When the Sound Becomes the Goal. 4E Cognition and Teleomusicality in Early Infancy.

In this paper we explore early musical behaviors through the lenses of the recently emerged "4E" approach to mind, which sees cognitive processes as Embodied, Embedded, Enacted, and Extended. In doing so, we draw from a range of interdisciplinary research, engaging in critical and constructive discussions with both new findings and existing positions. In particular, we refer to observational research by French pedagogue and psychologist François Delalande, who examined infants' first "sound discoveries" and individuated three different musical "conducts" inspired by the "phases of the game" originally postulated by Piaget.

Polyphosphate in Neonates: Less Shedding from Platelets and Divergent Prothrombotic Capacity Due to Lower TFPI Levels.

The neonatal hemostatic system exhibits a fragile balance featuring lower levels of clotting factors as well as inhibitors. Neonatal platelets show hypoaggregability, but neonates exhibit well-functioning primary and secondary hemostasis despite this impairment. Recently, polyphosphate shed by activated platelets has been shown to induce a prothrombotic shift on the plasmatic coagulation system of adults.

The Relationship between Grandiose and Vulnerable (Hypersensitive) Narcissism.

Narcissistic grandiosity is characterized by overt expressions of feelings of superiority and entitlement, while narcissistic vulnerability reflects hypersensitivity and introversive self-absorbedness. Clinical evidence suggests that grandiosity is accompanied by vulnerable aspects, pointing to a common foundation. Subclinical personality research, however, views grandiose and vulnerable narcissism as independent traits.

Cognitive Mechanisms Underlying Directional and Non-directional Spatial-Numerical Associations across the Lifespan.

There is accumulating evidence suggesting an association of numbers with physical space. However, the origin of such spatial-numerical associations (SNAs) is still debated. In the present study we investigated the development of two SNAs in a cross-sectional study involving children, young and middle-aged adults as well as the elderly: (1) the SNARC (spatial-numerical association of response codes) effect, reflecting a directional SNA; and (2) the numerical bisection bias in a line bisection task with numerical flankers.

Mathematics Anxiety and Statistics Anxiety. Shared but Also Unshared Components and Antagonistic Contributions to Performance in Statistics.

In many social science majors, e.g., psychology, students report high levels of statistics anxiety.

Patterns of Change in Collaboration Are Associated with Baseline Characteristics and Predict Outcome and Dropout Rates in Treatment of Multi-Problem Families. A Validation Study.

The present study validates the Multi-Problem Family (MPF)-Collaboration Scale), which measures the progress of goal directed collaboration of patients in the treatment of families with MPF and its relation to drop-out rates and treatment outcome. Naturalistic study of symptom and competence-related changes in children of ages 4-18 and their caregivers. Integrative, structural outreach family therapy.

Finding the SNARC Instead of Hunting It: A 2020 Monte Carlo Investigation.

The Spatial Numerical Association of Response Codes (SNARC) effect describes a stimulus-response association of left with small magnitude and right with large magnitude. Usually, it is estimated by means of regression slopes, where the independent variable only has a limited number of levels. Inspection of the literature reveals that it is not difficult to detect a SNARC effect within a group, but it has been quite unusual to find group differences.

Eye Behavior Associated with Internally versus Externally Directed Cognition.

What do our eyes do when we are focused on internal representations such as during imagination or planning? Evidence from mind wandering research suggests that spontaneous shifts from externally directed cognition (EDC) to internally directed cognition (IDC) involves oculomotor changes indicative of visual disengagement. In the present study, we investigated potential differences in eye behavior between goal-directed forms of IDC and EDC. To this end, we manipulated the focus of attention (internal versus external) in two demanding cognitive tasks (anagram and sentence generation).

The Coordinated Action of Calcineurin and Cathepsin D Protects Against α-Synuclein Toxicity.

The degeneration of dopaminergic neurons during Parkinson's disease (PD) is intimately linked to malfunction of α-synuclein (αSyn), the main component of the proteinaceous intracellular inclusions characteristic for this pathology. The cytotoxicity of αSyn has been attributed to disturbances in several biological processes conserved from yeast to humans, including Ca homeostasis, general lysosomal function and autophagy. However, the precise sequence of events that eventually results in cell death remains unclear.

Botulinum Neurotoxin A Injected Ipsilaterally or Contralaterally into the Striatum in the Rat 6-OHDA Model of Unilateral Parkinson's Disease Differently Affects Behavior.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most frequent neurodegenerative disorders. The loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra leads to a disinhibition of cholinergic interneurons in the striatum. Pharmacotherapeutical strategies of PD-related hypercholinism have numerous adverse side effects.

Violations of Expectations As Matter for the Believing Process.

For the purpose of this communication it is postulated that violation of expectation means a disturbing event or conflict interfering with a previously established mental state that affords a firm belief or confident feeling. According to this hypothesis a violation of an expectation contradicts predictions and intentions that have been attained on stored experiences, valuations, and actual mood. We will argue that the notion of belief as static or stable which is usually described by expressions such as "my belief" or "our general belief" has to be extended to accommodate the process of belief formation.

Intensity- and Duration-Based Options to Regulate Endurance Training.

The regulation of endurance training is usually based on the prescription of exercise intensity. Exercise duration, another important variable of training load, is rarely prescribed by individual measures and mostly set from experience. As the specific exercise duration for any intensity plays a substantial role regarding the different kind of cellular stressors, degree, and kind of fatigue as well as training effects, concepts integrating the prescription of both intensity and duration within one model are needed.

Ability to Gain Control Over One's Own Brain Activity and its Relation to Spiritual Practice: A Multimodal Imaging Study.

Spiritual practice, such as prayer or meditation, is associated with focusing attention on internal states and self-awareness processes. As these cognitive control mechanisms presumably are also important for neurofeedback (NF), we investigated whether people who pray frequently ( = 20) show a higher ability of self-control over their own brain activity compared to a control group of individuals who rarely pray ( = 20). All participants underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and one session of sensorimotor rhythm (SMR, 12-15 Hz) based NF training.

The Impact of Gender Stereotypes on the Self-Concept of Female Students in STEM Subjects with an Under-Representation of Females.

It's possible to assume that women who study STEM topics with a low proportion of females have successfully overcome barriers in school and the family, making them less prone to stereotypic views, and influences. The present study focuses on these kinds of factors and analyzes to which degree family factors, school-related factors, and individual stereotypes may influence a woman's academic self-concept. The following study presents a latent regression model which is based on a survey of 296 women from different German universities, all of whom are part of STEM programs of study that have <30% females.

Addiction as an Attachment Disorder: White Matter Impairment Is Linked to Increased Negative Affective States in Poly-Drug Use.

Substance use disorders (SUD) have been shown to be linked to various neuronal and behavioral impairments. In this study, we investigate whether there is a connection between the integrity of white matter (WM) and attachment styles as well as different affective states including spirituality in a group of patients diagnosed for poly-drug use disorder (PUD) in comparison to non-clinical controls. A total sample of 59 right-handed men, comprising the groups of patients with PUD ( = 19), recreational drug-using individuals (RUC; = 20) as well as non-drug using controls were recruited (NUC; = 20).

Neural Entrainment to Polyrhythms: A Comparison of Musicians and Non-musicians.

Music can be thought of as a dynamic path over time. In most cases, the rhythmic structure of this path, such as specific sequences of strong and weak beats or recurring patterns, allows us to predict and particularly sounds are going to happen. Without this ability we would not be able to entrain body movements to music, like we do when we dance.

Diversity and Biomineralization Potential of the Epilithic Bacterial Communities Inhabiting the Oldest Public Stone Monument of Cluj-Napoca (Transylvania, Romania).

In this study, we investigated the biomineralization potential and diversity of the epilithic bacterial communities dwelling on the limestone statue of Saint Donatus, the oldest public monument of Cluj-Napoca city (Transylvania region, NW Romania). Their spatial distribution together with phylogenetic and metabolic diversity, as well as their capacity to precipitate calcium carbonate was evaluated by combining molecular and phenotypic fingerprinting methods with X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron-microscopy analyses. The results of real-time quantitative PCR, molecular fingerprinting and community-level physiological profiling showed that diverse and abundant bacterial assemblages that differ in relation to their collection site colonized the statue.

Lack of ABCG2 Leads to Biventricular Dysfunction and Remodeling in Response to Hypoxia.

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC)G2 transporter protects the heart from pressure overload-induced ventricular dysfunction but also protects cancer cells from chemotherapeutic agents. It is upregulated in the myocardium of heart failure patients and clears hypoxia-induced intracellular metabolites. This study employs ABCG2 knockout (KO) mice to elucidate the relevance of ABCG2 for cardiac and pulmonary vascular structure and function in chronic hypoxia, and uses human primary cardiac fibroblasts to investigate the potential role of ABCG2 in cardiac fibrosis.

Critical Issues in Mycobiota Analysis.

Fungi constitute an important part of the human microbiota and they play a significant role for health and disease development. Advancements made in the culture-independent analysis of microbial communities have broadened our understanding of the mycobiota, however, microbiota analysis tools have been mainly developed for bacteria (e.g.

Mycobiome in the Lower Respiratory Tract - A Clinical Perspective.

Recently the paradigm that the healthy lung is sterile was challenged and it is now believed that the lungs harbor a diverse microbiota also contributing to the pathogenesis of various diseases. Most of the research studies targeting the respiratory microbiome have focused on bacteria and their impact on lung health and lung diseases. Recently, also the mycobiome has gained attention.

The Demise of the Synapse As the Locus of Memory: A Looming Paradigm Shift?

Synaptic plasticity is widely considered to be the neurobiological basis of learning and memory by neuroscientists and researchers in adjacent fields, though diverging opinions are increasingly being recognized. From the perspective of what we might call "classical cognitive science" it has always been understood that the mind/brain is to be considered a computational-representational system. Proponents of the information-processing approach to cognitive science have long been critical of connectionist or network approaches to (neuro-)cognitive architecture, pointing to the shortcomings of the associative psychology that underlies Hebbian learning as well as to the fact that synapses are practically unfit to implement symbols.

From Mouth to Model: Combining and Oral Biofilm Growth.

Oral biofilm studies based on simplified experimental setups are difficult to interpret. Models are limited mostly by the number of bacterial species observed and the insufficiency of artificial media. Few studies have attempted to overcome these limitations and to cultivate native oral biofilm.

Functional Metagenomics of Spacecraft Assembly Cleanrooms: Presence of Virulence Factors Associated with Human Pathogens.

Strict planetary protection practices are implemented during spacecraft assembly to prevent inadvertent transfer of earth microorganisms to other planetary bodies. Therefore, spacecraft are assembled in cleanrooms, which undergo strict cleaning and decontamination procedures to reduce total microbial bioburden. We wanted to evaluate if these practices selectively favor survival and growth of hardy microorganisms, such as pathogens.

The Skin Microbiome: Is It Affected by UV-induced Immune Suppression?

Human skin apart from functioning as a physical barricade to stop the entry of pathogens, also hosts innumerable commensal organisms. The skin cells and the immune system constantly interact with microbes, to maintain cutaneous homeostasis, despite the challenges offered by various environmental factors. A major environmental factor affecting the skin is ultraviolet radiation (UV-R) from sunlight.