Neurocognitive Effects of Incentivizing Students to Improve Performance Through Repeat Attempts in Design Settings

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devanshi Shah ◽  
Elisabeth Kames ◽  
Beshoy Morkos
Keyword(s):  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Stressful Situation ◽  
Eeg Data ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Gift Card ◽  
Experimental Group

Abstract The goal of the study is to examine the effectiveness of using an incentivized “test/retest” scenario to improve participants’ performance during stressful situations. The study makes use of an electroencephalography (EEG) machine to detect participants’ stress levels during a one-minute typing test. The typing test administered was a standard, “story-typing” test. A total of 23 student participants were randomly divided into two cohorts: the control cohort and the experimental cohort. Participants were asked to complete a preliminary questionnaire self-assessing their ability to handle stressful situations. Both cohorts were then asked to complete the typing test (hereafter referred to as T1) and fill out an Emotional Stress Reaction Questionnaire (ESRQ), indicating their emotions during the typing test. The participants were then asked to complete the typing test and accompanying ESRQ a second time (hereafter referred to as T2). However, prior to the second test, the participants in the experimental cohort were told that the participant that shows the most improvement in their typing speed (measured in words per minute) will receive a $100 gift card. This stimulus is used to increase the already stressful situation for the experimental cohort and examine whether participants’ brain activity changes when the “retest” is incentivized. Each participant’s EEG data and heartrate were measured through the duration of the experiment and t-tests and regression analyses were used to determine if a statistically significant difference existed between cohorts (control vs. experimental) or within cohorts (T1 vs. T2). The results show that there were no significant changes in brain activity, emotions, or typing performance for the control group of participants (no reward offered). However, the experimental group showed an increase in EEG sensor activity; specifically, the sensors that control vision and emotion. Interestingly, the participant’s performance was found to be correlated to their emotional responses, rather than their EEG sensor data. Additionally, the experimental groups’ positive emotions were increased for the second typing test, which is incentivized. The findings lay a foundation for design settings scenarios where preparatory practices can be incorporated.

scholarly journals A Study of Stress Reduction Through PMR and Talk therapy Among College Students

2020 ◽  
pp. 314-320
Author(s):  
Nikhil Chaudhary ◽  
Dr. Tarun Kumar Sharma
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Stressful Situation ◽  
Intervention Programme ◽  
Stress Scale ◽  
Talk Therapy ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Experimental Group

Stress refers to the situation of excess or deficit of one’s resources in certain circumstances. The state of stress is very much common among students, especially college going students who had to deal with numerous stressors in their daily lives. To conquer such stressful situation, counseling and its related intervention programme plays a vital role. Counseling refers to a systematic and professional relationship between a professional (Counselor or Psychologist) and a sufferer (Client) in which several techniques are collectively applied to resolve client’s stressful issues. The aim of this research is to study the level of stress reduction with the help of PMR and Talk therapy among college students. A standardized stress scale namely ‘Perceived Stress Scale’ develop by Sheldon Cohen which is possessing high reliability and validity was conducted on 60 college students. Out of them, 30 students were in control and 30 were in experimental group. Furthermore, it was found that students belonging to experimental group were given a proper counseling programme of 5 sessions including PMR and Talk therapy and this result in significant difference at 0.01 level and ultimately leads to reduced stress level as compared to control group. It was found that there is a there is a positive relationship between PMR & Talk therapy and stress reduction of college students.

scholarly journals Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on an Individual’s Ability to Learn to Control a Brain-Computer Interface

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Renda ◽  
Sarah Amirali Karmali ◽  
Ivona Yordanova ◽  
Shira Schwartz ◽  
Yacine Mahdid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Imagery ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Motor Impairments ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Electrical Brain Activity ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Experimental Group

Purpose: Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) are systems which enable direct communication between a brain and an external device by translating electrical brain activity into meaningful output. This technology can be used by individuals with motor impairments to interact and communicate with their external environment. BCIs based upon manipulating the sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) through motor imagery have lengthy learning periods, which present a significant barrier to using this technology. We hypothesize that this learning period will be significantly reduced by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which temporarily augments cortical excitability.Methods: Participants were assigned into two groups - the experimental group, which received tDCS, and a control group, which received sham stimulation. Following tDCS, the participants used a SMR-based BCI to move a falling ball to hit targets that appeared on the left or right side of screen. The effect of tDCS was assessed by comparing the overall task accuracy and the SMR change during motor imagery between the two groups .Results: The experimental group was significantly more accurate in controlling the BCI than the control group (p = 0.021); however, there was no significant difference between groups in the SMR change upon motor imagery (p = 0.22). Conclusions. tDCS can be used to improve the performance of healthy individuals learning to use an SMR-based BCI. 

Is perioperative antibiotic necessary in straightforward implant placement procedures?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elçin Bedeloğlu ◽  
Mustafa Yalçın ◽  
Cenker Zeki Koyuncuoğlu
Keyword(s):  
Clavulanic Acid ◽  
Dental Implant ◽  
Prophylactic Antibiotic ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Implant Failure ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Implant Placement ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Amoxicillin Clavulanic Acid ◽  
Experimental Group

The purpose of this non-random retrospective cohort study was to evaluate the impact of prophylactic antibiotic on early outcomes including postoperative pain, swelling, bleeding and cyanosis in patients undergoing dental implant placement before prosthetic loading. Seventy-five patients (45 males, 30 females) whose dental implant placement were completed, included to the study. Patients used prophylactic antibiotics were defined as the experimental group and those who did not, were defined as the control group. The experimental group received 2 g amoxicillin + clavulanic acid 1 h preoperatively and 1 g amoxicillin + clavulanic acid twice a day for 5 days postoperatively while the control group had received no prophylactic antibiotic therapy perioperatively. Data on pain, swelling, bleeding, cyanosis, flap dehiscence, suppuration and implant failure were analyzed on postoperative days 2, 7, and 14 and week 12. No statistically significant difference was detected between the two groups with regard to pain and swelling on postoperative days 2, 7, and 14 and week 12 ( p >0.05), while the severity of pain and swelling were greater on day 2 compared to day 7 and 14 and week 12 in both groups ( p =0.001 and p <0.05, respectively). Similarly, no significant difference was found between the two groups with regard to postoperative bleeding and cyanosis. Although flap dehiscence was more severe on day 7 in the experimental group, no significant difference was found between the two groups with regard to the percentage of flap dehiscence assessed at other time points. Within limitations of the study, it has been demonstrated that antibiotic use has no effect on implant failure rates in dental implant surgery with a limited number of implants. We conclude that perioperative antibiotic use may not be required in straightforward implant placement procedures. Further randomized control clinical studies with higher numbers of patients and implants are needed to substantiate our findings.

The Effect of Using Students Peer Teaching on Iraqi EFL Students' Achievement in the Course of Library and Research Work

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (33) ◽  
pp. 693-714
Author(s):  
. Muntaha Sabbar Jebur
Keyword(s):  
Basic Education ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Peer Teaching ◽  
Control Group ◽  
College Of Basic Education ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Experimental Group

          Peer teaching is a strategy that allows the students to teach the new content to each other, and they must be accurately guided by instructors.     The researcher proposes that the use of students peer teaching  may promote students' achievement  and ensure the engagement of all the students in the learning process. Therefore, the researcher employs it as a teaching method aiming at investigating its  effect on Iraqi EFL students' achievement in the course of Library and Research Work .      The study hypothesizes that there is no significant difference between the students' achievement who are taught library and research work by students peer teaching  and that of the students taught by the traditional way. The experimental design of the study is Parallel Groups, Random Assignment, posttest. Each group consists of 35 students, chosen randomly from the Third Year Students at the Department of English in the College of Basic Education. Both groups were matched in terms of their age and parents' education. The experiment was fulfilled in the first course for 15 weeks during the academic year 2016-2017.       The same materials were presented to both groups. This included   units from Writing Research Paper by Lester D. . Post-test was constructed and exposed  The t-test for  independent samples was used to analyze the results and it is found out that there is a statistical difference between the two groups in their achievement because the calculated t- value 2.635 is bigger than the tabulated t- value which is 2.000, and also shown the superiority of the experimental group. The results indicate that the experimental group, who was taught Library and Research Work by peer teaching   was better than the control group, who was taught according to the traditional way. So, the null hypothesis is rejected. Finally, some recommendations and suggestions are presented in the light of the study findings. to a jury of experts to verify its validity and it was administered to both groups.

Optimization of postoperative management of patients undergoing functional endoscopic sinus surgery

2018 ◽  
pp. 26-31
Author(s):  
Sergey Bezshapochny ◽  
Andrey Loburets ◽  
Valery Loburets
Keyword(s):  
Nasal Cavity ◽  
Postoperative Period ◽  
Sodium Hyaluronate ◽  
Sinus Surgery ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Nasal Breathing ◽  
Traditional Therapy ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Water Salt ◽  
Experimental Group

Topicality: The result of surgical treatment depends largely on the chosen method of management of the postoperative period, the main purpose of which is to reduce the effects of surgical trauma. Despite the wide variety of drugs for local and systemic use, the question of pharmacotherapy of the operated sinus remains open to this day. The main properties that a modern drug should possess are safety and high clinical efficacy. Aim: to study the clinical efficacy of topical application of a complex preparation based on a saline solution containing sodium hyaluronate and dexpanthenol in patients with chronic sinusitis after functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). Materials and Methods: Clinical and laboratory studies were conducted on 47 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis who underwent surgery using the FESS technique. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the principle of the postoperative period. Patients of research group (n=21), except for traditional therapy, was used locally NASOMER (a preparation based on a water-salt solution containing sodium hyaluronate and dexpanthenol); to the control group (n=26) patients entered, in the postoperative period received traditional therapy. Traditional therapy included a toilet of the nasal cavity, the use of short-course topical decongestants, irrigation of the nasal cavity with water-salt solutions. Criteria of clinical effectiveness: data of endoscopy of the nasal cavity, rhinomanometry, activity of the mucociliary transport system. The effectiveness of functional research methods in the postoperative period was determined on the 7th and 14th day of treatment. Results: On the 3rd day of the study, an increase in the swelling of the nasal cavity was observed in patients of both clinical groups, correlated with difficulty in nasal breathing. On the 7th day, a decrease in edema was observed in patients of both groups, but in the experimental group, the index of nasal breathing, according to rhinomanometry, was significantly (p<0.05) different from the control group, and was respectively 1.54±0.14 and 2.04±0.19 kPa/l*s. On the 14th day of the study, no significant difference was observed between these indicators. When studying the activity of the ciliated epithelium of the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity, it was proved that patients of the experimental group on day 7 after surgery showed a statistically significant difference in this indicator compared to the control group (17.8±1.0 and 22.7±2.1 min. respectively). Conclusions: The use of NASOMER after surgical intervention in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis contributes to more effective treatment compared with traditional therapy, as evidenced by the rapid recovery of the main functional parameters according to active posterior rhinomanometry and mucociliary clearance. Based on the results of the studies performed, the use of NASOMER for pharmacotherapy in the postoperative period is recommended for patients who have undergone rhinosurgical interventions with the aim of reducing the period of postoperative rehabilitation as an effective anti-inflammatory and wound-healing agent.

Thyroid Dysfunction in Pregnant Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 895-899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahin Safian ◽  
Farzaneh Esna-Ashari ◽  
Shiva Borzouei
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Gestational Diabetes ◽  
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Thyroid Dysfunction ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Thyroid Peroxidase ◽  
Free T4 ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Experimental Group

Aims: Investigation thyroid dysfunction and autoimmunity in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus. Background: This article was written to evaluate the thyroid function and anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti- TPO) antibodies in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Method: A total of 252 women with GDM and 252 healthy pregnant women were enrolled. Thyroid tests, including TSH, FreeT3, Free T4, and anti-TPO were performed for all women at 24–28 weeks of gestation. Data analysis was then carried out using SPSS ver. 22. Result: There was a significant difference between the experimental group (38.4%) and the control group (14.06%) in terms of the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism (p= 0.016). The frequency of anti-TPO was higher in the experimental group than the control group and positive anti-TPO was observed in 18.6% of women with GDM and 10.3% of healthy pregnant women (P= 0.008). Conclusion: Thyroid disorders are observed in pregnant women with GDM more frequently than healthy individuals and it may be thus reasonable to perform thyroid tests routinely.

EFFECT OF WEB BASED INSTRUCTIONS ON ACHIEVEMENT IN SOCIAL STUDIES

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (24) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajwinder Kaur
Keyword(s):  
Social Studies ◽  
Conventional Method ◽  
Traditional Method ◽  
Statistical Techniques ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Experimental Group

The purpose of the study was to study the Effect of Web based instructions on achievement in Social Studies. The sample consisted of 100 students from Grade 8th of schools affiliated to C.B.S.E of Ferozepur and were randomly split into two groups-control (taught by traditional method) and experimental (taught by Web based instruction) groups. Firstly pre-test was administered on both the groups; then the students in the control group were taught by conventional method while experimental group was taught by Web based instructions. Then post-test was administrated on both the groups. The Statistical techniques were then employed to data collected and analysis and interpretation of the data was done. The result of the study implied that there exists significant difference in achievement in Social Studies based on Web based instructions and conventional method. The study also revealed that there exist significant gender differences in achievement in Social Studies with Web based instructions.

Role of Nutrition Counseling and Lifestyle Modification in Managing Prediabetes

2021 ◽  
pp. 037957212110254
Author(s):  
Harleen Kaur ◽  
Neerja Singla ◽  
Rohini Jain
Keyword(s):  
Hemoglobin A1c ◽  
Lifestyle Modification ◽  
Fasting Blood Glucose ◽  
Nutrition Intervention ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Population Prevalence ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
And Control ◽  
Experimental Group

Objective: India is the second country after China having the highest population prevalence of diabetes. Several research studies investigating diabetes have been done, but not much work has been done on prediabetes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of nutrition and lifestyle modification on prediabetic females. Methods: A total of 120 prediabetic females from Ludhiana city were divided into 2 matched groups: control group (n = 60) and experimental group (n = 60). Impact of nutrition intervention for dietary and lifestyle modification (for 3 months) was assessed on the anthropometric, dietary, biochemical parameters, and diabetes risk score of the experimental group and control group (no intervention). Results: All the selected 120 subjects completed the study (experimental group = 60; control group = 60). There was significant difference in the changes between the 2 groups throughout the study. The fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin A1c levels of the experimental group subjects reduced significantly ( P ≤ .01). However, no change was observed among the control group subjects. The lipid profile of the experimental group showed a significant improvement ( P ≤ .01). Conclusion: Nutrition counselling of the prediabetics regarding dietary and lifestyle modification is recommended so as to improve their metabolic control, thus preventing them from being diabetics.

scholarly journals Effect of synchronous irrigation on cyclic fatigue of nickel-titanium instrument in the dynamic and static models

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 228080002098740
Author(s):  
Haiyun Liu ◽  
Yanfeng Li ◽  
Guangquan Chai ◽  
Yuan Lv ◽  
Changjian Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Resistance ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Dynamic Control ◽  
Cyclic Fatigue ◽  
Nickel Titanium ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Time To Failure ◽  
Dynamic Tests ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Experimental Group

Objective: To evaluate the effect of synchronous water irrigation on the fatigue resistance of nickel-titanium instrument. Methods: A standardized cyclic fatigue test models were established, and five types of nickel-titanium instruments (PTU F1, WO, WOG, RE, and M3) were applied. Each instrument was randomly divided into two groups ( N = 12). There was synchronous water irrigation in the experimental group, and no water irrigation in the control group. Besides, ProTaper Universal F1 was randomly divided into 10 groups ( N = 20). In the static group, nickel-titanium instruments were divided into one control group (no irrigation, N = 20) and six experimental group (irrigation, N = 20) based on different flow rate, angle and position; while in the dynamic group, instruments were divided into one control group (no irrigation, N = 20) and two experimental group (irrigation, N = 20) based on different flow rate. The rotation time (Time to Failure, TtF) of instruments was recorded and analyzed. Results: According to the static experiments, the TtF of instruments in all experimental groups was significantly higher than that in the static control group. Besides, the dynamic tests of PTU F1 showed that the TtF in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the dynamic control group. Compared with control group, the TtF in the experimental groups increased by at least about 30% and up to 160%. The static and dynamic tests of PTU F1 showed that the TtF of nickel-titanium instrument in all experimental groups was significantly higher than that in the control group. However, there was no significant difference between any two experimental groups. Conclusion: Regardless of dynamic or static model, TtF with irrigation was longer than that with non-irrigation, indicating that synchronous irrigation can increase the fatigue resistance of nickel-titanium instrument. However, different irrigation conditions may have the same effect on the fatigue resistance.

Does soft tissue mobilization assist static stretching to improve hamstring flexibility? A randomized controlled trial

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shibili Nuhmani
Keyword(s):  
Soft Tissue ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Knee Extension ◽  
Repeated Measure ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Static Stretching ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Hamstring Flexibility ◽  
Soft Tissue Mobilization ◽  
Experimental Group

AbstractObjectivesObjective of the study is to investigate whether Soft tissue mobilization (STM) can assist with static stretching to improve hamstring flexibly.MethodsThe design of the study was repeated measure design. The study was conducted at the physical therapy laboratory of Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi. Participants included 78 healthy males with hamstring tightness, randomly assigned to either the control group (static stretching) or the experimental group (STM and static stretching). The experimental group received five sets of four different STM techniques, followed by two sets of 30-s static stretches 3 days per week over the course of 12 weeks. The control group received 5 min of sham ultrasound with an inactive probe prior to static stretching. Active knee extension test (AKE) was the outcome measure.ResultsBoth groups showed significant improvement in AKE compared with the baseline measurements. With ingroup analysis showed a significant difference in AKE across all measured time periods (weeks 4, 8, and 12) with pre-test in both groups (p<0.05). No significant difference in AKE improvement was found between groups (p>0.05).ConclusionThe results of this study show that STM prior to static stretching does not significantly improve hamstring flexibility among healthy individuals. Although this study cannot be generalized, the results may be useful for evidence-based practice in the management of hamstring tightness.

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