Different Sources Of Information Research Articles

Public Perceptions on Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma.

Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) has entered the spotlight, as several high-profile media outlets have begun to relay the evolving science to the public. This study aimed to gauge the baseline knowledge and concern regarding BIA-ALCL among adult laywomen within the United States. Mechanical Turk was used to survey 500 American women on self-reported demographics, prior experience with breast implants, and 11 questions regarding their knowledge and concern regarding BIA-ALCL. Responses were reviewed for quality control before study inclusion. Overall, 12 percent of respondents had received breast implants and 73 percent knew someone with implants; 13.6 percent of respondents (including 51.7 percent of respondents with implants) had previously heard of BIA-ALCL. After providing information about its risk, 58.4 percent of respondents were still willing to receive a reconstructive implant and 45.8 percent a cosmetic implant; 35.8 percent reported they would be less likely to receive an implant. Of the respondents with breast implants, 66.7 percent reported some degree of concern regarding BIA-ALCL and 35.0 percent are strongly considering removing their implants. Those who had heard of BIA-ALCL consumed information from several sources, predominantly health professionals or media/health care blogs. Different sources of information were not associated with a respondent's degree of concern. Only a minority of American women have heard of BIA-ALCL and understand its association with breast implants. As plastic surgeons who perform breast reconstruction, we can promote the spread of information through the popular media and health care blogs to address this growing concern, particularly among women with existing breast implants.

Ensuring future regeneration success of Qualea grandiflora Mart. (Vochysiaceae) in neotropical savanna (cerrado) biomes by reviewing the available information and identifying research gaps

Abstract: Qualea grandiflora Mart. (Vochysiaceae) is one of the most widespread species within the cerrado formation, which counts amongst the most threatened ecosystems worldwide. Understanding the regeneration ecology of Q. grandiflora is a central requirement for the success of conservation measures and silvicultural management strategies. Exhaustive investigation was carried out into each of the development stages, and the connected processes within the regeneration cycle, to provide a better understanding of the main factors influencing the regeneration ecology and the recruitment dynamics of the species. For this purpose, we analysed 92 different sources of information in this review, divided into two groups (n = 41 with “basic species information” and n = 51 with “specific information about regeneration stages and processes”) relevant for regeneration and silviculture. Our literature review showed the high proportion of studies addressing the processes flowering, pollination and fruiting, whereas the subsequent processes like seed dispersal, seed storage, germination and seedling development are almost entirely lacking. This also applies for spatial information about environmental conditions and the related regeneration processes in Q. grandiflora. This knowledge is important for management, for example, knowledge of the critical distances between flowering and seed producing trees to ensure genetically diverse regeneration and the identification of safe sites for seedling establishment. Most of the practical suggestions in relation to increasing densities or growth of Q. grandiflora seedlings and saplings made in the literature are linked to less intensive fire management strategies adopted at certain times. The use of selective herbivory to reduce the increasing competition pressure exerted by invasive grasses and hampering Q. grandiflora seedlings is also cited. In this study we highlight the need for more complex species-specific information following the development stages and processes of the regeneration cycle so as to prepare a continuous strategy with a range of management approaches.

Predicting Future Yields and Risk Premia: The Blue-Dot Affine Model

The authors present a new affine model that can predict future yields and risk premia in the monetary conditions of the past decade more convincingly than current state-of-the-art statistical models. Despite making use of very different sources of information, it produces remarkably similar changes in risk premia as the most popular statistical return-predicting factors. However, it predicts very different—and, they argue, more believable—levels for risk premia and expectations. The model is extremely parsimonious, is financially motivated, fits market yields accurately with very few interpretable parameters, and naturally recovers important qualitative features of the joint ℙ and ℚ dynamics of yields. <b>TOPICS:</b>Analysis of individual factors/risk premia, factor-based models, statistical methods <b>Key Findings</b> • A new affine model of the term structure is shown to give more plausible estimates of risk premia and expectations than the current state-of-the-art yield curve statistical models. • The model uses information from the Fed expectations of the future federal funds rate. • The model is financially justifiable, very parsimonious, and fits observed market yields very well.

Timing of descriptions shapes experience‐based risky choice

SummaryRisky decisions based on the combination of different sources of information (e.g., decisions from description‐plus‐experience) have mostly been ignored, as research has focused on examining each source separately. Across three experiments, we explore the intricate relationship between experience and description by manipulating when descriptive information about risky options is made available during an experience‐based task. The results show that the amount of prior experience moderates the way that descriptive information is considered and integrated in the decision‐making process: Descriptions affected behavior more when participants had little experience with the task, whereas their effect was less pronounced with extended experience. This relationship reversed when participants had access to foregone payoffs, with descriptions being considered more when participants had more time to interact with the task. Potential mechanisms and theoretical accounts are discussed with an emphasis on how the results and conclusions of the present work can be applied to the effective design of warning labels.

Optimism-pessimism, conspiracy theories and general trust as factors contributing to COVID-19 related behavior – A cross-cultural study

The main aim of this research was to examine the role of optimism-pessimism, general trust and belief in conspiracy theories, in COVID-19 related fears, preventive and hoarding behaviors. We also examined the role of different sources of information in these relations. The convenience sample was used (N = 412) and it consisted of individuals from Serbia (N = 292) and Latin-America (N = 120). Following instruments were used: The Life Orientation Test (Scheier, Carver, & Bridges, 1994), Trust in people scale (Arbor, 1964), questions regarding fear, source of information, preventive behaviors and conspiracy constructed for the purposes of this research. The results suggest that fear of food shortage was the most pronounces one in both samples, followed by fear for oneself and finally by the fear for beloved others. Results suggest that optimists, those with high level of general trust and those who do not believe in conspiracy theories show lower level of fear and higher level of preventive behaviors. Pessimists on the other hand, show higher level of fear. Fear was related to all information sources suggesting that more information leads to higher intensity of fear – except information from the president which did not show any effect.

Can different definitions of date of cancer incidence explain observed international variation in cancer survival? An ICBP SURVMARK-2 study

BackgroundDifferences in registration practices across population-based cancer registries may contribute to international variation in survival estimates. In particular, there are variations in recorded date of incidence (DOI) as cancer registries have access to different sources of information and use different rules to determine an official DOI. This study investigates the impact of different DOI rules on cancer survival estimates. Materials and methodsDetailed data on dates of pathological confirmation and hospital admittance were collected from three registries participating in the ICBP SURVMARK-2 project (England, Northern Ireland and Norway). Multiple dates of incidence were determined for each cancer patient diagnosed during 2010–2014 by applying three sets of rules that prioritize either: a) histological date, b) hospital admittance date or c) the earliest date recorded. For each set of rules and registry, 1- and 5-year net survival were estimated for eight cancer sites (oesophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, liver, pancreas, lung and ovary). ResultsThe mean difference between different DOIs within a country and cancer site ranged from 0.1–23 days. The variation in 1- and 5-year net survival using different DOIs were generally small for all registries and cancer sites. Only for liver and pancreatic cancer in Norway and ovarian cancer in England, were larger 1-year survival differences, of 2–3 % found. ConclusionIn the ongoing discussion of the comparability of survival estimates across registry populations, the use of different DOI definitions can be considered to have a very limited impact.

Telehealth in the Context of COVID-19: Changing Perspectives in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

BackgroundOn March 12, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak a pandemic. On that date, there were 134,576 reported cases and 4981 deaths worldwide. By March 26, 2020, just 2 weeks later, reported cases had increased four-fold to 531,865, and deaths increased five-fold to 24,073. Older people are both major users of telehealth services and are more likely to die as a result of COVID-19.ObjectiveThis paper examines the extent that Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, during the 2 weeks following the pandemic announcement, sought to promote telehealth as a tool that could help identify COVID-19 among older people who may live alone, be frail, or be self-isolating, and give support to or facilitate the treatment of people who are or may be infected.MethodsThis paper reports, for the 2-week period previously mentioned and immediately prior, on activities and initiatives in the three countries taken by governments or their agencies (at national or state levels) together with publications or guidance issued by professional, trade, and charitable bodies. Different sources of information are drawn upon that point to the perceived likely benefits of telehealth in fighting the pandemic. It is not the purpose of this paper to draw together or analyze information that reflects growing knowledge about COVID-19, except where telehealth is seen as a component.ResultsThe picture that emerges for the three countries, based on the sources identified, shows a number of differences. These differences center on the nature of their health services, the extent of attention given to older people (and the circumstances that can relate to them), the different geographies (notably concerned with rurality), and the changes to funding frameworks that could impact these. Common to all three countries is the value attributed to maintaining quality safeguards in the wider context of their health services but where such services are noted as sometimes having precluded significant telehealth use.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic is forcing changes and may help to establish telehealth more firmly in its aftermath. Some of the changes may not be long-lasting. However, the momentum is such that telehealth will almost certainly find a stronger place within health service frameworks for each of the three countries and is likely to have increased acceptance among both patients and health care providers.

Automatic scale estimation for music score images

Optical Music Recognition (OMR) is the research field focused on the automatic reading of music from scanned images. Its main goal is to encode the content into a digital and structured format with the advantages that this entails. This discipline is traditionally aligned to a workflow whose first step is the document analysis. This step is responsible of recognizing and detecting different sources of information—e.g. music notes, staff lines and text—to extract them and then processing automatically the content in the following steps of the workflow. One of the most difficult challenges it faces is to provide a generic solution to analyze documents with diverse resolutions. The endless number of existing music sources does not meet a standard that normalizes the data collections, giving complete freedom for a wide variety of image sizes and scales, thereby making this operation unsustainable. In the literature, this question is commonly overlooked and a uniform scale is assumed. In this paper, a machine learning-based approach to estimate the scale of music documents with respect to a reference scale is presented. Our goal is to propose a robust and generalizable method to adapt the input image to the requirements of an OMR system. For this, two goal-directed case studies are included to evaluate the proposed approach over common task within the OMR workflow, comparing the behavior with other state-of-the-art methods. Results suggest that it is necessary to perform this additional step in the first stage of the workflow to correct the scale of the input images. In addition, it is empirically demonstrated that our specialized approach is more promising than image augmentation strategies for the multi-scale challenge.

DISTANCE LEARNING OF “UKRAINIAN LANGUAGE (BY PROFESSIONAL DIRECTION)” OF STUDENTS OF MEDICAL SPECIALTIES

The article considers the features and benefits of using distance learning in the educational process. The content of the concept of “distance learning” and the views of scientists on its interpretation are presented. It reveals the teaching experience of the discipline “Ukrainian language (by professional direction)” by means of distance learning at the Ukrainian Language Department of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University. The materials for checking the level of medical specialties students’ knowledge in the aforementioned discipline are offered for the following themes: “Language standard. Orthoepic norms, norms of emphasis”, “Lexical aspect of medical professional language. Phraseological units in professional language”, “Terminology in professional communication. Lexical-semantic relations in scientific terminology. Features of Ukrainian medical terminology”, “Dictionaries in professional communication. Types of dictionaries, their function and role in enhancing language culture”, “Morphological aspect of Medical Professional Language”, “Syntactic aspect of Medical Professional Language”, “Features of Ukrainian language etiquette. Communicative qualities of language culture. Doctor’s Language Etiquette”, “Public speech and its genres”.&#x0D; It emphasizes the usage of detailed instructions for practical tasks and for submitting samples to each task. The research demonstrates that the teacher must take into account the goal, the age of the students, the professional orientation of the tasks. It underscores that the given tasks have a practical orientation and cannot comprehensively assess the student’s knowledge level in the study of a specific topic, but they aim to diversify distance learning, make it interesting. Undoubtedly, the usage of computer-based distance learning provides a learning process, so it needs to be refined and developed. This type of training encourages the specialist to look for new forms and methods of teaching the discipline, and the student to work independently, to work with different sources of information. It should be noted that the development of distance learning in the Ukrainian education system is perspective.

P1859“HEADING AWARDS 3.0 PATIENTS” IMPACT OF AN ONLINE HEALTH WORKSHOP ON INTERNET SEARCH OF HEALTH-RELATED ISSUES BY PERITONEAL DIALYSIS UNIT´S PATIENTS, FROM THE NEPHROLOGY SERVICE

Abstract Background and Aims New technologies have advanced diagnostic techniques and enabled patient self-information, nonetheless, they can become a weapon of misinformation if not used appropriately. Online health resources utilization, gamification and the appearance of new specialized Apps are becoming a challenge in the quest for correct use of new technologies in the Nephrological field and in the patient empowerment process. Aims 1st Phase: Determine how frequent medical information is searched for online, the main topics and the different sources of information used by PD patients in our Service of Nephrology. Method Observational prospective study using a cohort of patients from PD Unit (pre dialysis and on dialysis). First, an online survey was used in order to obtain demographic variables and to determine the use of different sources of information and their quality. Secondly, patients were instructed in ICTs via virtual desktop as well as in two live workshops. Results 52 patients (37 men, 15 women). Mean age: 61.7 years. Academic level (elementary school: 20). Place of residence (urban: 65.4%). 48% never uses the internet. From the rest: 68% searches in a regular manner for health-related issues, with “Google” being the main search engine (77.8%). 100% have searched for their own illnesses, 72.2% consider the information found not completely reliable. 61% looks for information before and after the clinical encounter. 72.2% have asked other patients about nephrological health related issues, while 27.8% have given counsel of said issues to others. 86.5% doesn’t use health related Apps and only 5.8% use blogs. Among the variables analysed, differences where found in being older age and less use of internet (ANOVA test p&amp;lt;0.001) and with lower cultural level and less use of new technologies (Chi-squared test p&amp;lt;0.001). Conclusion The analysed data show that nowadays we face two main problems in our PD unit: Generational digital divide we have patients who have not incorporated into their lives the use of new technologies, in contraposition to others who use them in regular bases. Guarantee that those who use digital resources can access them in a simple and trustworthy manner. Therefore, we believe that the second phase of this project, both the workshops and the virtual desktop, are tools that can help fix these problems.

Research on Portable Fault Message Analysis Device Based on Mobile Terminals

As the scale of the power grid expands and the complexity of the power grid structure increases, timely acquisition and correct analysis of grid fault information is important for us handling failure and recovering the power supply. When we are facing of complex grid faults, It can help us get accurate assessment of fault nature, fault location result and failure severity. This paper proposes a portable Fault Message Analysis Device based on mobile terminals, which can help field personnel to obtain fault recording information of different sources in different substations, and complete data remote transmission sharing by wireless transmission module. This device can confirm the fault point and judge the correctness of the protection action behavior through differential calculation and analysis of multi-source recording data. It has powerful functions of analysis and communication, which can help improve the level of fault analysis and processing efficiency, reduce the time of fault recovery and improve the reliability of power supply.

Quantifying the Role of Vocabulary Knowledge in Predicting Future Word Learning

Can we predict the words a child is going to learn next given information about the words that a child knows now? Do different representations of a child’s vocabulary knowledge affect our ability to predict the acquisition of lexical items for individual children? Past research has often focused on population statistics of vocabulary growth rather than prediction of words an individual child is likely to learn next. We consider a neural network approach to predict vocabulary acquisition. Specifically, we investigate how best to represent the child’s current vocabulary in order to accurately predict future learning. The models we consider are based on qualitatively different sources of information: descriptive information about the child, the specific words a child knows, and representations that aim to capture the child’s aggregate lexical knowledge. Using longitudinal vocabulary data from children aged 15–36 months, we construct neural network models to predict which words are likely to be learned by a particular child in the coming month. Many models based on child-specific vocabulary information outperform models with child information only, suggesting that the words a child knows influence prediction of future language learning. These models provide an understanding of the role of current vocabulary knowledge on future lexical growth.

Digital synthesis of histological stains using micro-structured and multiplexed virtual staining of label-free tissue

Histological staining is a vital step in diagnosing various diseases and has been used for more than a century to provide contrast in tissue sections, rendering the tissue constituents visible for microscopic analysis by medical experts. However, this process is time consuming, labour intensive, expensive and destructive to the specimen. Recently, the ability to virtually stain unlabelled tissue sections, entirely avoiding the histochemical staining step, has been demonstrated using tissue-stain-specific deep neural networks. Here, we present a new deep-learning-based framework that generates virtually stained images using label-free tissue images, in which different stains are merged following a micro-structure map defined by the user. This approach uses a single deep neural network that receives two different sources of information as its input: (1) autofluorescence images of the label-free tissue sample and (2) a “digital staining matrix”, which represents the desired microscopic map of the different stains to be virtually generated in the same tissue section. This digital staining matrix is also used to virtually blend existing stains, digitally synthesizing new histological stains. We trained and blindly tested this virtual-staining network using unlabelled kidney tissue sections to generate micro-structured combinations of haematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Jones’ silver stain, and Masson’s trichrome stain. Using a single network, this approach multiplexes the virtual staining of label-free tissue images with multiple types of stains and paves the way for synthesizing new digital histological stains that can be created in the same tissue cross section, which is currently not feasible with standard histochemical staining methods.

Social motivation and the use of distal, but not local, featural cues are related to ranging behavior in free-range chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus).

Animals can navigate an environment relying on different sources of information, such as geometrical or featural cues. The favoring of one type of information over another depends on multiple factors, such as inter-individual differences in behavior and cognition. Free-range chickens present different range use patterns, which may be explained by behavioral and cognitive differences. However, how behavior, cognition, and range use intercorrelate is still poorly understood. In this work, we aimed to further understand possible differences in behavior and cognition between two groups of free-range broiler chickens: those who frequently explore their range ('high rangers') and those who prefer to stay in or near the barn ('low rangers'). Prior to range access, individual behavior was measured in open field-, emergence-, and social motivation tests. To investigate cognitive differences, we analyzed whether exploratory behavior was linked to different performances in the use of distal and local spatial cues during an orientation task. During the social motivation test, low rangers showed a higher inclination to be near conspecifics than did high rangers. Our orientation tests show that chickens preferred to orientate themselves using the local cues over the distal cues. Individual differences were only found for distal, but not for local, cue use suggesting that demanding tasks are more efficient in revealing individual cognitive differences. Our results suggest that considering variation in social motivation may allow a more comprehensive understanding of chicken range use. Our results also support the importance of incorporating multiple aspects of individual differences to understand individual reactions to its environment.

Drivers of farmers’ intention to adopt technological innovations in Italy: The role of information sources, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use

Smart Farming Technologies (SFTs) can improve production output while minimising costs and preserving resources; however, they are scarcely adopted by farmers. In the present study, the factors affecting farmers' intentions to adopt two types of SFTs (Type 1: drones, sensors for data acquisition and automatic download, and agricultural apps; Type 2: agricultural robots and autonomous machines) were investigated within the framework of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), considering the role played by different sources of information, Perceived Ease of Use (PEU), and Perceived Usefulness (PU). A questionnaire assessing the PEU and PU of the two types of SFTs, farmers' previous exposure to different impersonal and personal (formal and informal) sources of information, and farmers' intentions to adopt SFTs was administered to a sample of Italian farmers (n = 314). A mediated model, built on the TAM, showed that the PU affected farmers’ intention to adopt a technology and that personal sources of information, both formal and informal, affected the PU; however, while formal sources increased the PU, informal sources decreased the PU. The model was invariant across the two types of SFTs considered. The implications for the proposal of new technologies are discussed. • Factors driving the intention to adopt Smart Farming Technologies were assessed in a group of Italian farmers. • The role of sources of information, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use was considered. • Formal personal sources of information were the most effective lever for change in the SFTs domain. • This effect was mediated by perceived usefulness. • Advisory systems providing knowledge and access to innovation resources for different types of farmers are needed.

Scenarios of Sustainable Fishing in the Zapatosa Marsh (Colombia) Simulated with a System Dynamics Model

The Zapatosa marsh (ciénaga de la Zapatosa) is located in the Department of Cesar in Colombia. In 2018, the muddy complex of Zapatosa was declared a Ramsar wetland, for this reason, it is necessary to develop management strategies for the marsh that allow not only the conservation of the ecosystem. The objective of this work is to use System Dynamics as an evaluation tool for three possible management scenarios of artisanal fishing in the Zapatosa marsh. A qualitative causal diagram and a quantitative Stock and Flow diagrams were designed to describe the dynamics of fish and fishermen populations in the marsh. The initial model setting and parametrization derived from values gathered from different sources of information. The calibration of the model was carried out with reference data on total catch of kilograms of fish and population data from the Department of Cesar. The data obtained through the “Aquaculture and artisanal fisheries survey of the Department of El Cesar” in 2018 were reproduced in the model and then compared with 3 alternative management scenarios. Scenario 1 included strictly applying of the fishing stopover for the species Prochilodus magdalenae and for catfish (Pseudoplatystoma magdaleniatum, Pimelodus blochii y Sorubim cuspicaudus). Scenario 2 considered to apply the same prohibitions, but with a payment to fishermen for the care of the swamp at the time of prohibition. In Scenario 3 the fishermen under fishing stop will receive an income of a legal Colombian minimum monthly salary and will be engaged in practices of ecosystem services. Results showed that in some scenarios the economic situation of the fishermen is unable to meet the monthly family expenses in different periods of the year. On the other hand, there is greater economic stability and fish populations when adopting Scenario 3, but it is difficult to achieve in the short or medium term. Scenario 2 shows little recoveries in fish populations and a higher money availability to the local community than in Scenario 3, in certain months, presenting the best short-term management option. The presented model encourages further simulation scenarios of the Zapatosa Marsh.

The QbTest for ADHD assessment: Impact and implementation in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

BackgroundThe assessment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) requires the integration of many different sources of information. These sources of information are often subjective, so objective measures like the QbTest can be an asset to healthcare teams that diagnose ADHD. MethodThe present study used a mixed-methods design to examine the impact of the introduction of the QbTest in Irish Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). The main analysis consisted of three focus groups with clinicians (n = 19) working in CAMHS. A concurrent pilot was run that consisted of the administration of 50 questionnaires to CAMHS clinicians (n = 17), service users (n = 15) and their families (n = 18). ResultsThematic analysis of focus group transcripts highlighted that clinicians considered the QbTest a valued addition to ADHD assessment as it was efficient, objective and clear. Survey data suggested that clinicians, service users and their families found the QbTest helpful and acceptable. ConclusionsThe findings indicated that participants in the present study (clinicians, service users, parents and guardians) all had positive reactions to their experience with the QbTest. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

Formation of the Competences “Initiative And Entrepreneurship” at the Lessons of History of Ukraine (10th Grade)

The article examines the components and importance of forming one of the key competences “initiative and entrepreneurship” in the context of reforming modern secondary education; possibilities of its introduction in school historical education are determined on the basis of development of historical competence of students. The components of historical competence by integrating the economic dimension into the content of the tasks are highlighted. The subject “History of Ukraine” is focused on the formation of competence “initiative and entrepreneurship” through integration of inter-curriculum relations at the lesson of History of Ukraine, creative and activity approaches to the educational process. It is important not the accumulation of knowledge, but the ability to identify and analyze problems (including specific economic situations), to seek ways of their rational solution, to be able to think critically and to apply the acquired knowledge, skills and expertise to solve new problems. This is largely facilitated by active teaching methods that encourage students to be initiative, sociable, personally responsible; forms skills and abilities of non-standard problem-solving, independent choice of effective life strategies. The project method, which involves the ability to creatively apply the acquired knowledge in non-standard situations to solve various educational problems, should be noted separately; ability to find the necessary information independently; to work with different sources of information; develop group collaboration skills; ability to argue their own opinion, discuss other topics. An example is the subject of 10th grade projects that shape a given competence. Thus, forming the initiative and entrepreneurship competences at the lessons of History of Ukraine will contribute to the improvement of the students' overall vital competences, form in them the ability to creatively apply the acquired knowledge, skills and expertise to solve social problems, improve their well-being in non-standard life situations and conditions in general.

Use of IMMPACT domains in clinical trials of acupuncture for chronic pain: A methodological survey.

Acupuncture is one of the therapeutic resources used for the management of chronic pain. Variability in outcome measurements in randomized clinical trials of non-oncologic chronic pain (RCT-NOCP) generates inconsistencies in determining effects of treatments. The objective of this survey was to assess the adherence to the recommendations made by the Initiative on Methods, Measurement, and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials (IMMPACT) in the measurement of RCT-NOCP of acupuncture. This methodological research made a systematic search for eligible studies from different sources of information. Eligible studies included those with number of patients ≥100, who randomized and allocated patients with chronic non-oncologic pain to be treated with acupuncture or with “sham” acupuncture, or non-acupuncture. This research included the recommendations for IMMPACT in the measurement of RCT-NOCP: presence of outcomes pain, physical function, emotional state and improvement perception of patient, the source of the outcome information pain and the tools used to measure such domains. From a total of 1,386 studies, 24 were included in this survey. Eleven studies presented low risk of bias. Pain outcome was measured in 23 studies, physical function in 22 studies, emotional state in 14 studies and improvement perception of patient in one study. As for the pain outcome, the patient was the information source in 50% of the studies. The measurement tools recommended for IMMPACT were included in eight studies (35%) that evaluated pain, one study that evaluated the emotional state (7%), and one study that evaluated the improvement perception and satisfaction of patient. It was observed that studies which did not adhere to the recommendations had more favorable results for acupuncture in the outcome pain. This study concludes that randomized clinical trials that used acupuncture to manage chronic pain failed to adhere to IMMPACT recommendations. Clinical societies and IMMPACT do not share the same recommendations. This fact reflects in the diversity of outcomes and instruments adopted in the studies, making it difficult to compare the results.

Emotional expressivity of the observer mediates recognition of affective states from human body movements

ABSTRACT Research on human motion perception shows that people are highly adept at inferring emotional states from body movements. Yet, this process is mediated by a number of individual factors and experiences. Within this study, we tackle two questions. Firstly, we ask which part of the body transmits the key information that is used to infer affective states. Secondly, we address how the observer’s own emotional expressivity influences the recognition process. We used two types of impoverished point-light displays depicting the same emotional interactions as either arm or trunk movements. Results showed that participants used different sources of information in an emotion-specific manner. Participants with richer self-reported emotional expressivity showed higher recognition accuracies overall but also benefited more from information delivered by arm gestures. We interpret our findings in terms of embodied simulation, suggesting that emotion perception constitutes a function of the expressing body and the individual observer.