Immersive Composition for Sensory Rehabilitation: 3D Visualisation, Surround Sound, and Synthesised Music to Provoke Catharsis and Healing

There is a wide range of sensory therapies using sound, music and visual stimuli. Some focus on soothing or distracting stimuli such as natural sounds or classical music as analgesic, while other approaches emphasize the active performance of producing music as therapy. This paper proposes an immersive multi-sensory Exposure Therapy for people suffering from anxiety disorders, based on a rich, detailed surround-soundscape. This soundscape is composed to include the users’ own idiosyncratic anxiety triggers as a form of habituation, and to provoke psychological catharsis, as a non-verbal, visceral and enveloping exposure. To accurately pinpoint the most effective sounds and to optimally compose the soundscape we will monitor the participants’ physiological responses such as electroencephalography, respiration, electromyography, and heart rate during exposure. We hypothesize that such physiologically optimized sensory landscapes will aid the development of future immersive therapies for various psychological conditions, Sound is a major trigger of anxiety, and auditory hypersensitivity is an extremely problematic symptom. Exposure to stress-inducing sounds can free anxiety sufferers from entrenched avoidance behaviors, teaching physiological coping strategies and encouraging resolution of the psychological issues agitated by the sound

Exosomal cancer immunotherapy is independent of MHC molecules on exosomes

Peptide-loaded exosomes are promising cancer treatment vehicles; however, moderate T cell responses in human clinical trials indicate a need to further understand exosome-induced immunity. We previously demonstrated that antigen-loaded exosomes carry whole protein antigens and require B cells for inducing antigen-specific T cells. Therefore, we investigated the relative importance of exosomal major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I for the induction of antigen-specific T cell responses and tumour protection. We show that ovalbumin-loaded dendritic cell-derived exosomes from MHCI-/- mice induce antigen-specific T cells at the same magnitude as wild type exosomes. Furthermore, exosomes lacking MHC class I, as well as exosomes with both MHC class I and II mismatch, induced tumour infiltrating T cells and increased overall survival to the same extent as syngeneic exosomes in B16 melanoma. In conclusion, T cell responses are independent of exosomal MHC/peptide complexes if whole antigen is present. This establishes the prospective of using impersonalised exosomes, and will greatly increase the feasibility of designing exosome-based vaccines or therapeutic approaches in humans

Affect-matching music improves cognitive performance in adults and young children for both positive and negative emotions

Three experiments assessed the hypothesis that cognitive benefits associated with exposure to music only occur when the perceived emotion expression of the music and the participant’s affective state match. Experiment 1 revealed an affect-matching pattern modulated by gender when assessing high-arousal states of opposite valence (happy/angry) in an adult sample (n=94) in which mood classification was based on self-report, and affective valence in music was differentiated by mode and other expressive cues whilst keeping tempo constant (139 BPM). The affect-matching hypothesis was then tested in two experiments with children using a mood-induction procedure: Experiment 2 tested happy/angry emotions with, respectively, 3-5- (n=40) and 6-9-year-old (n=40) children, and Experiment 3 compared happy/sad emotions (i.e., states differing both for valence and arousal profiles) with 3-5-year-old children (n=40), using music pieces differentiated also by fast vs. slow tempo. While young children failed to discriminate systematically between fast tempo music conveying different emotions, they did display cognitive benefits from exposure to affect-matching music when both valence (e.g., mode) and arousal level (e.g., tempo) differentiated the musical excerpts, with no gender effects

Exposure-response modeling improves selection of radiation and radiosensitizer combinations

A central question in drug discovery is how to select drug candidates from a large number of available compounds. This analysis presents a model-based approach for comparing and ranking combinations of radiation and radiosensitizers. The approach is quantitative and based on the previously-derived Tumor Static Exposure (TSE) concept. Combinations of radiation and radiosensitizers are evaluated based on their ability to induce tumor regression relative to toxicity and other potential costs. The approach is presented in the form of a case study where the objective is to find the most promising candidate out of three radiosensitizing agents. Data from a xenograft study is described using a nonlinear mixed-effects modeling approach and a previously-published tumor model for radiation and radiosensitizing agents. First, the most promising candidate is chosen under the assumption that all compounds are equally toxic. The impact of toxicity in compound selection is then illustrated by assuming that one compound is more toxic than the others, leading to a different choice of candidate

A ‘near‐life experience’: lived experiences of spirituality from the perspective of people who have been subject to inpatient psychiatric care

Aims: To describe lived experiences of spirituality from the perspective of people who have been subject to inpatient psychiatric care and to interpret these experiences from an understanding of health as dialectical. Methods: After approval from a regional ethical board,eleven participants were recruited from two organisations for people with mental health problems. Participants were asked to narrate about spiritual experiences and occasions where such experiences had come close. The transcribed interviews were analysed by means of a phenomenological hermeneutical approach. Findings: A structural analysis of the text resulted in three themes; perceiving the presence of something extra mundane, making sense of reality and struggling for acceptance. The comprehensive understanding highlights spiritual experiences as going beyond religion, even though religious experiences appear as part of it. These experiences can indeed be a resource contributing to experiences of hope, connectedness, meaning and coherence in life. However, they can also give rise to doubt, anxiety and feelings of loneliness and hopelessness. Rather than understanding spiritual experiences as being either ‘good’ or ‘bad’, we could approach spirituality as something that is always present in alternate and inter-related forms. Metaphorically, this could be understood as a ‘near-life experience’, summarising participants’experiences related to their struggle with issues related to suffering and health which are simultaneously present. Conclusions: If psychiatric nurses could approach this complexity and, without being judgemental, explore seemingly positive and negative experiences of spirituality as dialectically related to each other, rather than viewing them as either resources or problems, this could contribute to insiderness care and hopefully also support people who struggle with these experiences to seek help when needed

Feedback modeling of non-esterified fatty acids in rats after nicotinic acid infusions

A feedback model was developed to describe the tolerance and oscillatory rebound seen in non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) plasma concentrations following intravenous infusions of nicotinic acid (NiAc) to male Sprague-Dawley rats. NiAc was administered as an intravenous infusion over 30 min (0, 1, 5 or 20 μmol kg−1 of body weight) or over 300 min (0, 5, 10 or 51 μmol kg−1 of body weight), to healthy rats (n = 63), and serial arterial blood samples were taken for measurement of NiAc and NEFA plasma concentrations. Data were analyzed using nonlinear mixed effects modeling (NONMEM). The disposition of NiAc was described by a two-compartment model with endogenous turnover rate and two parallel capacity-limited elimination processes. The plasma concentration of NiAc was driving NEFA (R) turnover via an inhibitory drug-mechanism function acting on the formation of NEFA. The NEFA turnover was described by a feedback model with a moderator distributed over a series of transit compartments, where the first compartment (M1) inhibited the formation of R and the last compartment (MN) stimulated the loss of R. All processes regulating plasma NEFA concentrations were assumed to be captured by the moderator function. The potency, IC50, of NiAc was 45 nmol L−1, the fractional turnover rate kout was 0.41 L mmol−1 min−1 and the turnover rate of moderator ktol was 0.027 min−1. A lower physiological limit of NEFA was modeled as a NiAc-independent release (kcap) of NEFA into plasma and was estimated to 0.032 mmol L−1 min−1. This model can be used to provide information about factors that determine the time-course of NEFA response following different modes, rates and routes of administration of NiAc. The proposed model may also serve as a preclinical tool for analyzing and simulating drug-induced changes in plasma NEFA concentrations after treatment with NiAc or NiAc analogues

The long-term psycho-social impact of the pandemic on people with intellectual disability and their carers

Background: People with intellectual disabilities (PWID) are at six times higher risk of death due to COVID-19. To mitigate harm, as a high-risk group, significant social changes were imposed on PWID in the UK. Alongside these changes, the uncertainty of the pandemic influence, caused PWID and their carers to encounter significant stress. The evidence of the pandemic’s psycho-social impact on PWID originates mainly from cross-sectional surveys conducted with professionals and carers. There is little research on the longitudinal psycho-social impact of the pandemic from PWID themselves. Aims: To examine the long-term psycho-social impact of the pandemic on PWID. Methods: A cross-sectional survey, following STROBE guidance, of 17 Likert scale statements (12 to PWID and 5 to their carers) to ascertain the pandemic’s psychosocial impact was conducted. Every other PWID open to a specialist Intellectual Disability service serving half a UK County (pop:500,000) was selected. The same survey was re-run with the same cohort a year later. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney, Chi-square and unpaired-t tests were used to compare responses. Significance is taken at p &lt; .05. Comments were analysed using Clarke and Braun’s approach. Results: Of 250 PWID contacted, 100 (40%) responded in 2020 and 127 (51%) in 2021. 69% (2020) and 58% (2021) reported seeking medical support. Carers, (88%, 2020 and 90%, 2021) noticed emotional changes in PWID they cared for. 13% (2020) and 20% (2021) of PWID had their regular psychotropics increased. 21% (2020) and 24% (2021) had their pro re nata (PRN) medication adjusted. PWID or carers demonstrated no statistically significant variation in responses between themselves from 2020 to 2021. PWID were more likely to report being upset/distressed compared to their carers’ perceptions of them in both years ( p &lt; .001). Four themes were identified. Conclusion: This longitudinal study highlights the diverse psycho-social impact of the pandemic on PWID in the UK. The Pandemic’s psycho-social impact has been significantly underestimated. </jats:sec

Japanese Management Techniques to Enhance the Governance of Greek Small and Medium-Sized Firms

Given the economic and social crisis Greece is going through, it seems clear that the Greek future over the next few years will rest on macroeconomic actions, both national and international. This undeniable assertion notwithstanding, I do maintain that the Greek private sector has an important role to play in overcoming the present crisis. This especially applies to Greek small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which comprise an important proportion of Greek firms. The use of adequate SME governance tools at Greek companies might be beneficial. Good governance leads to a better relationship among stakeholders, increases the effectiveness of board work and activates unknown potential at the firm through better principles and practices. Some Japanese tools that enhance governance as could be applied to Greek SMEs and smaller state organizations are presented. In general, SMEs, with fewer relative resources, face important conceptual and methodological difficulties when implementing a governance structure. This assertion is also true in Greece. Over the past three or four decades, however, Japanese management techniques that can be applied to implement and consolidate SME governance have gained diffusion all over the world. These tools are particularly apt for Greek SMEs, due to their flexibility, low cost, and rapid effectiveness. Specific examples of applications to enhance governance at Greek SMEs are provided. Tools applied are (1) A new SME governance indicator; (2) Hoshin management; and (3) Effective meeting technology. The three tools interact in a systemic mode