An Exploration of Bedtime Music Genres and Sleep Quality

Various studies have been conducted to research beneficial sleep practices including audio, such as music or white noise. Younger individuals have access to phones and unique sleep aids that claim to benefit one’s sleep quality. It’s a common enough practice to turn on music to alleviate the mind, guiding it towards relaxation. Surprisingly, there is a lack of consensus on the helpfulness of music, with some studies finding it harms rather than aids. Seeing as sleep is a crucial factor of healthy living, it’s a worthwhile pursuit to discover whether music can improve sleep quality and duration. Our study aimed to investigate the relation between one’s overall sleep quality and the integration of music prior to bedtime. Participants were recruited through Belmont University’s Psychology department, and individuals were compensated by gaining class credit for introductory Psychology courses. Prior to bedtime, the first half of participants were required to listen to three non-lyrical songs (chosen by researchers), and the second half listened to three lyrical songs. The following morning, participants were asked to complete a Qualtrics survey questionnaire. The second night and morning consisted of the same process, simply listening to the other type of songs prior to sleep. After observing participant’s sleep quality after listening to lyrical or non-lyrical music, researchers will analyze the and determine which music type is more beneficial for sleep. Results are projected to reveal that listening to non-lyrical music prior to bedtime is more beneficial for sleep quality because it is found to be more soothing and less distracting when falling asleep

Is modelling complexity always needed?:Insights from modelling PrEP introduction in South Africa

BACKGROUND: Mathematical models can be powerful policymaking tools. Simple, static models are user-friendly for policymakers. More complex, dynamic models account for time-dependent changes but are complicated to understand and produce. Under which conditions are static models adequate? We compare static and dynamic model predictions of whether behavioural disinhibition could undermine the impact of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) provision to female sex workers in South Africa. METHODS: A static model of HIV risk was developed and adapted into a dynamic model. Both models were used to estimate the possible reduction in condom use, following PrEP introduction, without increasing HIV risk. The results were compared over a 20-year time horizon, in two contexts: at epidemic equilibrium and during an increasing epidemic. RESULTS: Over time horizons of up to 5 years, the models are consistent. Over longer timeframes, the static model overstates the tolerated reduction in condom use where initial condom use is reasonably high ($\ge$50%) and/or PrEP effectiveness is low ($\le$45%), especially during an increasing epidemic. CONCLUSIONS: Static models can provide useful deductions to guide policymaking around the introduction of a new HIV intervention over short-medium time horizons of up to 5 years. Over longer timeframes, static models may not sufficiently emphasise situations of programmatic importance, especially where underlying epidemics are still increasing

Nausea: Current knowledge of mechanisms, measurement and clinical impact

AbstractNausea is a subjective sensation, which often acts as a signal that emesis is imminent. It is a widespread problem that occurs as a clinical sign of disease or as an adverse effect of a drug therapy or surgical procedure. The mechanisms of nausea are complex and the neural pathways are currently poorly understood. This review summarises the current knowledge of nausea mechanisms, the available animal models for nausea research and the anti-nausea properties of commercially available anti-emetic drugs. The review also presents subjective assessment and scoring of nausea. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of nausea might reveal potential clinically useful biomarkers for objective measurement of nausea in species of veterinary interest

Social visual attentional engagement and memory in Phelan-McDermid syndrome and autism spectrum disorder: a pilot eye tracking study

Background The current study used eye tracking to investigate attention and recognition memory in Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS), a rare genetic disorder characterized by intellectual disability, motor delays, and a high likelihood of comorbid autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Social deficits represent a core feature of ASD, including decreased propensity to orient to or show preference for social stimuli. Methods We used a visual paired-comparison task with both social and non-social images, assessing looking behavior to a novel image versus a previously viewed familiar image to characterize social attention and recognition memory in PMS (n = 22), idiopathic ASD (iASD, n = 38), and typically developing (TD) controls (n = 26). The idiopathic ASD cohort was divided into subgroups with intellectual disabilities (ID; developmental quotient 70) and the PMS group into those with and without a co-morbid ASD diagnosis. Results On measures of attention, the PMS group with a comorbid ASD diagnosis spent less time viewing the social images compared to non-social images; the rate of looking back and forth between images was lowest in the iASD with ID group. Furthermore, while all groups demonstrated intact recognition memory when novel non-social stimuli were initially presented (pre-switch), participants with PMS showed no preference during the post-switch memory presentation. In iASD, the group without ID, but not the group with ID, showed a novelty preference for social stimuli. Across indices, individuals with PMS and ASD performed more similarly to PMS without ASD and less similarly to the iASD group. Conclusion These findings demonstrate further evidence of differences in attention and memory for social stimuli in ASD and provide contrasts between iASD and PMS

Accessibility of Fitness and Wellness Facilities in Western Wisconsin for Individuals with Disabilities

Color poster with text, images, and figures.This project examined the accessibility of fitness facilities in Western Wisconsin. This was accomplished by direct observation and physical measurements taken during on-site visits to 16 fitness facilities in Western Wisconsin. During the on-site visits, 14 structural domains were used to examine facility compliance with Title III of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). In addition, an online survey was also given to owners/managers and employees to examine professional knowledge, education, training, and facility policy related to ADA compliance and accessibility.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program

Modelling social mobilisation – an interdisciplinary exploration of Twitter as a mediating tool for social acts and information networks

In recent years, researchers, social commentators and the mass media have turned their attention to shifts in the use of social media for political and social action. This article provides an overview of the recent discussions focusing on how Twitter specifically functions as a mediating tool for social acts. We present findings from a recent pilot project exploring the mechanics of disseminating information via Twitter across a dynamic human network in order to contribute to an understanding of how people use social media to share information and prompt others into action, and outline some approaches for performing this analysis. Taking the perspective of communities of users operating in hybrid spaces, we make recommendations for further research in this field

Experimental Typography in a Collaborative Publication. Ophira: Invisible Cities Abridged

In this experimental typography project, we translated the novel Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (1972), into layouts that aimed at pushing the boundaries of how we read literature. Each student was assigned to one of the fifty-five cities described in the novel, and to one dialogue between the two protagonists, Marco Polo and Kublai Khan. As we worked with the content of this piece — including a wide range of concepts such as urbanism, linguistics, and human nature — we were encouraged to challenge convention by exploring: alternative ways to organize the page; linear and non-linear representations of the text; the integration of text and image; and the nuisances of written and spoken language through linguistic deconstruction, pace, rhythm, and other techniques. Discipline: Design Studies Faculty Mentor: Constanza Pache

Strategizing in a digital world: Overcoming cognitive barriers, reconfiguring routines and introducing new organizational forms

As digital technologies such as cloud and edge computing, machine learning, advanced artificial intelligence (AI), and the internet of things (IoT) unfold, traditional industries such as telecoms, media, entertainment, and financial services are being reconfigured and new sectors are emerging. In this new competitive landscape we observe new organizational forms and new business models, including the emergence of platforms and multi-sided markets. This emergence has required a strategic response from incumbent firms, including both well-established firms and some first-generation digital enterprises. With these advances in digital technology, the very nature of strategy is changing. Fundamentally, the use of digital technologies may provide new opportunities for efficiency gains, customer intimacy, and innovation. However, without the right mindset for change, appropriate digital routines, and structural changes, digital transformation efforts will fail. We therefore present a framework for strategizing in this new digital competitive landscape that underscores the importance of the interplay between (1) the cognitive barriers faced by managers when trying to understand this new digital world and envision new digital business models, (2) a need to reconfigure and extend digital routines, and (3) new organizational forms that are better equipped to creating value and gaining competitive advantage. From this framework of essential pillars, we derive four journeys of digital transformation for companies that were formed in the pre-digital economy. We also describe the management roles required by top, middle, and frontline managers, depending on whether the digital migration is evolutionary or transformative and whether the firm is responding to or attempting to shape the ecosystem. Although digital transformation is technically all about technology, the more important issue is how companies make their way through this strange new digital world in which they find themselves. Ultimately digital transformation is as much about strategizing as it is about technology