The Effect of Aerobic Fitness on Visuospatial Attention in Young Adults

The recently popular commercial brain- and visual-training programs have become a multimillion dollar industry with claims to enhance various cognitive functions. Although no empirical evidence directly supports the efficacy of these programs, sport expertise has been shown to influence cognition, lending indirect support for training efficacy. However, researchers investigating attention and sport expertise have not previously controlled for level of physical activity, which may also contribute to enhanced cognitive processes. Prior studies have shown strong correlations exist between physical fitness and cognition in both children and older adults. Yet, few studies have examined this relation in young adults, and no studies have examined the effect of aerobic fitness on cognition while controlling for sport participation and action video game playing habits. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which aerobic fitness relates to visuospatial attention performance in young adults while controlling other factors. A secondary purpose was to identify a potential physiological mechanism underlying the relation between exercise and cognition. Heart rate variability has been linked to both aerobic fitness and cognitive performance and was used in this study. Thirty-five healthy adults (ages 18-29) participated. Data collection included submaximal VO2max, BMI, motivation, sport involvement, performance on two visual attention tasks, and heart rate variability. BMI, motivation, and sport involvement did not significantly correlate with aerobic fitness and were excluded from further statistical analyses. Contrary to our hypothesis, performance on the attention tasks did not significantly correlate with aerobic fitness while controlling for sport participation (MOT: r = .120, p = .250; CVAT: r = .166, p = .174). Heart rate variability also did not significantly correlate with visual attention (SD: r = .064, p = .375; LF/HF: r = - .312, p = .057). The findings of this study did not support a relation between aerobic fitness and visual attention in young adults. The effect of chronic exercise on cognition may be more apparent in children and older adults who are still cognitively developing or experiencing age-related cognitive declines. To improve visual attention in young adults, more study is required to determine the efficacy of `brain\u27 training

The seedbank of woodlots in an agricultural matrix.

Soil samples from four woodlots representing different land-use history and canopy vegetation were sampled to determine the composition of the seedbank. Seeds of 73 taxa distributed among 35 families were represented. Comparisons among the seedbank of the four woodlots were made using Sorensen\u27s Index of Similarity. Grazing affected the similarity between seedbanks more than did canopy composition. Twenty-seven percent of the aggregate seedbank was composed of weeds or widespread annuals suggesting an important contribution from the surrounding matrix. The Impact of the current disturbance regime on the future composition of vegetation is discussed

Digital exposure notification tools: A global landscape analysis.

BackgroundAs the COVID-19 pandemic continues, digital exposure notification systems are increasingly used to support traditional contact tracing and other preventive strategies. Likewise, a plethora of COVID-19 mobile applications have emerged. Objective: To characterize the global landscape of pandemic related mobile applications, including digital exposure notification and contact tracing tools.Data sources and methodsThe following queries were entered into the Google search engine: "(*country name* COVID app) OR (COVID app *country name*) OR (COVID app *country name*+) OR (*country name*+ COVID app)". The App Store, Google Play, and official government websites were then accessed to collect descriptive data for each application. Descriptive data were qualified and quantified using standard methods. COVID-19 Exposure Notification Systems (ENS) and non-Exposure Notification products were categorized and summarized to provide a global landscape review.ResultsOur search resulted in a global count of 224 COVID-19 mobile applications, in 127 countries. Of these 224 apps, 128 supported exposure notification, with 75 employing the Google Apple Exposure Notification (GAEN) application programming interface (API). Of the 75 apps using the GAEN API, 15 apps were developed using Exposure Notification Express, a GAEN turnkey solution. COVID-19 applications that did not include exposure notifications (n = 96) focused on COVID-19 Self-Assessment (35·4%), COVID-19 Statistics and Information (32·3%), and COVID-19 Health Advice (29·2%).ConclusionsThe digital response to COVID-19 generated diverse and novel solutions to support non-pharmacologic public health interventions. More research is needed to evaluate the extent to which these services and strategies were useful in reducing viral transmission

Development of a liquid drug delivery payload for modular, wireless, incorporeal robots for laparoscopic surgery

Minimally invasive abdominal surgery (laparoscopy) is performed using long, slender instruments inserted through multiple small incisions in the patient's abdominal wall. This results in less post--operative pain, shorter hospital stays, and a quicker return to normal activities for the patient compared to conventional open surgery; however, the use of small entry incisions provides only limited access to the surgical site compared to conventional open surgery. Robotic systems have been developed that overcome some limitations with laparoscopic surgery. The systems, however, are very high cost, provide limited benefit to the patient, and do not completely address limited access issues and the need for multiple incisions. New techniques, such as single--port laparoscopic and natural orifice surgery, reduce the number of entry incisions but still provide only limited access to the surgical site. An innovative solution that potentially overcomes both limitations is to insert miniature robotic assistants entirely inside the abdominal cavity through a single incision where they can be readily relocated as needed. Previous work has demonstrated that a family of fixed--base and modular, wireless, intracorporeal, mobile robots can successfully monitor physiological conditions, perform biopsies, staple and clamp tissue, and provide visual feedback within the abdominal cavity. Current robots do not have the ability to store or dispense liquids such as hemostatic agents. The use of hemostatic agents, such as fibrin sealants, instead of mechanical or electrical means of hemostasis alleviates the extensive training required for laparoscopic suturing, the nerve damage accompanying staples or tacks, and the need for a relatively large energy source for electrocautery tools and harmonic scalpels. An incorporeal robot capable of carrying and delivering liquids would combine the advantages of incorporeal mobile robots and liquid hemostatic agents. The main focus of this thesis is the development of a liquid delivery payload for a family of incorporeal robotic assistants. Included in this development is a method for mixing two liquids stored inside the robot as they are dispensed, which is needed for dual compound liquids such as fibrin sealants. Finally, two improvements to the design of the control electronics are presented that allow for more rapid robot deployment and provide the ability for point of use changes to the embedded control software

Konzeption und Entwicklung eines erweiterten Dynamo-Ansatzes

SIGLEBibliothek Weltwirtschaft Kiel A 164029 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman