Less Is More: Audience Cognition of Comic Simplification in the Characters of Peking Opera

A simplified approach was used to determine if “Less is More” is still a trend in comics’ Peking opera characters. There were 225 website volunteers who took part in the study. Via a questionnaire survey and analysis, this study explored the feasibility of “simplification” in comedy. The results indicate that the proposed “simplifying” approach can be applied to the creation of dramatic characters, but the scale of simplification must be adjusted flexibly to suit different subjects. For audiences, there is not much recognition and sympathy for the works that are simplified in the extreme and the current symbolization. The simplification used in this study is merely the first step in testing the usefulness of simplification as an approach. It is used as a means of understanding the cognition of the audience to accept the simple features of Peking opera characters. In subsequent studies, the proposed “simplified” approach is necessary to adapt and improve with a view to practical application. It also requires an in-depth analysis of the cognitive differences of the different participants according to the cognitive and communication theories of artistic creation.

Is bone kinesthetic adaptation of bone innervation plastically developed in fingers and correlated joints of violist and pianist after long term practice?

Bone cells might be considered in response to the distribution of nerves in the periosteum, epiphysis and bone marrow.The sensory and sympathetic neurotransmitters have trophic effects critically on normal osteogenic differentiation and bone metabolism in bone development and regeneration. It could modulate bone regeneration, bone remodeling, and articular cartilage homeostasis to their classic neurological actions. With touching and hearing mediated osseoperception, sensation can be adapted from the mechanical stimulation of a bone-anchored prosthesis. Investigations of the influence of music on the human brain showed structural and functional cerebro-neuroplasticity emerge as a result of long-term musical practice, which may cause cognitive differences between non-musicians and musicians. Meanwhile, the physical mechanical hits and touch strings and keys of instruments hypothetically were considered to cause adaptability for professional musicians in their peripheral tissues, especially bone sensation of fingers and correlated joints. Music practice is bone-strengthening activity. We hypothesis that it produces sensation adaptation in the fingers and correlated joints of instrument players, especially musicians after tremendous training and practice. Both the bone, correlated joint and its innervation are adapted by neuroplasticity for something part of “hardware constructing” to accomplish music performance. We thought that neuroplasticity occurred both in central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. Besides of developed in soft tissues of subcutaneous, connective tissue, muscle, inter-tissue coordination through neuro-network may occur in bone innervation coupled with correlated joint for specialized music-practice-oriented neuroplasticity. Soft tissues, such as muscle and tendon cannot directly hit instrument with stiffness to generate sound and rhythmic. Functionally, innervated-bone as bio-mechanical device becomes sensory musical target bone.

Genesis of theoretical grounds for the use of triangulation in sociological research

The article considers the history of formation of qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches in sociology. The historical reconstruction of the fundamental ideas of representatives of these areas makes it possible to better understand their relationship, to determine the possibilities of their interaction in the study of social reality. In this regard, the article analyses the qualitative and quantitative strategy of sociological research taking into account their ontological, epistemological, axiological and methodological principles. A meaningful analysis of the three «waves», the stages of sociological cognition makes it possible to understand the specifics of the development of sociological knowledge, determine central ideas and values, and better understand the dynamics of the interaction of existing approaches and paradigms. Qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches in social sciences arose almost simultaneously, but their further development was extremely uneven, and their use to study and explain social reality for a long time was not based on the principles of parity interaction. The expansion of the practice of sociological research in a situation of high dynamics of social processes made it possible to increase the level of research culture, the understanding of values and cognitive differences in qualitative and quantitative methodologies made it possible and necessary to use them together. The basis for combining qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches is their functional additionality, which is expressed in the ability to most fully represent various aspects of the study of the same subject area. We are talking about methodological, conceptual triangulation as a strategy for the interaction of qualitative and quantitative approaches in the study of social problems using qualitative and quantitative methods for collecting and analysing sociological information. Such a technique increases the completeness and reliability of the received information, expands research capabilities.

Slow-Fast Cognitive Phenotypes and Their Significance for Social Behavior: What Can We Learn From Honeybees?

Cognitive variation is proposed to be the fundamental underlying factor that drives behavioral variation, yet it is still to be fully integrated with the observed variation at other phenotypic levels that has recently been unified under the common pace-of-life framework. This cognitive and the resulting behavioral diversity is especially significant in the context of a social group, the performance of which is a collective outcome of this diversity. In this review, we argue about the utility of classifying cognitive traits along a slow-fast continuum in the larger context of the pace-of-life framework. Using Tinbergen’s explanatory framework for different levels of analyses and drawing from the large body of knowledge about honeybee behavior, we discuss the observed interindividual variation in cognitive traits and slow-fast cognitive phenotypes from an adaptive, evolutionary, mechanistic and developmental perspective. We discuss the challenges in this endeavor and suggest possible next steps in terms of methodological, statistical and theoretical approaches to move the field forward for an integrative understanding of how slow-fast cognitive differences, by influencing collective behavior, impact social evolution.

Scientific Racism Attitudes Among Diverse Undergraduate Pre–Health Professions Students

Scientific racism, or the belief that racial hierarchies are explained by biological differences, among health care professionals may contribute to the oversight of social causes of health problems and result in poor quality of care. This study examines the extent to which scientific racism may permeate undergraduate pre–health professions student worldviews before entering advanced training. Undergraduate students ( n = 251) pursuing training in health professions from The University of Texas at San Antonio completed a survey in 2018 measuring respondent level of agreement with statements about biological differences between U.S. racial and ethnic groups, as well as agreement with statements about cognitive differences, health behaviors, and systemic racism. Analyses showed that the students agreed with false statements regarding biological, behavioral, and cognitive differences among races and agreement was significantly stronger among students at earlier stages of education but did not differ by student race/ethnicity. Adjusted analyses showed that third- and fourth-year undergraduate students exhibited less agreement with false statements about race than first- and second-year students ([Formula: see text] 95% CI [−18.33, −3.39], p < .00). The joint effect of higher class level and public health major ([Formula: see text] 95% CI [−11.98, −1.16], p = .02) was also significantly associated with less agreement with false statements regarding systemic racism. This exploratory study suggests that even among diverse student populations, scientific racism persists but may improve over educational careers. Future research may determine how structural reforms and training can further improve student understandings of race as a social construct and not a biological reality.

Gut microbiome drives individual memory variation in bumblebees

The potential of the gut microbiome as a driver of individual cognitive differences in natural populations of animals remains unexplored. Here, using metagenomic sequencing of individual bumblebee hindguts, we find a positive correlation between the abundance of Lactobacillus Firm-5 cluster and memory retention on a visual discrimination task. Supplementation with the Firm-5 species Lactobacillus apis, but not other non-Firm-5 bacterial species, enhances bees’ memory. Untargeted metabolomics after L. apis supplementation show increased LPA (14:0) glycerophospholipid in the haemolymph. Oral administration of the LPA increases long-term memory significantly. Based on our findings and metagenomic/metabolomic analyses, we propose a molecular pathway for this gut-brain interaction. Our results provide insights into proximate and ultimate causes of cognitive differences in natural bumblebee populations.

Cognitive diversity promotes social learning - but only when cognitive differences are obscured

Cognitive diversity is often assumed to catalyze creativity and innovation by promoting social learning. Yet the learning benefits of cognitive diversity often fail to materialize. Why does cognitive diversity promote social learning in some contexts but not in others? We propose that the answer partly lies in the complex interplay between cognitive diversity and cognitive homophily: The likelihood of individuals learning from one another, and thus changing their views about a substantive issue, depends crucially on whether they are aware of the cognitive similarities and differences that exist between them. When social identities and cognitive associations about concepts related to a focal issue are obscured, we theorize that cognitive diversity will promote social learning by exposing people to novel ideas. When cognitive diversity is instead made salient, we anticipate that a cognitive homophily response is activated that extinguishes cognitive diversity’s learning benefits---even when social identity cues and other categorical distinctions are suppressed. To evaluate these ideas, we introduce a novel experimental paradigm and report the results of four pre-registered studies (N=1,325) that lend support to our theory. We discuss implications for research on social influence, collective intelligence, and cognitive diversity in groups.

NCMP-13. ID8 OVARIAN CANCER MOUSE MODEL MIMICS NEUROLOGICAL SEQUELAE OF OVARIAN CANCER IN WOMEN

OBJECTIVES Chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) are neurological complications of cancer treatment. Cisplatin is used to treat ovarian malignancies, and over 70% of women experience CRCI/CIPN during and after platinum-based chemoTx. However, over 30% of non-CNS cancer patients experience cognitive impairment prior to chemoTx. To examine the contribution of cancer itself and additional neurological impairment with chemoTx, we used an ID8 syngeneic mouse model of ovarian cancer and assessed hyperalgesia and cognition +/- cisplatin treatment. METHODS C57BL/6 female mice were injected intraperitoneally with 107 ID8 ovarian cancer cells or 0.9% saline. After 10d of ID8 injections, mice received cisplatin (2.3 mg/kg/day, i.p.) or 0.9% saline (OvT+CIS, OvT+VEH, respectively) for 5d, followed by 5d of rest for 2 cycles. Mechanical and cold hyperalgesia were assessed longitudinally. Cognition was assessed 28d post-chemoTx by the open field test (OFT), novel object recognition (NOR), and novel place recognition (NPR) tasks. RESULTS OvT+VEH and OvT+CIS mice developed an increased sensitivity to mechanical ( &gt;200%, p&lt; 0.001) and thermal (cold) stimuli ( &gt;78%, p&lt; 0.004) starting 14d post-ID8 implantation, vs non-tumor controls (CON). In the OFT, OvT+CIS mice had increased anxiogenic behavior (55%, p&lt; 0.001) vs CON, and (46%, p&lt; 0.05) vs OvT+VEH. In NPR, OvT+CIS had reduced discrimination (37%, p&lt; 0.05) vs CON. OvT+VEH and OvT+CIS showed impaired discrimination (25%, p&lt; 0.05 & 33%, p&lt; 0.01, respectively) in NOR vs CON, with trending differences between OvT+CIS vs OvT+VEH in hyperalgesia and cognitive tasks. DISCUSSION: This is the first rodent model to demonstrate that ovarian cancer may evoke sensory and neurocognitive changes in the absence of chemotherapy. Future development of the model will address hyperalgesia and cognitive differences between OvT+VEH vs OvT+CIS. This model has potential for translational studies on the treatment of neurological sequelae of cancer and cisplatin-induced CRCI and CIPN.