1,614 research outputs found
When Digits Help Digits: SpatialâNumerical Associations Point to Finger Counting as Prime Example of Embodied Cognition
Spatialânumerical associations (SNAs) are prevalent yet their origin is poorly understood. We first consider the possible prime role of reading habits in shaping SNAs and list three observations that argue against a prominent influence of this role: (1) directional reading habits for numbers may conflict with those for non-numerical symbols, (2) short-term experimental manipulations can overrule the impact of decades of reading experience, (3) SNAs predate the acquisition of reading. As a promising alternative, we discuss behavioral, neuroscientific, and neuropsychological evidence in support of finger counting as the most likely initial determinant of SNAs. Implications of this âmanumerical cognitionâ stance for the distinction between grounded, embodied, and situated cognition are discussed
Die Distribution von Versicherungsdienstleistungen ĂŒber das Internet : Handlungsempfehlungen fĂŒr einen erfolgreichen Internetauftritt von Versicherungen
Die vorliegende Arbeit widmet sich dem Einfluss des Internet auf die Versicherungswirtschaft sowie der Akzeptanz des Versicherungskaufs ĂŒber das Internet. Die Einflussfaktoren auf die Nachfrage von Versicherungen im Internet sind weitgehend unerforscht. Das Ziel der Studie ist es, Faktoren zu identifizieren, die die Akzeptanz des Internet-Versicherungsabschlusses nachhaltig beeinflussen. Ăber die generierten Faktoren werden Handlungsempfehlungen fĂŒr das Internetangebot von Versicherungsunternehmen abgeleitet. Mit dieser Studie wird zum ersten Mal eine empirische Arbeit vorgelegt, die mögliche Akzeptanzfaktoren fĂŒr den Online-Versicherungsabschluss aus der Fachliteratur zusammenfassend darstellt und empirisch ĂŒberprĂŒft. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass gĂŒnstige Konditionen, verbunden mit der Internetkauferfahrung, den wichtigsten Faktor der Akzeptanz von Versicherungen im Internet darstellen. Versicherungsunternehmen sollten deswegen insbesondere auf die Ausgestaltung der Konditionen achten, um den Internetabsatz zu erhöhen. Ein weiterer wichtiger Faktor ist die Convenience (Bequemlichkeit), da Internetnutzer fĂŒr den Online-Abschluss einen bequemen Zugang zu Internetseiten von Versicherungen, aber auch eine einfache und schnelle Abschlussmöglichkeit schĂ€tzen. Weitere bedeutende Faktoren, die die Akzeptanz des Online-Abschlusses beeinflussen, sind die bei einem Wechsel von einer traditionellen Versicherung zu einem Abschluss im Internet vorhandenen Wechselbarrieren, die InformationsqualitĂ€t des Internetangebotes, das persönlich empfundene Risiko bei der SelbsteinschĂ€tzung des Versicherungsbedarfs sowie das Transaktionsrisiko des Nutzers
Retention of mouth-to-mouth, mouth-to-mask and mouth-to-face shield ventilation
Background: Retention of mouth-to-mouth, mouth-to-mask and mouth-to-face shield ventilation techniques is poorly understood.Methods: A prospective randomised clinical trial was undertaken in January 2004 in 70 candidates randomly assigned to training in mouth-to-mouth, mouth-to-mask or mouth-to-face shield ventilation. Each candidate was trained for 10 min, after which tidal volume, respiratory rate, minute volume, peak airway pressure and the presence or absence of stomach inflation were measured. 58 subjects were reassessed 1 year later and study parameters were recorded again. Data were analysed with ANOVA, \textgreekq2 and McNemar tests.Results: Tidal volume, minute volume, peak airway pressure, ventilation rate and stomach inflation rate increased significantly at reassessment with all ventilation techniques compared with the initial assessment. However, at reassessment, mean (SD) tidal volume (960 (446) vs 1008 (366) vs 1402 (302) ml; p<0.05), minute volume (12 (5) vs 13 (7) vs 18 (3) l/min; p<0.05), peak airway pressure (14 (8) vs 17 (13) vs 25 (8) cm H2O; p<0.05) and stomach inflation rate (63% vs 58% vs 100%; p<0.05) were significantly lower with mouth-to-mask and mouth-to-face shield ventilation than with mouth-to-mouth ventilation. The ventilation rate at reassessment did not differ significantly between the ventilation techniques.Conclusions: One year after a single episode of ventilation training, lay persons tended to hyperventilate; however, the degree of hyperventilation and resulting stomach inflation were lower when a mouth-to-mask or a face shield device was employed. Regular training is therefore required to retain ventilation skills; retention of skills may be better with ventilation devices
Autoresuscitation (Lazarus phenomenon) after termination of cardiopulmonary resuscitation - a scoping review.
Autoresuscitation describes the return of spontaneous circulation after termination of resuscitation (TOR) following cardiac arrest (CA). We aimed to identify phenomena that may lead to autoresuscitation and to provide guidance to reduce the likelihood of it occurring.
We conducted a literature search (Google Scholar, MEDLINE, PubMed) and a scoping review according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines of autoresuscitation cases where patients undergoing CPR recovered circulation spontaneously after TOR with the following criteria: 1) CA from any cause; 2) CPR for any length of time; 3) A point was reached when it was felt that the patient had died; 4) Staff declared the patient dead and stood back. No further interventions took place; 5) Later, vital signs were observed. 6) Vital signs were sustained for more than a few seconds, such that staff had to resume active care.
Sixty-five patients with ROSC after TOR were identified in 53 articles (1982-2018), 18 (28%) made a full recovery.
Almost a third made a full recovery after autoresuscitation. The following reasons for and recommendations to avoid autoresuscitation can be proposed: 1) In asystole with no reversible causes, resuscitation efforts should be continued for at least 20 min; 2) CPR should not be abandoned immediately after unsuccessful defibrillation, as transient asystole can occur after defibrillation; 3) Excessive ventilation during CPR may cause hyperinflation and should be avoided; 4) In refractory CA, resuscitation should not be terminated in the presence of any potentially-treatable cardiac rhythm; 5) After TOR, the casualty should be observed continuously and ECG monitored for at least 10 min
Levodopa reverses gait asymmetries related to anhedoniaand magical ideation
Animals and men turn preferentially away from the hemisphere with the more active dopamine (DA) system. Consistent with the idea of a right-hemispheric hyperdopaminergia in schizophrenia, a leftsided turning bias was described for unmedicated psychotic patients. We investigated the modulating role of DA and schizophrenia-like thought on whole-body turns in a controlled double-blind study. The number of veers to either side when walking blindfolded straight ahead (20 meter) was assessed in 40 healthy righthanded men (20 men received levodopa, the remaining participants placebo). Side preferences were analyzed in terms of individuals' positive (Magical Ideation, MI) and negative (Physical Anhedonia, PhysAn) schizotypal features. In the placebo group, increasing MI scores were related to increasing left-sided veering and increasing PhysAn scores were related to increasing right-sided veering. In the levodopa group, this relationship between preferred veering side and type of schizotypy was reversed. The finding in the placebo group suggests an association between MI and a relative right-hemispheric hyperdopaminergia. Unexpectedly, levodopa did not enhance this veering bias, but reversed it, suggesting that psychosis-protective mechanisms exist in the healthy positive "schizotypicâ brain. Also unexpectedly, levodopa made "anhedonicsâ veer like "magicsâ after placebo, suggesting that DA agonists suppress negative schizotypal symptom
An atom fiber for guiding cold neutral atoms
We present an omnidirectional matter wave guide on an atom chip. The
rotational symmetry of the guide is maintained by a combination of two current
carrying wires and a bias field pointing perpendicular to the chip surface. We
demonstrate guiding of thermal atoms around more than two complete turns along
a spiral shaped 25mm long curved path (curve radii down to 200m) at
various atom--surface distances (35-450m). An extension of the scheme for
the guiding of Bose-Einstein condensates is outlined
Effects of prednisolone on 1,2-O-dilauryl-rac-glycero glutaricacid-(60-methylresorufin) ester-lipase activity and pancreaticlipase immunoreactivity in healthy cats
Background:
Corticosteroids are among the most commonly used drugs in cats andare increasingly discussed as a treatment for feline pancreatitis. However, its effectson serum lipase in healthy cats remain unknown.
Objectives:
To evaluate the effects of prednisolone on serum lipase activity and pan-creatic lipase immunoreactivity (PLI) in cats.
Animals:
Seven clinically healthy colony cats, aged 4 to 7 years, with unremarkableCBC/biochemistry panel were studied.Methods:Prospective study: Prednisolone (1.1-1.5 mg/kg, median 1.28 mg/kg PO)was given daily for 7 consecutive days. Lipase activity (LIPC Roche; RI, 8-26 U/L) andPLI (Spec fPL; RI, 0-3.5ÎŒg/L) were determined at day 1 before first treatment and atdays 2, 3, 8, 10, and 14. Cats were examined daily. An a priori power analysis indi-cated that 6 cats were needed to find a biological relevant effect at 1-ÎČ=0.8. Statis-tical analyses comprised the Friedman test, random intercept regression, andrepeated-measures linear regression.
Results:
Median (range) day 1 lipase activities and PLI were 22 U/L (14-52 U/L) and3.2ÎŒg/L (2.3-15.7ÎŒg/L). One cat with abnormally high lipase activity (52 U/L) andPLI (15.7ÎŒg/L) at day 1 continued having elevated lipase activities and PLI through-out the study. Lipase activities and PLI concentrations did not differ significantlyamong time points regardless of whether the cat with elevated values was includedor not. All cats remained healthy throughout the study.
Conclusions and Clinical Importance:
Administration of prednisolone in anti-inflammatory doses does not significantly increase serum lipase activity and PLI concentration
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Priming letters by colors: evidence for the bidirectionality of graphemeâcolor synesthesia
In synesthesia, stimulation of one sensory modality leads to a percept in another nonstimulated modality, for example, graphemes trigger an additional color percept in graphemeâcolor synesthesia, which encompasses the variants letterâcolor and digitâcolor synesthesia. Until recently, it was assumed that synesthesia occurs strictly unidirectional: Although the perception of a letter induces a color percept in letterâcolor synesthetes, they typically do not report that colors trigger the percept of a letter. Recent data on number processing in synesthesia suggest, however, that colors can implicitly elicit numerical representations in digitâcolor synesthetes, thereby questioning unidirectional models of synesthesia. Using a word fragment completion paradigm in 10 letterâcolor synesthetes, we show here for the first time that colors can implicitly influence lexical search. Our data provide strong support for a bidirectional nature of graphemeâcolor synesthesia and, in general, may allude to the mechanisms of cross-modality interactions in the human brain
Lotharmeyerite, Ca(Zn,Mn)2(AsO4)2(H2O,OH)2
Lotharmeyerite, calcium bisÂ(zinc/manganese) bisÂ(arsenate) bisÂ(hydroxide/hydrate), Ca(Zn,Mn3+)2(AsO4)2(H2O,OH)2, is a member of the natrochalcite group of minerals, which are characterized by the general formula AM
2(XO4)2(H2O,OH)2, where A may be occupied by Pb2+, Ca2+, Na+, and Bi3+, M by Fe3+, Mn3+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Al3+, and Mg2+, and X by PV, AsV, VV, and SVI. The minerals in the group display either monoclinic or triclinic symmetry, depending on the ordering of chemical components in the M site. Based on single-crystal X-ray diffraction data of a sample from the type locality, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico, this study presents the first structure determination of lotharmeyerite. Lotharmeyerite is isostructural with natrochalcite and tsumcorite. The structure is composed of rutile-type chains of edge-shared MO6 octaÂhedra (site symmetry ) extending along [010], which are interÂconnected by XO4 tetraÂhedra (site symmetry 2) and hydrogen bonds to form [M
2(XO4)2(OH,H2O)2] sheets parallel to (001). These sheets are linked by the larger A cations (site symmetry 2/m), as well as by hydrogen bonds. Bond-valence sums for the M cation, calculated with the parameters for Mn3+ and Mn2+ are 2.72 and 2.94 v.u., respectively, consistent with the occupation of the M site by Mn3+. Two distinct hydrogen bonds are present, one with OâŻO = 2.610â
(4)â
Ă
and the other OâŻO = 2.595â
(3)â
Ă
. One of the H-atom positions is disordered over two sites with 50% occupancy, in agreement with observations for other natrochalcite-type minerals, such as natrochalcite and tsumcorite
Impact of Dosing Intervals on Activity of Gentamicin and Ticarcillin Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Granulocytopenic Mice
The influence of dosing intervals on the activity of gentamicin and ticarcillin against Pseudomonas aeruginosa was studied in vivo. Granulocytopenic mice infected with P. aeruginosa in the thigh muscle were treated with l-hr or 3-hr injections of gentamicin, ticarcillin, or gentamicin-ticarcillin. Plasma pharmacokinetics of the drugs were correlated with antibacterial activity. Gentamicin injected every 1 hr tended to be less active than gentamicin injected at longer intervals. In contrast, ticarcillin given every 1 hr was significantly more efficacious than equivalent total doses injected every 3 hr. The dosing schedule of gentamicin-ticarcillin was again important for ticarcillin but did not appreciably affect the antibacterial activity of gentamicin. Thus, antimicrobial chemotherapy of P. aeruginosa infections in the granulocytopenic host might be improved by administering ticarcillin rather than gentamicin as a constant infusio
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