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Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience... 2020The way in which neurons encode information remains a hotly debated topic in neuroscience. Lin and colleagues in a 2014 article in the journal demonstrate how sparse...
The way in which neurons encode information remains a hotly debated topic in neuroscience. Lin and colleagues in a 2014 article in the journal demonstrate how sparse coding in the olfactory learning and memory center of can influence learning behavior. Coding sparsity is the idea that only a small number of neurons in a network represent any given stimulus. Using neurogenetics, computational neuroscience, and cognitive approaches, they outline the discovery of an inhibitory feedback circuit responsible for differentiating the neuronal response to different odors. Manipulating this feedback circuit, they demonstrate how the sparseness in neural networks (how easily neurons are activated) can correspond to the ability to learn a sensory discrimination more easily. From a research perspective, this paper was important as it was the first causal demonstration of the role of sparseness in learning. From a teaching point of view, this paper is valuable because it is a simple but effective introduction to artificial neural network theory, where both the abstract theory and the importance of its application is apparent to those without a mathematical or computational background.
PubMed: 33880103
DOI: No ID Found -
Biologie Aujourd'hui 2015A defining characteristic of the brain is its remarkable capacity to undergo activity-dependent functional and structural remodelling via mechanisms of plasticity that... (Review)
Review
A defining characteristic of the brain is its remarkable capacity to undergo activity-dependent functional and structural remodelling via mechanisms of plasticity that form the basis of our capacity to encode and retain memories. The prevailing model of how our brain stores new information about relationships between events or new abstract constructs suggests it resides in activity-driven modifications of synaptic strength and remodelling of neural networks brought about by cellular and molecular changes within the neurons activated during learning. To date, the idea that a form of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity known as long-term potentiation, or LTP, and the associated synaptic growth play a central role in the laying down of memories has received considerable support. Beyond this mechanism of plasticity at the synapse, adult neurogenesis, i.e. the birth and growth of new neurons, is another form of neural plasticity that occurs continuously in defined brain regions such as the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Here, based on work in the hippocampus, we review the processes and mechanisms of the generation and selection of new neurons in the adult brain and the accumulating evidence that supports the idea that this form of neural plasticity is essential to store and lead to retrievable hippocampal-dependent memories.
Topics: Adult; Adult Stem Cells; Animals; Brain; Humans; Learning; Memory; Neurogenesis; Neuronal Plasticity; Neurons; Stem Cell Niche
PubMed: 26820830
DOI: 10.1051/jbio/2015028 -
Disability and Rehabilitation.... May 2019Due to the ageing population and higher prevalence of individuals living with physical disabilities, there is a critical need for inclusive practices when designing... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Due to the ageing population and higher prevalence of individuals living with physical disabilities, there is a critical need for inclusive practices when designing accessible pedestrian infrastructures for ensuring social participation and equal opportunities.
PURPOSE
Summarize the physical characteristics of current pedestrian infrastructure design for individuals with physical disabilities (IPD - motor, visual and hearing) found in the scientific literature and assess its quality.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A mapping review of the existing literature on pedestrian infrastructures specifically built for individuals with physical disabilities identifying measurable physical characteristics for their design was done using online databases (Urban Studies Abstracts, Geobase, PubMed, and Cairn and secondary research). Information about accessibility (physical characteristics) of existing pedestrian infrastructures was extracted. The quality of the evidence was assessed using the Guidelines for critical review form - Quantitative studies and Qualitative studies version 2.0 (SAGE Publications, Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA).
RESULTS
Of the 1131 articles identified, forty-one articles examined access to bus stops, curb ramps, lighting, pedestrian crossings, ramps, shared spaces, sidewalks and steps. Six articles reported on more than one physical disability. Quality scores were generally low (quantitative: 2-11/15 and qualitative: 1-22/23). Recommended design features differed for the same infrastructure.
CONCLUSIONS
While there were a fair number of articles (n = 41) documenting accessible design features of pedestrian infrastructures, the quality of the evidence was low. The review identified knowledge gaps. Although specific design solutions exist, they have not yet been tested among individuals with various or multiple types of physical disabilities to ensure access to pedestrian infrastructures by all. Implications for Rehabilitation Pedestrian infrastructures still pose problems to mobility, limiting social participation and quality of life outcomes for individuals with physical disabilities (motor, visual and hearing). The results of this mapping review show that few articles are concerned with the accessibility of pedestrian infrastructures for more than one type physical disability, which might lead to recommendations that are inadequate for individuals with differing disabilities, few recommendations have been compared, most studies have been performed in environments not representative of northern countries and their quality score was generally low. Health professionals and State Parties have a complementary expertise that should be put to use in the determination and implementation of best design solutions to ensure the respect of the needs of individuals with physical disabilities. This review can thus help them have an idea of what has already been done to identify what needs to be achieved to fill the gap of knowledge required to insure access for individuals with motor, visual as well as hearing disabilities. Rehabilitation profesionals should take part in the assessment of the proposed solutions as well as the development of new designs to fill knowledge gaps.
Topics: Architectural Accessibility; Disabled Persons; Humans; Pedestrians; Self-Help Devices; Social Participation
PubMed: 29537329
DOI: 10.1080/17483107.2018.1449018 -
Journal of Cognition 2022ion, one of the hallmarks of human cognition, continues to be the topic of a strong debate. The primary disagreement concerns whether or not abstract concepts can be...
ion, one of the hallmarks of human cognition, continues to be the topic of a strong debate. The primary disagreement concerns whether or not abstract concepts can be accounted for within the scope of embodied cognition. In this paper, we introduce the embodied approach to conceptual knowledge and distinguish between embodiment and grounding, where grounding is the general term for how concepts initially acquire their meaning. Referring to numerous pieces of empirical evidence, we emphasise that, ultimately, all concepts are acquired via interaction with the world via two main pathways: embodiment and social interaction. The first pathway is direct and primarily involves action/perception, interoception and emotions. The second pathway is indirect, being mediated by language in particular. Evidence from neuroscience, psychology and cognitive linguistics shows these pathways have different properties, roles in cognition and temporal profiles. Human development also places revealing constraints on how children develop the ability to reason more abstractly as they grow up. We recognize language as a crucial cognitive faculty with several roles enabling the acquisition of abstract concepts indirectly. Three detailed case studies on body-specificity hypothesis, abstract verbs and mathematics are used to argue that a compelling case has accumulated in favour of the ultimate grounding of abstract concepts in an agent's interaction with its world, primarily relying on the direct pathway. We consolidate the debate through multidisciplinary evidence for the idea that abstractness is a graded, rather than a binary property of concepts.
PubMed: 36072124
DOI: 10.5334/joc.214 -
La Tunisie Medicale Jul 2019The title and abstract are the first contact of a reader with a given article. Therefore, drafting these parts should be done carefully. The final version of the title...
The title and abstract are the first contact of a reader with a given article. Therefore, drafting these parts should be done carefully. The final version of the title and abstract is only made at the end of the process of manuscript writing. The title must be catchy for the reader so that he wants to read the whole article. It must also be simple, clear and informative. It can be descriptive, affirmative or interrogative. The title's length is 10 to 12 words reflecting the main information the article contains. If more information is needed, the author can add a subtitle. Articles with short titles are the most likely to be read and cited. The abstract is a condensed version of a scientific research and must be understood independently of the rest of the article. It gives to the reader an overall idea of the article, and conditions his decision to continue reading. The abstract can be structured or unstructured. Keywords are expressions reflecting the main aspects of the study. They allow the indexation of articles, and must be checked in the Medical subject headings. The main keywords should appear in the title.
Topics: Authorship; Humans; Periodicals as Topic; Publishing; Writing
PubMed: 31872396
DOI: No ID Found -
International Journal of STEM Education 2022The goal of this research was to determine students' perceived self-efficacy in science classes through involving students in expanding disciplinary core idea (DCI) and...
BACKGROUND
The goal of this research was to determine students' perceived self-efficacy in science classes through involving students in expanding disciplinary core idea (DCI) and interdisciplinary core idea (ICI) maps, as a method to visualize knowledge (utilizing mind mapping and concept mapping) to support students to integrate interdisciplinary learning. The research involved (a) creating (by science educators) eight curriculum-related, disciplinary core idea maps and two interdisciplinary core idea maps; (b) teachers guiding students in an experimental group, to make interdisciplinary connections so as to expand DCI and ICI maps in an intervention lasting a year and a half from grade 10 to 11; (c) providing feedback on students' developed DCI and ICI maps; (d) administering questionnaires seeking students' perceptions about their self-efficacy towards core ideas, both before and after the intervention and (e) interviewing science teachers (5) and selected students (25), after the intervention, about their perceptions towards the use and outcomes of their DCI and ICI maps. Besides the experimental group, a control group (no intervention) was involved.
RESULTS
Outcomes showed that the intervention (guiding students in creating disciplinary and interdisciplinary core idea maps to visualize their learning) supported students significantly in their perceived self-efficacy in the fields of Life Science and Earth Science, plus in the use of Models and Systems. In Physics and Chemistry, the students' perceived self-efficacy was not statistically significantly positive after the conducted intervention. This stemmed from disciplinary core ideas, related to Physics and Chemistry, being more abstract, with students making fewer connections and integrating less new knowledge into the related DCI and ICI maps. In the interviews, both teachers and students stated that the intervention (including expansion of DCI and ICI maps) supported students' science learning.
CONCLUSIONS
Creating and expanding disciplinary and interdisciplinary core ideas more clearly indicates students' learning, through their ability to make meaningful connections, enabling students to raise their self-efficacy in preparing for their future. The results from this research demonstrate that students' perceived self-efficacy can occur through knowledge visualization by expanding both DCI and ICI maps enabling the making of greater interdisciplinary connections.
PubMed: 36120166
DOI: 10.1186/s40594-022-00374-8 -
Psychological Review Apr 2019Language provides simple ways of communicating generalizable knowledge to each other (e.g., "Birds fly," "John hikes," and "Fire makes smoke"). Though found in every...
Language provides simple ways of communicating generalizable knowledge to each other (e.g., "Birds fly," "John hikes," and "Fire makes smoke"). Though found in every language and emerging early in development, the language of generalization is philosophically puzzling and has resisted precise formalization. Here, we propose the first formal account of generalizations conveyed with language that makes quantitative predictions about human understanding. The basic idea is that the language of generalization expresses that an event or a property occurs relatively often, where what counts as relatively often depends upon one's prior expectations. We formalize this simple idea in a probabilistic model of language understanding, which we test in 3 diverse case studies: generalizations about categories (generic language), events (habitual language), and causes (causal language). We find that the model explains the gradience in human endorsements that has perplexed previous attempts to formalize this swath of linguistic expressions. This work opens the door to understanding precisely how abstract knowledge is learned from language. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics: Adult; Generalization, Psychological; Humans; Language; Models, Psychological
PubMed: 30762385
DOI: 10.1037/rev0000142 -
PeerJ 2023Systematic reviews and meta-analyses related to high-intensity functional training (HIFT) have been conducted. However, due to a restricted pool of available research,... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses related to high-intensity functional training (HIFT) have been conducted. However, due to a restricted pool of available research, these investigations are often limited in scope. As such, a scoping review investigating the present literature surrounding the acute physiological response to HIFT-based exercise was chosen as a more appropriate structured review.
METHODOLOGY
A scoping review was conducted following Arksey and O'Malley's framework. Three large scale databases were searched to reveal any article pertaining to HIFT and related exercise terminology.
RESULTS
A total of 2,241 articles were found during the initial search. Following this, titles, then abstracts, and full-texts were reviewed to determine inclusion eligibility. A total of 60 articles which investigated a combined total of 35 unique HIFT workouts were included within this review.
CONCLUSIONS
A variety of physiological parameters and HIFT workouts have been examined. Markers of intensity (., blood lactate concentrations, heart rate) have been most consistently assessed across all studies, and these support the idea that HIFT workouts are typically performed at high-intensity. In contrast, the inclusion of most other measures (., hormonal, markers of inflammation and damage, energy expenditure, performance) has been inconsistent and has thus, limited the possibility for making generalized conclusions. Differences in study methodologies have further impacted conclusions, as different studies have varied in sample population characteristics, workouts assessed, and time points. Though it may be impossible to comprehensively research all possible HIFT workouts, consistent adoption of population definitions and workload quantification may overcome this challenge and assist with future comparisons.
Topics: Humans; High-Intensity Interval Training; Exercise; Inflammation
PubMed: 36620744
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14493 -
Acta Chimica Slovenica 2015Tesla's academic genealogy is provided and focused on chemical sciences. His teachers of chemical and related fields from all schools he attended in Rakovac, Graz, and...
Tesla's academic genealogy is provided and focused on chemical sciences. His teachers of chemical and related fields from all schools he attended in Rakovac, Graz, and Prague were taken into consideration. The research provides the hints into the development of Tesla's idea of chemical nature of matter related to his academic predecessors Bošković, Boerhaave, Stahl, Volta, and several researchers connected with Slovenian lands.
PubMed: 26085434
DOI: No ID Found -
Heliyon Mar 2023In recent decades, rapid growth has been observed in the incorporation of sustainability into marketing. Accordingly, the contrasting relationships between them have...
In recent decades, rapid growth has been observed in the incorporation of sustainability into marketing. Accordingly, the contrasting relationships between them have been carefully studied to assess the relevance of one idea to the other and vice versa. In response to this change, scholars and practitioners have been tasked with exploring the trends in sustainability and marketing. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate existing literatures on both sustainability and all levels of marketing, determine the research trends and provide implications of applying the trends for future research and practices. This research has investigated only the title, abstract, and keywords of 2147 articles that were published between 2010 and 2020 in SSCI or SCIE indexed journals by applying the topic modeling based on the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model. The results show that the research trend has shifted from general sustainable concept to more environmental and industrial technology based on the empirical evidence of 14 latent topics of sustainability and marketing. This article aids in understanding the recent research trend in sustainability and marketing, and the findings will be a valuable resource for future scholars and practitioners. It contributes to both existing and future literatures by providing valuable insights from recent research trend in sustainability and marketing and by providing recommendations for future research avenue. Among other bibliometric review articles, this is the most up-to-date comprehensive and empirical article, providing overview of the research trend.
PubMed: 36950617
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14208