Locus coeruleus neurons encode the subjective difficulty of triggering and executing actions

The brain stem noradrenergic nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) is involved in various costly processes: arousal, stress, and attention. Recent work has pointed toward an implication in physical effort, and indirect evidence suggests that the LC could be also involved in cognitive effort. To assess the dynamic relation between LC activity, effort production, and difficulty, we recorded the activity of 193 LC single units in 5 monkeys performing 2 discounting tasks (a delay discounting task and a force discounting task), as well as a simpler target detection task where conditions were matched for difficulty and only differed in terms of sensory-motor processes. First, LC neurons displayed a transient activation both when monkeys initiated an action and when exerting force. Second, the magnitude of the activation scaled with the associated difficulty, and, potentially, the corresponding amount of effort produced, both for decision and force production. Indeed, at action initiation in both discounting tasks, LC activation increased in conditions associated with lower average engagement rate, i.e., those requiring more cognitive control to trigger the response. Decision-related activation also scaled with response time (RT), over and above task parameters, in line with the idea that it reflects the amount of resources (here time) spent on the decision process. During force production, LC activation only scaled with the amount of force produced in the force discounting task, but not in the control target detection task, where subjective difficulty was equivalent across conditions. Our data show that LC neurons dynamically track the amount of effort produced to face both cognitive and physical challenges with a subsecond precision. This works provides key insight into effort processing and the contribution of the noradrenergic system, which is affected in several pathologies where effort is impaired, including Parkinson disease and depression.

EFFECT OF EDUCATIONAL LEVEL ON ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED PERSONS IN KOGI STATE, NIGERIA

People living with physical challenges constitutes part of the larger society and should be given the inclusive opportunity to engage fully in societal activities. The plight of persons with disabilities in Kogi State, Nigeria, has attracted increasing concern over the years. Thus, the present study aimed to examine the variations in attitude towards the person with physical challenges in Kogi State based on educational level. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design. One hundred and seventeen (n=117) participants randomly pooled from different locations in the Kogi State, Nigeria, participated in the study. The participants completed a self-report measure of the modified version of the Attitudes towards Disabled Persons (SADP) Scale. The result revealed that the participants primarily showed positive attitudes towards persons with physical challenges despite their educational level. Also, the result of the simple linear regression conducted to test the hypothesis revealed that educational level does not predict attitude towards the physically challenged.

Wind and route choice affect performance of bees flying above versus within a cluttered obstacle field

Bees flying through natural landscapes encounter physical challenges, such as wind and cluttered vegetation. The influence of these factors on the flight performance of bees remains unknown. We analyzed 548 videos of wild-caught honeybees (Apis mellifera) flying through an enclosure containing a field of vertical obstacles that bees could fly within (through open corridors, without maneuvering) or above. We examined how obstacle field height, wind presence and direction (headwinds or tailwinds) affected altitude, ground speed, and side-to-side casting (lateral excursions) of bees. When obstacle fields were short, bees flew at altitudes near the midpoint between the tunnel floor and ceiling. When obstacle fields approached or exceeded this midpoint, bees typically, but not always, increased their altitudes to fly over the obstacles. Bees that flew above the obstacle fields exhibited 40% faster ground speeds and 36% larger lateral excursions than bees that flew within the obstacle fields, likely due to the visual feedback from obstacles and narrow space available within the obstacle field. Wind had a strong effect on ground speed and lateral excursions, but not altitude. Bees flew 12-19% faster in tailwinds than in the other wind conditions, but their lateral excursions were 19% larger in any wind, regardless of its direction, than in still air. Our results show that bees flying through complex environments display flexible flight behaviors (e.g., flying above versus within obstacles), which affect flight performance. Similar choices in natural landscapes could have broad implications for foraging efficiency, pollination, and mortality in wild bees.

Introduction

The Introduction explains the purpose and method of the book: to improve the musical imagination through creative, fun exercises based on improvisational theater games that have been reimagined for musicians. A sense of playfulness and spontaneity is central to this approach. The primary goal of developing the mind’s ear is to improve the ability to imagine and remember music in silence and to be able to hear in the mind music that is printed on the page without the aid of instrument. It is essential to attend to the musician’s inner life, to explore emotions in relation to musical expression, rather than only emphasize the physical challenges of instrumental technique. Strengthening emotional memory as actors are trained to do, as well as deliberately exercising the imagination and the mind’s ear will lead to more meaningful performances, more personal compositions, and will enrich the listening experience. The introduction also addresses related concepts in subsections: Something to Say; On Interpretation; On Performing New Music; Hearing in Silence.

Caregiver burden and distress

Caregivers of patients with advanced disease can be seen as both care providers and as receivers of care. Family caregivers frequently face a wide range of their own psychological, spiritual, social, financial, and physical challenges, which may increase in duration due to longer survival and more ambulatory and home care of patients with advanced disease. While support for family caregivers is an integral component of quality palliative care, such support is often unavailable and there is a dearth of evidence-based interventions for caregivers. This chapter will provide an overview of the common issues faced by family caregivers of adults in palliative care, the factors that contribute to or exacerbate these problems, the interventions designed to address them and their supporting evidence, and the potential for personal growth in caregivers. Gaps in clinical practice and research are identified and future directions for clinical attention and research are discussed.

The Burkholderia pseudomallei hmqA-G Locus Mediates Competitive Fitness against Environmental Gram-Positive Bacteria

Burkholderia pseudomallei naturally resides in water, soil, and the rhizosphere and its success as an opportunistic pathogen is dependent on the ability to persist in these harsh habitats long enough to come into contact with a susceptible host. In addition to adapting to limiting nutrients and diverse chemical and physical challenges, B. pseudomallei also has to interact with a variety of microbial competitors.

Simulation Tools for Inclusive Design Solutions

Disability has been redefined by the World Health Organization as a function of a person’s interaction with the environment and not merely an innate part of a person. This redefinition highlights the need for inclusiveness in design solutions. To aid this, we apply and test the potential of different tools that restrict designers’ physical abilities at deriving inclusive design perspectives among designers. Various tools and simulated conditions are often adopted in user-centered design to sup-port need-finding by eliciting rich data on users’ needs and guide designers to empathize with users. Simulation tools that restrict designers’ physical abilities have been applied to understand certain perspectives of people with physical challenges, yet these tools lack the ability to evoke an inclusive design perspective among designers. Through a co-creation workshop, participants were exposed to two forms of simulations: direct and situational physical impairments. This was achieved using different tools that simulate the same physical restriction. In this study, a noise- canceller and earphones were used to simulate a reduced hearing attention. Participants were asked to generate user needs and design functions by applying both the simulation tools. The study results comprise the outcomes of 33 participants who volunteered to participate in a co-design workshop that provided a venue for them to interact and work alongside users with physical challenges. This paper analyses the inclusiveness attained through different types of simulated conditions. With a growing need to create tools and technologies that delight the user, it is necessary to equip designers with the tools that would help them with the process. The study demonstrates the application and impact of one such tool.

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ATTITUDESOF NIGERIANS TOWARD PERSONS WITH PHYSICAL CHALLENGES

The present study aimed to examine the factors influencing the attitudes of Nigerians toward people with a physical disability. The study hypothesized that education and exposure to the physical challenge would influence attitudes toward people with a physical disability. The design of the study was cross-sectional. The participants comprise one hundred (100) workers drawn from state and local government civil service in the Enugu State, Nigeria, using a random sampling technique. Data were collected through a self-administered survey questionnaire, using a modified version of the Scale of Attitudes towards Disabled Persons (SADP). The result revealed that the participants largely showed positive attitudes towards persons with physical challenges. Two hypotheses were tested using multiple regression analysis and the analysis revealed that educational leveldid not influence attitude towards the physically challenged. However, it was found that exposure to a person with physical challenges influenced the attitudes toward people with a physical disability.