Metaphors in Abstract Thought

The aim of the dissertation was to investigate the Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT, Lakoff & Johnson, 1980, 1999).The CMT proposes that abstract concepts are partly structured by concrete concepts through the mechanism of metaphorical mapping. In Chapter 2 we wanted to investigate the role of the vehicle (concrete concept) in the comprehension process of the topic(abstract concept) in a metaphorical sentence, but we found mixed results. In Chapter 3 to Chapter 6 we investigated the role of concrete concepts during conceptual tasks about abstract concepts. Chapter 3 shows that participants’ performance over a similarity decision task (similar or dissimilar colours) was influenced by the distance of presentation (near or far) in congruence with the conceptual metaphor (similar is near and dissimilar is far). Chapter 4 shows that participants’ performance over a categorization task (same category vs. different category) on pictures (animals or vehicles) was influenced by the position of a frame (both pictures in or one out of the frame) in congruence with the conceptual metaphor (same category is in container and different category is out of container). Chapter 5 showed evidence that situational quantity (e.g., 5 bananas) was partly represented by verticality (more is up and less is down) but simple numbers (e.g., 5) not. Chapter 6 could not show evidence that love is partly represented by warmth or closeness. In conclusion, the studies in this thesis partly support the CMT

Liking a Sexual Character Affects Willingness to Have Casual Sex:The Moderating Role of Relationship Status and Status Satisfaction

The aim of the present study was to investigate individual differences in the influence of the likability of a sexual female main character on women’s willingness to have casual sex with a stranger. Specifically, we studied the moderating role of relationship status (Experiments 1 and 2) and satisfaction with one’s relationship or with being single (Experiment 2). Women (aged 18–30), who were single or in a relationship, watched an erotic scene with a likable or unlikable sexual female main character who had casual sex. In both experiments, women in a relationship were less willing to have casual sex than single women, after they had seen a likable sexual female character. However, an unpredicted effect was found in Experiment 2. After seeing an unlikable sexual female character, women who were dissatisfied with their relationship or with being single were more willing to have casual sex than their satisfied counterparts

fNIRS neuroimaging in olfactory research: A systematic literature review

There are a number of key features which make olfaction difficult to study; subjective processes of odor detection, discrimination and identification, and individualistic odor hedonic perception and associated odor memories. In this systematic review we explore the role functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has played in understanding olfactory perception in humans. fNIRS is an optical neuroimaging technique able to measure changes in brain hemodynamics and oxygenation related to neural electrical activity. Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, results of this search found that generally the majority of studies involving healthy adult subjects observed increased activity in response to odors. Other population types were also observed, such as infants, individuals with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dysosmia. fNIRS coverage heavily favored the prefrontal cortex, temporal and parietal regions. This review finds that odor induced cortical activation is dependent on multiple factors, such as odorant type, gender and population type. This review also finds that there is room for improvement in areas such as participant diversity, use of wearable fNIRS systems, physiological monitoring and multi-distance channels

Collateral and Debt Maturity Choice. A Signaling Model

This paper derives optimal loan policies under asymmetric information where banks offer loan contracts of long and short duration, backed or unbacked with collateral. The main novelty of the paper is that it analyzes a setting in which high quality firms use collateral as a complementary device along with debt maturity to signal their superiority. The least-cost signaling equilibrium depends on the relative costs of the signaling devices, the difference in firm quality and the proportion of good firms in the market. Model simulations suggest a non-monotonic relationship between firm quality and debt maturity, in which high quality firms have both long-term secured debt and short-term secured or non-secured debt.

Bal-A-Vis-X intervention to improve upper limb coordination in children with disability: A Pilot Study

Purpose/Hypothesis: Balance/Auditory/Vision exercises (Bal-A-Vis-X) consists of a series of exercises using sand-filled bags and racquet balls. Most of the exercises are completed while standing on a rocker board and heavily rooted in rhythm. The rhythmic patterns are utilized to facilitate focused concentration, crossing midline, motor planning, right/left awareness, eye-hand coordination, balance, bilateral coordination, body and spatial awareness. Only a few published studies have explored Bal-A-Vis-X as an intervention in therapy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of Bal-A-Vis-X to improve upper limb coordination in children with motor delays. Number of Subjects: Fifteen children with motor delays enrolled, ages 4 to 16 years (mean 9.73 years), have completed to date. Diagnoses included Down syndrome, autism, developmental delay, cerebral palsy, idiopathic toe walking, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and congenital myopathy. Methods and Materials: Participants were assigned to a control or intervention group. All participants received physical therapy for 60 minutes once a week for 12 sessions. Each session for the intervention group (n=9) included Bal-A-Vis-X training for 20 minutes. Children in the control group (n=6) received intervention for the same length of time without Bal-A-Vis X. The upper limb coordination subtest of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, 2nd edition (BOT-2) was administered prior to and at the conclusion of 12 sessions. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Change within the Bal-A-Vis X intervention and control groups was analyzed with the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test. Change between the groups was analyzed with the Mann Whitney U test. An a priori power analysis was utilized to establish significance at ɑ ≤ 0.05. Results: Data analysis found a significant difference (p=.007) in pre- and post- BOT-2 upper limb coordination point scores within the intervention group. No significant difference (p=0.595) was found in pre- and post- BOT-2 upper limb coordination point scores within the control group. A significant change score (p=0.026) was found for the BOT-2 point scores between the control and intervention groups pre- and post-physical therapy intervention. Conclusions: The participants in this study showed improvements in upper limb coordination after 12 sessions of physical therapy intervention that included a consistent dose of Bal-A-Vis-X training. The small sample size limits generalizing this finding to a specific patient population. Additional studies are needed within specific patient populations and to determine Bal-A-Vis-X dosing parameters. Clinical Relevance: Bal-A-Vis-X training has potential as an intervention for therapists to improve upper extremity coordination in children.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/dpt_symposium/1037/thumbnail.jp

Catalytic Depolymerization of Lignin and Woody Biomass in Supercritical Ethanol:Influence of Reaction Temperature and Feedstock

The one-step ethanolysis approach to upgrade lignin to monomeric aromatics using a CuMgAl mixed oxide catalyst is studied in detail. The influence of reaction temperature (200-420 °C) on the product distribution is investigated. At low temperature (200-250 °C), recondensation is dominant, while char-forming reactions become significant at high reaction temperature (&gt;380 °C). At preferred intermediate temperatures (300-340 °C), char-forming reactions are effectively suppressed by alkylation and Guerbet and esterification reactions. This shifts the reaction toward depolymerization, explaining high monomeric aromatics yield. Carbon-14 dating analysis of the lignin residue revealed that a substantial amount of the carbon in the lignin residue originates from reactions of lignin with ethanol. Recycling tests show that the activity of the regenerated catalyst was strongly decreased due to a loss of basic sites due to hydrolysis of the MgO function and a loss of surface area due to spinel oxide formation of the Cu and Al components. The utility of this one-step approach for upgrading woody biomass was also demonstrated. An important observation is that conversion of the native lignin contained in the lignocellulosic matrix is much easier than the conversion of technical lignin.</p

Mental health of healthcare workers during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands: a longitudinal study

PurposeIn March 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Previous virus outbreaks, such as the SARS outbreak in 2003, appeared to have a great impact on the mental health of healthcare workers. The aim of this study is to examine to what extent mental health of healthcare workers differed from non-healthcare workers during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe used data from a large-scale longitudinal online survey conducted by the Corona Behavioral Unit in the Netherlands. Eleven measurement rounds were analyzed, from April 2020 to March 2021 (N = 16,615; number of observations = 64,206). Mental health, as measured by the 5-item Mental Health Inventory, was compared between healthcare workers and non-healthcare workers over time, by performing linear GEE-analyses.ResultsMental health scores were higher among healthcare workers compared to non-healthcare workers during the first year of the pandemic (1.29 on a 0–100 scale, 95%-CI = 0.75–1.84). During peak periods of the pandemic, with over 100 hospital admissions or over 25 ICU admissions per day and subsequently more restrictive measures, mental health scores were observed to be lower in both healthcare workers and non-healthcare workers.ConclusionDuring the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, we observed no relevant difference in mental health between healthcare workers and non-healthcare workers in the Netherlands. To be better prepared for another pandemic, future research should investigate which factors hinder and which factors support healthcare workers to maintain a good mental health