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Validity of accelerometer-based analysis of step time and step time variability during treadmill walking in people with bilateral vestibulopathy
No full textBackground: Gait and balance impairments, including increased gait variability, are prevalent in people with bilateral vestibulopathy (BVP). Wearable accelerometers may provide a clinically feasible method to objectively assess gait variability but have not yet been explored in BVP. Research question: Is accelerometer-based assessment of step time variability during treadmill walking valid in people with BVP? Methods: Adults with BVP and age-sex-matched healthy controls walked at 0.6 m/s, 0.8 m/s, and 1.0 m/s on the treadmill of the Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment. We examined differences in step time means and coefficients of variation (CoV) between accelerometery (single lower back sensor; MOX1) and 3D motion capture and force plates (Vicon). Validity was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC3,1), Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients, and Bland-Altman analyses to determine agreement, association and consistency between the methods. Validity was additionally assessed by comparing statistical significant differences and the effect sizes between the groups using each method. Results: Mean step time showed moderate to excellent agreement between methods, while step time CoV showed poor agreement and proportional bias. Accelerometery showed consistent between-group significance and effect size values, particularly at 0.6 m/s, although effect sizes were larger in motion capture data than in accelerometer data. Significance: An accelerometer-based assessment is valid for assessing mean step time in people with BVP. For assessing step time variability, it can distinguish between known groups (particularly at slower speeds) but does not demonstrate criterion validity. Before clinical application, test-retest reliability and sensitivity to change should be assessed in BVP.</p
A scoping review of responsive caregiving in diverse populations and its association with child development
Get PDFABSTRACTBackground: Responsive caregiving is a key component of nurturing care and crucial for early child development.While responsive caregiving has been examined in multiple studies, a comprehensive review summarizingfindings from these studies across diverse caregiver, child, cultural, and socio-economic contexts is currentlylacking.Methods: We conducted a scoping review to synthesize evidence on (1) caregiver, child, and contextual factorsinfluencing responsive caregiving and (2) association between responsive caregiving and children’s neurodevelopment and mental health. We included peer-reviewed English articles describing responsive caregiving forchildren aged 0–8 years. Articles were systematically searched in PubMed, Web of Science, APA PsychInfo, APAPsycArticles, SocINDEX, Google Scholar, and the reference lists of included articles. Relevant data wereextracted, collated, and synthesized into descriptive summaries and associations with children’s development.Results: We retrieved 7412 unique studies for title/abstract screening and 541 full-texts were screened and 138studies met the inclusion criteria. Caregiver characteristics, including caregiver type, maternal health, and demographics, influenced responsive caregiving, with notable differences between mothers and fathers. Child-levelfactors, such as developmental disabilities, age, term or preterm birth status, and gender, also shaped responsivecaregiving. Cultural context and socio-economic status also influenced responsive caregiving across populations.Language development was the most frequently reported with responsive caregiving.Conclusion: This scoping review maps how caregiver, child, and contextual factors influence responsive caregiving. Significant gaps remain in understanding caregiving in the under-researched Global South settings.Policymakers and practitioners should consider socio-cultural contexts, along with the pathways and mechanisms, when designing inclusive interventions that strengthen caregiving and support child development
Minimal conditions for the emergence of a vicarious sense of agency toward artificial agents
No full textA Sense of Agency (SoA) is the feeling of being in control over own actions and their outcomes. However, people can also experience a “vicarious” SoA over the actions performed by other agents, including artificial agents. The present study aimed to understand the minimal conditions for vicarious SoA toward artificial agents. Specifically, we addressed whether vicarious SoA emerges when people have access only to the action effect (proximal and distal), i.e., when no motor action is executed. In addition, we manipulated the expectancy of the content of the distal effect of the action to check whether the proximal action effect is sufficient for the emergence of the vicarious SoA, or if this effect is due to the learned association between proximal and distal effects. In two experiments, participants performed an Intentional Binding (IB) task, where the IB effect was the behavioural measure of SoA. In the first experiment (Solo), participants judged the onset of self-generated tones, whereas in the second experiment, a new sample of participants judged the onset of tones produced by a computer via an automatically pressed button, i.e., a customized device designed to generate a keypress (proximal action effect) in the absence of an effector executing a keypress (no motor action). In both experiments, participants' neural activity was recorded via electroencephalography (EEG), to examine the N1 and P2 components as neural measures of SoA. Behavioural results across experiments showed that the IB effect always emerged, suggesting that the vicarious IB effect toward an artificial agent emerges when access to the proximal action effect is provided, even in the absence of the action itself. The neural results suggested that while individual (self) SoA seemed to partially rely on motor predictions indexed by the N1, vicarious SoA relies on later, more cognitive (although still predictive) processes indexed by the P2. Overall, these results suggest that individual and vicarious SoA, although behaviourally manifested through a similar IB effect, might – to some extent – rely on different neural mechanisms
From cells to circuits:Transdiagnostic mechanisms of dysfunction in pompe disease and niemann-pick disease type c
No full textA twin transition or a flagship policy? Emergent constellations and dominant blocks in green and digital technologies
No full textThis paper seeks to understand whether what has been labeled the "twin transition", a flagship EU policy, emerges as a new endogenous technological trajectory involving the convergence of green and digital technologies, or whether this policy is in fact having little impact. Embracing an evolutionary approach to technology, we first identify the set of relevant technologies defined as "green" and then analyze their evolution in terms of the dominant blocks within the green technology sector and their intertwining with digital technologies, drawing on 560,720 patents granted by the US Patent Office from 1976 to 2024. Three dominant blocks emerge as relevant in defining the direction of innovation, namely energy, transport, and production processes. We assess the technological concentration and underlying complexity of the dominant blocks, interpreting this through the construction of counterfactual scenarios. We find hardly any evidence for a pattern of actual endogenous convergence of green and digital technologies in the period under analysis. On the whole, for the time being, the "twin transition" appears to be a flagship policy in name only, rather than an endogenous technological trajectory driving structural change
Lung metastases
No full textUp to 50% of patients with metastatic cancer develop lung metastases during their disease course. Lung metastases are linked to poor prognosis across various cancer types and might impair the quality of life of patients, causing dyspnoea, cough, haemoptysis and pain, potentially diminishing physical, functional and emotional well-being. Lung metastases arise from a complex interplay of tumour-secreted factors such as VEGF, TGFβ and CCL2, which drive vascular remodelling, immune cell recruitment and extracellular matrix reprogramming. Additionally, tumour-derived exosomes and microparticles contribute to organotropism and immunosuppression by altering the lung microenvironment. The ensemble of these modifications creates a pre-metastatic niche conducive to tumour cell colonization and outgrowth. Lung metastases are primarily diagnosed through imaging; histological confirmation is sometimes required to distinguish them from primary lung cancer. The size and number of lung metastases, timing of primary cancer treatment, histology, and the patient’s clinical condition are all considered to determine the most appropriate treatment. When a locoregional approach is not possible, histology-based, molecular-driven systemic therapy is the choice. No systemic treatment is currently available specifically for lung metastases. Advances in understanding the distinct stages of pre-metastatic niche formation and lung metastasis outgrowth might lead to the development of prevention strategies and tailored treatments.</p
The Cross-Cultural Ability of the Inventory of Problems-29-M (IOP-29-M) to Detect Feigned Symptom Presentations:A Replication of Akca et al. (2023) on a Romanian-Speaking Sample
No full textThis study replicated research on the ability of the Inventory of Problems-29 (IOP-29) to detect honest, feigning, and random responding, and investigated the accuracy of its memory module (IOP-M) in a Romanian-speaking sample. 127 participants, randomized into three groups, were assessed online with the IOP-29-M, in each responding condition. The standard cutoff of >=.50 on the IOP-29 False Disorders Probability Scale accurately discriminated honest from feigned protocols. The Random Responding Scale showed promise in indicating careless responding. Combining the IOP-29 FDS and IOP-M improved classification accuracies. Results support the IOP-29-M's cross-cultural validity and its utility in forensic and clinical settings
When less is more:resource constraints and radical innovation in family firms and non-family firms
No full textWhile radical innovation is crucial for long-term organizational success, resource constraints often challenge endeavors toward novel ideas, products, and services. Although there is increasing evidence of the positive impact of resource constraints on radical innovation performance, much still needs to be uncovered regarding the conditions that facilitate this positive impact. Drawing on the recombinative innovation perspective, we explicate the positive impact of knowledge and financial constraints on radical innovation. Moreover, we identify firm type-specifically the distinction between family and non-family firms-as a crucial organizational contingency that sheds more light on the focal relationship. Using data from a broad sample of Belgian firms, we find support for our hypothesis that financial constraints can spur a higher likelihood of introducing radical innovation. Moreover, family firms can better transform knowledge constraints into radical innovation, whereas non-family firms are better at generating radical innovation from financial constraints. By considering the impact of organizational characteristics on firms' ability to innovate from specific constraints radically, we deliver more detailed results on the link between resource constraints and radical innovation
Stereotactic radiotherapy on Parkinson's disease induced tremors - a systematic review
No full textBackground: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive disability due to bradykinesia, rigidity, and rest tremors. Especially in the treatment of tremors, pharmacological options often fall short. Invasive treatments such as deep brain stimulation are unsuitable in selected patients. Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) is a non-invasive alternative. However, implementation is hindered by inconsistent findings across studies. Materials and Methods: This study aims to evaluate the effect of SRT on tremors in PD patients. A PRISMA-guided systematic review identified 183 records. Six studies (n = 193 patients) met inclusion criteria. Outcomes were assessed after 12 months of SRT treatment. Results: All included studies used single-fraction SRT, prescribed doses ranged from 85-165 Gy, with 130-140 Gy being most frequently used. The ventral intermediate nucleus (VIM) was the most commonly targeted structure in three of the six studies. Across all studies tremor improvement was reported in 71 %-100 % of cases, with severity reduction of 38 %-67 % and tremor elimination in three studies varying from 0 % to 70 % of patients. Three studies noted medication reductions in 6 %-75 % of cases. Quality of life (QoL) and tremor recurrence were inconsistently reported: only one study reported no significant QoL improvement. Recurrence rates ranged from 3 %-24 %. Adverse events were present in 7 (7 %) patients. Conclusion: SRT is a promising non-invasive treatment for medically refractory PD tremor, with substantial tremor reduction and low toxicity. However, limitations such as the inconsistent reporting affect the strength of the findings. Future research should emphasize standardized reporting of treatment parameters and outcomes to strengthen evidence on SRT efficacy
How Music–Video metaphors build destination brand resonance:Dyadic affect, meaning access, and cultural cues
No full textShort-form destination videos often rely on music to carry cultural meaning. This paper links Cognitive Metaphor Theory with the circumplex dyad of pleasure and arousal to explain how music–image pairings build destination brand resonance (DBR). Three experiments show that pleasure is the stable route to DBR, arousal helps only under favorable tone, and their effects are additive. A Meaning-Access Prime (MAP) raises both emotions under identical clips and, in Bayesian structural models, also exerts a direct path to DBR, strongest when pleasant tone is low. DBR then predicts destination brand identification and destination consumption intention. We also show a useful state view: Resonant versus Emergent DBR. The framework provides design rules for co-tuning tone, activation, and cultural cues in creator-made clips that improve resonance, identification, and intention