Expectations of the Physiological Responses Can Change the Somatosensory Experience for Acupuncture Stimulation

Objective: Humans interpret sensory inputs based on actual stimuli and expectations of the stimuli. We investigated whether manipulating information related to the physiological response could change the somatosensory experience of acupuncture.Methods: Twenty-four participants received tactile stimulations with a von Frey filament on the left arm. Participants were informed that they would receive acupuncture stimulations at different angles while they were presented with changes in their peripheral blood flow (PBF) measured with Laser Doppler perfusion imaging. However, in reality, they were observing premade pseudo-biosignal images (six sessions: one circular, two rectangular elongated, two diagonally elongated, and one cross-fixation [control] shape). After each session, the participants reported the intensity and location of the de qi sensations perceived on their arm using a bodily sensation mapping tool. The spatial patterns of the somatic sensations were visualized using statistical parametric mapping. The F1 score was calculated to measure the similarity between the presented pseudo-biosignals and reported de qi response images.Results: The spatial configurations of the presented pseudo-biosignal images and de qi response images were similar. The rectangular elongated pseudo-biosignal shape had a significantly higher F1 score compared to the control. All tactile stimulations produced similar levels of enhanced PBF regardless of the pseudo-biosignal shape.Conclusion: The spatial configurations of somatic sensations changed according to the presented pseudo-biosignal shape, suggesting that expectations of the physiological response to acupuncture stimulation can influence the perceived somatic sensation

Consumers’ Willingness to Pay a Premium for Eco-Labeled LED TVs in Korea: A Contingent Valuation Study

Although the production costs and prices of eco-labeled products are higher than those of conventional ones, the use of greener products can lead to better environmental outcomes. Thus, the consumers’ preferences for eco-labeled products should be investigated to understand the potential of markets with green products. This study attempts to examine the consumers’ preference or willingness to pay (WTP) a premium for eco-labeled products using a specific case study of a 43-inch LED TV, which is a common home appliance in Korea. For this purpose, a contingent valuation survey of 1000 Korean consumers was conducted in June 2016. We used a one-and-one-half-bounded dichotomous choice question to derive the additional WTP responses and a spike model to analyze zero additional WTP responses. The mean additional WTP a premium for the eco-labeled 43-inch LED TV is estimated to be KRW 29,007 (USD 24.8), which is statistically meaningful at the 1% level. This value amounts to 3.9% of the price of a conventional 43-inch LED TV (KRW 750,000 or USD 640.5) and can be interpreted as the external benefit of an eco-labeled LED TV. We can conclude that Korean consumers are ready to pay a significant premium for eco-labeled LED TVs. Moreover, we examined the consumer’s characteristics that affect the probability that the person will be willing to pay a premium for an eco-labeled LED TV and found that it would be effective to set high-income, older, highly-educated, and female consumers with children as marketing targets

Visual Evaluation of Displays 3D Color Gamut Volume

The displays color gamut volume was visually evaluated in terms of richness in color to evaluate the display performance. Various color gamut images were simulated on SDR and HDR displays for the pair-comparison experiment. Various color spaces were used to calculate 3D color gamut to compare with visual results. The result shows that the method of measuring the color gamut volume using CIECAB L*a*b* is not consistent with the visual evaluation. However, the color gamut volume calculated using CIECAM02 QMh can predict the visual data quite well

Altruistic decisions are influenced by the allocation of monetary incentives in a pain-sharing game.

BACKGROUND:Altruistic behavior is essential to the sustainability of society, but our current understanding of its underlying motivation is limited. In addition to the intrinsic motives to help others, based on empathy, extrinsic motives such as monetary incentives and social reputation influence prosociality. The purpose of this study was to examine the underlying motivations of prosocial behavior under constant or increasing extrinsic motivation settings. METHODS:An experimental task, Altruistic Pain Sharing, was developed in which the participants were asked to share the other participants' pain. In the session with monetary incentives, the incentives were given either constantly (CONSTANT condition) or proportionally (INCREASING condition), to the amount of shared pain. In addition, monetary incentives were not provided in the NO session. The participants experienced different amounts of mechanical pain at the beginning of the task and chose the number of pain stimulations to share, based on their experiences. RESULTS:Compared to the NO session, the INCREASING session exhibited a rise in the mean of shared pain, but not the CONSTANT session. Furthermore, there was a distinct tendency to receive less pain than the other participant in the CONSTANT session, and a tendency to receive more pain than the other participant in the INCREASING session. CONCLUSION:Prosocial behavior was influenced by the presence, as well as the form, of the extrinsic monetary incentives. Our study shows that rewards incentivize individuals to demonstrate a higher level of prosocial behavior, implying that prosocial behavior is itself a mixture of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, and that an effectively designed rewards system may function to enhance prosocial behavior

Optical Temperature Control Unit and Convolutional Neural Network for Colorimetric Detection of Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification on a Lab-On-A-Disc Platform

Lab-on-a-disc (LOD) has emerged as a promising candidate for a point-of-care testing (POCT) device because it can effectively integrate complex fluid manipulation steps using multiple layers of polymeric substrates. However, it is still highly challenging to design and fabricate temperature measurement and heating system in non-contact with the surface of LOD, which is a prerequisite to successful realization of DNA amplification especially with a rotatable disc. This study presents a Lab-on-a-disc (LOD)-based automatic loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) system, where a thermochromic coating (<~420 µm) was used to distantly measure the chamber’s temperature and a micro graphite film was integrated into the chamber to remotely absorb laser beam with super high efficiency. We used a deep learning network to more consistently analyze the product of LAMP than we could with the naked eye. Consequently, both temperature heating and measurement were carried out without a physical contact with the surface of LOD. The experimental results show that the proposed approach, which no previous work has attempted, was highly effective in realizing LAMP in LOD

Incidence of Velopharyngeal Insufficiency after Primary Cleft Palate Repair: A 27-Year Assessment of One Surgeon's Experience

Background Velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) is a major complication of cleft palate repair. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence and predictive factors of VPI after cleft palate repair based on 27 years of one surgeon's experience

Association between work-related physical activity and depressive symptoms in Korean workers: data from the Korea national health and nutrition examination survey 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020

Abstract Background The workplace experiences of employees can impact their mental health. Depressive symptoms, which are experienced by workers, are a mental health issue that deserves attention. Several studies have evaluated physical activity to prevent possible depression in workers in a work environment, however, research on physical activity and depression symptoms directly related to work is still insufficient. Therefore, we aimed to identify the relationship between work-related physical activity and depression among South Korean workers. Methods We used data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020, which included 31,051 participants. We excluded, participants aged < 15 years (n = 4,663), unemployed and economically inactive persons (n = 9,793), those who did not engage in work-related physical activities (n = 1,513) and leisure physical activities (n = 1,558), or those with missing data (n = 450). Therefore, the study included 13,074 participants. Work-related activity was measured by self-reporting, while depressive symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between work-related physical symptoms and depressive symptoms among workers. Results Individuals who engaged in work-related physical activity had higher PHQ-9 scores than those who did not (male: odds ratio [OR]: 1.71, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16–2.52; female: OR: 2.33, 95% CI: 1.66–3.29). High-intensity work-related physical activity significantly increased depressive symptoms (male: OR: 2.15, 95% CI: 1.04–4.43; female: OR: 2.90, 95% CI: 1.46–5.96). When classified according to the severity of depressive symptom, the OR of depressive symptoms of workers engaged in both leisure and work-related physical activities tended to be lower than that of those engaged only in work-related physical activities. Conclusion Korean workers who engaged in work-related physical activities exhibited more depressive symptoms. Therefore, our findings suggest that balancing work-related and leisure physical activities can help Korean workers prevent development of depressive symptoms

Association and Prediction of Subclinical Atherosclerosis by Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Asymptomatic Patients

Background. The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been increasing in the general population. This study evaluated the association between NAFLD and significant coronary stenosis in asymptomatic adults and evaluated sex-based differences. Methods. We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study in participants without previous cardiovascular diseases who visited the Seoul National University Hospital Health Promotion Center for a health checkup between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2015. NAFLD was diagnosed on sonography, while coronary artery stenosis (CAS) was assessed on coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). Results. We obtained 3,693 participants who met the inclusion criteria, and 3,449 of them had no significant stenosis. Among the participants with significant stenosis, the prevalence of NAFLD was 59.4% (145 patients). The prevalence of NAFLD was 47.26% in male participants, which was higher than that in female participants. The association between NAFLD and significant CAS persisted after adjusting for age, body mass index, glycated hemoglobin, and Framingham risk factors. The correlation between NAFLD and significant coronary stenosis appeared to be stronger in women than in men, but the absolute risk was higher in men than in women. Conclusion. NAFLD was strongly associated with CAS. We should be alert about an increased cardiovascular risk in patients with NAFLD and more intensively provide primary prevention by performing tests to detect subclinical atherosclerosis