Cognitive performance, fatigue, emotional, and physiological strains in simulated long-duration flight missions.

Pilots in long-duration flight missions in single-seat aircraft may be affected by fatigue. This study determined associations between cognitive performance, emotions and physiological activation and deactivation - measured by heart rate variability (HRV) - in a simulated 11-h flight mission in the 39 Gripen aircraft. Twelve participants volunteered for the study. Perceived fatigue was measured by the Samn-Perelli Fatigue Index (SPFI). Cognitive performance was measured by non-executive and executive tasks. Emotions were assessed by the Circumplex Affect Space instrument. HRV was considered in relation to the cognitive tasks in four time points - Hours 3, 5, 7, 9 - and their associations with emotional ratings. Results indicated a decrease in performance in the non-executive task after approximately 7 h. This result was correlated with self-reported measures of fatigue. HRV, assessed by indices of parasympathetic modulation, remained unchanged for both non-executive and executive tasks over time (p > .05 for all). Significant correlations were observed between emotions and HRV; with increased boredom, increased passiveness, decreased stimulation, and decreased activeness, HRV indicators increased (p < .05). This suggests that a low self-regulatory effort for maintaining performance in these conditions was prevalent and that pilots could adapt to some degree to the demands and fatigue of long-duration missions.

Wearable cardioverter-defibrillator as bridging to ICD in pediatric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with myocardial bridging - a case report.

BACKGROUND: There is only limited experience with wearable cardioverter-defibrillators (WCD) in pediatric patients. We report on the successful application of a WCD in an adolescent patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and myocardial bridging. CASE PRESENTATION: A 15-year-old girl presented with a history of recurrent syncope, dyspnea, and vertigo with exercise. Diagnostic work-up revealed non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and signs of myocardial ischemia with exercise. Given this high-risk constellation, the patient was scheduled for prophylactic implantation of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). One month after initial presentation and days prior to the planned ICD implantation, the patient collapsed during an episode of sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) while running. VT was terminated by WCD shock delivery. Following this event, computerized tomography scan revealed myocardial bridging of the left anterior descending coronary artery causing a 90% stenosis in systole. After coronary surgery, life threatening arrhythmias have not recurred, but due to progressive heart failure, the patient underwent successful heart transplantation after 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: The reported case highlights the importance and applicability of WCDs and the potentially malign nature of myocardial bridging in pediatric high-risk patients.

A framework for assessing urban greenery's effects and valuing its ecosystem services.

Ongoing urban exploitation is increasing pressure to transform urban green spaces, while there is increasing awareness that greenery provides a range of important benefits to city residents. In efforts to help resolve associated problems we have developed a framework for integrated assessments of ecosystem service (ES) benefits and values provided by urban greenery, based on the ecosystem service cascade model. The aim is to provide a method for assessing the contribution to, and valuing, multiple ES provided by urban greenery that can be readily applied in routine planning processes. The framework is unique as it recognizes that an urban greenery comprises several components and functions that can contribute to multiple ecosystem services in one or more ways via different functional traits (e.g. foliage characteristics) for which readily measured indicators have been identified. The framework consists of five steps including compilation of an inventory of indicator; application of effectivity factors to rate indicators' effectiveness; estimation of effects; estimation of benefits for each ES; estimation of the total ES value of the ecosystem. The framework was applied to assess ecosystem services provided by trees, shrubs, herbs, birds, and bees, in green areas spanning an urban gradient in Gothenburg, Sweden. Estimates of perceived values of ecosystem services were obtained from interviews with the public and workshop activities with civil servants. The framework is systematic and transparent at all stages and appears to have potential utility in the existing spatial planning processes.

Self-grounding visual, auditory and olfactory autobiographical memories.

Given that autobiographical memory provides a cognitive foundation for the self, we investigated the relative importance of visual, auditory and olfactory autobiographical memories for the self. Thirty subjects, with a mean age of 35.4years, participated in a study involving a three×three within-subject design containing nine different types of autobiographical memory cues: pictures, sounds and odors presented with neutral, positive and negative valences. It was shown that visual compared to auditory and olfactory autobiographical memories involved higher cognitive and emotional constituents for the self. Furthermore, there was a trend showing positive autobiographical memories to increase their proportion to both cognitive and emotional components of the self, from olfactory to auditory to visually cued autobiographical memories; but, yielding a reverse trend for negative autobiographical memories. Finally, and independently of modality, positive affective states were shown to be more involved in autobiographical memory than negative ones.

Exenatide exerts a PKA-dependent positive inotropic effect in human atrial myocardium: GLP-1R mediated effects in human myocardium.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists are a rapidly growing class of drugs developed for treating type-2 diabetes mellitus. Patients with diabetes carry an up to 5-fold greater mortality risk compared to non-diabetic patients, mainly as a result of cardiovascular diseases. Although beneficial cardiovascular effects have been reported, exact mechanisms of GLP-1R-agonist action in the heart, especially in human myocardium, are poorly understood. The effects of GLP-1R-agonists (exenatide, GLP-1(7-36)NH2, PF-06446009, PF-06446667) on cardiac contractility were tested in non-failing atrial and ventricular trabeculae from 72 patients. The GLP-1(7-36)NH2 metabolite, GLP-1(9-36)NH2, was also examined. In electrically stimulated trabeculae, the effects of compounds on isometric force were measured in the absence and presence of pharmacological inhibitors of signal transduction pathways. The role of ß-arrestin signaling was examined using a ß-arrestin partial agonist, PF-06446667. Expression levels were tested by immunoblots. Translocation of GLP-1R downstream molecular targets, Epac2, GLUT-1 and GLUT-4, were assessed by fluorescence microscopy. All tested GLP-1R-agonists significantly increased developed force in human atrial trabeculae, whereas GLP-1(9-36)NH2 had no effect. Exendin(9-39)NH2, a GLP-1R-antagonist, and H-89 blunted the inotropic effect of exenatide. In addition, exenatide increased PKA-dependent phosphorylation of phospholamban (PLB), GLUT-1 and Epac2 translocation, but not GLUT-4 translocation. Exenatide failed to enhance contractility in ventricular myocardium. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) revealed a significant higher GLP-1R expression in the atrium compared to ventricle. Exenatide increased contractility in a dose-dependent manner via GLP-1R/cAMP/PKA pathway and induced GLUT-1 and Epac2 translocation in human atrial myocardium, but had no effect in ventricular myocardium. Therapeutic use of GLP-1R-agonists may therefore impart beneficial effects on myocardial function and remodelling.

Affective and cognitive reactions to subliminal flicker from fluorescent lighting.

This study renews the classical concept of subliminal perception (Peirce & Jastrow, 1884) by investigating the impact of subliminal flicker from fluorescent lighting on affect and cognitive performance. It was predicted that low compared to high frequency lighting (latter compared to former emits non-flickering light) would evoke larger changes in affective states and also impair cognitive performance. Subjects reported high rather than low frequency lighting to be more pleasant, which, in turn, enhanced their problem solving performance. This suggests that sensory processing can take place outside of conscious awareness resulting in conscious emotional consequences; indicating a role of affect in subliminal/implicit perception, and that positive affect may facilitate cognitive task performance.

Female managers' organizational leadership during telework: experiences of job demands, control and support.

The frequent use of telework during the COVID -19 pandemic has created a more challenging work situation for managers who need to lead effectively in the virtual space, this especially concerns female managers. Therefor it is of importance to investigate female managers' experiences of job related demands, control and support within this work context. Accordingly, we investigated female managers' experiences of demands, control and support in their organizational leadership during telework. The present study used a deductive, theory-driven, qualitative approach with predetermined themes defined within the demand-control-support model. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews. The female managers had at least 50% of their working hours as telework. The results showed that the female managers experienced demands in terms of hard, fast or even excessive work in order to be available and solve complex problems, and control as varied work content, new learning, planning and decision freedom. Support was experienced in terms of attentive superior manager, good cooperation and helpfulness among colleagues. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed in terms of telework situation for female managers.

Complication profile of the Berlin Heart EXCOR biventricular support in children.

In chronic cardiomyopathy, mechanical circulatory support (MCS) plays an increasingly important role for children as the shortage of suitable donor hearts increases waiting time on the transplant list. We report our experience with the paracorporal Berlin Heart EXCOR System (Berlin Heart AG, Berlin, Germany) used as a biventricuclar assist device (BVAD). Nine patients with a BVAD EXCOR system were treated between 2006 and 2012; out of these patients, four were less than 18 years old (6, 14, 14, and 17 years old). Their diagnoses were postcardotomy failure (n = 1), dilatative cardiomyopathy (n = 2), and terminal heart failure (n = 1). Overall survival, waiting time for heart transplantation (HTx) and complication profile for the BVAD were analyzed retrospectively. Thirty days' mortality was 25% (n = 1). One child died after 84 days on support due to cerebral bleeding. Mean support time was 218.75 days (4, 84, 262, and 525 days). Pump chamber exchange was necessary three times due to pump chamber thrombosis (n = 2) and partial pump chamber membrane rupture (n = 1). Complications included: sepsis (n = 1), drive line infection requiring intravenous antibiotics (n = 2), and recurrent epistaxis (n = 3). Two children were successfully transplanted after 262/525 days on BVAD; they are currently at home (follow-up: 1.9 and 2.3 years). The EXCOR is a life-saving MCS system suitable for long-term paracorporeal biventricular assistance.

The Use of a Commercially Available Endovascular Filter Catheter (Capturex®) for Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair (TEVAR) in a Patient with a Coral Reef Aorta.

Due to the risk of mobilizing plaque fragments, transfemoral TEVAR is a potentially dangerous procedure in patients with a coral reef aorta. We describe a practical method for transfemoral TEVAR in a patient with a degenerative thoracic aneurysm and a coral reef aorta. After placing a filter catheter in the abdominal aorta via a contralateral percutaneous femoral access, a working channel through the distal thoracic aorta was created with a balloon-expandable stent graft in the coral reef segment. Thereafter, transfemoral TEVAR could be performed successfully, without any complications. The additional use of a percutaneously placed filter catheter potentially allows reduction of peripheral embolism and hence may prevent patients from more invasive treatment.

Gadofosveset-Trinatrium-Enhanced MR Angiography and MR Venography in the Diagnosis of Venous Thromboembolic Disease: A Single-Center Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this single-center combined prospective/retrospective cohort study was to analyze Gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced MRA (magnetic resonance angiography) and MRV (MR venography) for the diagnosis of pulmonary artery embolism and deep venous thrombosis. The gold standard methods result in major exposure to radiation and a high amount of nephrotoxic iodinated contrast media. This is the first larger contrast-enhanced MR imaging study of acute and chronic venous thromboembolic disease of various stages. METHODS: We prospectively examined 88 patients presenting clinical signs of deep vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary artery embolism. A single-session, one-stop shop Gd-enhanced MRA/MRV at 1.5 Tesla, using gradient echo sequences with very short repetition and echo times as well as low flip angles with subtraction and three-dimensional reconstruction, was performed. A diagnosis was made with the consensus of two experienced radiologists. RESULTS: We observed excellent MRA image quality in 87% and even higher diagnostic image quality of MRV in 90% of our examinations. Pulmonary artery embolism occurred with deep vein thrombosis in 22%. CONCLUSIONS: Gd-enhanced MRA/MRV provided excellent image quality for the diagnosis of venous thromboembolic disease in the majority of cases. It may be particularly useful to plan and follow-up filter implantation and retrieval in the inferior caval vein.

Emotion and cognition in personal and collective work-identity formation: variable- and person-oriented analyses.

The aim of this study was to investigate emotional and cognitive processes involved in the formation of personal and collective work-identity by variable- and person-oriented analyses. A digitized questionnaire was answered by 768 participants. In line with an autobiographical (personal) memory view, we showed that: (1) emotional processes positively predicted cognitive processes (variable-oriented analyses), and (2) emotional profile had an effect on cognitive processes (person-oriented analyses), with regard to personal work-identity formation. Regarding collective work-identity formation, and in line with a social-identity and self-categorization perspective, we showed that: (1) cognitive processes positively predicted emotional processes (variable-oriented analyses), and (2) cognitive profile had an effect on emotional processes (person-oriented analyses). Our results indicate that emotion and cognition play different roles in personal- and collective work-identity formation; additionally, suggesting that the theoretical views of both personal and social psychology as well as analyses at different levels should be involved in order to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of people-work bonding.

Fatigue, Emotion, and Cognitive Performance in Simulated Long-Duration, Single-Piloted Flight Missions.

BACKGROUND: Fatigue of air force pilots has become an increasing concern due to changes in mission characteristics. In the current study we investigated fatigue, emotions, and cognitive performance in a simulated 11-h mission in the 39 Gripen fighter aircraft. METHODS: A total of 12 subjects were evaluated in a high-fidelity dynamic flight simulator for 12 consecutive hours. Perceived fatigue was measured by the Samn-Perelli Fatigue Index (SPFI). Emotions were assessed with the Circumplex Affect Space. Cognitive performance was assessed by five cognitive tasks. RESULTS: Significant increase in self-reported fatigue, general decrease in two positive emotional states, as well increase of one negative emotional state occurred after approximately 7 h into the mission. Self-reported fatigue negatively correlated with enthusiasm and cheerfulness (r 0.75; 0.49, respectively) and positively correlated with boredom and gloominess (r 0.61; r 0.30, respectively). Response time in the low-order task negatively correlated with enthusiasm, cheerfulness and calmness (r 0.44; r 0.41; r 0.37, respectively) and positively correlated with boredom and anxiousness (r 0.37; r 0.28, respectively). Mission duration had an adverse impact on emotions in these environmental conditions, particularly after 7 h. DISCUSSION: These results contribute to the understanding of fatigue development in general and of emotion-cognition relationships. These findings emphasize that both emotional states and the type of cognitive tasks to be performed should be considered for planning long-duration missions in single-piloted fighter aircrafts as to increase the probability of missions success. Rosa E, Gronkvist M, Kolegard R, Dahlstrom N, Knez I, Ljung R, Willander J. Fatigue, emotion, and cognitive performance in simulated long-duration, single-piloted flight missions. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2021; 92(9):710719.

Dislocation of a non-functional transvenous ventricular pacemaker lead in a child 6 years following abandonment.

This case report describes for the first time a late dislocation of an abandoned transvenous ventricular pacemaker (PM) lead in a child. Further management of this complication and the importance for follow-up of PM leads are discussed.

Relationships Between Identity, Well-Being, and Willingness to Sacrifice in Personal and Collective Favorite Places: The Mediating Role of Well-Being.

In line with research indicating positive associations between well-being and personal and collective people-place bonding, and that collectivistic compared to individualistic commitment may have stronger associations with pro-environmental behavior, we investigated relationships between identity, well-being, and willingness to sacrifice (type of pro-environmental behavior) in personal and collective favorite places. A total of 884 respondents, living in three Swedish municipalities, participated in this study. In line with the hypotheses, we showed congruent positive relationships between place-related: (1) personal identity and personal well-being; (2) collective identity and collective well-being, (3) collective identity and collective willingness to sacrifice; and (4) an incongruent positive association between collective identity and personal willingness to sacrifice. Additionally, a significant role of well-being in mediating the identity → willingness to sacrifice relationship was reported, suggesting that our willingness to pay higher taxes and prices and to accept cuts in standard of living in order to protect our personal and collective favorite places might be accounted for partly by how we feel visiting these places.

Teachers' Personal and Collective Work-Identity Predicts Exhaustion and Work Motivation: Mediating Roles of Psychological Job Demands and Resources.

The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating roles of teachers' psychological job demands and resources regarding personal and collective work-identity, respectively, and exhaustion and self-determined work motivation, respectively. A total of 2,905 members of a Swedish teacher's trade union received an online questionnaire by e-mail; 768 individuals answered the questionnaire and so participated in this study. The data were obtained by self-reported measures (e.g., emotional and cognitive components of work-identity, psychological job demands and resources, exhaustion and work motivation) and analyzed by mediation regression analyses. The results showed that teachers' psychological job demands (prosocial extra-role performance) mediated relationships between cognitive personal work-identity and emotional collective work-identity, respectively, and exhaustion. Teachers' psychological job resources (educational inspiration) mediated relationships between emotional personal work-identity and cognitive collective work-identity, respectively, and self-determined work motivation. Thus, teachers might be disadvantaged by stronger personal work-related thinking and collective work-related feeling when related to exhaustion, to some extent accounted for by psychological job demands, and they might find advantage in stronger personal work-related feeling and collective work-related thinking when related to work motivation, to some extent accounted for by psychological job resources.

Sounds of Nature in the City: No Evidence of Bird Song Improving Stress Recovery.

: Noise from city traffic is one of the most significant environmental stressors. Natural soundscapes, such as bird songs, have been suggested to potentially mitigate or mask noise. All previous studies on masking noise use self-evaluation data rather than physiological data. In this study, while respondents (n = 117) watched a 360° virtual reality (VR) photograph of a park, they were exposed to different soundscapes and mild electrical shocks. The soundscapes-"bird song", "bird song and traffic noise", and "traffic noise"-were played during a 10 min recovery period while their skin conductance levels were assessed as a measure of arousal/stress. No significant difference in stress recovery was found between the soundscapes although a tendency for less stress in "bird song" and more stress in "traffic noise" was noted. All three soundscapes, however, significantly reduced stress. This result could be attributed to the stress-reducing effect of the visual VR environment, to the noise levels being higher than 47 dBA (a level known to make masking ineffective), or to the respondents finding bird songs stressful. Reduction of stress in cities using masking with natural sounds requires further studies with not only larger samples but also sufficient methods to detect potential sex differences.

Reduction of physiological stress by urban green space in a multisensory virtual experiment.

Although stress is an increasing global health problem in cities, urban green spaces can provide health benefits. There is, however, a lack of understanding of the link between physiological mechanisms and qualities of urban green spaces. Here, we compare the effects of visual stimuli (360 degree virtual photos of an urban environment, forest, and park) to the effects of congruent olfactory stimuli (nature and city odours) and auditory stimuli (bird songs and noise) on physiological stress recovery. Participants (N = 154) were pseudo-randomised into participating in one of the three environments and subsequently exposed to stress (operationalised by skin conductance levels). The park and forest, but not the urban area, provided significant stress reduction. High pleasantness ratings of the environment were linked to low physiological stress responses for olfactory and to some extent for auditory, but not for visual stimuli. This result indicates that olfactory stimuli may be better at facilitating stress reduction than visual stimuli. Currently, urban planners prioritise visual stimuli when planning open green spaces, but urban planners should also consider multisensory qualities.

Lighting in digital game worlds: effects on affect and play performance.

As a means of extending the significance of findings in experimental psychology and nonvisual psychological lighting research to digital game research, the present study was designed to investigate the impact of warm (reddish) and cool (bluish) simulated illumination in digital game worlds on game users' affect and play performance. In line with some previous findings, we predicted that lighting in a digital game world might, as in the real world, differently influence the nonvisual psychological mechanisms of affect, which in turn might enhance or impair the players' performance. It was shown that the players performed best and fastest in a game world lit with a warm (reddish) as compared to a cool (bluish) lighting. The former color of lighting also induced the highest level of pleasantness in game users. A regression analysis indicated tentatively that it was the level of pleasantness induced by the warm lighting that enhanced the players' better performance in that digital game world. It was also shown that high- as opposed to medium- or low-skilled players engage almost 2.5 times more per week in game playing. Given their skill, they performed significantly faster and felt significantly calmer and more relaxed in doing so.

Predicting general mental health and exhaustion: the role of emotion and cognition components of personal and collective work-identity.

The aim of this study was to investigate relationships between emotion and cognition components of personal and collective work-identity and self-reported general mental health and exhaustion, in Swedish teachers (N = 768). In line with our predictions, we showed that the emotion component of personal work-identity and the cognition component of collective work-identity associated positively with general mental health and negatively with exhaustion. The reverse result was found, however, for the cognition component of personal work-identity and emotion component of collective work-identity. In general, all this indicates that person-work bonding might, to some degree, account for general mental health and exhaustion in employees. In particular, the findings suggest that general mental health and exhaustion may vary symmetrically across the: (1) Type of person-work bonding (personal vs. collective work-identity); and (2) Type of psychological component (emotion vs. cognition) involved in personal- and collective work-identity.