of identifying how the smartphone is used and understood. I chose the Kathmandu valley as my main area of research because the usage of smartphones in rural Nepal is extremely limited, and the valley represents the economic hub where progressive thinking flourishes. As a main objective I sought to understand how, if at all, the smartphone is used differently between Nepal and America. All millennials interviewed possessed smartphones

Properties of Turbulence in the Very Local Interstellar Clouds

We have investigated the degree to which turbulence in the Very Local Interstellar Clouds resembles the highly-studied turbulence in the solar corona and the solar wind. The turbulence diagnostics for the Local Clouds are the absorption line widths measured along 32 lines of sight to nearby stars, yielding measurements for 53 absorption components (Redfield and Linsky 2004). We have tested whether the Local Cloud turbulence has the following properties of turbulence in the solar corona or the solar wind: (a) velocity fluctuations mainly perpendicular to the average magnetic field, (b) a temperature anisotropy in the sense that the perpendicular temperature is larger than the parallel temperature (or at least enhanced relative to expectation), and (c) an ion temperature which is dependent on the ion Larmor radius, in the sense that more massive ions have higher temperatures. Our analysis of the data does not show compelling evidence for any of these properties in Local Cloud turbulence, indicating possible differences with heliospheric plasmas. In the case of anisotropy of velocity fluctuations, although the expected observational signature is not seen, we cannot exclude the possibility of relatively high degrees of anisotropy (anisotropy parameter $\epsilon \sim 0.50 - 0.70$), if some other process in the the Local Clouds is causing variations in the turbulent line width from one line of sight to another. We briefly consider possible reasons for differences between coronal and solar wind turbulence and that in the Local Clouds.Comment: Submitted to the Astrophysical Journa

Alexithymia, not Autism Spectrum Disorders, is the consequence of interoceptive failure

It has been proposed that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is associated with difficulties perceiving the internal state of one's body (i.e., impaired interoception), causing the socio-emotional deficits which are a diagnostic feature of the condition. However, research indicates that alexithymia – characterized by difficulties in recognizing emotions from internal bodily sensations – is also linked to atypical interoception. Elevated rates of alexithymia in the autistic population have been shown to underpin several socio-emotional impairments thought to be symptomatic of ASD, raising the possibility that interoceptive difficulties in ASD are also due to co-occurring alexithymia. Following this line of inquiry, the present study examined the relative impact of alexithymia and autism on interoceptive accuracy (IA). Across two experiments, it was found that alexithymia, not autism, was associated with atypical interoception. Results indicate that interoceptive impairments should not be considered a feature of ASD, but instead due to co-occurring alexithymia

From heart to mind: Linking interoception, emotion, and theory of mind

Theory of Mind (ToM) is traditionally characterized as the ability to represent mental states. Such a characterization leaves little room for studying individual differences in ToM – individuals either can, or cannot, represent mental states – and this binary classification cannot quantify the subtle individual differences observed in typical and atypical populations. In recognition of this problem, attempts have been made to provide a more detailed characterization of the constituent psychological processes which support the representation of mental states, and the neurocomputational principles underpinning ToM, in order to identify the source of individual differences. A recent model is of interest as it forwards the novel argument that interoception, perception of the internal state of the body, is a fundamental component of ToM. Here we report the first test of the link between interoception and ToM

Heartfelt embodiment: Changes in body-ownership and self-identification produce distinct changes in interoceptive accuracy

Interoceptive and exteroceptive information are both essential for the construction and update of self-awareness. Whereas several studies have shown how interoceptive accuracy or cardiac feedback influences body-awareness, no studies have looked at the reverse effect, namely how exteroceptively-driven changes in body-ownership and self-identification can influence individuals’ ability to detect internal bodily signals. We exposed participants to the Rubber Hand Illusion (Experiment 1) and to the Enfacement Illusion (Experiment 2), and tested how this change in the sense of body-ownership and self-identification affected their interoceptive accuracy (IAcc). The heartbeat-counting task was used to measure IAcc before the bodily illusions, and then the same task was interleaved with periods of visuo-tactile stimulation, during which synchronous and asynchronous multisensory stimulation was applied. We found that a change in body-ownership significantly improved performance of participants with lower interoceptive accuracy. In contrast, a change in self-identification significantly decreased performance of participants with higher interoceptive accuracy. These results suggest that changes in different domains of self-awareness can differentially impact individuals’ ability to accurately detect signals arising from within the body, highlighting the distinct role that interoceptive signals play for different facets of bodily self-consciousness

'It's small steps, but that leads to bigger changes': evaluation of a nurture group intervention

This article presents the results of a small-scale research project that aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a part-time nurture group recently established in one primary school. Qualitative interviews were used to gather staff, pupil and parental perceptions about the nurture group. These focused on what difference the nurture group was making to the pupils concerned but also on views about what factors contributed to noted changes. All stakeholder groups identified areas of development for nurture group pupils. These included improved social skills, growth in personal confidence, greater engagement with academic tasks, and fewer incidences of undesirable behaviour. The evidence gathered so far suggests that the nurture group offered an effective way of supporting the social, emotional and behavioural skills of a group of 'at-risk' pupils. A range of factors thought to be important in achieving these outcomes are highlighted. These align broadly with the theoretical underpinnings of nurture groups

Different Aspects of Emotional Awareness in Relation to Motor Cognition and Autism Traits

Data Availability Statement The datasets generated for this study are available on request to the corresponding author. Funding Research was conducted as part of CH’s PhD studies, supported by a studentship from the Northwood Trust. Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Margaret Jackson for providing testing space and assistance with the ethics procedures.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Discrepancies between dimensions of interoception in autism: implications for emotion and anxiety

Emotions and affective feelings are influenced by one's internal state of bodily arousal via interoception. Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) are associated with difficulties in recognising others' emotions, and in regulating own emotions. We tested the hypothesis that, in people with ASC, such affective differences may arise from abnormalities in interoceptive processing. We demonstrated that individuals with ASC have reduced interoceptive accuracy (quantified using heartbeat detection tests) and exaggerated interoceptive sensibility (subjective sensitivity to internal sensations on self-report questionnaires), reflecting an impaired ability to objectively detect bodily signals alongside an over-inflated subjective perception of bodily sensations. The divergence of these two interoceptive axes can be computed as a trait prediction error. This error correlated with deficits in emotion sensitivity and occurrence of anxiety symptoms. Our results indicate an origin of emotion deficits and affective symptoms in ASC at the interface between body and mind, specifically in expectancy-driven interpretation of interoceptive information

Alternative splicing converts STIM2 from an activator to an inhibitor of store-operated calcium channels

Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) regulates a wide variety of essential cellular functions. SOCE is mediated by STIM1 and STIM2, which sense depletion of ER Ca2+ stores and activate Orai channels in the plasma membrane. Although the amplitude and dynamics of SOCE are considered important determinants of Ca2+-dependent responses, the underlying modulatory mechanisms are unclear. In this paper, we identify STIM2??, a highly conserved alternatively spliced isoform of STIM2, which, in contrast to all known STIM isoforms, is a potent inhibitor of SOCE. Although STIM2?? does not by itself strongly bind Orai1, it is recruited to Orai1 channels by forming heterodimers with other STIM isoforms. Analysis of STIM2?? mutants and Orai1-STIM2?? chimeras suggested that it actively inhibits SOCE through a sequence-specific allosteric interaction with Orai1. Our results reveal a previously unrecognized functional flexibility in the STIM protein family by which alternative splicing creates negative and positive regulators of SOCE to shape the amplitude and dynamics of Ca2+ signals.open