scholarly journals An Information-Theoretic Measure of Cultural Success

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Cashman

I develop a simple but principled method for measuring the amount of culturally-transmitted information from a written target work that is actually retained in human minds and capable of influencing behavior. Using procedures inspired by Claude Shannon’s 1951 method for estimating the entropy of written English, I estimate the entropy of samples from the target work with a treatment group (those that have read a target work) and a control group (those who are of the same culture but who have not read the target work), using human minds as encoders-decoders in the communication model. KL divergence quantifies the information that the treatment group already knows relative to the control group. This method controls for shared cultural inheritance and does not require commitments to what information from the target work is important. The general technique can be profitably extended to a variety of domains, including evolutionary theory, methods of teaching, and the study of music.

Author(s):  
Florian Arendt

A test was done to see if reading a newspaper which consistently overrepresents foreigners as criminals strengthens the automatic association between foreign country and criminal in memory (i.e., implicit cultivation). Further, an investigation was done to find out if reading articles from the same newspaper produces a short-term effect on the same measure and if (1) emotionalization of the newspaper texts, (2) emotional reactions of the reader (indicated by arousal), and (3) attributed text credibility moderate the short-term treatment effect. Eighty-five participants were assigned to one of three experimental conditions. Participants in the control group received short factual crime texts, where the nationality of the offender was not mentioned. Participants in the factual treatment group received the same texts, but the foreign nationality was mentioned. Participants in the emotionalized treatment group received emotionalized articles (i.e., texts which are high in vividness and frequency) covering the same crimes, with the foreign nationality mentioned. Supporting empirical evidence for implicit cultivation and a short-term effect was found. However, only emotionalized articles produced a short-term effect on the strength of the automatic association, indicating that newspaper texts must have a minimum of stimulus intensity to overcome an effect threshold. There were no moderating effects of arousal or credibility pertaining to the impact on the implicit measure. However, credibility moderated the short-term effect on a first-order judgment (i.e., estimated frequency of foreigners of all criminals). This indicates that a newspaper’s effect on the strength of automatic associations is relatively independent from processes of propositional reasoning.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Siti Asiyah ◽  
Dwi Estuning Rahayu ◽  
Wiranti Dwi Novita Isnaeni

The needed of Iron Tablet in pregnancy was increase than mother who not pregnant.  That  cause of  high metabolism at the pregnancy for formed of  fetal organ and energy. One of effort for prevent anemia in mother pregnant with giving the Iron tablet and vitamin c. The reason of  this research in 4 June – 11 July 2014 is for compare the effect of  iron tablet suplementation with and without vitamin C toward Hemoglobin level in mother pregnant With Gestational Age Of 16-32 Weeks In Desa Keniten Kecamatan Mojo Kabupaten Kediri. This research method using comparative analytical.  Research design type of Quasy Eksperiment that have treatment group and control group. Treatment group will giving by Iron tablet and 100 mg vitamin C, and control group just giving by iron tablet during 21 days. Population in this research are all of mother pregnant with Gestational Age Of 16-32 Weeks with Sampling technique is  cluster random sampling is 29 mother pregnant. Comparison analysis of  iron tablet suplementation effect with and without vitamin C toward Hemoglobin level in mother pregnant With Gestational Age Of 16-32 Weeks, data analysis using Mann Whitney U-test and the calculated U value (44,5) less than U-table (51). So there was difference of iron tablet suplementation effect with and without vitamin C toward Hemoglobin level in mother pregnant With Gestational Age Of 16-32 Weeks Therefore, the addition of vitamin C on iron intake is needed to increase the uptake of iron tablets. When the amount of iron uptake increases, the reserves of iron in the body will also increase, so as to prevent anemia in pregnant women; Keywords : Iron Tablet (Fe), Vitamin C, Hemoglobin level, Mother Pregnant


Author(s):  
YanuarEka P. ◽  
Hendy Hendarto ◽  
Widjiati .

Retrograde menstruation lead to I Kappa B Kinase (IKK) fosforilation in peritoneum macrophage and cause secretion of proinflammatory cytokine interleukin1β then stimulate endometriosis cell to produce Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor which lead to increasing of endometriosis lession seen as endometriosis implant area. Cytokine secretion was inhibited through prevention of NF-κB activation by dragon red fruit rind extract (Hylocereuspolyrhizus). The aim of this reserach is to know the effect of dragon red fuit rind extract with 0,25; 0,5; and 1 mg/g bodyweight dosage toward IL-1β, VEGF expression and implant area in endometriosis mice model. The design of this experiment was randomized post test only control group design.Endometrios mice model were made in 14 days and split into two group, positive control group and treatment group after two week negative control group and postive control group were given Na-CMC 0,5% solution consequetively, and treatment group were given dragon red fruit extract with different dosage. Signification number for IL-1β is p>0,05, signification number for VEGF is p>0,05, and implant area signification number is p>0,05. Administration of dragon red fruit rind extract can decrease IL-1β, VEGF, and implant area.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (09) ◽  
pp. 91-96
Author(s):  
Irmayanti. A.Oka

The research aimed at investigating the effect of giving counterpressure technique to decrease the intensity of pain in the first stage of labor in the delivery room of RSUD Sawerigading Palopo. This study was conducted in a preexperimental manner with static group comparison design, in subject static group comparison design divided into two groups, where the treatment group was followed by observation and observation result compared with the observation result in the control group which only received standard treatment. Data were analyzed using T test. Where t value hit 6.971> t table 2.05, so it can be concluded that the results obtained mean that there is influence of counterpressure technique is big enough to decrease the intensity of labor pain. Keyword: Counterpressure, Labor Pain, Kala I


Author(s):  
Ruihuan Pan ◽  
Shanshan Ling ◽  
Haodong Yang ◽  
Yan Huang ◽  
Lechang Zhan ◽  
...  

Background: Shoulder-hand syndrome (SHS) refers to a syndrome causing sudden edema, shoulder pain and limited hand function. Qingpeng ointment, a kind of Tibetan medicine, can reduce swelling, relieve pain, tonify stagnation and clear the meridians, which is consistent with the pathological mechanism of SHS after stroke. Therefore, if clinical trials can be used to explore the effectiveness of Qingpeng ointment for treatment of poststroke SHS and promote its application in clinical medicine, this is of specific significance for the treatment of poststroke SHS. Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of Qingpeng ointment in the treatment of poststroke SHS. To provide an objective basis for a better therapeutic treatment for poststroke SHS. Method: A prospective, randomized, controlled study was conducted. This study recruited 120 patients with poststroke SHS who met the inclusion criteria. They were randomized into the treatment group and the control group, with 60 patients allocated to each group. The treatment group received routine medical treatment and rehabilitative care after using the Qingpeng ointment, while the patients in the control group received only routine treatment without the ointment. All patients received clinical assessment with the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), measurement of the range of motion (ROM) of the upper-limb joints, the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Upper Extremity (FMA-U) and the Modified Barthel Index Score (MBI) before and after the whole treatment. Results: After 4 weeks of treatment, the VAS scores of both groups were decreased significantly (P<0.05), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). There is no statistical significance for the difference between the treatment group and control group in terms of the FMA-U and MBI scores and the forward bend, backward, outstretch, external rotation and pronation angles after treatment. The increases in the values of VAS, FMA-M and MBI in the treatment group were greater than those in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The increases in the values of the forward bend, outreach and external rotation angles in the treatment group were greater than those in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The treatment group showed better results than the control group in terms of the relief of pain symptoms, the improvement of motor function and the improvement of the activities of daily living for patients with shoulder-hand syndrome after cerebral hemorrhage. Qingpeng ointment is effective and safe in treating poststroke SHS.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (02) ◽  
pp. 14-17
Author(s):  
K K Hadiya ◽  
A J Dhami ◽  
D V Chaudhari ◽  
P M Lunagariya

This study was initiated on 24 prepubertal Holstein x Kankrej crossbred heifers of nearly identical age (7-9 months) and body weight (130-140 kg) at University farm to evaluate the effect of high plane of nutrition on blood biochemical and minerals profile and the age at puberty. Twelve heifers were managed under routine farm feeding (control) and the rest 12 under ideal optimum feeding regime (treatment) that included extra 1 kg concentrate, 30 g min mix and ad-lib dry fodder. The body weight and ovarian ultrasonography together with blood sampling was carried out at monthly interval from 10 to 18 months of age to study the ovarian dynamics and blood biochemical changes. High plane of nutrition to growing heifers was beneficial in reducing the age of onset of puberty (by 2-3 months) compared to routine farm fed group. The mean plasma total protein and cholesterol concentrations showed a rising trend with significant variations from 10 to 16 months of age, where it got mostly stabilized indicating adult profile. The activity of enzymes GOT and GPT also rose gradually and significantly from 10 months till 14-15 months of age, and thereafter it remained more or less static till 18 months of age. The levels of both these enzymes were higher, with lower protein and cholesterol, in control than the treatment group from 15-16 months of age onwards. The mean plasma levels of both calcium and phosphorus increased gradually and significantly with advancing age till 16-17 months of age, with little higher values in supplemented than a control group. The plasma levels of zinc, iron, copper, and cobalt also showed rising trend with significant differences between 10th and 12th-14th months of age, and from 15th to 18th months of age the levels were statistically the same in all the groups with slightly higher values in the treatment group.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (01) ◽  
pp. 40-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
P M Joshi ◽  
D Patel ◽  
P D Patel

An on-farm trial for 90 days was conducted at four tribal villages to assess the effect of chelated mineral mixture (CMM) supplementation on blood biochemistry as well as hormonal and mineral status, nutrient intake and reproductive performance of the repeat breeder buffaloes (n = 24). The animals selected were randomly divided into two groups of 12 animals each. The group T1 was control group (farmer’s feeding schedule), and T2 treatment group (T1 + CMM @ 50 g/animal/day). Blood collection was done at 0, 45 and 90 days of the experiment from both the groups for assessment of blood biochemical, hormonal and mineral status of the animals. Average DM, DCP and TDN intake in repeat breeder buffaloes calculated as per information collected from farmers were statistically similar among both the groups and were as per ICAR requirements of animals. Results revealed significant (p less than 0.05) improvement in hemoglobin, serum glucose, total protein, total cholesterol, progesterone, and macro (Ca, P)–micro (Zn, Fe, Cu, Co, Mn) mineral status of chelated mineral supplemented group as compared to control animals. The number of days taken for a successful conception in repeat breeder buffaloes as well as the cost of feeding was also reduced upon supplementation of CMM in T2 as compared to T1 group. The control group recorded a 22.12% higher cost of rearing than the treatment group during the experimental period. The findings revealed the beneficial role of cheated minerals supplementation in improving health, nutritional and reproductive status of repeat breeding buffaloes.


2018 ◽  
pp. 1656-1662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mojtaba Raeisi ◽  
Mohammad Hashemi ◽  
Majid Aminzare ◽  
Asma Afshari ◽  
Tayebeh Zeinali ◽  
...  

Background and Aim: Extending the shelf life of foods is an essential concept in food safety. Most of the time, foods deteriorate through the growth of microorganisms or oxidation process. Essential oils (EOs) derived from plant material have well-documented antioxidant and antibacterial activity. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Zataria multiflora Boiss EO (ZEO) and Mentha piperita EO (MEO) on the chemical stability of minced meat during storage at 7°C. Materials and Methods: Total phenolic content, β-Carotene bleaching test, ferric reducing antioxidant potential assay, and 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity were used to determine the antioxidant potential of EOs. Five different groups including control, ZEO 0.3%, ZEO 0.5%, MEO 0.3%, and MEO 0.5% were designed to assess the chemical stability of minced meat by measuring pH, thiobarbituric acid (TBA), total volatile base nitrogen (TVBN), and peroxide value (PV). Results: pH did not have any significant change during storage. TBA values in the control group were significantly higher than the treatment groups, especially from the 5th day of storage. TVBN in the treatment group was significantly lower than the control group during storage. PV values in the treatment group were significantly lower than the control group during storage. Conclusion: Results indicate that ZEO and MEO had an excellent antioxidant activity and retarded the spoilage process in minced meat. Keywords: antioxidant, Mentha piperita, minced meat, Zataria multiflora Boiss.


2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (10) ◽  
pp. 1431-1439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selcuk Karaman

The effects of audience response systems (ARS) on students' academic success and their perceptions of ARS were examined in this study. Participants, comprising 44 undergraduate students, were randomly assigned to a control or treatment group. The course design was the same for both groups and the instructor prepared the multiple-choice questions in advance; students in the control group responded to these questions verbally whereas the treatment group used ARS. Two paper-based examinations were used to measure the learning of concepts and skills that were taught. Students' perceptions of ARS were collected via a questionnaire. Results showed that ARS usage has a significant learning achievement effect in the first 4 weeks but not at the end of the second 4 weeks. There was no significant difference in retention between either group. Students perceived the ARS tool positively, finding it very enjoyable and useful.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Chacko ◽  
A Martinez-Naharro ◽  
T Kotecha ◽  
R Martone ◽  
D Hutt ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Cardiac involvement is the main driver of outcome in ATTR amyloidosis. Advances in therapeutics hold potential in transforming the course of the disease but the impact on cardiac amyloid load is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of patisiran, a new double stranded RNA based gene silencing therapy and a stabilizer, diflunisal, on cardiac amyloid load as measured by CMR and T1 mapping, in patients with ATTR amyloidosis. Methods and results Thirty-two patients with hereditary cardiac amyloidosis were studied. Sixteen patients received treatment with patisiran, and sixteen control subjects did not receive any disease modifying treatment. Patients were assessed with echocardiogram, CMR, NT-proBNP and six-minute walk time measurements at baseline and at 1 year (Mean interval 11.45±3.08 months in treatment group, mean interval 12.82±5.06 months in the control group). CMR analysis comprised LV volumes, T1 mapping to measure the extracellular volume (ECV) occupied by amyloid, T2 mapping and late gadolinium enhancement imaging. At 1-year follow-up, there was a substantial reduction in cardiac amyloid burden, in keeping with cardiac amyloid regression in 45% of patients on treatment. Overall the treatment group showed a reduction in ECV at 1 year follow up compared to an increase in ECV at 1 year in the control group (−1.37%, 95% CI: −3.43 to 0.68% versus 5.02%, 95% CI: 2.86% to 7.18% respectively, p&lt;0.001). The treatment group also showed an improvement in change in 6MWT at 1 year follow up compared to 6MWT at 1 year in the control group (−8.12 meters, 95% CI: −50.8 to 34.6 meters in the treatment group versus −132.27 meters, 95% CI: −216 to −48.6 meters in the control group, p=0.002). The treatment group showed a reduction in BNP at 1 year follow up compared to an increase in the control group (−567.87, 95% CI: −1288.90 to 153.15 in the treatment group versus 2004, 95% CI: 12.82 to 3995.45 in the control group, p&lt;0.001). There was no significant difference from baseline and 1-year data between the control and treatment groups for the difference in echocardiographic parameters, native T1, T2. There was a significant reduction in the percentage of injected dose by 99Tc-DPD scintigraphy in treated patients at 1 year compared to baseline. Conclusions These findings provide the first compelling evidence of substantial cardiac amyloid regression in ATTR amyloidosis, as well as the potential for CMR to be used to track response in treated patients with ATTR cardiac amyloidosis. Combination therapy with transthyretin knock down and stabilizing agents may well be synergistic given enhanced stoichiometry of stabilizers in the face of much reduced plasma transthyretin concentration. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None


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