Predictive Value of Ambulatory Objective Movement Measurement for Outcomes of Levodopa/Carbidopa Intestinal Gel Infusion

Patients with Parkinson’s disease that may benefit from device-assisted therapy can be identified with guidelines like Navigate PD. The decision to offer advanced treatment and the choice of treatment modality are, however, not straightforward, and some patients respond less favorably to a chosen therapy. Measurements with the Parkinson Kinetigraph (PKG) can detect motor fluctuations and could therefore predict patients that respond better or worse to intestinal levodopa/carbidopa gel infusion (LCIG). In a retrospective analysis of 45 patients that had been selected to start LCIG between 2014 and 2020, the effects of baseline PKG and clinical characteristic on the outcome were determined with ordinal regression. Although all patients had been found to have handicapping medication-related symptom fluctuations, patients without clear objective off fluctuations in the baseline PKG had low odds ratio for success. Lower odds for success were also found with increasing age, whereas gender, medication intensity and baseline PKG summary scores (median bradykinesia and dyskinesia scores, fluctuation dyskinesia score and percent time with tremor) had no significant effect. Absence of easily identified off-periods in the PKG has a negative prognostic value for the effect of LCIG and could prompt noninvasive infusion evaluation before surgery.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF PHILOSOPHY WITH MATHEMATICS IN MODERN ERA –THE CASE OF DESCARTES-‎

The modern era witnessed a remarkable development of many sciences, the first ‎of which was mathematics, a fact that directly affected the development of ‎philosophy at that time. This was evident with the rationalist doctrine of ‎Descartes and his followers who made mathematics science their highest scientific ‎ideal that philosophy should emulate by adopting its method and its method of ‎inference as well as some of its concepts. In fact, the impact of mathematics was ‎not limited to philosophy alone, but extended to all branches of knowledge, such ‎as physics, psychology, sociology, economics, ethics, Yet, its impact on ‎philosophy was very strong and distinctive. The reason for this is that the great ‎philosophers of the modern era like Descartes and Leibniz were also great ‎mathematicians. ‎ Thus, the present paper is devoted to Descartes, considering that he was one of ‎the philosophers most influenced by mathematics and geometry in particular. He ‎was greatly upset by the decline of philosophy in his time, its immerson in ‎ambiguity and turmoil, and its fall into endless sterile, debates,‎‏ ‏in contrast to the ‎development of mathematics, and its clarity, objectivity and accuracy. ‎Accordingly, he aspired for philosophy to become a clear, objective, accurate and ‎certain science like mathematics itself through the application of the mathematical ‎method. The clarification of this idea is the objective of this research paper‎.

Towards an Ideology-Free, Truly Mechanistic Health Psychology

Efficient transfer of concepts and mechanistic insights from the cognitive to the health sciences and back requires a clear, objective description of the problem that this transfer ought to solve. Unfortunately, however, the actual descriptions are commonly penetrated with, and sometimes even motivated by, cultural norms and preferences, a problem that has colored scientific theorizing about behavioral control—the key concept for many psychological health interventions. We argue that ideologies have clouded our scientific thinking about mental health in two ways: by considering the societal utility of individuals and their behavior a key criterion for distinguishing between healthy and unhealthy people, and by dividing what actually seem to be continuous functions relating psychological and neurocognitive underpinnings to human behavior into binary, discrete categories that are then taken to define clinical phenomena. We suggest letting both traditions go and establish a health psychology that restrains from imposing societal values onto individuals, and then taking the fit between behavior and values to conceptualize unhealthiness. Instead, we promote a health psychology that reconstructs behavior that is considered to be problematic from well-understood mechanistic underpinnings of human behavior.

Long-Known Music Exposure Effects on Brain Imaging and Cognition in Early-Stage Cognitive Decline: A Pilot Study

Background: Repeated exposure to long-known music has been shown to have a beneficial effect on cognitive performance in patients with AD. However, the brain mechanisms underlying improvement in cognitive performance are not yet clear. Objective: In this pilot study we propose to examine the effect of repeated long-known music exposure on imaging indices and corresponding changes in cognitive function in patients with early-stage cognitive decline. Methods: Participants with early-stage cognitive decline were assigned to three weeks of daily long-known music listening, lasting one hour in duration. A cognitive battery was administered, and brain activity was measured before and after intervention. Paired-measures tests evaluated the longitudinal changes in brain structure, function, and cognition associated with the intervention. Results: Fourteen participants completed the music-based intervention, including 6 musicians and 8 non-musicians. Post-baseline there was a reduction in brain activity in key nodes of a music-related network, including the bilateral basal ganglia and right inferior frontal gyrus, and declines in fronto-temporal functional connectivity and radial diffusivity of dorsal white matter. Musician status also significantly modified longitudinal changes in functional and structural brain measures. There was also a significant improvement in the memory subdomain of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Conclusion: These preliminary results suggest that neuroplastic mechanisms may mediate improvements in cognitive functioning associated with exposure to long-known music listening and that these mechanisms may be different in musicians compared to non-musicians.

Strengthening Character Education through E-Book during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this study was to explore on strengthening character education through e-books for online or distance learning in the times of COVID-19. The present study employs a descriptive qualitative with the aim of being able to provide clear, objective, systematic, analytical descriptions and information, and critical aspect of Character Education-Based E-book for learning during the Covid 19 era in higher education. There were several steps such as collecting the required data, then classification and description were carried out. The sources of data in this study were government policies, books and articles concerning the implementation of distance learning during the covid 19 period and character education. The method used to collect research data is in the form of literary data that has been selected, searched, presented, and analyzed. The application of Indonesian e-books based on character education is a solution that can be done to overcome the problems of character education during the COVID-19 crisis, especially regarding the use of diction and literature. Findings suggests that in utilizing E-book, character values ​​can be inserted in the introduction, materials, and assignments to induce character values to students. Additionally, the e-book was developed based on the curriculum and the values ​​of character education. E-books are provided in online learning and can be studied by students from their homes both online and offline. In order to attract the attention of students, the e-book must be designed to be visually attractive so that the material within can be learned and easily understood by students.

POPULATION DISTRIBUTION AND DENSITY CHANGING PATTERN IN SUMATERA UTARA

The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution of population density descriptions and patterns of change in North Sumatra. This type of research is library research (Library Research). Data collection techniques are carried out by utilizing existing facilities in the library, such as books, magazines, documents, secondary data records, statistical data, or pure library research related to the object of research. The analytical method provides a clear, objective, systematic, analytical, and critical description and description of the distribution and population density description: characteristics and patterns of change in North Sumatra. The initial step is achieved by collecting the required data, classifying it, describing it, and then analyzing it. The results of this study explain that the distribution pattern and population density that occur are caused by spatial characteristics and geological changes. When viewed from the aspect of population density. The high population density in North Sumatra causes social problems such as congestion, poverty, health services, crime rates, settlements, unhealthy living environments, and others. The pattern of population distribution that occurs is geographical. The largest distribution is still throughout the East Coast region, wherein that region there are the largest number of districts (above 5% of the province's population).Keywords: Population, Distribution, Density, Spatial

Latin America and the Caribbean Standardized Public Debt Database: Data as of December 2020

The LAC Debt Group believes that to have sound regional policy it is important to have valid, comparable, and standardized data on Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Therefore, at the core of the initiative is the development of a standardized sovereign debt database to help debt managers, policy makers, and other actors of financial markets, analyze the composition of public debt in LAC. The information presented in this database is provided by the Debt Management Offices of 26 LAC countries in response to a questionnaire specifically created to allow comparability of data. The questionnaire is intended to compile up-to-date standardized statistics to conduct cross-country comparisons over clear, objective, and homogeneous definitions of public debt.

Pengembangan Kurikulum Pembelajaran Bahasa Arab di Masa Pandemi Covid-19

Purpose- this study aims tofind out and analyze the appropriate curriculum in Arabic learning during the covid-19 pandemic, where at this time the covid-19 pandemic is increasing and its spread is growing rapidly, so it becomes a challenge for a teacher to overcome the learning so that it continues as it should. , including learning Arabic. Design/Methodology/Approach- This study used a qualitative approach with a library research method that used books and other literatures as the main object. This research was analyzed descriptively on the content to provide a clear, objective, systematic, analytical and critical description and description of the appropriate Arabic language learning curriculum during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings- 4 basics in the development of the Arabic language learning curriculum during the pandemic: 1) the preparation of learning objectives must be adapted to the circumstances of students and socialized to parents to work together to achieve these goals. 2) the content or material content is designed in such a way as to get students to lead to higher order thinking skills. 3) During the learning process the teacher is required to be as creative as possible to guide learning, the use of appropriate methods and media is very influential. 4) evaluation based on project is highly recommended to avoid the possibility of students cheating on each other. Research Limitation/Implications- This study cannot cover all in detail about Arabic language skills, because in essence during the current COVID-19 pandemic, teachers need more ways in which subject matter can be conveyed properly to students. However, this study can provide a comprehensive picture of the needs of Arabic language teachers in teaching, one of which is the use of learning technology.

USING VIRTUAL REALITY TO THE SAFETY WARNINGS DESIGN: THE EFFICIENCY THROUGH PRESENCE

The objective of this study was to use virtual reality as a validation method of a new multimodal warning for use in situations of risk and danger. This warning is intended to be more efficient than the static warnings as regards their ability to convey clear, objective information and securely. The virtual environment used was developed with immersive virtual reality simulating a risk and danger to the user. This virtual environment allows situations are simulated in real life would be impossible for putting at risk the lives of people. For the warning efficiency were evaluated, we used two warnings, static and multimodal, which consisted of harmonization between the ISO and ANSI standards. As innovation factor used was the explanation of the consequences of non-compliance. Multimodal elements used in the notice were a file with a recorded human voice and a flashing red light. These results demonstrated that the virtual environment used, and the multimodal warning were efficient in their goals. The results of the variables used were positive and the hypotheses was validated with the use of statistical tests.

REPEATABILITY OF A CALIBRATED DIGITAL SPECTROPHOTOMETER FOR DENTAL SHADE EVALUATION IN CURRENT, FORMER AND NEVER SMOKERS – STUDY PROTOCOL

ABSTRACTDespite the negative impact of cigarette smoking on oral health and teeth appearance, there is no data available on dental shade changes in smokers who quit smoking. Dental discoloration caused by smoking may be permanent, with minimal restoration after stopping smoking. If this is valid, former smokers can show dental shade values equivalent to those of current smokers.The aim of this study is to compare the dental shade assessment by digital spectrophotometry (VITA Easyshade V) in current, former and never smokers and to verify the short (7 days) and long-term (30 days) repeatability of these measurements.Confirmation of good reproducibility of VITA Easyshade V with clear objective discrimination of dental shade measurements among current, former, and never smokers will improve the power of this measurement giving more confidence in clinical research findings of dental shades in these populations.It is also anticipated that results from the study will expand the application of this measurements to include medical and regulatory research applied to combustion-free tobacco products (e.g. e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, oral tobacco/nicotine products, etc.), smoking cessation medications, and to consumer care product for oral hygiene and dental aesthetics.