Incidental Encounters Research Articles

How getting in sync is curative: Insights gained from research in psychotherapy.

We are all constantly going in and out of sync with the people we meet in our lives: significant others, incidental encounters, and strangers. Synchrony is a ubiquitous phenomenon, considered an evolution-based mechanism of survival. In recent years, technological development has made it possible to collect much data on synchrony across disciplines. The collected data show great potential to shed light on the benefits of this universal phenomenon. At the same time, mixed results emerged, stressing the need for a theory to navigate research inquiries and discoveries. It is proposed here that synchrony serves as an individual-specific mechanism for making relationships curative in all life circumstances, especially therapeutic ones-hence its special relevance for psychotherapy. A synthesis of the majority of the literature across disciplines reveals two implicit assumptions about synchrony, resulting in two separate bodies of knowledge: (a) synchrony is a trait-like signature characterizing individuals; and (b) synchrony is a state-like phenomenon that can be manipulated in the lab. It is proposed here to personalize synchrony research by integrating the two assumptions into a comprehensive theory according to which individuals have a trait-like signature for getting in sync, which determines their physical and mental health, and that this deterministic reality can be subject to state-like manipulation. Individuals can deviate from their trait-like signature. When the deviation is toward normative activation, mental health improves, and the state-like changes are defined as therapeutic. This article calls for research to investigate how trait-like signature of synchrony develops and how it can be therapeutically changed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Appendicular ‘Googlies’ – Googlies bowled at us by the human vermiform appendix and mimickers of it’s acute inflammation ! – A Case series with Review of literature

Objective: Acute appendicitis is one of the common abdominal emergencies encountered in surgical practice. However there are a host of other medical and surgical conditions that closely mimic it, clinically. The objective of this paper is to present a study and analysis of our burden of incidental encounters with such mimicking surgical conditions that were erroneously diagnosed as acute appendicitis, prior to surgery. Methods: Data was retrieved from the hospital’s electronic medical records about all patients operated for acute appendicitis, by a single surgeon, over a 14 year period. Results: A total of 450 patients were operated for acute appendicitis from 2008 to 2022. Out of these, we identified 20 patients who had a normal appendix with some other mimicking surgical condition (Incidence 4.44%). Conclusion: Acute appendicitis has many differential diagnoses, both common and rare. At times, some of these are confirmed ‘on table’; as seen in this case series. A sound, reliable and fool proof palpatory assessment of the abdomen is crucial in diagnosing it’s surgical conditions. It is interesting to note that although the initial diagnosis of acute appendicitis made for all the subjects of this case series was erroneous, all still turned out to have alternate conditions which merited surgery.

Incidental encounter: cataract surgery reveals bilateral double arcus senilis — a rare and uncharted ocular phenomenon

Incidental encounter: cataract surgery reveals bilateral double arcus senilis — a rare and uncharted ocular phenomenon

Diverse Methods for Diverse Systems: A Large-Scale Comparison of Reptile Sampling Methods

Abstract Reptiles play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem health, yet many species face increasing threats due to various anthropogenic factors. Enhancing our understanding of reptile diversity and habitat use worldwide necessitates evaluating the effectiveness of diverse survey techniques. The relative efficacy of different methods may vary significantly across regions or communities, highlighting the need for a comprehensive approach using multiple survey methods over extensive spatial and temporal scales. In this study, we compared the effectiveness of seven survey methods – pitfall traps, funnel traps, spotlighting, arboreal cover boards, incidental encounters, camera traps, and passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) – for assessing reptile biodiversity over several years across an extensive spatial range in open eucalypt woodlands throughout eastern Australia. Pitfall and funnel traps were the most effective methods for detecting reptiles across all sites and latitudes. A combination of pitfall and funnel traps accumulated species the quickest, had high detection probabilities, and accounted for nearly 90% of all different reptile species detected in this study. However, with a decrease in latitude reptile diversity increased and other survey methods became necessary to document the full extent of the reptile communities. Reptile assemblages captured by different survey methods varied significantly, except for the communities captured by pitfall and funnel traps. No single method captured all species, and no species was detected by every method. Passive acoustic monitoring failed to detect any reptiles and may not be viable for assessing reptile biodiversity in Australia. Pitfall and funnel traps proved highly effective for detecting terrestrial reptiles within open eucalypt woodlands in Australia, however, the selection of methods for evaluating reptile biodiversity depends on the objectives and target fauna, and when possible, to maximize species richness, survey designs should incorporate an array of concurrently deployed methods, particularly in regions with higher overall species richness. Nevertheless, if resources and time are limited, pitfall and funnel traps, combined with incidental encounters, should capture the majority of species.

Memory, metamemory, and false memory for features of the Apple logo

AbstractOur memory for common, easily recognizable logos, like the Apple logo, is surprisingly poor because of attentional saturation, where we stop attending to details of frequently encountered objects. This lack of attention to details may leave us susceptible to misinformation effects. Across four experiments, we tested recognition memory for the Apple logo after incidentally encoding an accurate or altered version of the logo (Experiments 1–3), or after no incidental encounter of the logo prior to the surprise test (Experiment 4). Additionally, participants rated how much they liked the logo as a measure of processing fluency. Results demonstrated that incidentally viewing an altered version of the Apple logo can disrupt subsequent recognition of the correct logo, but this effect may diminish following a short delay. Considering our frequent exposure to everyday stimuli, we show conditions in which memory for a ubiquitous stimulus can be disrupted when incidentally presented with inaccurate information.

A Rare Incidental Encounter of a Foreign Body in the Nasopharynx during Endoscopic Assisted Adenoidectomy

Otolaryngologists frequently encounter nasal foreign bodies, particularly among children and mentally retarded patients. Upper aerodigestive tract may harbour foreign bodies such as sponges, grains, toy parts, paper and cotton. Majority of inhaled foreign bodies may pass unnoticed and others can be a source of serious morbidity with occasional mortality if not identified on time and properly treated. Foreign bodies may be classically organic or inorganic and their impaction into various parts of the aerodigestive tract may occur.

Lithium dancing (hidden in plain sight)

In this article I explore screendance’s affair with social media, and the logics of production and consumption endemic to dancing for and with smartphones. I use an incidental encounter with two people making a dance video to try and make sense of the ways in which screendance practices and practitioners are being changed by social media technologies. The writing is built on the work of Harmony Bench, Shoshana Zuboff, Alan Jacobs, Zygmunt Bauman, Neil Postman, Yuk Hui and Annie Pfingst and Helen Poynor. I use their scholarship and art to construct an experimental and non-linear seven-part narrative about how screendance can become a set of practices that visibly contradict the extractive datafication of humans in motion. Part 1—Two young people and their camera—describes the encounter with two people filming their dancing, and serves as the platform on which this writing is based. In part 2—An assumption about what happened next—I introduce the theme of hiding that runs throughout the article, and make a case for my assumption that these two people were making their screendance for social media. Part 3—Algorithmic choreography—introduces the relationship between choreography in screendance and social media algorithms. Part 4—Being in (the) economic common—explores the digital commons as outlined by Bench, and its relationship to visibility, technology and profit-making. Part 5—Myth and the right to a future tense—discusses Jacobs and Zuboff and how they both deploy hiding to consider a future that transcends technocratic rationalism. In part 6—Hidden in the future I zip forward far into the future and remember a 2016 screendance work by Annie Pfingst and Helen Poynor. I do this to as a strategy to imagine a non-technocratic world. Finally, part 7—To distill production from consumption—describes how, through social media, we in screendance have acquired a logic of consumption disguised or hidden as a mode of production.

Diversity of snakes in and around Mysore, Karnataka, India

Climate change and rapid habitat degradation have led to a rapid decline in the population of snakes. Hence constant monitoring of their diversity and wellbeing is necessary. During the present study under our Sarpa Sathi project, we surveyed for snake diversity using time-constrained search, incidental encounters in and around the Mysore city, Karnataka, India, for the first time. During the study period of three years, we have identified 24 species of snakes, belongs to 7 families, among which 18 are non-venomous, 2 mild venomous and 4 are venomous. The study indicate a decent diversity of snakes in the region and highlight on the need for increased efforts towards conservation of these important members of food web.

Precursory Prevention: Togetherness for Better Health

Precursory Prevention: Togetherness for Better Health

Observations of Snakes and Game Birds in a Managed Pine Barren in Massachusetts

Pinus rigida (Pitch Pine)–Quercus ilicifolia (Scrub Oak) barrens require active management to maintain, but the effects of forest management on snakes and game birds is poorly understood. We conducted vegetation surveys and examined incidental encounter data of a variety of snake and game bird species on a managed pine barren in Montague, MA, from 2008 to 2018. We recorded 73 observations, including 44 Coluber constrictor constrictor (Northern Black Racer) and 7 Meleagris gallopavo (Wild Turkey) nests. All of our observations were in managed habitats (Scrub Oak, treated Pitch Pine, and powerline corridors) which had low (<30%) tree canopy cover. Observed densities of Northern Black Racers did not significantly vary among these open-canopy habitats, or with time since treatment between 2 to 8 years since initial harvest in treated Pitch Pine. We did not conduct extensive surveys in unmanaged, closed-canopy Pitch Pine forests; thus, we were unable to determine the relative use by racers and game birds of unmanaged versus managed habitats. Nevertheless, snakes and game birds were using and nesting in the managed habitats at least to some extent. Our findings on racers and game birds from this study are preliminary, but combined with results from other studies, they suggest that ecosystem management in pine barrens can benefit snakes and game birds, along with a wide variety of other taxa.

Impressions of Wembley Park: Photographic Representations in a Landscape of Corporatism

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Corporatisation eradicates the human places that rely on local infrastructures and direct connections made between people. This visual essay looks at a moment of transition happening in Wembley Park, in the suburbs of northwest London. A series of photographs captured between 2017-2018 records how a new residential neighbourhood for London takes shape. The photographic series, used as the backbone to an architectural thesis, challenges the corporate development built up of identikit zones and influenced by profit margins, risk assessments and quality indicators. Photography is used as an instrument for a critical reading of the territory that observes the area from multiple perspectives. The photographs drive the design proposal: predictive future scenarios were developed through photomontage and digital reconstructions. The proposal explores the possibility of an ‘Urban Carpet’ that transforms the central public space built as a series of ad hoc acts of construction over 90 years. A series of collages juxtapose the strict, corporate landscape with the nature of incidental and spontaneous encounters. The collages are a provocation, arguing for the necessity of disorder and complexity as a way to build up a sense of community in a nondescript zone.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

English

BACKGROUND The maxillofacial region has several congenital and acquired defects. Because of its abundant blood supply and proximity to different intraoral abnormalities, the buccal fat pad flap (BFP) is a simple and reliable flap that can be used to repair a variety of these abnormalities. BFP has remarkable qualities as a scaffold and autogenous dressing in the healing of intraoral defects after excision of oral cavity intraoral lesions. Filling and allowing slippage of fascial spaces between muscles of facial expression, advancement of intermuscular motion, isolating mastication muscles from one another, counteracting negative pressure during suction in the newborn, protection and cushioning of neurovascular bundles from injuries are among the functions of BFP. It also has a dense venous network that facilitates exoendocranial blood flow via the pterygoid plexus. For many years, the BFP was considered a surgical annoyance due to its incidental encounter during various surgeries in the pterygomaxillary space or following injuries to the craniofacial region. However, various clinical applications of BFP have been introduced in recent years. We looked at BFP and its anatomical foundation, surgical procedures, and clinical applications in this review article. The surgical method is easy and effective in a wide range of clinical situations, including oroantral fistula closure, congenital defect rectification, Osteoradionecrosis treatment, and reconstruction of tumor or cyst defect. Thus BFP is a dependable flap that may be used in a variety of therapeutic conditions. KEY WORDS Buccal Fat Pad Flap; Oral Mucosa; Reconstruction; Defect.

Diversity of Snakes in and around Jawai Dam, Rajasthan, India

Snakes are speedily declining around the world due to human mediated habitat loss and global environmental changes. Hence constant monitoring of their diversity and well being is necessary. During the present study under our Sarpa Sathi project, we surveyed for snake diversity using time-constrained search, incidental encounters around the Jawai Dam, Sumerpur, Pali, Rajasthan, India, for the first time. The area has been insufficiently documented in terms of biodiversity. During a study period of three years we identified a total of 23 species of snakes, belonging to 20 genera and 7 families. Among these Colubridae was the most abundant family with 12 representative species. 5 species are highly venomous and has been known for causing fatality in humans. 3 species are mildly venomous and has no known record of human casualty. Remaining 15 species are all non-venomous. The study indicate a decent diversity of snakes in the region and highlight on need for increased efforts towards conservation of these important members of food web.

Incidental encounter of intraperitoneal tuberculosis during renal surgeries: A surgeon's dilemma

Tuberculosis is a major healthcare burden in India, which accounts for the maximum number of cases worldwide. Due to its non-specific features, peritoneal tuberculosis has been dubbed as the great mimicker of various other abdominal pathologies. This case series highlights the importance of incidental intra operative detection of peritoneal tuberculosis in cases being operated for renal pathologies. Diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma is bound to occur when surgeon is faced with such an unexpected finding. Incidental peritoneal tuberculosis was defined as peritoneal tubercular lesions (ascites or tubercles) detected intraoperatively in patients being operated for non-tuberculosis related indications and no prior preoperative suspicion of abdominal tuberculosis. We here review 3 cases with different renal pathologies and no prior history or exposure to tuberculosis in which intraperitoneal tuberculosis was encountered incidentally at the time of surgery. Case 1 was a suspected case of right renal cell carcinoma and underwent right robotic nephron sparing surgery. Case 2 underwent robotic assisted lap simple nephrectomy for a right nonfunctioning kidney due to obstructive ureteric calculus. Case 3 was a suspected case of left upper tract urothelial carcinoma who underwent robotic nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff excision. In all 3 cases, on encountering the peritoneal lesions, an intraoperative decision to continue with the proposed surgery was made after frozen section biopsies from the multiple peritoneal and omental deposits revealed no malignant cells. Histopathology of these lesions in all 3 cases revealed caseating granulomas consistent with a diagnosis of disseminated peritoneal tuberculosis. None of the resected specimen had features suggestive of tuberculosis. ATT was started and on follow up the patients are doing well. Peritoneal tuberculosis although uncommon is not a rare presentation of active tuberculosis. Surgeons on encountering such lesions during non-related surgeries should always have a high suspicion of tuberculosis. Despite the existing literature favoring abandoning the procedure in such situations, we successfully completed the proposed surgeries.

A Rare Incidental Encounter of a Foreign Body in the Nasopharynx During Adenotonsillectomy: A Case Report from Tanzania

Foreign bodies may become lodged in various parts of the upper aerodigestive tract and establishing the presence of such foreign bodies is expected from health care practitioners. Foreign bodies may be classically organic or inorganic and their insertion into various parts of the aerodigestive tract may be deliberate or accidental. Majority of inhaled foreignbodies are reported in children and may even go unnoticed. There are scarce reported studies of foreign bodies in the nasopharynx. We are reporting an unusual case in which a foreign body in a child's nasopharynx went unnoticed for 9 months and was found incidentally during adenotonsillectomy.

A Rare Incidental Encounter of a Foreign Body in the Nasopharynx During Adenotonsillectomy: A Case Report from Tanzania

Foreign bodies may become lodged in various parts of the upper aerodigestive tract and establishing the presence of such foreign bodies is expected from health care practitioners. Foreign bodies may be classically organic or inorganic and their insertion into various parts of the aerodigestive tract may be deliberate or accidental. Majority of inhaled foreignbodies are reported in children and may even go unnoticed. There are scarce reported studies of foreign bodies in the nasopharynx. We are reporting an unusual case in which a foreign body in a child's nasopharynx went unnoticed for 9 months and was found incidentally during adenotonsillectomy.

Mapping the Mobile DNA of News. Understanding Incidental and Serendipitous Mobile News Consumption

Scholarly work argues that mobile technology facilitates serendipitous news consumption. This article examines how users understand serendipity in mobile news consumption and whether this leads to news diversity. Technology-mediated news encounters are argued to reduce news diversity, yet these theoretical filter bubbles cannot be found empirically. This paper investigates whether this might be explained by incidental news use. A mixed methods study (n = 20) was set-up, which involved interviews, on-device loggings and experience sampling data. Results show that incidental news differs in the level of user agency, ranging from responding to an unsolicited recommendation or alert; via monitoring, facilitated by a previous action (e.g. activated news notifications); to browsing or stumbling upon unexpected topics during news use. Incidental encounters become serendipitous when they provide new information or insights and consequently stick in one’s mind. Based on our findings, we further develop a conceptual model for (mobile) incidental news, which shows the interplay of news recommendations by peers, algorithms, and editors. Editorial recommendations result in topic diversity. Both peer and algorithmic recommendations lead to brand diversity, yet this remains unnoticed to audiences. Peer recommendations mostly do not lead to topic or viewpoint diversity, but are perceived as valuable when they do.

Ecological diversity of a snake assemblage from the Atlantic Forest at the south coast of Paraíba, northeast Brazil

Despite an increase in studies focusing on snake ecology and composition in the northeastern Atlantic Forest, several poorly studied sites and environments remain. The aim of this study was to assess species richness and natural history attributes of the snakes of an assemblage in the Restinga, Tabuleiro and Forest environments of the Atlantic Forest of the south coast of Paraíba, northeastern Brazil. A total of 151 individuals of 27 species, 23 genera, and six families of snakes were found. The most effective sampling methods were time-constrained searches and incidental encounters. Species sampled most frequently were the blindsnake Epictiaborapeliotes, the Boa Constrictor Boaconstrictor, the Brown Vinesnake Oxybelisaeneus, and the Brazilian False Coral Snake Oxyrhopustrigeminus. The snake fauna is characterized mainly by terrestrial species found in open-area environments of Restinga and Tabuleiro, and with most species feeding on amphibians and small mammals. The rarefaction curve did not reach the asymptote and new species should be recorded for south coast of Paraíba in future studies. Despite the richness and composition of snakes of the south coast being similar to other areas in the state, there is a lack of some species typically linked to forests, and this is probably because of the high level of deforestation that the south area of the state has suffered.

How Do Patients With Schizophrenia and Their Families Learn About the Diagnosis?

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate how patients with schizophrenia and their relatives learn about the diagnosis and to study their feelings and degree of satisfaction with the process of delivering that information. Method: A total of 16 individuals who had been recently diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 15 of their relatives were interviewed. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using grounded theory. Results: Twenty-six (86%) patients and relatives reported having first learned about the diagnosis by reading the patient’s release form or during an incidental encounter with personnel. Most patients and their relatives disagreed with the diagnosis and reported negative feelings about the way in which they learned about it. Only four (14%) patients and relatives fully understood why medications were prescribed. Relatives who received the diagnosis incidentally were more dissatisfied with the disclosure process and had poorer adherence to treatment. Conclusions: Development of empirical-based guidelines for delivering difficult news in psychiatry is needed to improve the way of communicating the diagnosis to patients and their relatives.

Changes in Lexical and Reading Proficiency Through English Input from Video Games

In recent years, video games have slowly been gaining more traction as a learning tool in the academic world. Evidence has been shown that video games can be used as tools to support language acquisition. However, studies, which focus on single-player games and their use outside of a classroom environment, are still sparse. This paper investigates single-player video games and their effect on University student reading and vocabulary comprehension in a mixed-method study. The participants in the study included a treatment group of nine second-year university students and a control group of ten second-year university students. All the students were volunteers from the same program and came from the same university. Data taken included vocabulary size and word recognition tests followed by a reading rate and reading comprehension test. In addition to this data, qualitative data in the form of interviews were included to support the findings of the reading and vocabulary tests. Over two months, data taken from subjects suggests reading rate, reading comprehension, and word recognition speeds showed a statistically significant rise. On the other hand, vocabulary size scores showed the treatment group had lower vocabulary sizes. In addition, the diaries show evidence that repeated incidental encounters with the same word and phrase may have played a part in the above-mentioned benefits. Motivation to play the game was also upheld throughout the two months according to the qualitative data. The data suggest that certain dimensions of reading and vocabulary comprehension such as word recognition speed and reading speed can be developed by using video games as a learning support tool.