Should One Kind of Freedom Be Restricted to Promote Another?

Due to restraints' consequences for personal liberty and dignity, the threshold to apply restraints is understandably high and heavily regulated. However, there can be clinical scenarios in which restraint use can facilitate a patient's freedom. This article considers such a case and examines conditions under which using restraints offers therapeutic benefit for patients with traumatic brain injuries.

Field Observations of Body Temperature for the Wolf Spider, Rabidosa rabida (Araneae: Lycosidae), Differ From Reported Laboratory Temperature Preference Suggesting Thermoconforming Behavior.

Temperature affects all aspects of ectotherm ecology, behavior, and physiology. Descriptions of thermal ecology are important for understanding ecology in changing thermal environments. Both laboratory and field estimates are important for understanding thermal ecology. Rabidosa rabida (Walckenaer 1837) (Araneae: Lycosidae) is a large wolf spider with some natural history, including laboratory estimates of thermal preference, tolerance, and performance, reported in the scientific literature. Laboratory tests suggest the active choice of temperature environment. To test published estimates of thermal ecology from the laboratory, we took body temperature measurements of mature spiders in the field nocturnally and diurnally using a FLIR camera in July 2019. We made comparisons between sexes and activity periods using field observations. We compared these measurements with the published values for thermal preferences and thermal maximum and with mean weather station data. Observed field temperatures differed significantly from published preference, but not from mean temperature from a local weather station. This suggests that this species is thermoconforming rather than actively thermoregulating. Reported thermal preference fell between the diurnal and nocturnal mean measurements closer to the diurnal than nocturnal temperatures. These field observations show how important it is to make field observations for physiology and thermal ecology. Maximum observed diurnal temperatures closely approached the published critical thermal maximum. We observed spiders performing behaviors such as hunting and feeding in conditions well above published thermal preference and near-critical high temperature. These observations suggest that R. rabida is thermoconforming in this limited period but does not rule out that they might thermoregulate in certain situations.

Association of sleep with neurobehavioral impairments during inpatient rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury.

BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbance is a common sequela after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Many of the impairments following TBI may be exacerbated by impaired sleep-wake cycle regulation. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between total sleep time (TST), measured by wrist actigraphy and observational sleep logs, and neurobehavioral impairments during inpatient rehabilitation after TBI. METHODS: Twenty-five subjects undergoing inpatient rehabilitation for traumatic brain injury were included. TST was measured using wrist actigraphy and observational sleep logs. Neurobehavioral impairments were assessed using the Neurobehavioral Rating Scale-Revised (NRS-R), a multidimensional clinician-based assessment. RESULTS: Of 25 subjects enrolled, 23 subjects completed the study. A significant negative correlation was found between total NRS-R and TST calculated by observational sleep logs (r = -0.28, p = 0.007). The association between total NRS-R and TST, as calculated by actigraphy, was not significantly correlated (R = -0.01, p = 0.921). CONCLUSIONS: Sleep disturbance during inpatient rehabilitation is associated with neurobehavioral impairments after TBI. TST measured by actigraphy may be limited by sleep detection algorithms that have not been validated in certain patient populations. Considerations should be made regarding the feasibility of using wearable sensors in patients with cognitive and behavioral impairments. Challenges regarding actigraphy for sleep monitoring in the brain injury population are discussed.

Pharmacological management of sleep after traumatic brain injury.

Sleep-wake disturbances (SWD) are prevalent in the traumatic brain injury (TBI) population and may exacerbate related neurobehavioral impairments. As such, it is important to recognize and treat SWD early to allow for optimal cognitive recovery following a TBI. A number of medications are currently available for treatment of SWD. However, most research in this area has historically focused on neurologically intact populations. This article reviews key pharmacologic treatment principles and agents to consider for use in the treatment of TBI-related SWD. In addition, it highlights available research literature that has examined the use of sleep medications in this unique population.

Intraspecific variation in the thermal biology of Rabidosa rabida (Araneae: Lycosidae) (Walckenaer) from the mountains of Arkansas.

Temperature affects all levels of biological organization and multiple aspects of ecological performance and fitness. Descriptions of thermal biology are, therefore, essential pieces of information for studying ecology in varying thermal environments. This paper describes the thermal biology of the spider Rabidosa rabida by using three common descriptive measures. Spiders were collected from two populations on mountains in Arkansas that share similar climate and vegetation. Maximum sprint speed across temperature was used to calculate an estimate of thermal sensitivity of locomotor ability. Spiders were placed in a thermal gradient to determine thermal preference. Spiders' body temperatures were increased or decreased until the ability to move was lost. Results were compared between the populations to describe intraspecific variation. Maximum sprint speed increased across temperatures showing moderate sensitivity (Q(10 all spiders) = between 1.74 and 2) except at the highest temperatures in males, and the lowest temperatures in both sexes. Maximum sprint speeds differed between populations (P < 0.05). The critical thermal maximum was shown to be 42.9°C ± 0.70. The critical thermal minimum was estimated at 0°C. Thermal preference of R. rabida was determined to be 31.9°C ± 0.44 showing no significant variation between populations. This study provides a first description of thermal biology in an ecologically important spider, and shows evidence of variation between thermal biology measures between populations with similar climate but no gene flow. Having adapted to various and changing conditions in the past, this spider and others like it can provide many ecologically and evolutionarily interesting lines of inquiry.