Postural stability disorders—early signs of aging—in physically non-active prisoners

Background There is a need for a study of possible relationship between serving a prison sentence and developing postural stability dysfunction. The aim of the study was to analyze postural stability of physically inactive prisoners. The study group consisted of 24 male prisoners aged 34.6 ± 7.02 years, imprisoned in closed prison and 30 healthy, non-active physically, aged 36.9 ± 7.5 years, who consisted control group. The subjects were imprisoned for a mean of 105.43 ± 58.48 months. Methods The static balance test was conducted on bi-modular stabilometric platform CQStab2P. Results We found statistically significant differences in several stability parameters. Prisoners results were significantly worse in parameters measured with eyes open: MA (mean amplitude p < 0.01), MAAP (mean amplitude in anterio–posterior plane p < 0.03), MAML (mean amplitude in medio—lateral plane p < 0.04), MaxAP (maximal sway in AP p < 0.01), MaxML (p < 0.01). With eyes closed the prisoner’s results were significantly worse in SPML (sway path in medio-lateral plane p = 0.01), better in MAML (p < 0.01) and MaxML (p < 0.01), and faster in MVML (mean velocity in medio-lateral plane p < 0.01). Conclusions (1) Diagnostics aimed at early diagnoses of ageing symptoms should be performed in prisons. It would allow for better prisoner management in terms of assessment of ability to work, free time activity offer and falls prevention. (2) In prisons, in addition to counteracting the typical causes of balance disorders, action should be taken to counteract the causes for balance disorders typical for prison environment, inter alia: sensory deprivation—by implementing programmes comprehensively activating prisoners, and hypokinesis—by implementing physical activity programmes that cater for the needs of older prisoners.

Floatation Therapy for Physical Conditions

The clinical effectiveness of floatation therapy for the treatment of physical conditions remains uncertain. One randomized controlled trial was identified that evaluated floatation-restricted environmental stimulation therapy (REST) compared with placebo and waitlist control groups for the treatment of patients with chronic pain. The trial reported no significant differences between the 3 treatment groups on any of the outcomes measured including those related to pain, medication use, quality of life, sleep impairment, anxiety, or depression. One guideline was identified that states that there is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against the use of sensory deprivation tanks in patients with symptoms attributed to mild traumatic brain injury. The cost-effectiveness of floatation therapy for the treatment of physical condition is unknown as no relevant economic evaluations were identified.

Aerial and Respiratory Atmospheres of Avicenna’s Flying Person

Persian philosopher Avicenna (980‒1037) is famous for his thought experiment concerning the flying person,” “floating person” or “person suspended in air.” In this thought experiment, a person is created flying in the air in a state of total sensory deprivation. Scholars have debated for centuries what this thought experiment is all about. Most scholars have interpreted this thought experiment as essentially being about the existence of the soul (al-nafs) in its immateriality, substantiality, and self-awareness, as well as about the difference between the soul and the body. In my article, I will interpret Avicenna’s thought experiment in a totally different manner within the atmospheres of air and breathing. In my reading, I will carefully examine the fact neglected by scholars that this flight happens in the air and that it is the air that defines the existence of the flying person. With this aerial attitude I will argue that this thought experiment is not above all about the soul, but about air and al-nafs as a respiratory self. In my aerial and respiratory interpretation of Avicenna’s flying person, I will use Gaston Bachelard’s phenomenologically oriented aerial thinking as well as etymological analysis of al-nafs.

The Roots and Rationalizations of U.S. Torture in Vietnam

This chapter traces the twin tales of the CIA’s and the U.S. military’s use of torture during the Vietnam War. The CIA’s interrogation program was rooted in the early days of the Cold War, when the agency was founded. U.S. foreign policy elites like Dwight Eisenhower and Allen Dulles were convinced that the Soviet Union’s freedom from norms and laws gave it an edge. As a result, the CIA began researching and practicing behavioral control techniques, using drugs and sensory deprivation to compete with Soviet programs. The agency’s KUBARK interrogation manual (1963) considered physical torture off-limits and ineffective, but recommended “maxim[izing] mental discomfort.” Likewise, CIA interrogators in Vietnam such as Frank Snepp believed isolation and sensory deprivation were both ethically and efficaciously superior to harsher alternatives. While racism and exasperation explain much of the U.S. military’s use of torture, soldiers also used water and electricity because the techniques were “unpleasant” but not “injurious.”

Effect of Sensory Deprivation of Nasal Respiratory on Behavior of C57BL/6J Mice

Nasal breathing is a dynamic cortical organizer involved in various behaviors and states, such as locomotion, exploration, memory, emotion, introspection. However, the effect of sensory deprivation of nasal respiratory breath (NRD) on behavior remain poorly understood. Herein, general locomotor activity, emotion, learning and memory, social interaction, and mechanical pain were evaluated using a zinc sulfate nasal irrigation induced nasal respiratory sensory deprivation animal model (ZnSO4-induced mouse model). In the open field test, the elevated O-maze test, and forced swim test, NRD mice exhibited depressive and anxiety-like behaviors. In memory-associated tests, NRD mice showed cognitive impairments in the hippocampal-dependent memory (Y maze, object recognition task, and contextual fear conditioning (CFC)) and amygdala-dependent memory (the tone-cued fear conditioning test (TFC)). Surprisingly, NRD mice did not display deficits in the acquisition of conditional fear in both CFC and TFC tests. Still, they showed significant memory retrieval impairment in TFC and enhanced memory retrieval in CFC. At the same time, in the social novelty test using a three-chamber setting, NRD mice showed impaired social and social novelty behavior. Lastly, in the von Frey filaments test, we found that the pain sensitivity of NRD mice was reduced. In conclusion, this NRD mouse model showed a variety of behavioral phenotypic changes, which could offer an important insight into the behavioral impacts of patients with anosmia or those with an impaired olfactory bulb (OB) (e.g., in COVID-19, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, etc.).

Tinnitus-like “hallucinations” elicited by sensory deprivation in an entropy maximization recurrent neural network

Sensory deprivation has long been known to cause hallucinations or “phantom” sensations, the most common of which is tinnitus induced by hearing loss, affecting 10–20% of the population. An observable hearing loss, causing auditory sensory deprivation over a band of frequencies, is present in over 90% of people with tinnitus. Existing plasticity-based computational models for tinnitus are usually driven by homeostatic mechanisms, modeled to fit phenomenological findings. Here, we use an objective-driven learning algorithm to model an early auditory processing neuronal network, e.g., in the dorsal cochlear nucleus. The learning algorithm maximizes the network’s output entropy by learning the feed-forward and recurrent interactions in the model. We show that the connectivity patterns and responses learned by the model display several hallmarks of early auditory neuronal networks. We further demonstrate that attenuation of peripheral inputs drives the recurrent network towards its critical point and transition into a tinnitus-like state. In this state, the network activity resembles responses to genuine inputs even in the absence of external stimulation, namely, it “hallucinates” auditory responses. These findings demonstrate how objective-driven plasticity mechanisms that normally act to optimize the network’s input representation can also elicit pathologies such as tinnitus as a result of sensory deprivation.

Colour psychology in retirement homes

<p>As the population of New Zealand ages demand and popularity of retirement homes is increasing. This thesis argues that interior spaces of retirement homes can become more interesting and stimulating through the use of colour, and that a simple colour redesign of the common shared areas could achieve great benefits for the users. The main aim of this study is to explore how to create healing and comforting environment in retirement homes using colour as the main design driver. Based on the literature review it was possible to establish four key design colour strategies of healing; Views of nature, natural light, soothing colours and colours promoting interaction. Based on these, a series of design experiments were undertaken, developing a new set of approaches of how colour can be used in the interior design. Some of the design explorations were not focused on a particular site, but some considered the limitations of a possible site. The study succeeded in redesigning the selected site through a creative application of the four key design strategies of healing, but also supported development of a set of findings on how to use colour strategies more effectively in retirement homes. One of the key findings of this study is that the use of bright and saturated colour could prevent adverse effect of sensory deprivation associated with aging. This could have broader applications in interior architecture.</p>

Colour psychology in retirement homes

<p>As the population of New Zealand ages demand and popularity of retirement homes is increasing. This thesis argues that interior spaces of retirement homes can become more interesting and stimulating through the use of colour, and that a simple colour redesign of the common shared areas could achieve great benefits for the users. The main aim of this study is to explore how to create healing and comforting environment in retirement homes using colour as the main design driver. Based on the literature review it was possible to establish four key design colour strategies of healing; Views of nature, natural light, soothing colours and colours promoting interaction. Based on these, a series of design experiments were undertaken, developing a new set of approaches of how colour can be used in the interior design. Some of the design explorations were not focused on a particular site, but some considered the limitations of a possible site. The study succeeded in redesigning the selected site through a creative application of the four key design strategies of healing, but also supported development of a set of findings on how to use colour strategies more effectively in retirement homes. One of the key findings of this study is that the use of bright and saturated colour could prevent adverse effect of sensory deprivation associated with aging. This could have broader applications in interior architecture.</p>