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Do Musicians Have Better Short-Term Memory Than Nonmusicians? A Multilab Study
No full textMusicians are often regarded as a positive example of brain plasticity and associated cognitive benefits. This emerges when experienced musicians (e.g., musicians with more than 10 years of music training and practice) are compared with nonmusicians. A frequently observed behavioral finding is a short-term memory advantage of the former over the latter. Although available meta-analysis reported that the effect size of this advantage is medium (Hedges’s g = 0.5), no literature study was adequately powered to estimate reliably an effect of such size. This multilab study has been ideated, realized, and conducted in lab by several groups that have been working on this topic. Our ultimate goal was to provide a community-driven shared and reliable estimate of the musicians’ short-term memory advantage (if any) and set a method and a standard for future studies in neuroscience and psychology comparing musicians and nonmusicians. Thirty-three research units recruited a total of 600 experienced musicians and 600 nonmusicians, a number that is sufficiently large to estimate a small effect size (Hedges’s g = 0.3) with a high statistical power (i.e., 95%). Subsequently, we measured the difference in short-term memory for musical, verbal, and visuospatial stimuli. We also looked at cognitive, personality, and socioeconomic factors that might mediate the difference. Musicians had better short-term memory than nonmusicians for musical, verbal, and visuospatial stimuli with an effect size of, respectively, Hedges’s gs = 1.08 (95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.94, 1.22]; large), 0.16 (95% CI = [0.02 0.30]; very small), and 0.28 (95% CI = [0.15, 0.41]; small). This work sets the basis for sound research practices in studies comparing musicians and nonmusicians and contributes to the ongoing debate on the possible cognitive benefits of musical training
Global Insights on Wearable Technology Adoption by Coaches:Determinants of Current Use, Decision Making, and Future Intention To Use
No full textBackground: This study examines whether coaches use wearable technologies to individualize training procedures, and which factors influence both their current use and future intention to use such devices. Methods: Based on the technology acceptance model, we developed a questionnaire to assess the use of wearable technology for individualizing training procedures. Following a pilot investigation that included an exploratory analysis of a sample of 36 coaches, multiple regression models were used to confirm these exploratory results in a larger sample of 130 coaches (n = 5 Tier 1, n = 47 Tier 2, n = 52 Tier 3, n = 22 Tier 4, n = 4 Tier 5) from 14 countries. Results: All surveyed coaches used some form of wearable technology to individualize training procedures. The most frequently used parameters included heart rate-related data (88.5% of participants) and GPS-related data (87.7% of participants). On a 1–7 Likert scale, coaches reported a 4.5 ± 1.4 (“somewhat agree”) that wearable technology influences decision making. Current use of wearable technology showed a significant positive association with “perceived job relevance”, while the influence of wearable technology on decision-making in training procedures was positively associated with “output quality”. The future “intention to use” wearable technologies correlated positively with “perceived usefulness”. Conclusion: All coaches in this study used some wearable technology to individualize training procedures. Coaches “somewhat agree” that wearables have an effect on their decision-making. For wearable technology to effectively influence coaches’ decision-making during training, these technologies must provide high quality outputs and must be perceived as useful to increase future adoption. Coaches expressed a need for demonstrable results and they must perceive wearables as useful
Ingrijpen om de online-identiteit van de patiënt te beschermen tijdens tijdelijke psychische verstoring?
No full textOnline verwarde uitlatingen doen, kan nadelig zijn. In geval van ernstig nadeel, kan onder bijzondere omstandigheden bij weet het recht op telecommunicatie van een patiënt met een psychische stoornis worden beperkt. In hoeverre verwarde uitlatingen van de patiënt op sociale media voor die patiënt een ernstig nadeel omvatten wat betreft diens online-identiteit, werd in literatuur en jurisprudentie nog niet eerder onderzocht
Beyond the permit: unpacking unlawfulness in the EU’s revised Environmental Crime Directive
No full textOn 11 April 2024, the EU adopted a significantly revamped version of the 2008 Environmental Crime Directive. One of the new Directive’s many innovations lies in its broadened definition of unlawfulness, which now extends to acts carried out in compliance with an administrative authorization where such acts amount to a ‘manifest breach of relevant substantive legal requirements’. In this article, we argue that this provision marks an important step towards a more autonomous environmental criminal law. Yet, the Directive’s conceptualization of unlawfulness remains enigmatic, leaving Member States significant discretion in transposing this concept into domestic law. Building on both principled and practical considerations, we explore various legal pathways that Member States could pursue in this respect. Our aim in doing so is not to argue in favour of any single option but to highlight some of the broader tensions that arise when the purposive character of environmental law meets with the principled constraints of criminal justice
Risk Factors of Sural Nerve Axonal Degeneration Using Clinically Relevant Thresholds in Context of Glucose Metabolism:The Maastricht Study
No full textIntroduction/Aims: To study the association of risk factors with axonal degeneration, based on below-threshold sural nerve amplitudes, as a proxy for distal symmetric polyneuropathy (DSP). In particular, to assess the differential contribution of risk factors in diabetes status subgroups. Methods: In 7242 participants of The Maastricht Study, a population-based cohort (aged 40 to 75 years, southern part of the Netherlands) focusing on type 2 diabetes (T2DM), associations between below-threshold sural nerve amplitudes (< 2.3 μV) and risk factors (diabetes status, demographics, anthropometrics, office systolic blood pressure, lifestyle, medication intake, and lipid profiles) were determined using logistic regression analysis in the total population and after stratification for no diabetes, prediabetes, and T2DM. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, height, and body mass index (BMI). Results: Below-threshold sural nerve responses were observed in 741 participants (10.2%). Crude analysis showed increased odds of having below-threshold sural nerve responses for most factors; after adjustments, this association remained significant only for T2DM, female sex, older age, taller height, and a higher BMI. After stratification, individuals who were older, taller and had a higher BMI showed significantly increased odds of having below-threshold sural nerve responses in all subgroups. Notably, the increased odds for height and BMI were stronger in those with T2DM and prediabetes respectively. Higher odds for women were significant in the non-T2DM group only. Discussion: This study emphasizes the importance of preventive lifestyle measures targeting BMI in those with prediabetes, as other independent risk factors for axonal degeneration are nonmodifiable.</p
Customs in a Day:A Concise Overview of the EU Customs System
No full textThis book serves as an introduction to the current European Union (EU)customs system. It provides an overview of the functioning of that system, aswell as the concepts and rationales behind it. All explanations and examplesare based on the legislative acts concerning customs law, most prominentlythe Union Customs Code (UCC), Regulation (EU) 952/2013.The goal of this book is to enable the reader to obtain a basic understandingof the EU Customs system, or to refresh one´s customs law knowledge withina day’s work. Hence, this book is titled: ‘Customs in a Day’. The concept of thisbook motivated the authors to make didactically sound choices as regards thedepth at which the various subjects in this book are discussed. For those whowish to gain a quick yet thorough understanding of VAT law, there is the book‘VAT in a Day’, which employs the same method as used for this book.<br/
Keeping cool in the heat:Emotion regulation in response to climate change
No full textClimate change is a global crisis that evokes strong emotions. However, it is unclear which strategies people adopt to regulate these emotions, and how these strategies predict affective well-being and pro-environmental engagement. The aim of the present study was to get a better understanding of usage and effectiveness of a broad set of emotion regulation strategies in the context of climate change. At wave 1 (N = 325 participants), we assessed emotion regulation, affective well-being, past pro-environmental behavior and future pro-environmental behavioral intentions. Four weeks later, at wave 2 (N = 137 participants), pro-environmental behavior was again assessed. Other-blame was the most often used regulation strategy in the context of climate change. Rumination and self-blame were found to involve a key tradeoff as usage of these strategies was associated with higher pro-environmental engagement but lower affective well-being. In contrast, seeking social support was positively related to both pro-environmental engagement and affective well-being. These results demonstrate the importance of simultaneously examining well-being outcomes and behavioral outcomes in emotion regulation research in the context of climate change
Prevalence and Spirometric Transitions of PRISm and Obstruction:A Population-Based Study
No full textBackground and Objective: This study aims to assess the prevalence and longitudinal transitions of spirometric patterns deftned by the lower limit of normal (LLN) criteria: normal airflow (FEV1/FVC>LLN, FEV1, LLN); preserved ratto Impatred sptrometry (PRISm; FEV1/FVC >= LLN, FEV1, <LLN); or obstruction (FEV1/FVC<LLN).<br /> Methods: Post-bronchodilator values of pulmonary function tests in the transitional states of these sptrometric patterns were examined in the population-based Austrian LEAD study at visits 1 (V1) and 2 (V2). 7232 (aged >= 18 years) were re-examined after 4.3 +/- 0.6 years and categorized Into different sptrometric patterns. Changes in static lung volumes and flow rates were addition-ally examined to better characterize changes in sptrometric patterns and associated sptrometric measurements.<br /> Results: Whilst abnormal sptrometry was found in 6.7% Individuals at baseline, the prevalence of PRISm (2.2% and 1.6%), but not obstruction (4.5% and 6.1%), remained conststent over time (VI and V2 respectively). Individuals with PRISm-V1 exhibited substantial rates of transition (48.9%) whilst individuals with obstruction-V1 remained relatively stable (77.8%). Most Individuals who reverted from obstruction to improved sptrometry had baseline FEV1/FVC values closer to the LLN threshold (optimal cut-off: 64.5%) while those who progressed to obstruction had an optimal predicted threshold of approximately 75%. Changes in pulmonary function tests over time were substantially different between transitional states, and notably more so in those with Incident PRISm compared to incident obstructive Individuals.<br /> Conclusion: We demonstrate the changes in lung function in different transitional states of sptrometric patterns over time which thereby illustrate the need for repeated spirometric assessments combined with lung volume measurements for accurate monitoring and diagnosts