Adequate Information Processing Research Articles

Alpha-synuclein-induced nigrostriatal degeneration and pramipexole treatment disrupt frontostriatal plasticity

Parkinson’s disease is characterized by the degeneration of substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) dopaminergic neurons, leading to motor and cognitive symptoms. Numerous cellular and molecular adaptations following neurodegeneration or dopamine replacement therapy (DRT) have been described in motor networks but little is known regarding associative basal ganglia loops. This study investigated the contributions of nigrostriatal degeneration and pramipexole (PPX) on neuronal activity in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), frontostriatal plasticity, and markers of synaptic plasticity. Bilateral nigrostriatal degeneration was induced by viral-mediated expression of human mutated alpha-synuclein in the SNc. Juxtacellular recordings were performed in anesthetized rats to evaluate neuronal activity in the OFC. Recordings in the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) were performed, and spike probability in response to OFC stimulation was measured before and after high-frequency stimulation (HFS). Post-mortem analysis included stereological assessment of nigral neurodegeneration, BDNF and TrkB protein levels. Nigrostriatal neurodegeneration led to altered firing patterns of OFC neurons that were restored by PPX. HFS of the OFC led to an increased spike probability in the DMS, while dopaminergic loss had the opposite effect. PPX led to a decreased spike probability following HFS in control rats and failed to counteract the effect of dopaminergic neurodegeneration. These alterations were associated with decreased levels of BDNF and TrkB in the DMS. This study demonstrates that nigral dopaminergic loss and PPX both contribute to alter frontostriatal transmission, precluding adequate information processing in associative basal ganglia loops as a gateway for the development of non-motor symptoms or non-motor side effects of DRT.

CRITERIA FOR QUALITY ASSESSING OF ABSTRACT TRANSLATION

Statement of the problem. Informatization of the global space and the growing need of intercultural interaction have an impact on all spheres of human life. Techniques of fast, efficient and adequate information processing are becoming more and more practically significant. The study considers abstract translation as the most demanded and economical means of obtaining of information. In connection with this, the objective was set – to determine the criteria for quality assessing of abstract translation. Results. The article analyses the works of domestic and foreign authors, considering the criteria for determining the quality of abstract translation as well as didactic methods and stages of creating of abstract translated text as an element of linguistic, cognitive and analytical processes. The papers of participants of All-Russian student contest of abstract translation were used as a material for practical research to solve the tasks. Conclusion. The practical significance of the study lies in the considering of an abstract translation within the framework of professional bilingual communication; a qualitative and quantitative analysis of contest papers is computed; a scale of criteria for assessing the quality of abstract translation is formed.

Pediatric Delirium Educational Tool Development With Intensive Care Unit Clinicians and Caregivers in Canada: Focus Group Study.

Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU)-associated delirium contributes to a decline in postdischarge quality of life, with worse outcomes for individuals with delayed identification. As delirium screening rates remain low within PICUs, caregivers may be able to assist with early detection, for which they need more education, as awareness of pediatric delirium among caregivers remains limited. This study aimed to develop an educational tool for caregivers to identify potential delirium symptoms during their child's PICU stay, educate them on how to best support their child if they experience delirium, and guide them to relevant family resources. Web-based focus groups were conducted at a tertiary pediatric hospital with expected end users of the tool (ie, PICU health care professionals and caregivers of children with an expected PICU length of stay of over 48 h) to identify potential educational information for inclusion in a family resource guide and to identify strategies for effective implementation. Data were analyzed thematically to generate requirements to inform prototype development. Participants then provided critical feedback on the initial prototype, which guided the final design. In all, 24 participants (18 health care professionals and 6 caregivers) attended 7 focus groups. Participants identified five informational sections for inclusion: (1) delirium definition, (2) key features of delirium (signs and symptoms), (3) postdischarge outcomes associated with delirium, (4) tips to inform family-centered care, and (5) education or supportive resources. Participants identified seven design requirements: information should (1) be presented in an order that resembles the structure of the clinical discussion around delirium; (2) increase accessibility, recall, and preparedness by providing multiple formats; (3) aim to reduce stress by implementing positive framing; (4) minimize cognitive load to ensure adequate information processing; (5) provide supplemental electronic resources via QR codes; (6) emphasize collaboration between caregivers and the health care team; and (7) use prompting questions to act as a call to action for caregivers. Key design requirements derived from end-user feedback were established and guided the development of a novel pediatric delirium education tool. Implementing this tool into regular practice has the potential to reduce distress and assist in the early recognition and treatment of delirium in the PICU domain. Future evaluation of its clinical utility is necessary.

PEDAGOGICAL CONTROL AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE IN CONTROLLING SPEED-POWER MOVEMENTS IN STUDENT WEIGHTLIFTERS

The article reveals the importance of pedagogical control in the management of speed-power movements in student weightlifters. It is assumed that the effectiveness of technical techniques should be evaluated based on the registration of a limited number of basic biomechanical characteristics of movement. Applying a system of internal reference points for an athlete, in combination with hardware techniques, it is possible to develop a control technique acceptable for use at all stages of training athletes for important competitions.
 The selection of rational pedagogical influences and their reduction into an algorithmized methodology, the use of a system of urgent information on the effectiveness of exercises will contribute to a targeted change in movement skills, which will speed up the training process of weightlifters and improve the system for evaluating their achievements. When building a specific methodology, the development of the structure and content of algorithmized pedagogical influences acquires great importance. This may indicate an unformed need for physical exercise. Which, in turn, indicates a low level of motivation for physical education. Currently, one of the urgent problems is the effective organization of physical education classes for young people in universities. The main component for the successful implementation of any activity, including physical culture and sports, is motivation. Taking into account psychological factors that contribute to the perception and adequate processing of information, the use of the features of the formation of "meaningful", "target", "operational" attitudes will help speed up the learning process. And the selection of auxiliary exercises, determination of their sequence, will contribute to consolidation of rational motor skills.

Pathologically impulsive reaction and instantaneous perpetration of a double crime with a firearm

For Barratt et al. (1997), impulsivity is defined as a predisposition to carry out quick, non-reflective actions in response to internal and/or external stimuli despite the negative consequences that these could have for the person as well as for third parties (Moeller et al., 2001). Impulsivity is thought of as a psychobiological tendency that predisposes a spectrum of behaviors rather than a particular action (Squillace et al., 2011).
 For Squillace et al. (2011), individuals with high impulsivity can be analyzed:
 
 A) At a behavioral level, where a reduced sensitivity to the negative consequences triggered by their own actions can be observed, as well as a high reaction speed that would not allow an adequate processing of information, both from internal and external stimuli.
 B) At a social level, impulsiveness is understood as a behavior developed in a family environment in which the child has learned to react quickly to obtain what is desired. This behavior implies risks and its consequences are not considered by the individual for themselves or for third parties (Moeller, et al., 2001; Orozco-Cabal, Barratt & Buccello, 2007).
 
 In the present case, evaluated directly by the writer, in January 2017, a 29-year-old in the course of hunting small game, was intercepted by two rural agents. Without a word between the aggressor and the victims, the aggressor reacted virulently and impulsively in "acting out", perpetrating the murder of both by discharging his shotgun.
 The aggressor then turned himself into the police and was arrested.

PREVENTIVE INVESTIGATION OF THE IMPACT OF THE FAMILY ON STUDENT AGGRESSION IN THE PROCESS OF COGNITIVE DISMODERATE INTERCOURSE

The prevention of cognitive dismoderate intercourse depends on the distinction of the basic behavioral stereotypes, blocking, moderation (this is a moderate, correct measure) regarding the adequate processing of information between the reflective representations of personality and the importance of the process of personality of communication. The study identifies the main aspects of the relationships of children in the family environment, influencing the process of cognitive dismoderate intercourse, through a projective methodology. Inductive for inferior interactions between family members is the arrangement of the drawings on the left side of the leaf, predominantly in pale colors. The importance of perception, as a sensory perception in children's drawings, is projected, as a reflection of things in the mind, through the sensory organs, indicative of cognitive dismoderate intercourse, is the blunting of the basic logical conclusions of the communicative process in the preponderance of emotional conclusions. The pale colors in the children's drawings, as well as the too bright ones, are indicative of cognitive deficits in communication. The reflective attitude of children to the events and events of their relationships with their parents influences the process of immediate active reflection on the cognitive spheres in the human mind, through internally personal and external objects, situations, positions, phenomena that determine the dysmoderate breaking of feedback in interactions. A large percentage of the students surveyed do not portray their family members holding hands, which is indicative of the lack of trust between family members, in their joint communication processes, they doubt their sincerity towards each other. Distant figures of family members are observed in the images in children's drawings; in practice, this is an indicator of alienation between family members. Basically, children's drawings lack eyelashes, when depicting family members, this is indicative of the lack of interest of family members towards each other. The lack of understanding of the problematic relationships between parents and children enhances the process of cognitive dismoderate intercourse between them, this type of relationship, the children transfer to the school environment. When children draw long arms in the image of their family, this indicator shows the presence in the mind of the child of an overbearing, arrogant and mentally burdensome person. The preventive importance of social interactions and attitudes has emerged, through the indicators of children's drawings indicating the behavioral tendencies and energy charge of adolescents, mainly in their behavior, a rich emotional world of manifested emotions is observed, but most of them are of a negative nature due to blocking and behavioral stressors.

S40. MEDIAL SEPTUM ACTIVATION PRODUCES OPPOSITE EFFECTS ON DOPAMINE NEURON ACTIVITY IN THE VENTRAL TEGMENTAL AREA AND SUBSTANTIA NIGRA PARS COMPACTA IN MAM VERSUS NORMAL RATS

BackgroundDisruptions in dopamine (DA) signaling are central to the pathophysiology of several major psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. Thus, discovery of novel therapeutic approaches that normalize DA signaling is a major focus of research. One pathway that is critical for DA regulation originates from the ventral subiculum (vSub) of the hippocampus and controls ventral tegmental area (VTA) DA neuron activity. A potent regulator of hippocampal function is the medial septum (MS); a sub-region of the basal forebrain that widely innervates the hippocampus, including the vSub, via cholinergic, GABAergic, and glutamatergic projections, drives hippocampal theta rhythms, and affects goal-directed learning and memory. Despite this, it has never been determined if the MS is an afferent regulator of the midbrain DA system, and therefore may be a novel therapeutic treatment target for DA-related disorders.MethodsEffects of MS activation (NMDA, 0.75 µg/ 0.2 µL) were examined in intact and methylazoxymethanol acetate- treated (MAM) male Sprague-Dawley rats using anesthetized single unit DA recordings in the VTA and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and locomotor behavior in an open field following systemic amphetamine (0.75 mg/kg).ResultsMS activation produced a prolonged 71% increase in the number of spontaneously active DA cells in the VTA, and an opposing 40% decrease in the number of active DA cells in the SNc, compared to vehicle infusions. These effects were mediated by the vSub and ventral pallidum as local infusion of TTX (1 µM /0.5 µL) and bicuculline (1 ng/ 0.5 µL), respectively, reversed DA population activity changes in both regions. MS activation also decreased the locomotor response to amphetamine (49% reduction in distance traveled during peak ambulation compared to vehicle). MS activation-induced changes in both DA population activity and amphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion were selectively mediated by different neurotransmitter populations from MS to vSub as infusion of scopolamine (8 µg/1.0 µL) into the vSub selectively prevented DA population activity changes in the VTA. In contrast, infusion of bicuculline (12.5 ng/0.5 µL) selectively prevented DA population activity changes in the SNc and the decrease in amphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion. In MAM rats, MS activation produced opposite effects on DA population activity versus controls as it decreased VTA DA activity by 51% and increased SNc DA activity by 47%. This was accompanied by a similar reversal in amphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion, with MS activation increasing locomotion in MAM animals (113% increase in distance traveled during peak ambulation compared to control animals). The reversal in behavioral output is likely due to disrupted GABAergic projections from MS to vSub as bicuculline infusion into vSub prevented the increase in locomotor behavior.DiscussionThese data indicate that the MS differentially regulates both VTA and SNc DA neuron activity and behavioral output, but via distinct pathways, and that this regulation is disrupted in a well-validated animal model of schizophrenia. Therefore, this suggests that in normal animals the MS might activate the VTA to increase information processing while delaying action via SNc inhibition. In contrast, the inhibition of VTA and activation of SNc in MAM rats might promote a rapid response without adequate processing of information.

Information processing fit in the context of emerging markets: An analysis of foreign SBUs in China

The institutional uncertainty of many emerging markets challenges the decision making processes of foreign managers and require advanced information gathering and processing activities. Organizational Information Processing Theory (OIPT) asserts that an adequate information level determines decision effectiveness and thereby firm performance. Although studies integrated OIPT's contingent perspective, the actual identification of the adequate information processing per se received little attention. In this paper, we examine the optimal fit between the uncertainty levels of foreign firms in China and their information processing activities. We draw on data from 128 foreign firms' strategic business units (SBUs) in China and unveil that the examined SBUs face substantially different business environments with respect to dynamics and associated information processing requirements. We develop distinct ideal profiles for information processing capacities and assess whether an alignment with the ideal profile results in improved performance. Our study results show that the degree of alignment (i.e. fit) between an SBU's business environment and its ideal information processing profile is positively associated with strategic quality and company performance, empirically confirming OIPT's central tenet of ‘fitting’ organizational information processing capacities with requirements. We stipulate managers to emphasize the ideal information processing profile according to the level of information processing requirement they face.

Developing applications of the ICF in education systems: addressing issues of knowledge creation, management and transfer

Purpose: Since its endorsement, the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) has been applied in many policy contexts, including education. While so far the focus has been on showing ways in which it can be used to describe functioning and disability, this article seeks to focus on its value to represent knowledge. Methods: Two applications of the ICF and ICF-CY in the context of the Swiss education system highlight ways in which the classification can be used to assist multidisciplinary teams in acquiring and mapping existing knowledge, in creating new knowledge and in applying it for specific purposes. Results: The conceptual analysis illustrates that “disability in education” is a hybrid conceptual world that needs to bridge disability-related information with information relevant for learning and education. The ICF can be used to adequately map such knowledge in complex social settings. Conclusion: More attention needs to be paid to the ICF as an information system to help negotiate between different views on reality and different areas of expertise. The selection of content and ways of representing it need to be considered in the light of the specific purposes during collaborative knowledge creation processes.Implications for RehabilitationA sound understanding of the linkage between knowledge, information and data helps to clarify problems with the application of the ICF in everyday practice.Tool development needs to be responsive to the different information requirements across the knowledge creation cycle.Planning and decision-making can be improved if relevant information is represented in ways that facilitate adequate information processing.

Disrupted Cortical Conductivity in Schizophrenia: TMS-EEG Study

Schizophrenia is conceptualized as a failure of cognitive integration, and altered oscillatory properties of neurocircuits are associated with its symptoms. We hypothesized that abnormal characteristics of neural networks may alter functional connectivity and distort propagation of activation in schizophrenic brains. Thus, electroencephalography (EEG) responses to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of motor cortex were compared between schizophrenia and healthy subjects. There was no difference in the initial response. However, TMS-induced waves of recurrent excitation spreading across the cortex were observed in schizophrenia, while in healthy subjects the activation faded away soon after stimulation. This widespread activation in schizophrenia was associated with increased oscillatory activities in the proximal central leads and in fronto-temporo-parietal leads bilaterally. A positive correlation was found between increased TMS-induced cortical activation in gamma frequency and positive symptoms of schizophrenia, while negative symptoms were correlated with activation in theta and delta bands. We suggest that excessive activation in response to stimulation in schizophrenia brains may lead to abnormal propagation of the signal that could potentially result in aberrant activity in areas remote from the activation origin. This mechanism may account for the positive symptoms of schizophrenia and could worsen signal to noise deficits, jeopardizing adequate information processing with ensuing cognitive deficits.

Cosmogenic radionuclides 14C and 10Be: Solar activity and climate

The problem of the use of such cosmogenic nuclides as 14C and 10Be in natural archives for reconstruction of both the solar activity and the cosmic-ray intensity is discussed. The climate-dependent processes of the formation, transport, and deposition of these nuclides to Earth’s archives must be taken into account for adequate processing of information derived from such archives.

El tálamo: aspectos neurofuncionales

To carry out a revision of the principal neurofunctional aspects of the thalamus.Following the anatomical location of this cerebral structure in the diencephalon, we'll analyze the macroscopic characteristics of the thalamus establishing its anatomical limits. We'll study the main thalamic nuclei, taking into account different criteria: evolution, anatomical and functional, cytoarchitectonic, and connective fibers as well as the principal projections which reach and leave the thalamus, allowing an adequate information processing. The last part of this paper is dedicated to study of the aspects related with the participation of the thalamus in the basic psychofunctional processes and superior processes.The thalamus, in addition to its implication along with the cerebral cortex in the analysis and integration of sensitive and motor functions, is implied in superior functions like the attention, language, memory and executive function. The pulvinar nucleus, the lateral nuclear group and the anterior nuclear group take part in the language, fundamentally. In the mnesic processes, the scientific studies show that the midline nuclei, mediodorsal thalamic nuclei and intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus are implied in this superior function. Lesions of the thalamus can cause alterations in the executive functions, attention, initiative and temporal organization of the conduct. The mediodorsal nuclei, the intralaminar nuclei and the midline nuclei has been shown to have a critical role in executive function.

Effects of pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic fields on human sleep.

In the present study we investigated the influence of pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic fields of digital mobile radio telephones on sleep in healthy humans. Besides a hypnotic effect with shortening of sleep onset latency, a REM suppressive effect with reduction of duration and percentage of REM sleep was found. Moreover, spectral analysis revealed qualitative alterations of the EEG signal during REM sleep with an increased spectral power density. Knowing the relevance of REM sleep for adequate information processing in the brain, especially concerning mnestic functions and learning processes, the results emphasize the necessity to carry out further investigations on the interaction of this type of electromagnetic fields and the human organism.

Microstructure technologies and their potential in medical applications.

One of the major fields of application of microstructure technology and microsystems technology will probably be centered in medical engineering. Above all in neurosurgery, highly sophisticated surgical instruments featuring high functionality combined with high reliability are needed. Products fabricated by conventional manufacturing technologies can fulfill these demanding requirements only to a limited extend. At the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center first prototype components such as microspectrometers, microturbines and microfluidics structures are presently fabricated and tested which can be used in future microendoscopes as sensors or actuators. Combined with adequate information processing and suitable interface technology, it will be possible to create microsystems for various medical applications.

Perception in traffic

In this paper, a framework for the study of perception in traffic is outlined. It is shown that in isolation the sensory processes are of only minor importance, but that adequate information processing by the driver is crucial. From a global three-level characterization of the driving task a number of criteria for information presentation woven with divergent aspects of the driving task. In a last paragraph the influence on perception of time-varying aspects of the driver, such as his attention and his degree of fatigue, are briefly discussed.