Subjective Ease Research Articles

Good sleep — its timing and physiological sleep characteristics

The present study used short sleep episodes to explore the relation between subjective sleep quality, timing and physiological content of sleep. Eight subjects participated in 18 4-h sleep episodes to provide 4, 8, and 12 h of prior time awake before bedtimes at six different times of day in a sleep laboratory insulated from environmental disturbances. The results were analysed by ANOVAs and multiple regression techniques. Subjective sleep quality, calmness of sleep, ease of falling asleep, ability to 'sleep through', number of awakenings, and sleep latency showed a significant pattern of 'better' sleep with increasing prior time awake and with closeness to the circadian minimum (nadir) of rectal temperature (morning hours). 'Ease of awakening' in contrast, 'decreased' with increasing time awake and with closeness to the nadir/ morning hours. Multiple regression analysis showed that subjective sleep quality was predicted by subjective calmness of sleep and ease of falling asleep, among the subjective measures, and by total sleep time (TST) and slow-wave sleep (SWS - stages 3+4) among the physiological sleep measures. The subjective ease of awakening was predicted by slow-wave sleep (negatively) and the circadian maximum of rectal temperature. The results indicate that the duration of wakefulness prior to sleep and the timing of sleep determine its physiological expression, which in turn determines its subjective impression.

The meaning of good sleep: a longitudinal study of polysomnography and subjective sleep quality.

The present study sought to investigate the meaning of subjectively good sleep, using a longitudinal and intraindividual design. Eight subjects slept in an isolation unit according to an irregular schedule of 6 h sleeps and 1 h naps, designed to give normal amounts of time in bed (1/3 of total), but variable sleep quality. Eight sleeps and eight naps were used for longitudinal simple and multiple regression analyses with standard polysomnographical sleep variables as predictors and subjective sleep quality as dependent variables. The results showed that subjective sleep quality (and related variables) was closely related to sleep efficiency, but not sleep stages. At least 87% efficiency was required for ratings of 'rather good' sleep. In addition, sleep quality ratings improved with closeness (of the awakening) to the circadian acrophase (17.00-21.00 hours) of the rectal temperature rhythm. The subjective ease of awakening differed from most other other variables in that it was related to low sleep efficiency. Objective and subjective homologues of sleep length and sleep latency showed high mean intraindividual correlations (r = 0.55 and 0.64, respectively). It was concluded that objective measures of sleep continuity were closely reflected in perceived sleep quality and that sleep quality essentially means sleep continuity.

Evaluation of six medium bit-rate coders for the Pan-European digital mobile radio system

A digital cellular mobile radio system has been under development in Europe since 1982 under the coordination of the working group CEPT GSM (groupe speciale mobile). In a recent coordinated experiment, listening opinion tests were performed on the speech output of six candidate 16 kb/s speech coding schemes for this system: one regular-pulse excited coder, one multiple-excited coder, and four subband coders. For comparison purposes, test conditions from a companded cellular FM system currently in operation were included in the experiment. The six codecs were companded in terms of subjective quality, transmission delay, and ease of implementation. In this overall comparison, no single codec was superior in all respects. However, the regular-phase-excited linear predictive coder, which provided the best speech quality, had acceptable complexity and delay and was singled out for further improvement. Ultimately, an improved version of this codec, a regular-pulse-excited/long-term-prediction LPC coder was selected. >

Effects of mutual invisibility and topical intimacy on verbal fluency in dyadic communication.

The mutual reduction of visual feedback, which in this study did not interfere with the synchronization of turns, reduced the productivity levels and increased the silent pauses of female speakers, even though it had no effect on their subjective discomfort, anxiety, and ease of communication self-ratings. The same reduction of visual feedback, which was achieved by seating the participants back-to-back rather than face-to-face, caused male speakers to feel anxious and uncomfortable and reduced the duration of their silent pauses, but only in same-gender dyads. These findings are explained in terms of previously noted gender differences in the need for visual feedback and in the anxiety-arousing effects of back-to-back interactions. Intimate communications, on the part of both male and female speakers, were associated with a slow pacing of speech but not with a decrease in productivity level, independently of the seating arrangement. These findings are interpreted in terms of the self-monitoring and self-censoring that is usually associated with the communication of intimate messages.

Characteristics of Pre‐Rigor Pressurized Versus Conventionally Processed Beef Cooked by Microwaves and by Broiling

ABSTRACTEighty‐six grams paired beef semitendinosus portions processed either conventionally or by pre‐rigor pressure were broiled or microwave cooked. Pre‐rigor pressure‐treated cooked beef portions were higher (P < 0.05) than untreated portions in total moisture, pH, exterior color a+ values and subjective tenderness and ease of fiber separation scores than did the untreated portions. Total moisture, drip cooking loss, interior a+ (redness) color value, and exterior L (lightness) and b+ (yellowness) color values were significantly higher in the microwaved beef portions as compared to the broiled portions. Neither juiciness nor flavor of samples were influenced (P < 0.05) by treatment or by cooking method.

Comparison of Endoscopic Electrocoagulation and Laser Photocoagulation of Bleeding Canine Gastric Ulcers

The most promising endoscopic hemostatic techniques all depend upon heat to coagulate. Four thermally active techniques under similar controlled conditions in this endoscopic study were compared. The study was undertaken to compare the efficacy and histologic damage of monopolar electrocoagulation (MPEC), bipolar electrocoagulation (BPEC), argon laser photocoagulation (ALP) and neodymium-yytrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) laser photocoagulation applied endoscopically to control bleeding from standard canine gastric ulcers. An open-closed model utilizing a nontraumatic intestinal clamp in heparinized adult mongrel dogs was used. Bleeding ulcers were randomly assigned to an endoscopic treatment modality or control. The endoscopic techniques and parameters of treatment for this study were established from a previous experience with each modality and from endoscopic treatment in pilot studies. Quantitative efficacy and subjective ease of endoscopic treatment were evaluated acutely; gross and histologic injury were determined after 7 days. Our conclusions were that more energy or greater power was required with each method to treat bleeding standard ulcers efficiently through the endoscope than at laparotomy. It was also concluded that each method was 93% or more effective in halting bleeding in this canine ulcer model but there were differences in ease of endoscopic use. Both lasers were much easier to apply than electrocoagulation. The order of decreasing ease of application was YAG, ALP, MPEC, BPEC. Argon laser and BPEC caused significantly less tissue injury than either MPEC or YAG. The order of increasing injury or decreasing margin of safety was ALP, BPEC, YAG and MPEC. In contrast to electrocoagulation, especially monopolar, laser related tissue injury was generally predictable and correlated with total treatment energy, animal weight or gastric overdistension, or both. The limitations, advantages, and disadvantages of each hemostatic technique are discussed and compared.

Rheological assessment of mucolytic agents on sputum of chronic bronchitics.

In vitro and in vivo studies were made on the sputum of chronic bronchitics using a Ferranti-Shirley cone and plate viscometer and a new stress relaxation method. The latter utilized a modified chemical balance and permitted study at very low shear rates. The results from simpler apparatus correlated well with the data obtained with the cone and plate viscometer. Significant reduction in four chosen parameters of viscosity occurred in vitro with N-acetylcysteine and with ascorbic acid-hydrogen peroxide-cupric ion complex (A.A.H.Cu.), but not with 4-molar urea. In vivo studies showed that, using freshly prepared A.A.H.Cu in an efficient hospital nebulizer, a statistically significant reduction in the four viscosity parameters occurred with subjective ease of expectoration. Nebulization of A.A.H.Cu performed with a simpler domestic-type nebulizer did not produce satisfactory reduction of viscosity or ease of expectoration. Rheological methods previously employed to study mucus and mucolytic agent activity are briefly reviewed.