Nonspecific velocity and amplitude hunting reveals different specific detection performance of flexion and extension movements in the human knee joint

A debate exists in the literature as to what extent perception is conscious. In some publications regarding proprioception, the term proprioception has explicitly only been seen as properly used when subjects were able to report the imposed movement's direction. Detections of movements without movement-direction perception, have been seen as nonspecific. Since a lot of studies discussed this point but never tested it explicitly, we tested it by using nonspecific hunting paradigms (only the occurrence of a movement has to be detected, not its direction) with the following rationale. If the perception performance is really nonspecific, no difference regarding the movement's direction should be found. Thus, if we found a different detection performance regarding flexion and extension by means of a nonspecific paradigm, it would demonstrate that this "nonspecific" perception is already specific. Therefore, we measured the perception characteristics separately for flexion and extension. The perception characteristics have been determined from the amplitude-velocity-relation curve. Two different, nonspecific hunting paradigms, modifications of our previously published specific hunting paradigm, have been used. Thus, we determined pairs of threshold values, regarding amplitude hunting using three different angular velocities (0.1 degrees s(-1), 0.25 degrees s(-1), and 0.5 degrees s(-1)) and regarding velocity hunting using three different angular displacements (0.25 degrees, 0.5 degrees, and 1 degrees) as well, for flexion and extension, respectively. We found that both threshold paradigms (velocity hunting and amplitude hunting) revealed the same perception characteristics for a given movement direction. With an increasing angular velocity, angular displacement threshold values converged toward a common value for flexion and extension (about 0.2 degrees); with an increasing angular displacement, angular velocity threshold values converged toward separate values for flexion (about 0.06 degrees s(-1)) and extension (about 0.1 degrees s(-1)). Thus, our findings demonstrate that detection performance is specific and not bound to conscious perception, since specific thresholds for flexion and extension were revealed with nonspecific hunting paradigms.     

What do reflex and voluntary mean? Modern views on an ancient debate

Are the words reflex and voluntary useful scientific concepts, or are they prescientific terms that should be discarded? Physiologists use these words routinely in their publications, in laboratory experiments and, indeed, like most lay people, in their daily lives. The tacit assumption is that we all know, more or less, what they mean. However, the issue has a rich history of philosophical and scientific debate; and, as this article demonstrates, present-day researchers still cannot reach a consensus on the meaning of the words and on whether it is possible to draw a scientific distinction between them. The five authors present five quite different analyses. In broad terms, they split into two camps: those who equate voluntary behaviours with consciousness and suppressibility and those who view all behaviours as sensorimotor interactions, the complexity of which determines whether they are reflexive or voluntary. According to the first view, most movements of daily life are neither purely reflex nor purely voluntary. They fall into the middle ground of automatic motor programs. According to the second view, as neuroscience advances the class of reflex behaviours will grow and the class of voluntary behaviours will shrink.     

The fitness of categories and vice versa

Two basic propositions are developed as useful in an evolutionary analysis of the origins of complex biobehavioral categories: 1. Such categories derive from the gradual accumulation of a very large number of categoric alternatives, each of which is very small, and 2. Fitness considerations provide valuable insight into the ultimate decision process whereby these micro-categories, and thus eventually, all more complex categories, are achieved.     

广东省斗门县农村中老年人的眼病意识调查

目的　调查农村中老年人群的眼病意识及阻碍患者接受治疗的原因。方法　采用随机整群抽样法,抽取广东省斗门县50岁及以上的中、老年人626例,对其进行眼部检查,同时对所有至少1只眼日常生活视力<0.1的视力损害者进行问卷调查。结果　535例完成问卷（85.5%）;526例眼病≥1年,其中502例（95%）意识到眼病>1年。在可治的448例眼病患者中,有118例（24.2%）患者知道眼病可以治疗,356例（73%）患者不知道或在检查当天才知道可以治疗,未治疗的原因为经济困难、恐惧手术和交通不便等。结论　进行眼病知识宣传,降低治疗费用,是扫除眼病治疗障碍的措施之一。     

脑状态指数监测用于开颅术后持续意识障碍的预测

目的评价开颅术后早期脑状态指数（CSI）监测对远期意识状态预测的准确性。方法连续纳入57例开颅术后延迟苏醒拔管的患者,术后6h内连续监测CSI,并每小时评价患者对语言或疼痛刺激的反应（GCS-M）。于术后24h随访患者的意识状态,按照是否遵嘱,将患者分为清醒组（51例）和未醒组（6例）,比较CSI在两组间的差异。计算术后1～6hCSI监测值在预测术后24h意识障碍时的预测概率（PK）。结果清醒组入ICU后1h的CSI为75±12,在第2～6h明显升高（85±12～88±7,P﹤0.05）。未醒组在入ICU后1～6h的CSI监测无显著变化,波动于43±15～52±19（P﹥0.05）。清醒组CSI监测数值在各监测时点均高于未醒组。术后6h内监测CSI,预测术后24h意识障碍的PK值为0.94～0.99。结论开颅术后6h内进行CSI监测,可较为准确地预测术后24h的意识状态。CSI可作为开颅术后意识状态监测的客观辅助手段。     

Dissociation of Pe and ERN/Ne in the conscious recognition of an error

We evaluated the relationship between conscious awareness and the ERN/Ne and Pe in a digit entering task. On each trial, participants rated the accuracy of their responses on a three-point scale (incorrect, unsure, correct). The ERN/Ne was present on incorrect trials judged as incorrect. The Pe was evident on the same trials but also on correct and incorrect trials judged as unsure. We propose that the ERN/Ne occurs when there is an incorrect execution of a correct motor plan and the representation of the correct response is available for comparison with the actual response. The mismatch information that results from this comparison can be transferred to the Pe process and conscious awareness. However, the Pe process and conscious awareness do not only depend on this transfer of information from the ERN/Ne process. The Pe also occurs when there is uncertainty about the correctness of the motor plan, whether or not the plan is, in fact, correct.     

略论网络环境下护理人员的信息素质

提出了网络时代护理人员信息素质的内涵、信息意识的层次，信息素质的必要性。以及提高信息素质的途径：读书、参加相关培训、网上学习。     

在沪藏族初中生自我意识与应对方式相关性分析

了解在沪藏族初中生自我意识与应对方式的关系,为提高相应人群的心理健康水平提供依据.方法 整群抽取上海市嘉定区284名藏族初中生,使用儿童自我意识量表(PHCSS)和特质应对方式问卷(TCSQ)进行调查.结果 在沪藏族初中生自我意识水平低者占57.0%,男生自我意识的行为因子得分比女生低,女生躯体外貌与属性、焦虑因子分比男生低,差异均有统计学意义(P值均<0.01).初二学生智力与学校情况因子得分比其他2个年级学生低,差异均有统计学意义(P值均<0.05).农村学生躯体外貌与属性、合群、幸福与满足分量表因子得分、总分比城市学生低,差异均有统计学意义(P值均<0.05).多元回归分析显示,积极应对和消极应对方式均是自我意识总分及各因子得分的重要影响因素.结论 在沪藏族初中生的自我意识总体水平较低.积极应对和消极应对方式对其自我意识具有显著的预测性.     

急性高血压脑出血死亡的临床预测

目的：本文为提高临床急性高血压脑出血的抢救成功率，对１０１例高血压脑出血病人的死亡进行临床预测；方法：采用回顾性记录统计进行年龄、意识状态、发病的血压、出血量及死亡率测算；结果：年龄越大，意识状态越差，发病时血压高，出血量越大，死良率越高（Ｐ〈０．０１）；结论：以上指标对高血压脑出血的临床预测有重要意义。     

Justified Use of Painful Stimuli in the Coma Examination: A Neurologic and Ethical Rationale

Much has been written about the neurologic basis and rationale for the coma examination, but little has been written about its ethical framework. In contrast to the neurologic framework, the ethical basis for the use of painful stimuli in the coma examination is context dependent and value driven, aimed at identifying the ethical justification for healthcare professionals to cause pain for patients in ways that would not be tolerated or justifiable in any other setting. Basic ethical principles can be used to justify the use of painful stimuli to examine patients, but they also impose limits on their use. To clarify the ethical issues that apply to the coma examination, we review its neurologic and ethical bases and propose a practical test by which to justify the use of painful stimuli.