Subjective Perception Research Articles

Obese Patients With Polymyalgia Rheumatica Experience More Pain And Disability At Disease Onset And Require Higher Doses Of Glucocorticoids.

polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory disorder of the elderly characterized by girdle pain and stiffness. Obesity has an influence on disease activity and outcome in rheumatic diseases like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, but its relationship to the severity and outcome of PMR is unknown. In a post-hoc analysis, 83 patients with recent-onset PMR were studied over six months with clinical examination, laboratory evaluation, and girdle ultrasound. MHAQ, Short Form 36 (SF36), and PMR-VAS, as well as prednisone (PDN) therapy were recorded. Patients were divided according to their body mass index (BMI). at baseline, the 12 obese patients had significantly more shoulder pain (p=0.03), global pain (p=0.03), PMR VAS (p<0.01), and fatigue (p=0.03), higher MHAQ (p=0.01), and lower physical component summary on SF36 (p=0.048), SF36 social functioning index (p=0.05) and SF36 pain index (p<0.001). The mean initial PDN dose was similar among groups, but obese patients received a lower dose per kg weight (1.9±0.7 mg vs. 2.2±0.7 mg; p<0.01). At six months, obese patients were being treated with higher mean daily PDN doses (8.5±3.2 mg/day vs. 6.2±5.2 mg/day, p=0.02); 40% of them were receiving higher daily PDN dose than per-protocol, vs. 14% non-obese patients (p=0.048). Clinical features, laboratory and ultrasound results were similar. obesity affects both symptoms severity and PDN utilization in patients with PMR. The reason thereof may relate to different subjective pain perception rather than increased inflammation in obese patients. BMI should be considered when interpreting symptoms in PMR patients and deciding their PDN doses.

The Influence of Environmental Factors, Perception, and Participation on Industrial Heritage Tourism Satisfaction—A Study Based on Multiple Heritages in Shanghai

With the increasing public awareness and strength of industrial heritage protection, industrial heritage plays an increasingly important role in tourism after transformation and upgrading. The influence of built environment factors and visitors’ participation on satisfaction has been fully confirmed, but the primary and secondary relationships between the two variables remain unclear. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between the built environment, tourist participation, and tourism satisfaction, and compare the actual loads of different routes to find the dominant variable. The data of this study came from three industrial heritage renovation projects in Shanghai with remarkable transformation results. Field investigations and questionnaire surveys were conducted on them, and a total of 362 valid samples were received. Descriptive statistical analysis and structural equation models were used to analyze the data. Two paths of “built environment–tourism satisfaction” and “tourist participation–tourism satisfaction” are compared and demonstrated. The path coefficient of the former is 0.63, while that of the latter is 0.77, and the influence of the latter is more significant than that of the former. The study creatively found the audience orientation of both sexes for different types of experience activities, confirmed the mediating effect of subjective perception, and provided the following suggestions for managers of built industrial cultural heritage. Interactive experiences and guided tours deepen visitors’ understanding of the historical and cultural value of industrial heritage. Virtual reality and augmented reality technologies can be introduced to provide an immersive visit experience and attract a wider audience to participate, effectively enhancing the attractiveness of and satisfaction with industrial heritage tourism.

Reduction of Noise Levels During Caesarean Births Through Audiovisual Feedback is Associated With Lower Stress Levels for Patients.

Noise reduction during surgical procedures leads to improved surgical performance and results. The caesarean birth (CB) is an exceptional operation and a life changing experience. Through the introduction of staff education and implementation of audiovisual feedback, we intended to reduce noise, and subsequently reduce surgical complications and increase the well-being of patients and staff. During Phase I, blinded baseline measurements of noise were conducted. Phase II started after staff education and structured questionnaires on subjective noise and stress were added, and in Phase III audiovisual feedback was introduced. Mean and peak noise levels over the time of the procedure were obtained in A-weighted decibels (dB(A)). Kruskal-Wallis H tests were performed to evaluate the impact of interventions on noise levels. Questionnaires were evaluated using descriptive statistics; stress-scores were compared using independent sample t-tests. Ninety planned CBs were included. Median noise levels were 62.85 dB(A) at baseline. They decreased significantly to 60.60 dB(A) (Phase II) and 59.25 dB(A) (Phase III), respectively. This reduction of 3.6 dB(A) leads to a subjective noise reduction of around 20%. Significant differences for A-weighted and peak noise levels during actual surgery were found after combining staff education with audiovisual feedback. In Phase III, staff reported less stressful noise. Stress also decreased significantly in the patient group. Beeping machines and telephones were identified as the most stressful sources of noise. We show that noise reduction during CB is both necessary and possible. Diminished subjective perception of noise and stress are positive impacts of this intervention. Staff education and audiovisual feedback can help to provide a calm and lower stress environment for patients and staff during caesarean births.

ВЛИЯНИЕ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИХ ФАКТОРОВ (ДЕТЕРМИНАНТ) НА СУБЪЕКТИВНЫЕ ОЦЕНКИ УРОВНЯ ФИЗИЧЕСКОЙ АКТИВНОСТИ НАСЕЛЕНИЯ ТРУДОСПОСОБНОГО ВОЗРАСТА

Despite the importance of physical activity indicators and their decisive influence on public health indicators, no studies have been conducted on the impact of health determinants, including economic ones, on physical activity indicators. The purpose of the study is to analyze the fact and degree of influence of economic factors as a component of lifestyle on physical activity indicators. Materials and methods of research. The individual economic characteristics of patients were considered as the object of the study. Since the normality of the distribution for quantitative features, as a rule, was not observed, a nonparametric criterion was used to assess the differences 2 and the nonparametric analogue of the correlation coefficient is the association coefficient. Approaches to the identification and measurement of the economic determinant of public health were described in detail earlier [24, 25]. The size of the real random sample was 1400 respondents. The average age of respondents of working age in the general sample was 39.7 years. As criteria of physical activity, subjective characteristics of physical activity given by the respondents themselves, the fact of performing physical exercises, and attitude to active recreation were used. Results. The use of complex (composite) features characterizing a person's financial situation and economic well-being makes it possible to identify differences in behavioral patterns regarding subjective perceptions of the level of physical activity among the working-age population. The influence of economic factors (determinants) is manifested in a decrease in the level of physical activity and a greater proportion of those who have low and very low levels of physical activity according to their own ideas, a more frequent negative attitude towards physical exercise among respondents with a low level of material security. However, the subjective attitude towards active recreation was positive for the majority of respondents, regardless of their level of material well-being.

Research on the Impact Mechanism of Food Safety Governance Level on Residents’ Social Attitudes: Empirical research based on CGSS data

Food safety is crucial for public health and the healthy and stable development of society. Therefore, exploring the impact of the government’s food safety governance on residents’ social attitudes is of significant importance. This paper primarily examines how the government’s level of food safety governance affects residents’ subjective well-being and perceptions of social justice. By establishing multiple linear regression models, we analyze the specific direction and extent of these influences. Additionally, this paper delves into the variations in these effects across different age groups and between urban and rural residents. The findings from this study offer a valuable and positive contribution to the field of food safety governance.

Opportunity's Calling: Perceived Inequality and Causal Beliefs About Socioeconomic Status Linked to Civic Engagement

ABSTRACTAlthough objective states of inequality often stifle civic engagement, subjective perceptions of inequality can stimulate it. Across two studies using a nationally representative US sample (Study 1, n = 1053) and a US university student sample (Study 2, n = 604), we found that the perception of inequality was positively associated with civic engagement. We further explored the mediating pathways linking this association. We found that perceived inequality is positively associated with the belief that socioeconomic status (SES) is attained through opportunity (e.g., social connections). In turn, opportunity belief was negatively associated with acceptance of inequality which was likewise negatively correlated with civic engagement. Our findings suggest opportunity belief may be a key mechanism activated by perceived inequality that links it to civic engagement. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.

Novel approach to combining interview and register data – Case: social security and pediatric cancer

Abstract A parallel examination of interview data and register data provides a more holistic overall picture of social security needs and use than any one type of data alone. In our study, we aimed to build a comprehensive understanding of the benefit and service needs of parents whose child is diagnosed with cancer. Conducting solely interviews would have provided subjective perceptions of individuals in the midst of a challenging life situation, but the data would have lacked information of the participants’ documented use of social security benefits and services. On the other hand, utilizing solely register data, would have provided an objective overview of actual service use. However, register data alone would not have shed light on whether the benefits and services received were sufficient from the recipients’ point of view. In our study, parents’ interviews and their register data from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) offered complementary perspectives on the same life situation. Parents’ interviews provided information on support needs, service experiences as well as service deficits. The same families’ register data was used with their permission producing exact data on the insurance benefits and services that the family had applied for and received. The interviews were analysed as chronologically progressing narratives while the data received from Kela was depicted on timelines. When conjoined, the interview and register data formed a comprehensive picture of the benefit and service needs and use of families, whose child had cancer. In addition, this kind of triangulation revealed service deficits that were acknowledged by the interviewees and identified also through the register data. We argue, that combining subjective interviews together with institutional register data allow researchers to identify issues in the service system, which require improvements from the recipients’ and the system’s perspective. Key messages • The use of multiple types of data allows researchers to construct a holistic understanding of individuals’ social security needs and use. • Combining interview and register data allows researchers to identify issues in the service system, which require improvements.

A Non-Stochastic Special Model of Risk Based on Radon Transform

The concept of risk is fundamental in various scientific fields, including physics, biology and engineering, and is crucial for the study of complex systems, especially financial markets. In our research, we introduce a novel risk model that has a natural transactional–financial interpretation. In our approach, the risk of holding a financial instrument is related to the measure of the possibility of its loss. In this context, a financial instrument is riskier the more opportunities there are to dispose of it, i.e., to sell it. We present a model of risk understood in this way, introducing, in particular, the concept of financial time and a financial frame of reference, which allows for associating risk with the subjective perception of the observer. The presented approach does not rely on statistical assumptions and is based on the transactional interpretation of models. To measure risk, we propose using the Radon transform. The financial concept of risk is closely related to the concepts of uncertainty, entropy, information, and error in physics. Therefore, the well-established algorithmic aspects of the computed tomography method can be effectively applied to the broader field of uncertainty analysis, which is one of the foundational elements of experimental physics.

PAFPT: Progressive aggregator with feature prompted transformer for underwater image enhancement

The optical characteristics of underwater environments often result in distorted underwater images, which makes it difficult to meet the needs of complex underwater environment perception. The demand for obtaining high-quality underwater images presents challenges for existing underwater image enhancement methods. In this paper, a progressive aggregator with feature prompted transformer for underwater image enhancement is presented. First, a feature prompted transformer module consisting of a feature convolutional transposed attention and a prompted feedforward neural network is proposed. It integrates feature attention mechanisms and adjusts input features through prompt weights to better focus on global information while enhancing local details, enriching texture, removing blurring, and correcting color deviation. Concurrently, a progressive aggregator consisting of four stages of up-sampling aggregation blocks is constructed to transfer features effectively and facilitate the aggregation of features of different scales at different stages to realize comprehensive attention to image details and semantic information. Besides, a region reconstruction unit is designed, and a reconstruction attention mechanism is introduced to pay attention to the bottleneck localized region to suppress noise. The performance of our method is thoroughly evaluated on public underwater image datasets: EUVP, UIEB, RUIE and SQUID. The quantitative and qualitative results indicate that our method outperforms nine state-of-the-art methods in both subjective perception and evaluation metrics, demonstrating excellent learning and generalization abilities. Additionally, the excellent results reflect the significant performance gains it brings to downstream visual applications.

Objective detection of wheeze at home by parents through a digital device: usage patterns and relationship with SABA administration.

Wheezing is an important indicator of exacerbated respiratory symptoms in early childhood and must be monitored to regulate pharmacological therapy. However, parents' subjective perception of wheezing in their children is not always precise. We investigated the objective identification of children's wheezing by parents using a digital wheeze detector (WheezeScanTM, OMRON Healthcare Co. Ltd), its longitudinal usage patterns, and its relationship with SABA administration. We conducted a secondary nested analysis of data from the intervention arm of a multi-center randomized controlled trial completed in 2021-2022 in Berlin (Germany), London (United Kingdom), and Istanbul (Turkey). Children aged 4 to 84 months with doctor's diagnosed wheezing (GINA step 1 or 2) were included. Using an electronic diary (Wheeze-MonitorTM, TPS), parents monitored and recorded for 120 days at home the presence or absence of their child's wheezing, detected both, with WheezeScanTM ("objective" wheezing), and subjective ("perceived" wheezing). Parents also recorded the child's symptoms, medication intake, and family quality of life. Questionnaires regarding symptom control, quality of life, and parental self-efficacy were answered at baseline and after 90 and 120 days. Eighty-one/87 families completed the intervention arm of the study. WheezeScanTM was on average used 0.7 (SD 0.6) times a day, with each patient reporting a positive, negative, or "error" outcome on average in 57%, 39%, and 5% of measurements, respectively. The use of WheezeScanTM declined slightly during the first 90 days of monitoring and steeply thereafter. Repeated usage of WheezeScanTM in the same day was more frequent after a "wheeze" (HR 1.5, 95% CI 1.37-1.65, p < 0.001) and an "error" (HR 2.01, 95% CI 1.70-2.38, p < 0.001) result, compared to a "no wheeze" outcome. The average per-patient daily agreement between "objective" and "perceived" wheezing/non-wheezing was 75% at the start of the monitoring period and only weakly persisted as time passed (Spearman's rho=0.09). The frequency of short-acting beta-2-agonists (SABA) administration was lower in days with closely interspaced consecutive device uses during which the patient's status was perceived as "never wheeze" (32/455, 7%) than in those perceived as "persistent wheeze" (53/119, 44%; OR 36.6, 95% CI [14.3, 94.1]). Daily use of a digital WheezeScanTM at home allows parents to detect their child's unperceived wheezing and discloses to caregivers the longitudinal patterns of a child's wheezing disorder. Digital monitoring of wheezing also highlights poor adherence to guidelines in SABA administration for wheezing children, with under-treatment being much more frequent than over-treatment. This pioneering study opens new perspectives for further investigation of digital wheeze detectors in the early diagnosis and proper self-management of wheezing disorders in childhood.

Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to Understand Ecotourism Behavior: The Role of Human–Land Coordination and Self-Mastery

Ecotourism, which promotes environmental conservation and brings social and economic benefits through conscious and harmonious interactions between humans and nature, has become a principal tool for achieving these objectives. Sustainable tourism can only be supported with tourists realizing the elements of attraction toward ecotourism. This study analyzes the roots of ecotourism behavior using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), specifically determining the roles of ecotourism tendency, attitude, human–land coordination stress, and sense of self-control in influencing tourists’ intention and behavior toward ecotourism. This study used a cross-sectional design, requiring 847 participants to complete a standardized questionnaire assessing their behavior toward ecotourism, attitudes, and perceptions. Reliability testing, descriptive statistics, regression analysis, and factor analysis were used to analyze the datasets to discover major factors relating to ecotourism intention behavior. A consequent outcome is that ecotourism attitude and self-determination are the significant drivers of ecotourism desire, while behavioral norms only impact ecotourism attitude and selflessness. The study concluded that the subjective perception of tourists and their behavior control ability are the ones that affect their ecotourism behavior more than other factors. The findings suggest that enhancing tourists’ ecotourism attitude, sense of self-control, and awareness of human–place coordination can significantly promote ecotourism behaviors. These results highlight the importance of comprehensive regional ecotourism analysis, robust environmental education, and promoting normative behaviors to foster sustainable tourism practices. To validate these findings, further research should focus on longitudinal studies and clinical trials to standardize integrated ecotourism strategies and explore the underlying mechanisms influencing ecotourism behavior.

Listening effort in children and adults in classroom noise

It is well known that hearing in noisy situations is more challenging than in quiet environments. This holds true for adults and especially for children. This study employed a child-appropriate dual-task paradigm to investigate listening effort in children aged six to ten years and young adults. The primary task involved word recognition, while the secondary task evaluated digit recall. Additionally, subjective perception of listening effort was assessed using a child-appropriate questionnaire. This study incorporated plausible sound reproduction and examined classroom scenarios including multi-talker babble noise with two signal-to-noise ratios (0 dB and −3 dB) in an anechoic and an acoustically simulated classroom environment. Forty-four primary school children aged six to ten (17 first- to second-graders and 18 third- to fourth-graders) and 25 young adults participated in this study. The results revealed differences in listening effort between the noise conditions in third- to fourth-graders and supported using the dual-task paradigm for that age group. For all three age groups, a greater subjective perception of listening effort in noise was found. Furthermore, a correlation between the subjective perception of listening effort and behavioural listening effort based on the experimental results was found for third- to fourth-graders and adults.

Study on transient electric shock characteristics between human body and metal clothes hanger on residential platform near UHV AC transmission lines

AbstractWith the development of ultra‐high‐voltage (UHV) and extra‐high‐voltage transmission lines in China, the transmission lines are gradually approaching the residential areas. The phenomenon of induced electric shock caused by electrostatic induction effect can cause dissatisfaction and complaints from nearby residents. In this paper, a full‐size steel‐framed residential test platform was constructed near a 1000‐kV UHV alternating current (AC) transmission line, the transient shock characteristics of human bodies and metal hangers in different scenarios was investigated, then the relationship between transient shock energy and subjective perception of the human body was discussed. In addition, the shielding effect of shielding wires for transient electric shock situations is analyzed. It was found that the worst‐case scenario occurred when the grounded human body came into contact with the insulated metal clothes hanger, even eliciting a noticeable sensation of pain. In addition, increasing metal shielding wire number has a significant effect on weakening induced electric shocks.

LW-MorphCNN: A lightweight morphological attention-based subtype classification network for lung cancer

Abstract Lung cancer is generally considered one of the most deadly cancers globally. If it can be identified early and diagnosed correctly, the survival probability of patients can be significantly improved. In this process, histopathological examination is a commonly used method for diagnosing and detecting lung cancer. It is crucial to accurately identify lung cancer subtypes from histopathological images, as this helps doctors formulate effective treatment plans. However, the visual inspection in histopathological diagnosis requires a large amount of time and also depends on the subjective perception of clinicians. Therefore, this paper proposes a lightweight lung cancer subtype classification network based on morphological attention (LW-MorphCNN), which is used to automatically classify the histopathological images of benign lung tumors, ADC (adenocarcinoma), and SCC (squamous cell carcinoma) provided in the public dataset LC25000 (Lung and Colon). This paper takes histopathological images as input and conducts a comparative analysis with classic networks such as VGG16, VGG19, DenseNet121, and ResNet50, as well as existing classification methods proposed in the same work. The network proposed in this paper is superior to other networks in terms of parameter quantity and performance, with an accuracy rate and F1 - score reaching 99.47\% and 99.44\% respectively. Clinicians can install the provided LW-MorphCNN in the hospital to confirm the diagnosis results.

Differentiated Impacts of Indoor and Outdoor Fitness Environments on Residents’ Activity Intensity: A Perspective on Homo Urbanicus

This study develops a framework for the impact mechanism based on the “homo urbanicus” theoretical perspective, linking indoor and outdoor fitness environmental elements to residents’ subjective perceptions and their activity intensity. An empirical investigation is conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM) with data from 286 valid questionnaires (N = 421). The results demonstrate that both indoor and outdoor fitness environmental elements—specifically spatial, facility, and environmental factors—significantly positively influence residents’ fitness activity intensity, with this relationship mediated by perceptions of safety, convenience, comfort, and aesthetics. Furthermore, the study uncovers variations in the types and degrees of influence across indoor and outdoor settings. Based on these findings, the author proposes several planning and design strategies: “In indoor environments, it is essential to ensure that fitness spaces feature bright lighting and thoughtful design to enhance aesthetic appeal; additionally, optimizing spatial layouts and integrating information services can foster greater social interaction. For outdoor environments, prioritizing locations near aesthetically pleasing architecture, adjacent to blue landscapes, and within open areas, as well as sites that are close to community amenities and abundant surrounding facilities, will enhance residents’ fitness activity intensity”.

An expository analysis of biomechanical and subjective impacts induced by shoe inserts in asymptomatic subjects: A systematic review on functionality and mechanisms of action

AbstractThis systematic review explores the biomechanical and subjective effects of shoe inserts, including foot orthotics (FOs) and insoles, in asymptomatic subjects. Aimed at understanding their implications, the review poses two key research questions: (i) the influence of shoe inserts on lower extremity biomechanics and subjective perception and (ii) the effects of different design characteristics on these aspects. Following Preferred Reporting of Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analysis guidelines, a meticulous search of Scopus and PubMed from August 2022 to March 2023 yielded 34 articles, with 26 focusing on biomechanical effects and eight on comfort effects. The studies, conducted during static and dynamic activities, such as standing, walking, jogging, running, jumping, and cycling, reveal significant reductions in rearfoot eversion, knee joint forces, and lower extremity muscle forces through postings and wedging in FOs. Changes in stiffness impact rearfoot kinematics, plantar pressure distribution, and ankle–foot power distribution. Conversely, surface texture and arch variations demonstrate limited significance. FOs and shoe inserts, characterized by geometric, material, location, size, and fabrication features, effectively regulate forces and moments on the lower extremity. This control promotes uniform plantar pressure distribution and enhances comfort during various activities. These insights benefit manufacturers, clinicians, and stakeholders, providing a deeper understanding of the positive benefits of FOs and shoe inserts. However, further well‐designed studies on clinical populations are necessary to validate these findings and establish their clinical efficacy, as the current focus remains on healthy subjects.

Psoriasis: Sind Geschlechtsunterschiede bedeutsam?

Background: Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease with an exceptionally high burden for women. Objective: Sex-dependent differences in disease manifestation, severity, treatment choices, subjective disease perception, and the impact on quality of life and risk factors are described and comprehensively discussed. Methods: A literature search was conducted using MEDLINE (PubMed) and the Cochrane Library for systematic reviews to investigate the challenges in treating women with psoriasis. Results and conclusions: : The incidence, prevalence, and manifestation of psoriasis of the skin are similar between different sexes. Genetic and environmental factors such as obesity and metabolic syndrome are risk factors and are not equally relevant or pronounced in women and men. Overall, women have a lower disease severity measured by the Psoriasis Area Severity Index, which is associated with a higher impairment of their life quality measured by the Dermatology Life Quality Index compared with men. In addition, women with psoriasis are more likely to have depression than men. Hormonal factors affect psoriasis, with a correlation of high estrogen levels and improvement of psoriasis. Data regarding differences in prescribing patterns of systemic treatments and the severity of psoriasis are not entirely consistent. Registry studies show that men tend to have more severe psoriasis and, in some cases, are prescribed systemic therapies more frequently. Women tend to respond better to systemic treatments and to experience more adverse events. Treatment options are the same for both sexes, except during pregnancy and lactation. Various treatment options are contraindicated due to fear of fetal or neonate harm and lack of data. Topical steroids can be prescribed with a high degree of safety during pregnancy. For other topical therapies (calcineurin inhibitors and vitamin D analogs), no studies of adverse effects in pregnancy are available, and safety data mainly stem from studies examining effects after systemic administration. Antitumor necrosis factor monoclonal antibodies (except for certolizumab pegol) have been associated with a possible increased risk of preterm birth, low gestational age, and cesarean deliveries. Prospective data on the safety of biologics other than antitumor necrosis factor-alpha antibodies to accurately assess whether novel biologics (eg, anti-interleukin 17, 12/23, 23) can be used for systemic therapy in pregnancy are lacking or currently being conducted. © 2022 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of Women’s Dermatologic Society.

Modulating subjective pain perception with decoded Montreal Neurological Institute-space neurofeedback: a proof-of-concept study.

Pain is a complex emotional experience that still remains challenging to manage. Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have associated pain with distributed patterns of brain activity (i.e. brain decoders), but it is still unclear whether these observations reflect causal mechanisms. To address this question, we devised a new neurofeedback approach using real-time decoding of fMRI data to test if modulating pain-related multivoxel fMRI patterns could lead to changes in subjective pain experience. We first showed that subjective pain ratings can indeed be accurately predicted using a real-time decoding approach based on the stimulus intensity independent pain signature (SIIPS) and the neurologic pain signature (NPS). Next, we trained participants (n = 16) in a double-blinded decoded fMRI neurofeedback experiment to up- or downregulate the SIIPS. Our results indicate that participants can learn to downregulate the expression of SIIPS independently from NPS expression. Importantly, the success of this neurofeedback training was associated with the perceived intensity of painful stimulation following the intervention. Taken together, these results indicate that closed-loop brain imaging can be efficiently conducted using a priori fMRI decoders of pain, potentially opening up a new range of applications for decoded neurofeedback, both for clinical and basic science purposes. This article is part of the theme issue 'Neurofeedback: new territories and neurocognitive mechanisms of endogenous neuromodulation'.

'My Journey': A Qualitative Study of Recovery From the Perspective of Individuals With Chronic Mental Illness.

Due to the humanistic paradigm shift in recent years, mental health recovery has been approached through personal recovery beyond the limits of the biomedical perspective, emphasising the subjective perception and uniqueness of the individual. Therefore, approaching recovery perceptions from patients' perspectives has gained importance. This study aimed to examine in depth the recovery perceptions of individuals with chronic mental illness. It is a qualitative study conducted using a phenomenological design. The study group consisted of 12 patients who had been undergoing treatment for mental illness for at least 1 year and were selected by purposive sampling method. Data were collected face-to-face using a semi-structured interview form and analysed using the content analysis technique. The content analysis revealed three main themes and seven sub-themes. The themes were journey (a meaningful life, optimal functioning, new identity), journey ticket (resilience, support systems) and stones on the road (traditional perspective, barriers). In conclusion, the study results revealed that individuals in the recovery process required support and counselling to make sense of the process and adapt their identity. Employment should be used more effectively in the recovery process of individuals with chronic mental illness. Recovery can only be achieved by breaking away from the traditional perspective of healing and combating the perception of society towards patients. Accordingly, psychiatric nurses should provide effective guidance and counselling to show that individuals can create and live a meaningful life alongside their illnesses.

An Online Application to Explain Community Immunity with Personalized Avatars: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

To evaluate the effects of a web-based, personalized avatar intervention conveying the concept of community immunity (herd immunity) on risk perception (perceptions of the risk of infection spreading (to self, family, community, and vulnerable individuals)) and other cognitive and emotional responses across 4 vaccine-preventable disease contexts: measles, pertussis, influenza, and an unnamed "vaccine-preventable disease." Through a robust user-centered design process, we developed a web application, " herdimm ," showing how community immunity works. In our application, people personalize a virtual community by creating avatars (themselves, 2 vulnerable people in their community, and 6 other people around them; e.g., family members or co-workers.) Herdimm integrates these avatars in a 2-minute narrated animation showing visually how infections spread with and without the protection of community immunity. The present study was a 2×4 factorial randomized controlled trial to assess herdimm 's effects. We recruited 3883 adults via Qualtrics living in Canada who could complete an online study in English or French. We pre-registered our study, including depositing our questionnaire and pre-scripted statistical code on Open Science Framework ( https://osf.io/hkysb/ ). The trial ran from March 1 to July 1, 2021. We compared the web application to no intervention (i.e. control) on primary outcome risk perception, divided into objective risk perception (accuracy of risk perception) and subjective risk perception (subjective sense of risk), and on secondary outcomes-emotions (worry, anticipated guilt), knowledge, and vaccination intentions-using analysis of variance for continuous outcomes and logistic regression for dichotomous outcomes. We conducted planned moderation analyses using participants' scores on a validated scale of individualism and collectivism as moderators. Overall, herdimm had desirable effects on all outcomes. People randomized to herdimm were more likely to score high on objective risk perception (58.0%, 95% confidence interval 56.0%-59.9%) compared to those assigned to the control condition (38.2%, 95% confidence interval 35.5%-40.9%). Herdimm increased subjective risk perception from a mean of 5.30 on a scale from 1 to 7 among those assigned to the control to 5.54 among those assigned to herdimm . The application also increased emotions (worry, anticipated guilt) (F(1,3875)=13.13, p<0.001), knowledge (F(1,3875)=36.37, p<0.001) and vaccination intentions (Chi-squared(1)=9.4136, p=0.002). While objective risk perception did not differ by disease (Chi-squared(3)=6.94, p=0.074), other outcomes did (subjective risk perception F(3,3875) = 5.6430, p<0.001; emotions F(3,3875)=78.54, p<0.001; knowledge (F(3,3875)=5.20, p=0.001); vaccination intentions Chi-squared (3)=15.02, p=0.002). Moderation models showed that many findings were moderated by participants' individualism and collectivism scores. Overall, whereas outcomes tended not to vary by individualism and collectivism among participants in the control condition, the positive effects of herdimm were larger among participants with more collectivist orientations and effects were sometimes negative among participants with more individualist orientations. Conveying the concept of community immunity through a web application using personalized avatars increases objective and subjective risk perception and positively influences intentions to receive vaccines, particularly among people who have more collectivist worldviews. Including prosocial messages about the collective benefits of vaccination in public health campaigns may increase positive effects among people who are more collectivist while possibly backfiring among those who are more individualistic.