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Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine 2020The sample size for a study needs to be estimated at the time the study is proposed; too large a sample is unnecessary and unethical, and too small a sample is...
The sample size for a study needs to be estimated at the time the study is proposed; too large a sample is unnecessary and unethical, and too small a sample is unscientific and also unethical. The necessary sample size can be calculated, using statistical software, based on certain assumptions. If no assumptions can be made, then an arbitrary sample size is set for a pilot study. This article discusses sample size and how it relates to matters such as ethics, statistical power, the primary and secondary hypotheses in a study, and findings from larger vs. smaller samples.
PubMed: 31997873
DOI: 10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_504_19 -
Journal of Experimental Psychology.... Oct 2017Pseudo-set framing-arbitrarily grouping items or tasks together as part of an apparent "set"-motivates people to reach perceived completion points. Pseudo-set framing...
Pseudo-set framing-arbitrarily grouping items or tasks together as part of an apparent "set"-motivates people to reach perceived completion points. Pseudo-set framing changes gambling choices (Study 1), effort (Studies 2 and 3), giving behavior (Field Data and Study 4), and purchase decisions (Study 5). These effects persist in the absence of any reward, when a cost must be incurred, and after participants are explicitly informed of the arbitrariness of the set. Drawing on Gestalt psychology, we develop a conceptual account that predicts what will-and will not-act as a pseudo-set, and defines the psychological process through which these pseudo-sets affect behavior: over and above typical reference points, pseudo-set framing alters perceptions of (in)completeness, making intermediate progress seem less complete. In turn, these feelings of incompleteness motivate people to persist until the pseudo-set has been fulfilled. (PsycINFO Database Record
Topics: Adult; Decision Making; Female; Humans; Judgment; Male; Middle Aged; Motivation; Reward; Young Adult
PubMed: 28967777
DOI: 10.1037/xge0000337 -
Journal of Proteomics Jul 2014Human individuals differ from one another in almost all of their genes due to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). When the maternal and the paternal genomes become... (Review)
Review
Human individuals differ from one another in almost all of their genes due to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). When the maternal and the paternal genomes become combined in a F1 individual, the two alleles of each gene represent arbitrary combinations. In consequence, individuals show high variability in protein expression. Furthermore, within a proteome, the proteins form networks of protein-protein interactions. These networks differ between individuals in robustness against genetic or/and environmental perturbation due to polymorphisms, which differ in type and composition between individuals, and modify the arrangement of proteins in the proteomic network. As a general conclusion, the robustness of a human individual against diseases may depend on the structure and expression of the protein-protein interaction network that varies in its functional efficiency between individuals due to "network-polymorphisms". This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: 20years of Proteomics in memory of Viatliano Pallini. Guest Editors: Luca Bini, Juan J. Calvete, Natacha Turck, Denis Hochstrasser and Jean-Charles Sanchez.
Topics: Anniversaries and Special Events; Female; Gene-Environment Interaction; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans; Male; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Precision Medicine; Proteome; Proteomics
PubMed: 24732725
DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2014.04.003 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Oct 2023Insulin resistance (IR) is a rather common condition that is often diagnosed on the basis of an arbitrary "increased insulin value" or the presence of symptoms...
Insulin resistance (IR) is a rather common condition that is often diagnosed on the basis of an arbitrary "increased insulin value" or the presence of symptoms indicative of the Metabolic Syndrome [...].
PubMed: 37835038
DOI: 10.3390/jcm12196394 -
Nature Communications Dec 2022Theoretical research into many-body quantum systems has mostly focused on regular structures which have a small, simple unit cell and where a vanishingly small...
Theoretical research into many-body quantum systems has mostly focused on regular structures which have a small, simple unit cell and where a vanishingly small fraction of the pairs of the constituents directly interact. Motivated by advances in control over the pairwise interactions in many-body simulators, we determine the fate of spin systems on more general, arbitrary graphs. Placing the minimum possible constraints on the underlying graph, we prove how, with certainty in the thermodynamic limit, such systems behave like a single collective spin. We thus understand the emergence of complex many-body physics as dependent on 'exceptional', geometrically constrained structures such as the low-dimensional, regular ones found in nature. Within the space of dense graphs we identify hitherto unknown exceptions via their inhomogeneity and observe how complexity is heralded in these systems by entanglement and highly non-uniform correlation functions. Our work paves the way for the discovery and exploitation of a whole class of geometries which can host uniquely complex phases of matter.
PubMed: 36460651
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35090-y -
ACS Photonics Oct 2022The polarization state of light is a key parameter in many imaging systems. For example, it can image mechanical stress and other physical properties that are not seen...
The polarization state of light is a key parameter in many imaging systems. For example, it can image mechanical stress and other physical properties that are not seen with conventional imaging and can also play a central role in quantum sensing. However, polarization is more difficult to image, and polarimetry typically involves several independent measurements with moving parts in the measurement device. Metasurfaces with interleaved designs have demonstrated sensitivity to either linear or circular/elliptical polarization states. Here, we present an all-dielectric meta-polarimeter for direct measurement of any arbitrary polarization state from a single-unit-cell design. By engineering a completely asymmetric design, we obtained a metasurface that can excite eigenmodes of the nanoresonators, thus displaying a unique diffraction pattern for not only any linear polarization state but all elliptical polarization states (and handedness) as well. The unique diffraction patterns are quantified into Stokes parameters with a resolution of 5° and with a polarization state fidelity of up to 99 ± 1%. This holds promise for applications in polarization imaging and quantum state tomography.
PubMed: 36281330
DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.2c00395 -
Journal of Experimental Psychology.... Apr 2023People have a strong preference for fairness. For many, fairness means equal reward and punishments for equal efforts and offences. However, this belief does not specify...
People have a strong preference for fairness. For many, fairness means equal reward and punishments for equal efforts and offences. However, this belief does not specify the units in which equality should be expressed. We show that people generally fail to take the interchangeability of units into account when judging and assigning fair punishments and reward. Therefore, judgments about and distributions of resources are strongly influenced by arbitrary decisions about which unit to express them in. For example, if points represent different monetary values for different recipients, people attempt to distribute money equally if money is salient but attempt to distribute points equally if points are salient. Because beliefs about fairness are a fundamental principle in many domains, the implications of these findings are broad. Essentially any distribution of outcomes can be made to appear more or less fair by changing the units these outcomes are expressed in. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics: Humans; Punishment; Reward; Judgment
PubMed: 36442034
DOI: 10.1037/xge0001300 -
Optics Express Sep 2022The polarizations of electromagnetic (EM) waves are very important for transceivers. We propose a broadband polarization-insensitive polarization rotator (PIPR), which...
The polarizations of electromagnetic (EM) waves are very important for transceivers. We propose a broadband polarization-insensitive polarization rotator (PIPR), which can realize 90° polarization rotation for incident waves with an arbitrary azimuth angle. A unit of the PIPR is composed of two types of substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) units in a checkerboard pattern, which provides more than -0.2 dB transmission from 9.5 to 10.9 GHz. The electric field inside the cavity is analyzed to explain the working mechanism of the proposed rotator. A prototype is fabricated and measured to verify the proposed design, and satisfactory agreement between simulated and measured results is achieved, indicating that the converter has potential applications in imaging and communication systems.
PubMed: 36242472
DOI: 10.1364/OE.471970 -
BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care Jun 2021The COVID-19 pandemic has made unprecedented global demands on healthcare in general and especially the intensive care unit (ICU). the virus is spreading out of control.... (Review)
Review
The COVID-19 pandemic has made unprecedented global demands on healthcare in general and especially the intensive care unit (ICU). the virus is spreading out of control. To this day, there is no clear, published directive for doctors regarding the allocation of ICU beds in times of scarcity. This means that many doctors do not feel supported by their government and are afraid of the medicolegal consequences of the choices they have to make. Consequently, there has been no transparent discussion among professionals and the public. The thought of being at the mercy of absolute arbitrariness leads to fear among the population, especially the vulnerable groups.
Topics: COVID-19; Humans; Intensive Care Units; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Triage
PubMed: 33541855
DOI: 10.1136/bmjspcare-2020-002793 -
ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering Jun 2021Bacteriophage immobilization is a key unit operation in emerging biotechnologies, enabling new possibilities for biodetection of pathogenic microbes at low... (Review)
Review
Bacteriophage immobilization is a key unit operation in emerging biotechnologies, enabling new possibilities for biodetection of pathogenic microbes at low concentration, production of materials with novel antimicrobial properties, and fundamental research on bacteriophages themselves. Wild type bacteriophages exhibit extreme binding specificity for a single species, and often for a particular subspecies, of bacteria. Since their specificity originates in epitope recognition by capsid proteins, which can be altered by chemical or genetic modification, their binding specificity may also be redirected toward arbitrary substrates and/or a variety of analytes in addition to bacteria. The immobilization of bacteriophages on planar and particulate substrates is thus an area of active and increasing scientific interest. This review assembles the knowledge gained so far in the immobilization of whole phage particles, summarizing the main chemistries, and presenting the current state-of-the-art both for an audience well-versed in bioconjugation methods as well as for those who are new to the field.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteria; Bacteriophages; Biosensing Techniques; Biotechnology
PubMed: 34038088
DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.1c00013