International Classification of Function, Disability and Health (ICF) Word Mapping to Determine the Human Functioning Associated with Upper Extremity Surgery for Tetraplegia.

Understanding human functioning and disablement, the contributing factors and their interactions in individuals with tetraplegia is important since elective upper extremity (UE) reconstructive surgery is now offered earlier after injury prior to full recognition of what lies ahead. Qualitative and quantitative data were available from a prior series of mixed methods studies, including a case series design capturing the patients' lived-experience perspectives of nerve or tendon transfer surgery, or not as the case may be. The objective of this study was to perform secondary data analysis to determine whether the recommended outcome tools being used by clinicians reflect the all important domains of functioning identified by people with tetraplegia who were considering UE reconstructive procedures. The original 18 candidate themes derived from qualitative analysis were reviewed in retrospect, along with a content analysis of the tools' questions, undertaking word mapping links to the ICF taxonomy. The outcomes tools included in the content analysis were the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, the Capabilities of Upper Extremity Questionnaire, The Personal Wellbeing Index, and the Grasp and Release Test. Comparison between clinical outcomes tools and the patient lived-experience data uniquely identified links to Chapter1 (b) Mental functions, which include consciousness, orientation, temperament/personality, energy/drive, and higher-level cognition.

Lexical density, lexical diversity, and lexical sophistication in simultaneously interpreted texts: a cognitive perspective.

Simultaneous interpreting (SI) is a cognitively demanding task that imposes a heavy cognitive load on interpreters. Interpreting into one's native (A language) or non-native language (B language), known as interpreting directionality, involves different cognitive demands. The cognitive requirements of simultaneous interpreting as well as interpreting directionality affect the interpreting process and product. This current study focused on the lexical features of a specially designed corpus of United Nations Security Council speeches. The corpus included non-interpreted speeches in US English (SubCorpusE), and texts interpreted from Chinese into English (A-into-B interpreted texts, SubCorpusC-E) and from Russian into English (B-into-A interpreted texts, SubCorpusR-E). Ten measures were used to analyze the lexical features of each subcorpus in terms of lexical density, lexical diversity, and lexical sophistication. The three subcorpora were regrouped into two pairs for the two research questions: SubCorpusR-E versus SubCorpusE and SubCorpusR-E versus SubCorpusC-E. The results showed that the interpreted texts in SubCorpusR-E exhibited simpler vocabulary features than the non-interpreted texts in SubCorpusE. In addition, compared with the A-into-B interpreted texts, the B-into-A interpreted texts demonstrated simplified lexical characteristics. The lexical features of the interpreted texts reflect that experienced simultaneous interpreters consciously adopt a simplified vocabulary approach to manage the cognitive load during simultaneous interpreting. This study provides new insights into the cognitive aspects of simultaneous interpreting, the impact of directionality, and the role of lexical strategies. These findings have practical implications for interpreter training, professional growth, and maintaining interpreting quality in diverse settings.

Autonomy in the context of cognitive demands-is the resource becoming a stressor?

OBJECTIVE: Autonomy is often associated with positive linear effects on health whereas non-linear correlations have received only sporadic attention. Assuming that the use of autonomy also represents a cognitive demand, this study examines whether health effects of autonomy change depending on further cognitive demands and whether curvilinear relationships can be identified. METHODS: A survey was carried out in three SMEs with established work analysis questionnaires. 197 Employees were classified into groups with high and with low cognitive demands by means of a two-step cluster analysis. This was modeled as moderator together with curvilinear effects of autonomy in regression analyses. RESULTS: Curvilinear associations were found for emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and anxiety. They were strongest for anxiety. No moderating effects of cognitive demands and no consistently significant modeled relations were found. CONCLUSION: The results confirm that autonomy has a positive influence on the health of employees. However, autonomy should not be seen as an isolated resource but embedded in the organizational and societal context.

Experiment protocols for brain-body imaging of locomotion: A systematic review.

Introduction: Human locomotion is affected by several factors, such as growth and aging, health conditions, and physical activity levels for maintaining overall health and well-being. Notably, impaired locomotion is a prevalent cause of disability, significantly impacting the quality of life of individuals. The uniqueness and high prevalence of human locomotion have led to a surge of research to develop experimental protocols for studying the brain substrates, muscle responses, and motion signatures associated with locomotion. However, from a technical perspective, reproducing locomotion experiments has been challenging due to the lack of standardized protocols and benchmarking tools, which impairs the evaluation of research quality and the validation of previous findings. Methods: This paper addresses the challenges by conducting a systematic review of existing neuroimaging studies on human locomotion, focusing on the settings of experimental protocols, such as locomotion intensity, duration, distance, adopted brain imaging technologies, and corresponding brain activation patterns. Also, this study provides practical recommendations for future experiment protocols. Results: The findings indicate that EEG is the preferred neuroimaging sensor for detecting brain activity patterns, compared to fMRI, fNIRS, and PET. Walking is the most studied human locomotion task, likely due to its fundamental nature and status as a reference task. In contrast, running has received little attention in research. Additionally, cycling on an ergometer at a speed of 60 rpm using fNIRS has provided some research basis. Dual-task walking tasks are typically used to observe changes in cognitive function. Moreover, research on locomotion has primarily focused on healthy individuals, as this is the scenario most closely resembling free-living activity in real-world environments. Discussion: Finally, the paper outlines the standards and recommendations for setting up future experiment protocols based on the review findings. It discusses the impact of neurological and musculoskeletal factors, as well as the cognitive and locomotive demands, on the experiment design. It also considers the limitations imposed by the sensing techniques used, including the acceptable level of motion artifacts in brain-body imaging experiments and the effects of spatial and temporal resolutions on brain sensor performance. Additionally, various experiment protocol constraints that need to be addressed and analyzed are explained.

A Mixed Methods Approach as a Channel to Interpret Outcomes Research and Lived Experience Enquiry of Upper Extremity Elective Surgery for Tetraplegia.

Cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) causing tetraplegia is extremely disabling. In such circumstances, restoration of upper extremity (UE) function is considered the highest priority. The advent of early nerve transfer (NT) procedures, in addition to more traditional tendon transfers (TT), warranted in-depth consideration given the time-limited nature of NT procedures. Potential surgery candidates may not yet have come to terms with the permanence of their disability. A mixed methods convergent design was utilized for concurrent analysis of the Aotearoa/New Zealand upper limb registry data from the clinical assessments of all individuals considering UE surgery, regardless of their final decision. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) taxonomy guided data interpretation during the three-phased study series. It was the integration of the findings using the Stewart Model of care drawn from palliative health that enabled the interpretation of higher order messages. It is clear the clinical assessment and selection processes in use require reconsideration given the complexities individuals face following onset of SCI. We draw attention to the higher order cognitive demands placed on individuals, the requirement for SCI peer involvement in decision making and the need for acknowledgment of interdependence as a relational construct when living with tetraplegia.

A two-wave study on the effects of cognitive demands of flexible work on cognitive flexibility, work engagement and fatigue.

Cognitive demands of flexible work are the specific cognitive demands of planning of working times, planning of working places, structuring of work tasks and coordinating with others that arise from flexible work organisation. Although these demands have become increasingly widespread, their consequences are not well understood. We propose that cognitive demands of flexible work are challenge stressors that can benefit employees, by adding to their cognitive flexibility and work engagement, but also impair employees by causing fatigue. Hypotheses were tested using a two-wave study design in a sample that recently switched to a more flexible work organisation (N = 279). Data were analysed using structural equation modelling. We found that planning of working times and planning of working places were related to increases in cognitive flexibility, and coordinating with others was related to increases in work engagement. No significant relations with fatigue were found. Thus, the results suggest that cognitive demands of flexible work helped employees to personally develop and feel motivated at work. However, effects on work engagement were rather small. Future research should control potential confounding variables more thoroughly and examine effects on short-term strain outcomes.

Midlife occupational cognitive requirements protect cognitive function in old age by increasing cognitive reserve.

Introduction: Several lifestyle factors promote protection against Alzheimer's disease (AD) throughout a person's lifespan. Although such protective effects have been described for occupational cognitive requirements (OCR) in midlife, it is currently unknown whether they are conveyed by brain maintenance (BM), brain reserve (BR), or cognitive reserve (CR) or a combination of them. Methods: We systematically derived hypotheses for these resilience concepts and tested them in the population-based AgeCoDe cohort and memory clinic-based AD high-risk DELCODE study. The OCR score (OCRS) was measured using job activities based on the O*NET occupational classification system. Four sets of analyses were conducted: (1) the interaction of OCR and APOE-ε4 with regard to cognitive decline (N = 2,369, AgeCoDe), (2) association with differentially shaped retrospective trajectories before the onset of dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT; N = 474, AgeCoDe), (3) cross-sectional interaction of the OCR and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) AD biomarkers and brain structural measures regarding memory function (N = 873, DELCODE), and (4) cross-sectional and longitudinal association of OCR with CSF AD biomarkers and brain structural measures (N = 873, DELCODE). Results: Regarding (1), higher OCRS was associated with a reduced association of APOE-ε4 with cognitive decline (mean follow-up = 6.03 years), consistent with CR and BR. Regarding (2), high OCRS was associated with a later onset but subsequently stronger cognitive decline in individuals converting to DAT, consistent with CR. Regarding (3), higher OCRS was associated with a weaker association of the CSF Aß42/40 ratio and hippocampal volume with memory function, consistent with CR. Regarding (4), OCR was not associated with the levels or changes in CSF AD biomarkers (mean follow-up = 2.61 years). We found a cross-sectional, age-independent association of OCRS with some MRI markers, but no association with 1-year-change. OCR was not associated with the intracranial volume. These results are not completely consistent with those of BR or BM. Discussion: Our results support the link between OCR and CR. Promoting and seeking complex and stimulating work conditions in midlife could therefore contribute to increased resistance to pathologies in old age and might complement prevention measures aimed at reducing pathology.

When workaholism is negatively associated with burnout: A moderated mediation.

Aim: Previous theory and research postulate that workaholism is one of the important factors that contribute to burnout. The present study aimed to analyze the role of psychological capital as a mediator between the two. Moreover, the study examined the moderating role in the stated mediated relationship. Methods: The researchers approached a sample of university teachers (N = 1,008) including both male (n = 531) and female (n = 477) university teachers by using a multi-stage random sampling technique. For this purpose, DUWAS-10 Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, Challenging Job Demands Scale, and Anila PsyCap Scale were applied to measure workaholism, burnout, challenging job demands, and PsyCap, respectively. The data obtained from the sample was subjected to analysis by using Model 14 of Process Macro by Hayes. Results: The results confirmed the mediating role of PsyCap and moderating role of time pressure and cognitive demands in the relationship of the two variables. The results concluded that workaholism is not directly related to burnout rather the negative relationship existed through psychological capital, and the mediated relationship was stronger for the university employees who were to face a higher level of challenging job demands including cognitive demands and time pressure. Conclusion: Burnout is an occupational health problem that causes devastating effects on both the employees as well as to the organizational economy. Improving personal resources might help the negative relationship between workaholism and burnout in higher education institutions in the country.

Development and Initial Validation of a Scale to Measure Cognitive Demands of Flexible Work.

With globalization, digitalization, and the spread of information and communication technologies, rules regulating work have been softened or completely abolished. Consequently, employees face additional cognitive demands to plan, structure, and coordinate their work. To capture these demands of contemporary work, we constructed and initially validated the Cognitive Demands of Flexible Work (CODE) scale. The scale comprises four subscales (i.e., structuring of work tasks, planning of working times, planning of working places, and coordinating with others). We initially validated the scale in three independent studies (overall N = 1,129) in German and English. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the four-factor structure, as well as scalar invariance, of the different language versions. Moreover, the subscales showed convergent and divergent validity with related constructs such as requirements for problem solving or autonomy. The criterion validity for emotional exhaustion, engagement, positive work rumination, negative work rumination, and problem-solving pondering suggested that cognitive demands of flexible work can be construed as challenge demands. However, relationships with emotional exhaustion were not significant. Overall, the CODE scale was shown to be a reliable and valid instrument to measure cognitive demands of flexible work.

Cognitive Determinants of Dysarthria in Parkinson's Disease: An Automated Machine Learning Approach.

BACKGROUND: Dysarthric symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) vary greatly across cohorts. Abundant research suggests that such heterogeneity could reflect subject-level and task-related cognitive factors. However, the interplay of these variables during motor speech remains underexplored, let alone by administering validated materials to carefully matched samples with varying cognitive profiles and combining automated tools with machine learning methods. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify which speech dimensions best identify patients with PD in cognitively heterogeneous, cognitively preserved, and cognitively impaired groups through tasks with low (reading) and high (retelling) processing demands. METHODS: We used support vector machines to analyze prosodic, articulatory, and phonemic identifiability features. Patient groups were compared with healthy control subjects and against each other in both tasks, using each measure separately and in combination. RESULTS: Relative to control subjects, patients in cognitively heterogeneous and cognitively preserved groups were best discriminated by combined dysarthric signs during reading (accuracy = 84% and 80.2%). Conversely, patients with cognitive impairment were maximally discriminated from control subjects when considering phonemic identifiability during retelling (accuracy = 86.9%). This same pattern maximally distinguished between cognitively spared and impaired patients (accuracy = 72.1%). Also, cognitive (executive) symptom severity was predicted by prosody in cognitively preserved patients and by phonemic identifiability in cognitively heterogeneous and impaired groups. No measure predicted overall motor dysfunction in any group. CONCLUSIONS: Predominant dysarthric symptoms appear to be best captured through undemanding tasks in cognitively heterogeneous and preserved cohorts and through cognitively loaded tasks in patients with cognitive impairment. Further applications of this framework could enhance dysarthria assessments in PD. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

The effects of acute aerobic exercise on executive function: A systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data.

An increasing number of studies has focused on the after-effects of acute aerobic exercise on executive function. To date, empirical evidence lacks consensus regarding whether acute aerobic exercise has beneficial effects on executive function. To identify possible sources of this discrepancy, the present study focused on executive function demands and pre-test cognitive performance, and performed the first meta-analysis of individual participant data (IPD meta-analysis) in this area of research. Results indicated that the beneficial after-effects of acute aerobic exercise on cognitive performance were greater in participants with lower cognitive performance at pre-test. Acute aerobic exercise offered general benefits to cognitive performance irrespective of executive function demands, when pre-test cognitive performance was appropriately controlled. Thus, the present IPD meta-analysis suggests that pre-test cognitive performance is one possible source of the conflicting findings in acute exercise studies. Future research is encouraged to consider pre-test cognitive performance to avoid underestimating the beneficial after-effects of acute exercise.

Children understand communication intuitively, but indirect communication makes them think twice-Evidence from pupillometry and looking patterns.

Interpreting a speaker's communicative acts is a challenge children face permanently in everyday life. In doing so, they seem to understand direct communicative acts more easily than indirect communicative acts. The current study investigated which step in the processing of communicative acts might cause difficulties in understanding indirect communication. To assess the developmental trajectory of this phenomenon, we tested 3- and 5-year-old children (N = 105) using eye tracking and an object-choice task. The children watched videos that showed puppets during their everyday activities (e.g., pet care). For every activity, the puppets were asked which of two objects (e.g., rabbit or dog) they would rather have. The puppets responded either directly (e.g., "I want the rabbit") or indirectly (e.g., "I have a carrot"). Results showed that children chose the object intended by the puppets more often in the direct communication condition than in the indirect communication condition and that 5-year-olds chose correctly more than 3-year-olds. However, even though we found that children's pupil size increased while hearing the utterances, we found no effect for communication type before children had already decided on the correct object during object selection by looking at it. Only after this point-that is, only in children's further fixation patterns and reaction times-did differences for communication type occur. Thus, although children's object-choice performance suggests that indirect communication is harder to understand than direct communication, the cognitive demands during processing of both communication types seem similar. We discuss theoretical implications of these findings for developmental pragmatics in terms of a dual-process account of communication comprehension.

Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy Reveals the Compensatory Potential of Pre-frontal Cortical Activity for Standing Balance in Young and Older Adults.

Recent evidence suggests increased activity of the pre-frontal cortex (PFC) is associated with sensorimotor disturbances of standing balance. Here we manipulate sensorimotor inputs and concurrently load cognitive resources in order to investigate the functional role of PFC activity during standing balance, and how this changes with healthy ageing. Healthy younger (n = 24; mean age = 20.8 years) and older (n = 25; mean age = 70.6 years) adults maintained balance while sensorimotor inputs were manipulated by removing vision, reducing the base of support, and reducing proprioceptive feedback. To load cognitive resources, each balance condition was undertaken alone or simultaneously with a cognitive task (dual-task). Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) measured PFC activity and a force-plate measured postural sway. When comparing dual-tasks relative to single balance tasks (dual-task effect), at lower levels of balance task demand, the older adults exhibited increased PFC activity and similar levels of postural sway. However, at higher levels of balance task demand, a limit to PFC activity was observed and postural sway became more unstable in older adults. In contrast, for younger adults at higher levels of balance task demand, the dual-task effect resulted in an increase in PFC activity and postural sway was not unduly affected. These results suggest that PFC activity is compensating for sensorimotor deficits to maintain stability, and that a cognitive resource limit is reached for easier balance tasks in older people compared to younger people. These results suggest that increasing cortical capacity in older people may improve their balance.

Altered prefrontal cortex responses in older adults with subjective memory complaints and dementia during dual-task gait: An fNIRS study.

People with cognitive impairments show deficits during physical performances such as gait, in particular during cognitively challenging conditions (i.e. dual-task gait [DTG]). However, it is unclear if people at risk of dementia, such as those with subjective memory complaints (SMC), also display gait and central deficits associated with DTG. In this study, we investigated the effects of single- and dual-task gait (STG and DTG), on left prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation in elderly people with subjective memory complaints (SMC) and Dementia. A total of 58 older adults (aged 65-94 years; 26 Healthy; 23 SMC; 9 Dementia) were recruited. Gait spatiotemporal characteristics (i.e. stride velocity and length) were assessed using an instrumented walkway during STG and DTG. Single-channel functional near-infrared spectroscopy over the left PFC was used to measure changes in oxyhaemoglobin (O2 Hb) during gait. Stride velocity and length during STG (all p < .05) and DTG (all p < .000) were significantly impaired in people with Dementia compared to Healthy and SMC individuals. No differences were observed between Healthy and SMC. For STG, a greater increase in O2 Hb (p < .05) was observed in those with Dementia compared to the Healthy and SMC, while no differences were observed between Healthy and SMC. A significant increase and decline in O2 Hb was observed during DTG in the SMC and Dementia groups, respectively, compared to Healthy. Our findings indicate an altered pattern of cerebral haemodynamic response of the left PFC in DTG in people with SMC and Dementia, which may suggest that central changes precede functional impairments in people with SMC.

Job Demands as Risk Factors of Exposure to Bullying at Work: The Moderating Role of Team-Level Conflict Management Climate.

Conflict management climate is an important organizational resource that is theorized to prevent interpersonal frustration from escalating into harsh interpersonal conflicts and even workplace bullying. The present study investigates whether team-level perceptions of conflict management climate moderate the relationship between previously investigated psychosocial predictors of workplace bullying (i.e., role conflicts, workload, cognitive demands) and perceived exposure to bullying behaviors in the workplace. We collected data from crews on ferries operating on the Norwegian coastline consisting of 462 employees across 147 teams. As hypothesized, multilevel analyses showed positive main effects of role conflict and cognitive demands (but not workload) on exposure to bullying behaviors. Also, the hypothesized moderation effect of team-level conflict management climate on the relationship between individual-level job demands and exposure to bullying behaviors was significant for role conflict and cognitive demands, but not for workload. Specifically, the positive relationships between the two job demands and exposure to bullying behaviors were stronger for employees working in teams with a weak (vs. a strong) conflict management climate. These findings contribute to the bullying research field by showing that conflict management climate may buffer the impact of stressors on bullying behaviors, most likely by preventing interpersonal frustration from escalating into bullying situations.

The relationship between vigilance capacity and physical exercise: a mixed-effects multistudy analysis.

A substantial body of work has depicted a positive association between physical exercise and cognition, although the key factors driving that link are still a matter of scientific debate. Here, we aimed to contribute further to that topic by pooling the data from seven studies (N = 361) conducted by our research group to examine whether cardiovascular fitness (VO2), sport type participation (externally-paced (e.g., football or basketball) and self-paced (e.g., triathlon or track and field athletes) vs. sedentary), or both, are crucial factors to explain the association between the regular practice of exercise and vigilance capacity. We controlled for relevant variables such as age and the method of VO2 estimation. The Psychomotor Vigilance Task was used to measure vigilance performance by means of reaction time (RT). The results showed that externally-paced sport practice (e.g., football) resulted in significantly shorter RT compared to self-paced sport (e.g., triathlon) and sedentary condition, depicting larger effects in children and adolescents than in adults. Further analyses revealed no significant effect of cardiovascular fitness and self-paced sport practice, in comparison to the sedentary condition, on RT. Our data point to the relevance of considering the type of sport practice over and above the level of cardiovascular fitness as crucial factor to explain the positive association between the regular practice of exercise and vigilance capacity.

Challenging Cognitive Demands at Work, Related Working Conditions, and Employee Well-Being.

In times of digitalized workplaces the extent of challenging cognitive demands at work is rising and employees increasingly have to manage new and unlearned tasks. Yet, these work characteristics have received little attention on how they relate to the worker's well-being. Thus, we analyze associations between cognitive work demands-also in interaction with other job characteristics-and indicators of employee well-being. The analyses are based on the BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey 2018, a cross-section that is representative for the German working population and covers approximately 20,000 employed individuals. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions suggest that cognitive demands are associated with a higher probability of feeling fatigued. In contrast, the results with respect to the employees' self-rated health status and job satisfaction are ambiguous, depending on which cognitive demand is considered. Overall, the findings indicate that cognitive demands might be related to both resource and demand, depending on the individual resources of employees.

Extended high-frequency pure tone hearing thresholds and core executive functions.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between extended high-frequency pure tone hearing thresholds (frequencies 10 to 14 kHz) and working memory capacity (WMC), inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. DESIGN: Experimental study measuring correlations between different high-frequency hearing threshold measures and cognitive measures. STUDY: Pure tone audiometry was assessed in the extended high-frequency (frequencies 10, 12.5 and 14 kHz). Subjects were also tested regarding WMC, inhibitory control (response inhibition), and cognitive flexibility (information updating and shifting ability). SAMPLE: Forty-three subjects between 20 and 29 years old with normal hearing (≤ 20 dB HL) in the frequency range between 0.125 to 8 kHz. RESULTS: No significant correlations were seen between high-frequency hearing thresholds defined as average best and worst ear high-frequency hearing thresholds and the cognitive measures. Differences between the best and the worst ear showed significant negative correlations with inhibitory control and global executive function (combination score for WMC, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility). CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that global executive functions, more specifically response inhibition, and hearing threshold asymmetry in the extended high-frequency range are interrelated.

Enriched environment at work: Disassociated from stress and burnout.

BACKGROUND: Enriched environment at work (EEW), in terms of high mental demands at work, may be of great relevance for preventative efforts against cognitive decline and dementia as previous studies have shown. Yet, there is the concern that high EEW mental demands may accelerate stress and cause burnout. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to investigate how EEW mental demands are related to stress and burnout. METHOD: A convenience sample of employees in the city area of Leipzig, Germany, was asked to fill out the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and indicate for each EEW mental demand the level experienced, demandingness, and stressfulness. RESULTS: Multivariate linear regression and structural equation modelling suggested that only some EEW mental demands were perceived as stressful when the level of the respective EEW mental demand was high. Higher stressfulness was associated with burnout symptoms - however, high levels of EEW mental demands were not significantly associated with burnout (neither directly nor indirectly). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings implied that subjectively perceived stressfulness seems to be a more relevant aspect than the actual level of the demand itself. However, further studies are necessary to validate our findings.