A database of body-only computer-generated pictures of women for body-image studies: Development and preliminary validation.

The body-shape-related stimuli used in most body-image studies have several limitations (e.g., a lack of pilot validation procedures and the use of non-body-shape-related control/neutral stimuli). We therefore developed a database of 61 computer-generated body-only pictures of women, wherein bodies were methodically manipulated in terms of fatness versus thinness. Eighty-two young women assessed the pictures' attractiveness, beauty, harmony (valence ratings), and body shape (assessed on a thinness/fatness axis), providing normative data for valence and body shape ratings. First, stimuli manipulated for fatness versus thinness conveyed comparable emotional intensities regarding the valence and body shape ratings. Second, different subcategories of stimuli were obtained on the basis of variations in body shape and valence judgments. Fat and thin bodies were distributed into several subcategories depending on their valence ratings, and a subcategory containing stimuli that were neutral in terms of valence and body shape was identified. Interestingly, at a descriptive level, the thinness/fatness manipulations of the bodies were in a curvilinear relationship with the valence ratings: Thin bodies were not only judged as positive, but also as negative when their estimated body mass indexes (BMIs) decreased too much. Finally, convergent validity was assessed by exploring the impacts of body-image-related variables (BMI, thin-ideal internalization, and body dissatisfaction) on participants' judgments of the bodies. Valence judgments, but not body shape judgments, were influenced by the participants' levels of thin-ideal internalization and body dissatisfaction. Participants' BMIs did not significantly influence their judgments. Given these findings, this database contains relevant material that can be used in various fields, primarily for studies of body-image disturbance or eating disorders.

Validation of the Spanish Version of the Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10spa) in Colombia. A Blinded Prospective Cohort Study.

Dysphagia might affect 12 % of the general population, and its complications include pneumonia, malnutrition, social isolation, and death. No validated Spanish symptom survey exists to quantify dysphagia symptoms among Latin Americans. Therefore, we performed a prospective cohort study in a tertiary care university hospital to validate the Spanish version of the 10-Item Eating-Assessment-Tool (EAT-10spa) for use in Colombia. After an interdisciplinary committee of five bilingual specialists evaluated the EAT-10spa (translated and validated in Spain) and deemed it appropriate for the Colombian culture, its feasibility, reliability, validity, sensitivity to change, and diagnostic capacity were evaluated. As a reference standard, we used the flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing with sensory testing and a standardized clinical evaluation. All assessments were blinded. In total, 133 subjects were included (52 % women, mean age 55 years) and completed the EAT-10spa (median completion time: 2 min [IQR 1-3 min]), 39 % of whom had an elementary-level education. Cronbach's α coefficient: 0.91; test-retest intra-class correlation coefficient: 0.94. The Spearman's correlation coefficient of the EAT-10spa with the 8-point penetration-aspiration scale was 0.54 (P < 0.001). The area under the receiver-operating-characteristic-curve (AUC-ROC) for dysphagia and aspiration were 0.79 (P < 0.001) and 0.81 (P < 0.001), respectively. The best cut-off points for dysphagia and aspiration were EAT-10spa ≥2 (sensitivity 93.6 %, specificity 36.4 %) and EAT-10spa ≥4 (sensitivity 94.3 %, specificity 49.5 %), respectively. A reduction in the EAT-10 ≥3 was the best cut-off point for a clinically significant improvement (AUC-ROC 0.83; P < 0.0001). The EAT-10spa showed excellent psychometric properties and discriminatory capacity for use in Colombia.

Theta signal as the neural signature of social exclusion.

The feeling of being excluded from a social interaction triggers social pain, a sensation as intense as actual physical pain. Little is known about the neurophysiological underpinnings of social pain. We addressed this issue using intracranial electroencephalography in 15 patients performing a ball game where inclusion and exclusion blocks were alternated. Time-frequency analyses showed an increase in power of theta-band oscillations during exclusion in the anterior insula (AI) and posterior insula, the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sACC), and the fusiform "face area" (FFA). Interestingly, the AI showed an initial fast response to exclusion but the signal rapidly faded out. Activity in the sACC gradually increased and remained significant thereafter. This suggests that the AI may signal social pain by detecting emotional distress caused by the exclusion, whereas the sACC may be linked to the learning aspects of social pain. Theta activity in the FFA was time-locked to the observation of a player poised to exclude the participant, suggesting that the FFA encodes the social value of faces. Taken together, our findings suggest that theta activity represents the neural signature of social pain. The time course of this signal varies across regions important for processing emotional features linked to social information.

Enhancing Part-to-Part Repeatability of Force-Sensing Resistors Using a Lean Six Sigma Approach.

Polymer nanocomposites have found wide acceptance in research applications as pressure sensors under the designation of force-sensing resistors (FSRs). However, given the random dispersion of conductive nanoparticles in the polymer matrix, the sensitivity of FSRs notably differs from one specimen to another; this condition has precluded the use of FSRs in industrial applications that require large part-to-part repeatability. Six Sigma methodology provides a standard framework to reduce the process variability regarding a critical variable. The Six Sigma core is the DMAIC cycle (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control). In this study, we have deployed the DMAIC cycle to reduce the process variability of sensor sensitivity, where sensitivity was defined by the rate of change in the output voltage in response to the applied force. It was found that sensor sensitivity could be trimmed by changing their input (driving) voltage. The whole process comprised: characterization of FSR sensitivity, followed by physical modeling that let us identify the underlying physics of FSR variability, and ultimately, a mechanism to reduce it; this process let us enhance the sensors' part-to-part repeatability from an industrial standpoint. Two mechanisms were explored to reduce the variability in FSR sensitivity. (i) It was found that the output voltage at null force can be used to discard noncompliant sensors that exhibit either too high or too low sensitivity; this observation is a novel contribution from this research. (ii) An alternative method was also proposed and validated that let us trim the sensitivity of FSRs by means of changing the input voltage. This study was carried out from 64 specimens of Interlink FSR402 sensors.

LaLiga Lockdown: Conditioning Strategy and Adaptation to In-Game Regulations during COVID-19 Pandemic Prevented an Increase in Injury Incidence.

The first division of Spanish professional football (LaLiga) was suspended for 12 weeks as part of the policies enforced by health authorities during the first wave of COVID-19. During this period, players were confined to home for 8 weeks, followed by a club-based retraining period of 4 weeks. Afterwards, LaLiga's teams completed 11 matches, with approximately 3 days of recovery between matches, to finish the competition. The aim of this investigation was to determine whether there is a difference in mean injury incidence in LaLiga players between the pre-lockdown period and post-lockdown period. A total of 277 players belonging to 11 teams competing in LaLiga were monitored during the 2019-2020 season. Injury incidence in the 27 matchdays completed before the lockdown was compared to the last 11 matchdays completed after the resumption of the competition. In comparison to the period before the suspension, the resumption of the championship did not significantly affect the injury incidence (4.2 vs. 5.4 injuries per 1000 h of exposure, p = 0.338). Injury incidence before suspension and after resumption of the competition was similar for muscle (2.6 vs. 3.4 injuries per 1000 h of exposure, p = 0.152) and ligament injuries (0.8 vs. 0.4 injuries per 1000 h of exposure, p = 0.062). The resumption of the competition also did not modify the distribution of injury according to body location (p = 0.948), injury type (p = 0.766), mode of onset (p = 0.614), severity (p = 0.065), or player position (p = 0.295). In summary, mean injury incidence in LaLiga players was similar before and after the lockdown. It is probable that the conditioning strategy adopted by clubs before the resumption of LaLiga and the adaptation of some in-game regulations helped to avoid an increased injury rate after the lockdown.

Neural dynamics of the intention to speak.

When we talk we communicate our intentions. Although the origin of intentional action is debated in cognitive neuroscience, the question of how the brain generates the intention in speech remains still open. Using magnetoencephalography, we investigated the cortical dynamics engaged when healthy subjects attended to either their intention to speak or their actual speech. We found that activity in the right and left parietal cortex increased before subjects became aware of intending to speak. Within the time window of parietal activation, we also observed a transient left frontal activity in Broca's area, a crucial region for inner speech. During attention to speech, neural activity was detected in left prefrontal and temporal areas and in the temporoparietal junction. In agreement with previous results, our findings suggest that the parietal cortex plays a multimodal role in monitoring intentional mechanisms in both action and language. The coactivation of parietal regions and Broca's area may constitute the cortical circuit specific for controlling intentional processes during speech.

A study on visual preference for social stimuli in typical Ecuadorian preschoolers as a contribution to the identification of autism risk factors.

The goal of this study was to examine the visual preference towards socially salient stimuli, using a low-cost eye-tracking device in a group of typically developing (TD) Ecuadorian preschoolers aged 11 to 60 months, from rural and urban areas, and from families with low to high socioeconomic status (SES). Series of original stimuli inspired by those used in Western experiments on the early detection of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were proposed in two eye-tracking tasks. Two types of movements (human vs. object) were presented in task 1, and dynamic speaking faces in task 2. Parental perceptions of the adaptability of the low-cost eye-tracking device used here were also investigated through a questionnaire. The analyses of mean fixation times showed a visual preference for human movements compared to moving objects whatever age, residency location or SES. In task 2, visual preference for the mouth's area compared to the eyes' area was observed in specific conditions, modulated by residency location and SES but not by age. The analyses of the parental perception indicated that the eye-tracking technique is well accepted. The findings suggest that these stimuli, along with the experimental procedure and low-cost eye-tracking device used in the present study may be a relevant tool that can be used in clinical settings as a contribution to the early identification of at-risk factors of ASD in low- and middle-income contexts.

4D biofabrication of skeletal muscle microtissues.

Skeletal muscle is one of the most abundant tissues in the body. Although it has a relatively good regeneration capacity, it cannot heal in the case of disease or severe damage. Many current tissue engineering strategies fall short due to the complex structure of skeletal muscle. Biofabrication techniques have emerged as a popular set of methods for increasing the complexity of tissue-like constructs. In this paper, 4D biofabrication technique is introduced for fabrication of the skeletal muscle microtissues. To this end, a bilayer scaffold consisting of a layer of anisotropic methacrylated alginate fibers (AA-MA) and aligned polycaprolactone (PCL) fibers were fabricated using electrospinning and later induced to self-fold to encapsulate myoblasts. Bilayer mats undergo shape-transformation in an aqueous buffer, a process that depends on their overall thickness, the thickness of each layer and the geometry of the mat. Proper selection of these parameters allowed fabrication of scroll-like tubes encapsulating myoblasts. The myoblasts were shown to align along the axis of the anisotropic PCL fibers and further differentiated into aligned myotubes that contracted under electrical stimulation. Overall the significance of this approach is in the fabrication of hollow tubular constructs that can be further developed for the formation of a vascularized and functional muscle.

Seeing is believing: Early perceptual brain processes are modified by social feedback.

Over 6 decades ago, experimental evidence from social psychology revealed that individuals could alter their responses in perceptual judgement tasks if they differed from the prevailing view emitted by a group of peers. Responses were thus modulated to agree with the opinion of the social group. An open question remains whether such changes actually reflect modified perception, or whether they are simply the result of a feigned agreement, indicating submissive acceptance. In this study, we addressed this topic by performing a perceptual task involving the assessment of ambiguous and distinct stimuli. Participants were asked to judge the colours of squares, before, and after receiving feedback for their response. In order to pinpoint the moment in time that social feedback affected neural processing, ERP components to ambiguous stimuli were compared before and after participants received supposed social feedback that agreed with, or disputed their response. The comparison revealed the presence of differences beginning already 100ms after stimulus presentation (on the P1 and N1 components) despite otherwise identical stimuli. The modulation of these early components, normally thought to be dependent on low-level visual features, demonstrate that social pressure tangibly modifies early perceptual brain processes.

Altered awareness of voluntary action after damage to the parietal cortex.

A central question in the study of human behavior is the origin of willed action. EEG recordings of surface brain activity from human subjects performing a self-initiated movement show that the subjective experience of wanting to move follows, rather than precedes, the 'readiness potential'--an electrophysiological mark of motor preparation. This raises the issue of how conscious experience of willed action is generated. Here we show that patients with parietal lesions can report when they started moving, but not when they first became aware of their intention to move. This stands in contrast with the performance of cerebellar patients who behaved as normal subjects. We thus propose that when a movement is planned, activity in the parietal cortex, as part of a cortico-cortical sensorimotor processing loop, generates a predictive internal model of the upcoming movement. This model might form the neural correlate of motor awareness.

Warmth and competence predict overoptimistic beliefs for out-group but not in-group members.

People can be overly optimistic not only about their own future but also for the people with whom they identify. Furthermore, interpersonal perception generally forms along two universal dimensions, i.e. warmth and competence. In this study, we created four fictional characters that would map onto each quadrant of the two-dimensional space of warmth and competence, i.e. one in-group member (high on both warmth and competence) and three out-group members (high warmth, low competence; high competence, low warmth; low on both warmth and competence). We then asked respondents to assess the likelihood of each character experiencing a series of identical desirable and undesirable events in order to uncover potential optimistic biases. Our study had two goals. First, we wanted to balance the target desirable and undesirable events on four key characteristics, i.e. event frequency, controllability, emotional intensity and personal experience with the event. Second, we wanted to investigate whether stereotypes of warmth and competence could influence the respondents' likelihood estimates for each character. We show that respondents manifested a strong desirability bias, expecting more desirable than undesirable events for the in-group member and the reverse pattern for the extreme out-group member. More important, we show that, within desirable and undesirable events, respondents anchored their judgments for the in-group member on their personal experience with the target events, further revealing an egocentric bias, but turned to stereotypical knowledge in the form of warmth and competence to judge out-group members. Implications for both social perception and optimism research are discussed.

Polymers of ε-Caprolactone Using New Copper(II) and Zinc(II) Complexes as Initiators: Synthesis, Characterization and X-Ray Crystal Structures.

Five of six new Zn(II) and Cu(II) complexes were active in the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-caprolactone (CL) under solvent-free conditions, producing polycaprolactones (PCLs) of high crystallinity with molecular weights between 22,900 and 38,700 g mol-1 and decomposition temperatures above 260 °C. ¹H NMR analysis demonstrated that the PCLs obtained were mainly linear, having hydroxymethylene groups at the chain ends. The results obtained indicated a significant improvement in terms of the ratio of monomer:initiator compared to related Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes. In addition, the structures of the complexes 1 and 4 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The synthesis and full characterization of all complexes are described in this paper.

Altered processing of sensorimotor feedback in schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is characterized by an altered sense of the reality, associated with hallucinations and delusions. Some theories suggest that schizophrenia is related to a deficiency of the system that generates information about the sensory consequences of the actions realized by the subject. This system monitors the reafferent information resulting from an action and allows its anticipation. In the present study, we examined visual-event-related potentials (ERPs) generated by a sensorimotor task in 15 patients with schizophrenia and 15 normal controls. The visual feedback from hand movements performed by the subjects was experimentally distorted. Behavioral results showed that patients were impaired in recognizing their own movements. The ERP signal in patients also differed from those of control subjects. In patients, the ERP waveform was affected during the early part of the response (200 ms). This early effect in schizophrenic patients reveals a modified processing of the visual consequence of their actions.

Prácticas sobre cuidado de niños con discapacidad construidas por cuidadores del Instituto de Capacitación Los Álamos

Introducción:La labor de cuidado de niños con discapacidad en primera infancia está mediada por muchos elementos, entre ellos, las prácticas. Dada la discapacidad y la edad de los niños, es habitual que sean sus cuidadores los responsables de su bienestar. Comprender las prácticas de los cuidadores permite optimizar e implementar rutinas funcionales, que propendan al bienestar y la calidad de vida de los niños y sus cuidadores. Objetivo: Comprender las prácticas de personas encargadas del cuidado a niños con discapacidad, de 1 a 6 años de edad, en el Instituto de Capacitación Los Álamos (Itagüí, Colombia). Método: Estudio cualitativo enfocado en la teoría fundamentada. Se invitó a participar 12 madres sustitutas del instituto, se realizó un muestreo a conveniencia hasta la saturación teórica. Resultados: Las prácticas se constituyen en rutinas de cuidado que incluyen actividades que son específicas para los niños con discapacidad, tales como masajes, terapias, adaptaciones del espacio para el posicionamiento y la participación, entre otros. Actividades como la alimentación y el masaje son igual de importantes a la hora del cuidado de un niño con discapacidad. Conclusión: El cuidado de niños con discapacidad supone la realización de múltiples actividades y diferentes prácticas específicas para la condición del niño. A pesar de lo difíciles que son, terminan estando inmersas en un compilado de rutinas que se incorporan al día a día de la familia.

Introdução: O trabalho de cuidar de crianças com deficiência na primeira infância é mediado por muitos elementos, incluindo práticas. Dada a deficiência e a idade das crianças, é comum que seus cuidadores sejam responsáveis por seu bem-estar. A compreensão das práticas dos cuidadores permite otimizar e implementar rotinas funcionais que promovam o bem-estar e a qualidade de vida da criança e de seus cuidadores. Objetivo: Compreender as práticas sobre o cuidado de crianças com deficiência física na primeira infância, construídas por cuidadores pertencentes ao Instituto de Capacitación Los Álamos. Método: Estudo qualitativo com foco na teoria fundamentada. Doze mães de aluguel foram convidadas a participar, sendo realizada uma amostragem por conveniência até a saturação teórica. Resultados: As práticas se constituem em rotinas de cuidado, que incluem atividades específicas para crianças com deficiência, como massagens, terapias, adaptações do espaço para posicionamento e participação, entre outras. Atividades como alimentação e massagem são tão importantes quanto ao cuidar de uma criança com deficiência. Conclusão: Cuidar de crianças com deficiência envolve a realização de múltiplas atividades e diferentes práticas específicas à condição da criança. Por mais difíceis que sejam, acabam imersos em uma compilação de rotinas que se incorporam ao dia a dia da família.

Introduction: Many elements, including practices, mediate the work of caring for children with disabilities in early childhood. As a result of the disability and age of the children, their caregivers commonly become responsible for their well-being. Understanding the practices of caregivers allows optimizing and implementing functional routines that promote the well-being and quality of life of children and their caregivers. Objective: To understand the practices of caregivers of children aged 1-6 years with disabilities at the Instituto de Capacitación Los Álamos (Itagüí, Colombia). Method: Qualitative study focused on grounded theory. The participants were twelve surrogate mothers from the institute; a convenience sampling was carried out until theoretical saturation. Results: The practices consisted of care routines, including activities specifically for children with disabilities such as massages, therapies, adaptations of the space for postural control and participation. Moreover, activities such as feeding and massages are equally important when caring for a child with a disability. Conclusion: Caring for children with disabilities involves multiple activities and practices specific to the child's condition. Despite their difficulty, they become immersed in a compilation of routines incorporated into the family's daily life.

Event-related potentials during rule processing in schizophrenia.

Several studies have shown that schizophrenia is characterized by impaired frontal lobe functions, functions that are responsible, for example, for the management of rules, strategic reasoning, and selective attention. Using event-related potentials (ERP), we assessed the brain's electrical activity in a group of patients with schizophrenia (n=11) and a healthy control group (n=14) during a reaction time task requiring the use of a rule. ERP waves were compared with those elicited in a similar task based on a direct sensory association. In the control group, ERP analyses showed a negative wave moving from the posterior to the anterior regions of the scalp in a latency range of 250-400 ms. Then, the negativity remained at the frontal scalp region in a latency range of 400-800 ms. In this group, the amplitude was higher during the rule operation than during the sensory association task. In schizophrenic patients, the anteroposterior component of the negative wave was totally absent in both tasks, and we did not find a modulation of the ERP by the task. Frontal scalp negativity was observed, but its latency was longer and its amplitude lower than in the control group. We discuss these findings in terms of the frontoposterior disconnection hypothesis.

Use and automation of a rule in schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is associated with cognitive deficits and information-processing anomalies. Several studies have shown impairments in frontal lobe functions such as discovering rules, adopting strategies and working memory. We have evaluated the performances of schizophrenic patients on three different tasks of information processing. The first was a simple reaction time task, the second consisted of discriminating the color of the stimuli, and the third required the use of a rule of permutation. The schizophrenic patients (n=17) showed a task-dependent increase in time for responses in comparison with the control group (n=17). This increase was particularly important in the last task, which requires the use of the rule. These results confirm and expand the previously described impairment of patients with schizophrenia in the ability to use rules. They are discussed in terms of deficit in executive functions probably due to frontal lobe malfunctioning.

Characterizing the time course of an implicature: an evoked potentials study.

This work employs Evoked Potential techniques as 19 participants are confronted with sentences that have the potential to produce scalar implicatures, like in Some elephants have trunks. Such an Underinformative utterance is of interest to pragmatists because it can be considered to have two different truth values. It can be considered true when taken at face value but false if one were to treat Some with the implicature Not All. Two accounts of implicature production are compared. The neo-Gricean approach (e.g., Levinson, 2000) assumes that implicatures intrude automatically on the semantics of a term like Some. Relevance Theory (Sperber & Wilson, 1985/1996) assumes that implicatures are effortful and not automatic. In this experiment, the participants are presented with 25 Underinformative sentences along with 25 sentences that are Patently True (e.g. Some houses have bricks) and 25 that are Patently False (e.g. Some crows have radios). As reported in an earlier study (Noveck, 2001), Underinformative sentences prompt strong individual differences. Seven participants here responded true to all (or nearly all) of the Underinformative sentences and the remaining 12 responded false to all (or nearly all) of them. The present study showed that those who responded false to the Underinformative sentences took significantly longer to do so that those who responded true. The ERP data indicate that: (a) the Patently True and Patently False sentences prompt steeper N400's--indicating greater semantic integration--than the Underinformative sentences and that (b) regardless of one's ultimate response to the Underinformative sentences, the N400's were remarkably flat, indicating no particular reaction to these sentences. Collectively, the data are taken to show that implicatures are part of a late-arriving, effort-demanding decision process.

Pericarditis constrictiva crónica calcificada idiopática (concretio cordis) / Idiopathic calcific chronic constrictive pericarditis (concretio cordis)

Resumen La pericarditis constrictiva es una enfermedad poco frecuente que resulta de la pérdida de la elasticidad normal del saco pericárdico y la consiguiente cicatrización. Comprende diversas etiologías, pero en un gran porcentaje de los casos es diagnosticada como idiopática. Sus manifestaciones suelen ser crónicas, aunque sus variantes incluyen constricción subaguda, transitoria y oculta. Se presenta el caso de un paciente masculino de 53 años de edad con deterioro de su clase funcional asociado a disnea, frote pericárdico y hallazgos radiológicos de calcificación pericárdica, requiriendo pericardiectomía total.

Abstract Constrictive pericarditis is an uncommon condition resulting from loss of normal elasticity pericardial sac and consequent healing. Although a large percentage of cases are diagnosed as idiopathic. That pathology comprises various etiologies. Its manifestations are usually chronic, but variants include subacute and transient constriction. We present the case of a male patient of 53 years who presented functional class deterioration manifested by dyspnea, pericardial rub and radiological findings confirming pericardial calcification requiring total pericardiectomy.