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Biosemiotics Apr 2012The present paper proposes a definition for the complex polysemic concepts of consciousness and awareness (in humans as well as in other species), and puts forward the...
The present paper proposes a definition for the complex polysemic concepts of consciousness and awareness (in humans as well as in other species), and puts forward the idea of a progressive ontological development of consciousness from a state of 'childhood' awareness, in order to explain that humans are not only able to manipulate objects, but also their mental representations. The paper builds on the idea of qualia intended as entities posing regular invariant requests to neural processes, trough the permanence of different properties. The concept of semantic differential introduces the properties of metaphorical qualia as an exclusively human ability. Furthermore this paper proposes a classification of qualia, according to the models-with different levels of abstraction-they are implied in, in a taxonomic perspective. This, in turn, becomes a source of categorization of divergent representations, sign systems, and forms of intentionality, relying always on biological criteria. New emerging image-of-the-world-devices are proposed, whose qualia are likely to be only accessible to humans: emotional qualia, where emotion accounts for the invariant and dominant property; and the qualic self where continuity, combined with the oneness of the self, accounts for the invariant and dominant property. The concept of congruence between different domains in a metaphor introduces the possibility of a general evaluation of truth and falsity of all kinds of metaphorical constructs, while the work of Matte Blanco enables us to classify conscious versus unconscious metaphors, both in individuals and in social organizations.
PubMed: 22347988
DOI: 10.1007/s12304-011-9116-2 -
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 -
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 -
Postepy Biochemii 2011Biocomputers can be an alternative for traditional "silicon-based" computers, which continuous development may be limited due to further miniaturization (imposed by the... (Review)
Review
Biocomputers can be an alternative for traditional "silicon-based" computers, which continuous development may be limited due to further miniaturization (imposed by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle) and increasing the amount of information between the central processing unit and the main memory (von Neuman bottleneck). The idea of DNA computing came true for the first time in 1994, when Adleman solved the Hamiltonian Path Problem using short DNA oligomers and DNA ligase. In the early 2000s a series of biocomputer models was presented with a seminal work of Shapiro and his colleguas who presented molecular 2 state finite automaton, in which the restriction enzyme, FokI, constituted hardware and short DNA oligomers were software as well as input/output signals. DNA molecules provided also energy for this machine. DNA computing can be exploited in many applications, from study on the gene expression pattern to diagnosis and therapy of cancer. The idea of DNA computing is still in progress in research both in vitro and in vivo and at least promising results of these research allow to have a hope for a breakthrough in the computer science.
Topics: Computers; Computers, Molecular; Software
PubMed: 21735816
DOI: No ID Found -
Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences 1992Caring science is seeking a basic category or the primary form of caring, the focus of caring science which includes the meaning of caring. Caring science does not deny...
Caring science is seeking a basic category or the primary form of caring, the focus of caring science which includes the meaning of caring. Caring science does not deny the presence of suffering, even though it aims at soundness and health; suffering is the point from which it begins. Not until the patient has come to terms with his suffering can he hope to recover. Suffering is the most important basic category of all caring. It gives caring a unique quality and soundness and is something which all forms of caring aim to alleviate. Real caring is not just an abstract idea, philosophy or ideology, it is concrete work confronting suffering in real situations.
Topics: Caregivers; Empathy; Helping Behavior; Humans; Models, Psychological; Nursing Care; Stress, Psychological
PubMed: 1641532
DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-6712.1992.tb00134.x -
Anales Del Sistema Sanitario de Navarra 2010Venous malformations represent 2/3rds of all vascular malformations and are frequently much more complex than they appear to be. Patients with large venous malformations... (Review)
Review
Venous malformations represent 2/3rds of all vascular malformations and are frequently much more complex than they appear to be. Patients with large venous malformations require a deep analytical and radiological study, as well as specific treatment to control any possible localised intravascular coagulation. If the lesions are extensive, especially in the lower member, a study should be made to detect the presence of an underlying osteoporosis with the idea of preventing pathological fractures. Equally, a check must be made for arthropathy, and an early prophylactic synovectomy must be considered when the radiological extension makes this advisable, with the idea of avoiding irreversible damage to the joints with the passage of time. Currently, microfoam scleropathy is favoured as the treatment of choice for low-flow vascular malformations. In the not too distant future, the use of selective antiangiogenic medicines, besides low-molecular-weight heparins, will serve to control and treat malformations.
Topics: Congenital Abnormalities; Decision Trees; Humans; Veins
PubMed: 21233865
DOI: 10.4321/s1137-66272010000400006 -
Journal of Experimental Psychology.... Mar 2020In their seminal study of chess expertise, Simon and Chase (Chase & Simon, 1973; Simon & Chase, 1973) proposed that perceptual learning was a necessary component of...
In their seminal study of chess expertise, Simon and Chase (Chase & Simon, 1973; Simon & Chase, 1973) proposed that perceptual learning was a necessary component of skill acquisition. In their view, acquisition of skill results from the strategic use of learning at multiple levels to adaptively overcome inherent limitations. The knowledge acquired by way of perceptual learning that supported increasingly sophisticated perceptual discrimination processes, according to Simon and Chase, was referred to as a chunk. The chunk was conceptualized as a meaningful complex set of features that abstracted the notion of a perceptual object. Simon and Chase further suggested that meaningful combinations of chunks could be combined to form configurations (Simon & Chase, 1973, p. 399). The present study addresses this idea by framing the notion of a chunk in terms of two formal metatheories, one that addresses representation (Ashby & Townsend, 1986) and one that addresses processing (Townsend & Nozawa, 1995), and tests the prediction that perceptual learning produces organized perceptual objects (chunks). Two experiments combine behavioral and electroencephelographic (EEG) measures to show that perceptual learning produces (a) a shift from perceptual independence and separability to violations of separability, and (b) shifts from limited-capacity serial processing to supercapacity parallel processing. The evidence from both experiments is strong and consistent: perceptual learning does indeed induce chunking-the production of perceptual objects, and the foundation of perceptual expertise. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics: Adult; Contrast Sensitivity; Electroencephalography; Female; Humans; Learning; Male; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Psychomotor Performance; Young Adult
PubMed: 31219302
DOI: 10.1037/xlm0000735 -
Neuropsychologia Sep 2018This study investigated EEG activity in the upper alpha band during the well-known Picture Completion Task of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT), a widely...
This study investigated EEG activity in the upper alpha band during the well-known Picture Completion Task of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT), a widely used creative ideation task in the figural domain. The application of a sophisticated computerized version of the TTCT facilitating the online assessment and digitalizing of participant's drawings allowed to separate two central stages of the creative ideation process (i.e., idea generation and idea elaboration). During idea generation, the participants' task was to generate an initial draft of an original and creative completion of the presented abstract lines and figures of the TTCT. During idea elaboration, the participants were required to mentally improve the originality of the initially generated idea/draft. Creative ideation in this figural task was generally associated with comparatively strong desynchronization of upper alpha power over parietal and occipital sites, indicating high visual/figural processing demands. Interestingly, the stage of idea elaboration was accompanied by a relative increase of upper alpha power at parietal and occipital sites compared to the stage of idea generation, indicating heightened top-down processing demands. Furthermore, task performance was associated with relative increases of upper alpha power at frontal sites and relative decreases at centro-temporal sites from the stage of idea generation to idea elaboration. This association suggests the importance of increased inhibitory control over stimulus-based bottom-up information and motor imagery in order to achieve more creative outputs. Taken together these findings add to the relevant literature in that they a) extend research on the relationship between EEG alpha activity and creativity to the figural domain, and b) support a multistage view of creative ideation, involving cognitive control and mental imagery as important components of creativity.
Topics: Adult; Alpha Rhythm; Analysis of Variance; Brain; Brain Mapping; Cognition; Creativity; Electroencephalography; Female; Humans; Male; Photic Stimulation; Psychomotor Performance; Thinking; Young Adult
PubMed: 29452125
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.02.013 -
American Journal of Obstetrics &... May 2022The use of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) is predicated on the idea that the study group is representative of the overall clinical population; however, recent studies... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The use of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) is predicated on the idea that the study group is representative of the overall clinical population; however, recent studies have suggested that this may not be the case in obstetrics. The generalizability of several seminal obstetrical RCTs, including the A Randomized Trial of Induction Versus Expectant Management trial, has been questioned because of the high ratio of assessed-to-enrolled individuals. Although difficulty in recruitment for obstetrical RCTs is known, it has been postulated that this high ratio increases the likelihood of the study population not being truly representative. Our primary objective was to analyze the assessed-to-enrolled ratio in contemporary obstetrical RCTs.
STUDY DESIGN
During a 4-year period (January 2017 to December 2020), we identified all obstetrical RCTs published in 6 journals (The New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, Lancet, American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Obstetrics & Gynecology). The journals were manually reviewed by 2 coauthors to ensure all obstetrical RCTs were identified and abstracted accurately. Reported patient recruitment data, per Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials recommendations, were abstracted from each RCT. Based on the primary outcome of the study, the purpose of the trial was categorized as preventative or treatment. Medians were compared using Wilcoxon rank-sum testing, and P<.05 was considered significant.
RESULTS
Of 240 obstetrical RCTs that were identified, 193 (80%) reported data on the number of individuals screened and recruited. The median number of individuals screened per trial was 850 (interquartile range [IQR], 323-2582), of which 348 were eligible (IQR, 201-1347) and 300 (IQR, 133-894) were randomized. There was no difference in trials based internationally or in the United States (P=.26). Compared with preventative RCTs, the trials that had treatment as the primary outcome were significantly more likely to screen a larger number of individuals for eligibility (P<.01) and subsequently randomize (P<.02). There was no difference in the median number of individuals who declined enrollment between trials with prevention or treatment as their objective (P=.12). More individuals were lost to follow-up in trials with prevention as the primary outcome (P<.01), although the median number lost was low at 3 (IQR, 0-21).
CONCLUSION
The low assessed-to-enrolled ratio found in this study suggested that researchers are casting a large net for patient recruitment. The relatively high eligible-to-randomized ratio suggested that most individuals are willing to participate in obstetrical RCTs. This finding was at odds with previous critiques of obstetrical RCTs that had called in to question study results secondary to high eligible-to-randomized ratios. Further research into how patients are recruited and counseled is indicated, to explore this variation. The ratio of patients assessed for study eligibility to patients enrolled in preventative vs treatment RCTs was not substantially different. Based on this result, patients seemed to be similarly interested in being enrolled to prevent a complication from pregnancy as in treating one. These results supported the concept that most individuals in the obstetrical RCTs represent the eligible population.
Topics: Gynecology; Humans; Obstetrics; Patient Selection; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Research Design
PubMed: 35031522
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajogmf.2022.100564 -
Acta Psiquiatrica Y Psicologica de... Jun 1976The author reviews Freud's postulations on proto-phantasies, and traces the evolution of several concepts related to them, in the aim of showing that there is a common...
The author reviews Freud's postulations on proto-phantasies, and traces the evolution of several concepts related to them, in the aim of showing that there is a common purpose along the whole theoretical development: to uncover or to explain the innate archaic legacy, its role and its effects within the Psychic Apparatus of men. The first formulations of the idea of proto-phantasies in Freud's works are as early as his letters to Fliess and the Traumdeutung (1900), where it is stated the hope that the interpretation of dreams can lead to the discovery of innate elements received from ancestors. The idea is reformulated in further works, among which, "A Souvenir of Leonardo da Vinci Infant", "Totem and Tabu", and "Three Essays", "The Loss of Reality in Neuroses and Psychosis", "The History of a Child's Neurosis", Mass Psychology and Ego Analysis", "The Ego and the Id", "An Outline of Psychoanalysis", and "The Malaise in Culture". The author spots the successive developments, and proposes an order based on the everpresent assumption that man has an important legacy: the primal imagery bequeathed by the species, constituting the unconscious organized memories shared by all members of the human race. The final conclusions stress the importance of primal phantasies and the possibility that its study broadens the scope of psychoanalitic theoretical and clinical developments.
Topics: Fantasy; Psychoanalytic Theory
PubMed: 983741
DOI: No ID Found