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The concept of presentification finds an important place in clinical models of trauma. In psychotherapy, do “present moment”, focus on the “here and now” and mindfulness refer to the same semantic field? Or is it sufficient to distinguish its contents through the favorable/maladaptive polarity? Are the concepts of “defensive automatism” and of “defensive style” overlapping? Is maladaptive presentation a metahistorical fact? Does adolescence show always behaviors of maladaptive presentification? The brief critical argument presented in this intervention on Luca Degasperi’s (2023) article starts from the need to clarify the epistemological field of the construct of presentification, suggesting an alternative terminological hypothesis to the maladaptive meaning and a socio-cultural recontextualization of the clinical pictures described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insanity, insanity defense, and the elements of crimes are closely related to each other. An insane person cannot be punished for the crimes committed by him. However, insanity is a concept that has different connotations across academic disciplines. The law is interested in the legal insanity of an accused. Actus reus and mens rea, in most cases, are the essential components of a crime. The defense of insanity, which is an excuse defense against criminal liability is more relevant to the mens rea. Whereas the defense of automatism is more concerned with the actus reus. This paper analyzes the concepts of insanity and insanity defense in the context of elements of crime employing doctrinal legal analysis. The findings of this paper suggest that there is a need to interpret the concepts of insanity, insanity defense, and the elements of crimes, and the relationship among them when the accused is suffering from mental disorders by adopting multidisciplinary approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the fragmentation and the disintegration of the characters in the light of Zeno's paradox of plurality. The characters indulge in automatism to overcome the sense of alienation and familial lack of compassion since their childhood. While automatism protects them against external contingency, it reduces existence to sequential divestment, with each beginning denoting merely the certainty of perpetually descending to the end. They fail to become a part of the whole where they fear that they may lose their subjective identities and submerge into the whole. It shows how the situation and the disintegration of the characters in Endgame symbolize the impossibility of becoming the part of the whole. This paper explores how Beckett goes even further than Zeno by showing the divisibility even of the part and tells how an individual is alienated from society, people around him and ultimately from himself and he lives only in temporal units without the possibility of finding intrinsic meanings of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some determinist approaches to free will opine that the human brain is subordinate to physical laws not fully under our control. This results in a weakening of the concept of the personal autonomy and moral responsibility of humans. Were we to acknowledge this assumption, we might consider automatic machines unable to influence the thoughts and intentions from which our actions take root. The key issue lies in the fact that an individual does not consciously engage in particular actions (automatisms), which challenges the concept of free will in an individual's complex behaviour. Despite this issue, not all automatisms that lack conscious will can be viewed as lacking free will. The paper examines whether classical philosophical concepts may weaken the strict determinist approach, which seeks to deny that individuals have free will due to the existence of automatic actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

My artistic practice and research explore automatic processes used throughout time that develop conceptual and physical aptitude in the performer; to transcend the status quo and experience alternative versions of embodied reality. In homage to Elvis Presley and the spirit of Rock and Roll, I define automatism as a process formulated as Automatic Corporeal Gesture in a Flash (ACG) where I work to make art without fear from an inspirational sensation in my body. ACG is inspired, authentic action that I do in a creative act through some kind of plan or set of parameters to get a material result; it is automatic action through diffraction in an apparatus, to produce material with qualitative data that can be considered for its meaning after the performance. Like having a conversation with someone, this approach helps me to understand things as they are, learning about their qualities. In ACG I combine my vibration with the vibration of what inspires me. It is a relational act of co-agential meaning making. It is a performance process that uses perception and action intrepidly while in an apparatus to maintain corporeal balance, integrity and momentum during an event. Practising ACG changes qualities in material, which changes the way meaning is made from it. These changes are always particular to each event. Our senses are physical and extra-sensory. My imagination contains qualitative, empirical data. I am using my corporeal senses to perceive my imagination's inspiration, as I would also use my other senses and their correlating extra-sensory capabilities to perceive the material world around me. The meditative groove of my ACG is a trance dance. Trance is maintaining the entrainment of one's body to a frequency which focuses perceptive consciousness. How a piece is created carries discursive information. Qualities of the movement of the body and the marks it makes speaks about our corporeal condition as well as speaking of its perception of qualities through/of itself and its local and extra-local environments. I use ACG to learn about the qualities that experience has had in my body, and this knowledge increases my ability to be more responsible and accountable as a receiver and transmitter of discourse, which is the function of my relationality. ACG helps me to access my full body, and it allows me to coordinate and integrate all my other senses and their correlating extra aspects into my creative action. ACG is what keeps sparking the dynamic process in which I realize my creative potential, and where I can expand my abilities to perceive more of the qualities of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objectives Since the easiest way to identify pills and obtain information about them is to distinguish them visually, many studies on image processing technology exist. However, no automatic system for generating pill image data has yet been developed. Therefore, we propose a system for automatically generating image data by taking pictures of pills from various angles. This system is referred to as the pill filming system in this paper. Methods We designed the pill filming system to have three components: structure, controller, and a graphical user interface (GUI). This system was manufactured with black polylactic acid using a 3D printer for lightweight and easy manufacturing. The mainboard controls data storage, and the entire process is managed through the GUI. After one reciprocating movement of the seesaw, the web camera at the top shoots the target pill on the stage. This image is then saved in a specific directory on the mainboard. Results The pill filming system completes its workflow after generating 300 pill images. The total time to collect data per pill takes 21 minutes and 25 seconds. The generated image size is 1280 × 960 pixels, the horizontal and vertical resolutions are both 96 DPI (dot per inch), and the file extension is .jpg. Conclusions This paper proposes a system that can automatically generate pill image data from various angles. The pill observation data from various angles include many cases. In addition, the data collected in the same controlled environment have a uniform background, making it easy to process the images. Large quantities of high-quality data from the pill filming system can contribute to various studies using pill images.

Despite its medical importance, the cellular mechanisms activity and the contribution of various ion channels of embryonic heart automatism are not yet fully understood. In this study we investigated the effects of specific ion-channel inhibitors on the generation of action potentials in pacemaker cells of the right atrium in chicken embryos (HH36). We used microelectrode technique and evaluated the sensitivity of pacemaker cells to ivabradine (inhibitor of HCN-channels, through which the hyperpolarization-activated current, If), ryanodine (agonist of ryanodine receptors) and SN6 (inhibitor of Na+/Ca2+-exchange). It was found that the right atrium cells have a phase of slow diastolic depolarization. However, these cells were not sensitive to ivabradine (3 µM). We did not register significant changes in the electrophysiological parameters of action potentials. When ryanodine (1 µM) and SN6 (10 µM) were added to the perfusion solution, we observed similar effects: spontaneous rate the generation of action potential increased by 15%. Disturbance of rhythmic activity or disruption of the generation of electrical impulses were not observed in right atrial samples of chicken embryos. The obtained results allow us to conclude that, at this of embryonic development stage, HCN4-channels, ryanodine receptors, and the Na+/Ca2+-exchange are not decisive for maintaining the automatism of the right atrial cells in the chick embryo. We assume that the ion currents flowing through these channels are important in electrophysiology in adult animals, but they have a modulating function in the embryonic myocardium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]