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Volume measurements of organs and structures are crucial for medical assessments and have traditionally been performed using computers, with a recent interest in tablets with digital pens. This study aims to evaluate the reliability of the computer mouse and graphic tablet in organ volume measurements based on the Cavalieri Principle. It will compare the advantages and disadvantages of each device, focusing on consistency and measurement duration. The study analyzed a dataset comprising 22 abdominal CT images from females and 21 from males, sourced from the Department of Radiology. Spleen and kidney volumes were quantified using Image J software and the Cavalieri Principle, utilizing both a computer equipped with a mouse and a graphic tablet with a drawing pen. The results revealed that computer mouse and graphic tablet measurements showed similar organ volumes, with average kidney volumes of 181.53 ±51.72 cm³ and 179.34 ±51.37 cm³, respectively, and spleen volumes of 211.03 ±78.47 cm³ and 205.93 ±77.52 cm³, respectively. The computer mouse required 283.55 ±56.03 seconds for the kidney and 386.74 ±106.66 seconds for the spleen, whereas the graphic tablet took only 128.79 ±33.32 seconds for the kidney and 141.91 ±40.18 seconds for the spleen, demonstrating a statistically significant reduction in measurement time (p < 0.001). The findings of this study suggest that graphic tablet provides a comparable level of reliability to the computer mouse for organ volume measurements using the Cavalieri Principle. Additionally, the tablet offers the significant benefit of faster measurement times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perceived offset position of a moving target has been found to be displaced forward, in the direction of motion (Representational Momentum; RM), downward, in the direction of gravity (Representational Gravity; RG), and, recently, further displaced along the horizon implied by the visual context (Representational Horizon; RH). The latter, while still underexplored, offers the prospect to clarify the role of visual contextual cues in spatial orientation and in the perception of dynamic events. As such, the present work sets forth to ascertain the robustness of Representational Horizon across varying types of visual contexts, particularly between interior and exterior scenes, and to clarify to what degree it reflects a perceptual or response phenomenon. To that end, participants were shown targets, moving along one out of several possible trajectories, overlaid on a randomly chosen background depicting either an interior or exterior scene rotated −22.5º, 0º, or 22.5º in relation to the actual vertical. Upon the vanishing of the target, participants were required to indicate its last seen location with a computer mouse. For half the participants, the background vanished with the target while for the remaining it was kept visible until a response was provided. Spatial localisations were subjected to a discrete Fourier decomposition procedure to obtain independent estimates of RM, RG, and RH. Outcomes showed that RH's direction was biased towards the horizon implied by the visual context, but solely for exterior scenes, and irrespective of its presence or absence during the spatial localisation response, supporting its perceptual/representational nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many Western cultures, the processing of temporal words related to the past and to the future is associated with left and right space, respectively – a phenomenon known as the horizontal Mental Time Line (MTL). While this mapping is apparently quite ubiquitous, its regularity and consistency across different types of temporal concepts remain to be determined. Moreover, it is unclear whether such spatial mappings are an essential and early constituent of concept activation. In the present study, we used words denoting time units at different scales (hours of the day, days of the week, months of the year) associated with either left space (e.g., 9 a.m., Monday, February) or right space (e.g., 8 p.m., Saturday, November) as cues in a line bisection task. Fifty-seven healthy adults listened to temporal words and then moved a mouse cursor to the perceived midpoint of a horizontally presented line. We measured movement trajectories, initial line intersection coordinates, and final bisection response coordinates. We found movement trajectory displacements for left- vs. right-biasing hour and day cues. Initial line intersections were biased specifically by month cues, while final bisection responses were biased specifically by hour cues. Our findings offer general support to the notion of horizontal space-time associations and suggest further investigation of the exact chronometry and strength of this association across individual time units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The objective of the study was to explore the molecular mechanism of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) LINC00472 in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and identify potential novel targets for AD therapy. Method: Ferroptosis-related lncRNAs were screened by GEO database. AD mouse model was constructed for in vivo experiments. The content of Aβ protein and tau protein hyperphosphorylation were examined in hippocampal tissue samples of mice. Subsequently, HT22 cells were induced with Aβ25–35 to establish a neuronal injury model of AD in vitro. The expression of FOXO1, a key gene for ferroptosis, was verified by overexpressing/knocking down the LINC00472. The effects of LINC00472 on ROS and lipid peroxidation content, GPX4, and tau protein in AD model cells were examined by ROS assay, MDA assay, Western blot, and qRT-PCR. Subsequently, the expression of iron ion, FTH, TfRC, and Fpn protein were detected in AD cells. Results: The level of FOXO1 was positively correlated with the degree of AD. In vivo experiments showed that the expression of Aβ and tau hyperphosphorylated were significantly reduced in the inhibitor group and iron was significantly reduced relative to the AD group. In the AD cell model, the content of lipid peroxide was upregulated, GPX4 protein and mRNA were decreased, and phosphorylation of tau protein was enhanced in the AD cell model relative to the control group. Whereas knocking down LINC00472 inhibited the upregulation of lipid peroxide, decreased the level of GPX4, and enhanced tau protein phosphorylation, and reduced iron accumulation in AD cells. Conclusions: LINC00472 affects ferroptosis in AD by regulating iron accumulation in neuronal cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to develop an effective screen‐keyboard system from a new perspective of key arrangements. In the proposed screen keyboard system, keys are centralized by arranging them radially, with alphabetical keys arranged based on the articulation for speech production. A gesture input method and click input method are implemented considering the mora‐based Japanese sound system with syllables containing a consonant‐vowel (CV) structure. In a preliminary experiment, the cumulative pixel distances required to press keys for the input sequences were evaluated as a simulation to confirm the basic performance of the keyboard system. The Euclidean pixel distances between the keys on the keyboard images were accumulated and compared between the proposed keyboard system and a typical QWERTY keyboard. Typing experiments involving participants were performed to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed keyboard system. The experimental results reveal that the proposed screen keyboard system enables users to generate efficient typing performances using a computer mouse and eye gaze via short‐term training. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares response time and accuracy in a binary data labeling task on two platforms: a desktop computer and a mobile phone. Three methods were used on the computer: a keyboard, a mouse, and a mouse with perceptual variability that was designed to combat vigilance decrement. Three additional methods were used on the mobile phone: a tap, a swipe touch-gesture, and a tap with perceptual variability. Results of the study show that the fastest was the keyboard, which may explain its popularity in labeling tasks. The second fastest was the tap interface, suggesting the unexploited potential of mobile devices for "labeling while waiting for the bus." In terms of accuracy, we found clear evidence for a speed–accuracy tradeoff, and the advantage of the perceptual variability methods to be more accurate than the matching methods without perceptual variability. The results suggest that different user input methods should be employed depending on whether response time or accuracy is more valued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although mouse‐tracking has been taken as a real‐time window on different aspects of human decision‐making processes, whether purely semantic information affects response conflict at the level of motor output as measured through mouse movements is still unknown. Here, across two experiments, we investigated the effects of semantic knowledge by predicting participants' performance in a standard keyboard task and in a mouse‐tracking task through distributional semantics, a usage‐based modeling approach to meaning. In Experiment 1, participants were shown word pairs and were required to perform a two‐alternative forced choice task selecting either the more abstract or the more concrete word, using standard keyboard presses. In Experiment 2, participants performed the same task, yet this time response selection was achieved by moving the computer mouse. Results showed that the involvement of semantic components in the task at hand is observable using both standard reaction times (Experiment 1) as well as using indexes extracted from mouse trajectories (Experiment 2). In particular, mouse trajectories reflected the response conflict and its temporal evolution, with a larger deviation for increasing word semantic relatedness. These findings support the validity of mouse‐tracking as a method to detect deep and implicit decision‐making features. Additionally, by demonstrating that a usage‐based model of meaning can account for the different degrees of cognitive conflict associated with task achievement, these findings testify the impact of the human semantic memory on decision‐making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capacity to stop impending or ongoing actions contributes to executive control over behavior. Action-stopping, however, is difficult to directly quantify. It is therefore assayed via computational modeling of behavior in the stop signal task to estimate the latency of stopping (stop signal reaction time, SSRT) and, more recently, the reliability of stopping in terms of the distribution of SSRTs (standard deviation, SD-SSRT) and the frequency with which one outright fails to react to a stop signal (trigger failures, TF). Critically, the validity of computational estimates remains unknown because we currently have no direct readouts of behavior against which to compare them. Here, we developed a method for providing single-trial behavioral readouts of SSRT and trigger failures. The method relies on an adaptation of the stop signal task in which participants respond by moving a computer mouse. In two online experiments, we used movement kinematics to quantify stopping performance (SSRT, SD-SSRT, and TF), and then applied the standard Race Model and recent BEESTS model in order to examine the convergent validity of the methods. Overall, we demonstrate good correspondence between kinematics- and model-based estimates of stopping performance at the group and individual level. We conclude that the new method provides valid estimates of stopping performance that, unlike model-based estimates, can be read out at the level of single trials. Our approach might therefore be useful for interrogating single-trial neurophysiological correlates of stopping and for large-scale, online studies of behavioral stopping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore whether hyperglycaemia plays a role in periodontal inflamm‐aging by inducing phenotypical transformation of macrophages, as well as the potential mechanism via SET domain‐bifurcated histone lysine methyltransferase 1 (SETDB1). Materials and Methods: A hyperglycaemic mouse model was established using streptozotocin injection. The alveolar bone was analysed using micro‐computed tomography. Periodontal inflamm‐aging was detected using western blotting, quantitative real‐time PCR and immunohistochemical analysis. In vitro, RAW 264.7 macrophages were incubated with various doses of glucose. siRNA or overexpression plasmids were used to determine the regulatory mechanism of SETDB1 in macrophage senescence and inflamm‐aging under hyperglycaemic conditions. Expression and distribution of SETDB1 and long interspersed element 1 (LINE‐1) in gingival tissues of patients with or without diabetes were detected using immunofluorescent staining. Results: SETDB1 expression in the periodontal tissues of patients and mice with diabetes was down‐regulated compared with that in non‐diabetic controls. SETDB1 deficiency induced senescence‐like phenotypical changes in macrophages, which aggravated periodontal inflamm‐aging in diabetic mice. Furthermore, metformin treatment rejuvenated SETDB1 activity and alleviated the hyperglycaemia‐induced periodontal inflamm‐aging. Conclusions: The findings of this study show that SETDB1 regulates senescence‐like phenotypical switching of macrophages and is a potential candidate for the treatment of diabetes‐induced periodontal inflamm‐aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study assessed the therapeutic efficacy of intraperitoneal photodynamic therapy (PDT) using photosensitizer activation at two different wavelengths, 405 and 664 nm, in a mouse model of peritoneal carcinomatosis. Methods: The dark and light cytotoxicity of chlorin e6-polyvinylpyrrolidone (Phonozen) were measured in vitro under 402 ± 14 and 670 ± 18 nm LED activation in bioluminescent human gastric cancer cells, MKN45-luc. Cell viability was measured at 6 h after irradiation using the PrestoBlue assay. Corresponding in vivo studies were performed in athymic nude mice by intraperitoneal injection of 1 × 106 MKN45-luc cells. PDT was performed 10 d after tumor induction and comprised intraperitoneal injection of Phonozen followed by light irradiation at 3 h, delivered by a diffusing-tip optical fiber placed in the peritoneal cavity and coupled to a 405 or 664 nm diode laser to deliver a total energy of 50 J (20 mice per cohort). Whole-body bioluminescence imaging was used to track the tumor burden after PDT out to 130 days, and 5 mice in each cohort were sacrificed at 4 h post treatment to measure the acute tumor necrosis. Results: Photosensitizer dose-dependent photocytotoxicity was higher in vitro at 405 than 664 nm. In vivo, PDT reduced the tumor growth rate at both wavelengths, with no statistically significant difference. There was substantial necrosis, and median survival was significantly prolonged at both wavelengths compared with controls (46 and 46 vs. 34 days). Conclusions: Phonozen-mediated PDT results in significant cytotoxicity in vitro as well as tumor necrosis and prolonged survival in vivo following intraperitoneal light irradiation. Blue light was more photocytotoxic than red in vitro and had marginally higher efficacy in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, flexible sensors based on laser-induced graphene (LIG) have played an important role in areas such as smart healthcare, smart skin, and wearable devices. This paper presents the fabrication of flexible sensors based on LIG technology and their applications in human–computer interaction (HCI) systems. Firstly, LIG with a sheet resistance as low as 4.5 Ω per square was generated through direct laser interaction with commercial polyimide (PI) film. The flexible sensors were then fabricated through a one-step method using the as-prepared LIG. The applications of the flexible sensors were demonstrated by an HCI system, which was fabricated through the integration of the flexible sensors and a flexible glove. The as-prepared HCI system could detect the bending motions of different fingers and translate them into the movements of the mouse on the computer screen. At the end of the paper, a demonstration of the HCI system is presented in which words were typed on a computer screen through the bending motion of the fingers. The newly designed LIG-based flexible HCI system can be used by persons with limited mobility to control a virtual keyboard or mouse pointer, thus enhancing their accessibility and independence in the digital realm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two behavioral motivations coexist in transgressors following an interpersonal transgression--approaching and compensating the victim and avoiding the victim. Little is known about how these motivations arise, compete, and drive transgressors' decisions. The present study adopted a social interaction task to manipulate participants' (i.e., the transgressor) responsibility for another's (i.e., the victim) monetary loss and measure the participants' tradeoff between compensating the victim and avoiding face-to-face interactions with the victim. Following each transgression, participants used a computer mouse to choose between two options differing in the amount of compensation to the victim and the probability of face-to-face contact with the victim. Results showed that as participants' responsibility increased, 1) the decision weights on contact avoidance relative to compensation increased, and 2) the onset of the contact-avoidance attribute was expedited and that of the compensation attribute was delayed. These results demonstrate how competing social motivations following transgression evolve and determine social decision-making and shed light on how social-affective state modulates the dynamics of decision-making in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theories of embodied cognition suggest that hand motions and cognition are closely interconnected. An emerging technique of tracking how participants move a computer mouse (i.e., the mouse-tracking technique) has shown advantages over the traditional response time measurement to detect implicit cognitive conflicts. Previous research suggests that attention is essential for subliminal processing to take place at a semantic level. However, this assumption is challenged by evidence showing the presence of subliminal semantic processing in the near-absence of attention. The inconsistency of evidence could stem from the insufficient sensitivity in the response time measurement. Therefore, we examined the role of attention in subliminal semantic processing by analyzing participants' hand motions using the mouse-tracking technique. The results suggest that subliminal semantic processing is not only enhanced by attention but also occurs when attention is disrupted, challenging the necessity of facilitated top-down attention for subliminal semantic processing, as claimed by a number of studies. In addition, by manipulating the color of attentional cues, our experiment shows that the cue color per se could influence participants' response patterns. Overall, the current study suggests that attentional status and subliminal semantic processing can be reliably revealed by temporal–spatial features extracted from cursor motion trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The main aims of the study were the evaluation of stress-related effects (strenuous vs. non-strenuous sport vs. nonathletes) in stimulating or reducing influences on cartilage volume in the ankle joint and the evaluation of the image quality of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device with a field strength of 3.0 Tesla compared to one of 1.5 Tesla. Methods: A total of 15 subjects (6 male, 9 female) aged 19–33 years participated voluntarily in this prospective study. The subjects were divided into three groups: high-performance athletes of the German Football Association (DFB) (football/soccer = strenuous sport), high-performance athletes of the German Swimming Association (DSV) (swimming = non-strenuous sport), and nonathletes. MRI was performed on both ankle joints of all subjects in the 1.5 T and 3.0 T MRI scanners using survey sequences, proton density sequences in the coronal and sagittal planes, and VIBE sequences. Using the images of both feet produced by VIBE sequences, the cartilages of the talus and tibia were manually circumscribed using a computer mouse in every third layer, and the volume was calculated. For qualitative assessment, blinded images were submitted to three radiologists with defined standards. The images were scored using a scale from 1 to 5. Results: Cartilage volume: The investigation and examination of the individual cartilage volumes by analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed no significant differences among the three groups. The effect intensities, as calculated by Cohen's d, were right tibia (Tiri) = 2.5, left tibia (Tile) = 2.2, right talus (Tari) = 1.9, and left talus (Tale) = 1.6 in the strenuous sport versus nonstrenuous sport groups; Tiri = 0.8, Tile = 1.2, Tari = 0.4, and Tale = 0.5 in the strenuous sport versus nonathlete groups; and Tiri = 0.3, Tile = 0.2, Tari = 0.7, and Tale = 0.5 in the nonstrenuous sport versus nonathlete groups. Device comparison: In the investigation of each evaluated area on the 1.5 T and 3.0 T MR images by the Wilcoxon matched-pair test, significant differences were found for the cartilage–bone border (KKG = 0.002), cancellous bone (Sp = 0.001), medial ligamentous apparatus (mBa = 0.001), lateral ligamentous apparatus (lBa = 0.001), and adipose tissue (Fg = 0.002). Thus, there were significant differences in the assessment of the 1.5 T MRI and the 3.0 T MRI in all five evaluated areas. Conclusion: The study showed no significant difference in the volume of hyaline articular cartilage in the upper ankle joint among the high-performance strenuous DFB athlete, high-performance non-strenuous DSV athlete, and nonathlete groups. The 3.0 Tesla device offers significant advantages in image quality compared to the 1.5 Tesla device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research aims to explore the potential impact of mobile phone radiation on bone marrow haematopoietic stem cell in mice. 160 male BALB/C mice aged 3–4 weeks were randomly distributed into 4 groups as blank control, control, TD-SCDMA and LTE-Advanced respectively, with 40 mice in each group. Mice were designed to receive cell phone radiation for 2–8 weeks. 10 mice in each group were taken out for examinations given radiation exposure periods were 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks respectively. Then terminal deoxynuclotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP Nick-end labelling technique was conducted to detect the apoptosis of stem cell, and morphological method was carried out for the examination of micronucleus and subpopulations of bone marrow haematopoietic stem cell, while enzyme immune technique was performed to analyse the subsets of T lymphocyte. As a result, no statistical differences were discovered on issues of apoptosis and micronucleus during the entire experimental period in the 2 sham radiation control groups. Notwithstanding similar results were seen in TD-SCDMA and LTE-Advanced groups after exposed to radiation for 2 or 4 weeks, apoptosis began to be enhanced and micronucleus to be increased given the mice experience longer exposure as 6 or 8 weeks. There were virtually negligible effects on subpopulations of stem cell, as well as on subsets of T lymphocyte of peripheral blood during the entire experimental period in the 4 groups. It could be concluded that long-term radiation from cell phone could induce apoptosis of haematopoietic stem cell in mice; moreover, it seems to stimulate the formation of micronucleus, yet with even negligible effect on the proportions of stem cell subpopulations and peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Self‐management of cognitive load is a recent development in cognitive load theory. Finger pointing has been shown to be a potential self‐management strategy to support learning from spatially separated, but mutually referring text and pictures (i.e., split‐attention examples). Aims: The present study aimed to extend the prior research on the pointing strategy and investigated the effects of finger pointing on learning from online split‐attention examples. Moreover, we examined an alternative pointing strategy using the computer mouse, and a combination of finger pointing and computer‐mouse pointing. Sample: One‐hundred and forty‐five university students participated in the present study. Method: All participants studied an online split‐attention example about the human nervous system and were randomly allocated to one of four conditions: (1) pointing with the index finger, (2) pointing with the computer mouse, (3) pointing with the index finger and the computer mouse and (4) no pointing. Results: Results confirmed our main hypothesis, indicating that finger pointing led to higher retention performance than no pointing. However, the mouse pointing strategy and the combined finger and mouse pointing strategy did not show supportive effects. Conclusions: Finger pointing can be used as a simple and convenient self‐management strategy in online learning environments. Mouse pointing may not be as effective as finger pointing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel hybrid nanogenerators (HNG) with multifunctional materials are gaining immense interest due to their high electrical output and broad applications in the electronic industry. Intrinsic hybridization of single electrode triboelectric (SE‐TE) and piezoelectric (PE) nanogenerators (NGs), that is, double layered (DL)‐HNG can eliminate the real‐time electrical grounding issues of SE‐TE‐NG and produces high output (176.41 V, 168.1 mW m−2) due to synergistic TE–PE effects of Multifunctional Composite film (MFC). The flexible MFC films are made‐up of Cu2O‐doped 0.3Ba0.7Ca0.3TiO3‐0.7BaSn0.12Ti0.88O3 nanoparticles (Cu2O‐BCST NPs), which exhibits morphotropic phase boundary along with the polydimethylsiloxane polymer. Further, DL‐HNG scaled up to 4 × 4 matrix (using the 3D‐printed mask) can work as a flexible self‐powered trackpad (or touch) sensor to control the mouse pointer in computer or touch screen display devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on active role of lymph node stromal cells (LNSCs) in regulating immune cell functions, particularly in joint-draining lymph nodes. Topics include preventing disease onset in mice models, and suggesting a potential therapeutic strategy for suppressing synovial inflammation; and disease prevention in collagen-induced arthritis, and therapeutic implications for suppressing synovial inflammation.

A recent article in the journal "Artificial Organs" discusses a novel 3D ice printing method that addresses a major challenge in tissue engineering: the replication of complex vascular structures required for proper organ function. The technique, developed by a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University, involves using heavy water and gelatin methacryloyl hydrogels to create smooth structures that resemble natural vascular networks. The researchers have also successfully grown endothelial cells within the substrate, showing promise for future organ manufacture. While more work is needed before this technology can be used practically, it represents an exciting step toward the development of complex artificial organs. Another article highlights a potential bridge to liver transplantation using extracorporeal perfusion with a genetically modified porcine liver. Researchers at Penn Medicine have demonstrated the maintenance of normal human physiology by circulating a patient's blood through a genetically modified porcine liver using an extracorporeal liver cross-circulation device. This approach could provide more time for patients awaiting liver transplantation. The team's goal is to eventually orthotopically transplant genetically modified porcine livers into patients without suitable donor organs. This development in modified xenografts offers hope for those who would otherwise die awaiting allotransplantation.In addition, Neuralink, a company based in Fremont, CA, has successfully implanted a brain chip called Telepathy into a patient with quadriplegia. The brain implant, which consists of microscopic electrode-embedded threads, a processing [Extracted from the article]

There are many discussions regarding the impact of computer work, especially computer mouse use, in the development of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The mechanism of such damage could be pressure or stretching of the median nerve in the carpal canal area. There is evidence that repetitive motion along with the use of force is a factor that contributes to the development of CTS, but computer work consists of mostly repetitive movements, without the use of force. Studies show that the prevalence of CTS in computer workers is similar to its prevalence in the general population. The general aim of this paper is to perform a literature search on the topic of whether there is a causal link between computer work and the development of CTS. The first specific goal is to try to quantitatively determine a relationship between exposure time and the development of symptoms, and the second specific goal is to try to set criteria, or guidelines, for the recognition of CTS as an occupational disease for those working on computers. A literature search on the databases ProQuest, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library. The key words used were: carpal tunnel syndrome AND computer work OR computer exposure OR keyboard use OR mouse use AND systematic review OR prospective cohort. The last search was performed on March 15, 2021. A total of 12 studies were included in this paper. The results were contradictory. Nine studies state that computer work does not pose an increased risk of CTS development. Two studies found that longer-term mouse use of more than 20 hours per week and keyboard use of more than 240,500,000 strokes per year may be associated with the development of CTS. One study showed people have a lower risk of developing CTSwhen working on a computer. We cannot determine with certainty the connection between computer work and the development of carpal tunnel syndrome. This calls into question the recognition of CTS as an occupational disease among those working on computers. Better planning and structured studies are needed to determine the intensity and duration of computer exposure and the level of damage to the median nerve, and then set criteria for the recognition of CTS as an occupational disease in these circumstances. Regardless of whether we recognize a particular disease as occupational, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures so that these health problems do not even occur, thereby keeping workers healthy and productive for as long as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trace data—users’ digital records when interacting with technology—can reveal their cognitive dynamics when making decisions on websites in real time. Here, we present a trace-data method, analyzing movements captured via a computer mouse, to assess potential fraud when filling out an online form. In contrast to existing fraud-detection methods, which analyze information after submission, mouse-movement traces can capture the cognitive deliberations as possible indicators of fraud as it is happening. We report two controlled studies using different tasks, where participants could freely commit fraud to benefit themselves financially. As they performed the tasks, we captured mouse-cursor movement data and found that participants who entered fraudulent responses moved their mouse significantly more slowly and with greater deviation. We show that the extent of fraud matters such that more extensive fraud increases movement deviation and decreases movement speed. These results demonstrate the efficacy of analyzing mouse-movement traces to detect fraud during online transactions in real time, enabling organizations to confront fraud proactively as it is happening at internet scale. Our method of analyzing actual user behaviors in real time can complement other behavioral methods in the context of fraud and a variety of other contexts and settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence from multisensory body illusions suggests that body representations may be malleable, for instance, by embodying external objects. However, adjusting body representations to current task demands also implies that external objects become disembodied from the body representation if they are no longer required. In the current web-based study, we induced the embodiment of a two-dimensional (2D) virtual hand that could be controlled by active movements of a computer mouse or on a touchpad. Following initial embodiment, we probed for disembodiment by comparing two conditions: Participants either continued moving the virtual hand or they stopped moving and kept the hand still. Based on theoretical accounts that conceptualize body representations as a set of multisensory bindings, we expected gradual disembodiment of the virtual hand if the body representations are no longer updated through correlated visuomotor signals. In contrast to our prediction, the virtual hand was instantly disembodied as soon as participants stopped moving it. This result was replicated in two follow-up experiments. The observed instantaneous disembodiment might suggest that humans are sensitive to the rapid changes that characterize action and body in virtual environments, and hence adjust corresponding body representations particularly swiftly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heart sounds and heart rate (pulse) are the most common physiological signals used in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. Measuring these signals using a device and analyzing their interrelationships simultaneously can improve the accuracy of existing methods and propose new approaches for the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we have presented a novel smart stethoscope based on multimodal physiological signal measurement technology for personal cardiovascular health monitoring. The proposed device is designed in the shape of a compact personal computer mouse for easy grasping and attachment to the surface of the chest using only one hand. A digital microphone and photoplehysmogram sensor are installed on the bottom and top surfaces of the device, respectively, to measure heart sound and pulse from the user's chest and finger simultaneously. In addition, a high-performance Bluetooth Low Energy System-on-Chip ARM microprocessor is used for pre-processing of measured data and communication with the smartphone. The prototype is assembled on a manufactured printed circuit board and 3D-printed shell to conduct an in vivo experiment to test the performance of physiological signal measurement and usability by observing users' muscle fatigue variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Cardiac fibrosis is a risk factor leading to various cardiac diseases, and its mechanism has not been clarified. However, long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) can mediate the pathological process of cardiac fibrosis. Objective. This study is aimed at determining the pathological role of lncRNA Vgll3 in cardiac fibrosis and explore its potential mechanism. Methods. Myocardium fibroblasts (CFs) were isolated from mice and stimulated with angiotensin II (Ang-II). The expression of Vgll3 and transforming growth factor-β3 (TGF-β3) were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR). Double luciferase reporter gene and western blot analysis (WB) were used to detect the effect of Vgll3 on TGF-β3 expression. The qPCR and WB were used to detect TGF-β3 pathway markers such as TGF-β3 and SMAD4, as well as cardiac fibrosis markers such as α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), fibronectin (Fn), and type I collagen (Col1). The proliferation of CFs in mice was analyzed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) and 5-bromo-2-deoxyuracil (EdU) method. Results. Upregulation of Vgll3 promoted the expression of TGF-β3 and its downstream molecules in mouse CFs, while silencing of Vgll3 inhibited the TGF-β3 pathway. Upregulation of Vgll3 significantly promoted the activation and proliferation of mouse CFs cells. It promoted the mRNA and protein levels of α-SMA, Fn, Col1, and Col3, while silencing the expression of Vgll3 had the opposite effect. The above effects of upregulation of Vgll3 were counteracted by TGF-β3 knockdown intervention. Conclusion. Vgll3 can promote the activation and proliferation of CFs in mice by activating TGF-β3-related pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Navigation technique facilitates reaching deeply seated masses more precisely with the least sacrifice of normal tissues. There are 2 primary navigation systems: electromagnetic and infrared (optical). The technique is based on recording the head position intraoperatively and merging this image with preoperative magnetic resonance imaging. We tried to replace these conventional navigating systems with a simple technique using free software (3-dimensional slicer) and a computer air mouse. The study was designed into 3 stages. In stage 1, we used this method on 3-dimensional printed models of patients' magnetic resonance images with deeply seated brain tumors. In stage 2, we performed the surgeries on patients. In the last stage, we used both the conventional navigation system with our method simultaneously on the same patients and compared the accuracy of both methods. This new system was as accurate as conventional navigating systems, ranging from ±2 mm. This new technique, if done properly, can replace conventional methods with less time of preparation, and its cost is almost free. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the interaction between a human and a miniature autonomous blimp using a wand as pointing device. The wand movement generated by the human is followed by the blimp through a tracking controller. The Vector Integration to Endpoint (VITE) model, previously applied to human–computer interface (HCI), has been applied to model the human generated wand movement when interacting with the blimp. We show that the closed-loop human–blimp dynamics are exponentially stable. Similar to HCI using computer mouse, overshoot motion of the blimp has been observed. The VITE model can be viewed as a special reset controller used by the human to generate wand movements that effectively reduce the overshoot of blimp motion. Moreover, we have observed undershoot motion of the blimp due to its inertia. The asymptotic stability of the human–blimp dynamics is beneficial towards tolerating the undershoot motion of the blimp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With disease-modifying approaches under evaluation in ataxia-telangiectasia and other ataxias, there is a need for objective and reliable biomarkers of free-living motor function. In this study, we test the hypothesis that metrics derived from a single wrist sensor worn at home provide accurate, reliable, and interpretable information about neurological disease severity in children with A-T. A total of 15 children with A-T and 15 age- and sex-matched controls wore a sensor with a triaxial accelerometer on their dominant wrist for 1 week at home. Activity intensity measures, derived from the sensor data, were compared with in-person neurological evaluation on the Brief Ataxia Rating Scale (BARS) and performance on a validated computer mouse task. Children with A-T were inactive the same proportion of each day as controls but produced more low intensity movements (p < 0.01; Cohen's d = 1.48) and fewer high intensity movements (p < 0.001; Cohen's d = 1.71). The range of activity intensities was markedly reduced in A-T compared to controls (p < 0.0001; Cohen's d = 2.72). The activity metrics correlated strongly with arm, gait, and total clinical severity (r: 0.71–0.87; p < 0.0001), correlated with specific computer task motor features (r: 0.67–0.92; p < 0.01), demonstrated high reliability (r: 0.86–0.93; p < 0.00001), and were not significantly influenced by age in the healthy control group. Motor activity metrics from a single, inexpensive wrist sensor during free-living behavior provide accurate and reliable information about diagnosis, neurological disease severity, and motor performance. These low-burden measurements are applicable independent of ambulatory status and are potential digital behavioral biomarkers in A-T. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer mouse design can impact user comfort and performance. The effect of mouse design on gamers, who use a mouse for long hours and apply higher velocity movements than office workers, is uncertain. Professional (N = 29) and high-level (N = 19) gamers participated in this laboratory study and performed Fitts' and gaming tasks (OverwatchTM) with different mice, and this analysis compared results from a light-weight (87 g) wireless mouse and a very light-weight (80 g) wireless mouse. There was little difference between the mice on muscle activity, hand motion, usability, or fatigue; however, professional gamers preferred the 80 g mouse. Professional gamers achieved higher levels of throughput and lower levels of path deviation than high-level gamers and their hand movement velocities and accelerations were significantly higher (p<0.05). The observed hand movement patterns used by professionals may be useful for instructing other gamers on techniques to improve performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most common used input device in a computer is the virtual keyboard and mouse, whereas the usage of the same input device is complex for people suffering from (Paralyzed and persons with disabilities) by enabling them to carry out basic functions used in the conventional input system. The proposed system provides an alternate solution for the people who are suffering from paralysis and with physical disabilities by using their facial expression through the web camera as the basic input system instead of a physically handled virtual keyboard and mouse. The system works by facial expressions like movement of eyeball and mouth movement. By applying Haar classifier the system identifies the region of the face, eyes, and mouth are detected and extracted for processing. It controls the action of the virtual mouse and virtual keyboard by providing a hands-free interaction between humans and computers. It allows disabled people to scroll up, scroll down, scroll left, scroll right, right-click, left-click, and to perform cursor movement in virtual mouse. The virtual keyboard portion is selected either as a left or right position of the eye-ball. The desired key is selected from the virtual keyboard by blinking the eye the user can type without the need for fingers or hands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflicts between avoiding feared stimuli versus approaching them for competing rewards are essential for functional behavior and anxious psychopathology. Yet, little is known about the underlying decision process. We examined approach-avoidance decisions and their temporal dynamics when avoiding Pavlovian fear stimuli conflicted with gaining rewards. First, a formerly neutral stimulus (CS+) was repeatedly paired with an aversive stimulus (US) to establish Pavlovian fear. Another stimulus (CS−) was never paired with the US. A control group received neutral tones instead of aversive USs. Next, in each of 324 trials, participants chose between a CS−/low reward and a CS+/high reward option. For the latter, probability of CS+ presentation (Pavlovian fear information) and reward magnitude (reward information) varied. Computer mouse movements were tracked to capture the decision dynamics. Although no more USs occurred, pronounced and persistent costly avoidance of the Pavlovian fear CS+ was found. Time-continuous multiple regression of movement trajectories revealed a stronger and faster impact of Pavlovian fear compared to reward information during decision-making. The impact of fear information, but not reward information, modestly decreased across trials. These findings suggest a persistently stronger weighting of fear compared to reward information during approach-avoidance decisions, which may facilitate the development of pathological avoidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflicts between avoiding feared stimuli versus approaching them for competing rewards are essential for functional behavior and anxious psychopathology. Yet, little is known about the underlying decision process. We examined approach-avoidance decisions and their temporal dynamics when avoiding Pavlovian fear stimuli conflicted with gaining rewards. First, a formerly neutral stimulus (CS+) was repeatedly paired with an aversive stimulus (US) to establish Pavlovian fear. Another stimulus (CS−) was never paired with the US. A control group received neutral tones instead of aversive USs. Next, in each of 324 trials, participants chose between a CS−/low reward and a CS+/high reward option. For the latter, probability of CS+ presentation (Pavlovian fear information) and reward magnitude (reward information) varied. Computer mouse movements were tracked to capture the decision dynamics. Although no more USs occurred, pronounced and persistent costly avoidance of the Pavlovian fear CS+ was found. Time-continuous multiple regression of movement trajectories revealed a stronger and faster impact of Pavlovian fear compared to reward information during decision-making. The impact of fear information, but not reward information, modestly decreased across trials. These findings suggest a persistently stronger weighting of fear compared to reward information during approach-avoidance decisions, which may facilitate the development of pathological avoidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer presence can elicit maladaptive adolescent decision-making, potentially by increasing sensitivity to the rewards one receives. It remains unknown whether peer presence also increases adolescents' sensitivity to others' outcomes, which could have an adaptive effect in contexts allowing pro-social behaviors. Here, we combine social utility modeling and real-time decision process modeling to characterize how peer presence alters adolescents' processing of self and other outcomes. We found that adolescents behaved selfishly when privately allocating monetary rewards for themselves and a peer in an incentive-compatible task. In peer presence, however, adolescents became more altruistic. Real-time decision process estimates collected using computer mouse tracking showed that altruistic behavior was associated with relatively earlier influence of peer-outcomes relative to self-outcomes, and that peer presence sped the influence of peer-outcomes without altering the time at which self-outcomes began to influence the decision process. Our results indicate a mechanism through which peer presence prompts greater prosocial behavior by altering how adolescents process prosocial outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer presence can elicit maladaptive adolescent decision-making, potentially by increasing sensitivity to the rewards one receives. It remains unknown whether peer presence also increases adolescents' sensitivity to others' outcomes, which could have an adaptive effect in contexts allowing pro-social behaviors. Here, we combine social utility modeling and real-time decision process modeling to characterize how peer presence alters adolescents' processing of self and other outcomes. We found that adolescents behaved selfishly when privately allocating monetary rewards for themselves and a peer in an incentive-compatible task. In peer presence, however, adolescents became more altruistic. Real-time decision process estimates collected using computer mouse tracking showed that altruistic behavior was associated with relatively earlier influence of peer-outcomes relative to self-outcomes, and that peer presence sped the influence of peer-outcomes without altering the time at which self-outcomes began to influence the decision process. Our results indicate a mechanism through which peer presence prompts greater prosocial behavior by altering how adolescents process prosocial outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study estimates the kinetic parameters of the thermoluminescence (TL) glow curves by the genetic algorithm (GA) combined with finding the peak by interacting between the computer mouse and the screen. TL curve peak parameters are calculated by the peak shape (PS) or initial rise (IR) method according to the general order kinetics (GOK) model. TL curves are simulated using Python software and installed library packages. Trapping parameters of the obtained TL glow curves are evaluated through the figure of merit (FOM) values. The FOM values of the small showed that that this method is very suitable and promising as a tool that can be widely applied in the analysis and processing of TL curves. The results of the study will serve as the basis for detecting irradiated foods, determining the age of antiques, and determining radiation doses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes four scenarios of cooperation between a user in virtual reality and a user using interaction through computer peripherals. User cooperation is used in applications for Industry 4.0 in the field of employee training or in the deployment of digital twin companies. Four scenarios are devoted to the possibility of displaying scenes and the use of avatars in virtual reality using outside in tracked headsets and a user using a monitor display with control via a keyboard and computer mouse. Within the scenarios, we define the VR view, the use of a free camera, the character mode, and the automatic orbit camera, the movement of which depends on the position and orientation of the user in space in virtual reality. We show the applications of individual scenarios in a case study of user training in the field of mining and production in industrial enterprises. In the tests, we compared the increase in productivity of employees after training with the use of assisted VR in a multiuser environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve fast feedback control of voluntary movements, the visual consequences of our motor commands need to be quickly identified and analyzed by the motor control processes in the brain. These processes work remarkably well even in complex visual environments and in the face of discrepancies between physical actuator and visually perceived effect, e.g. when moving a computer mouse on a visually crowded screen. Here, we use an ambiguous situation in which a single cursor could be controlled by either the left or the right hand to determine the visual and cognitive factors that determine the assignment of a visual stimulus to the corresponding motor command. Our results demonstrate that the visuomotor system is exquisitely sensitive to the spatio-temporal correlation between cursor and hands, learning the appropriate mapping implicitly within several minutes. In contrast, spatial proximity between end effector and visual consequence has an immediate but only transient effect on the assignment process. Finally, an explicit instruction about which hand controls the cursor only has a minor influence when the instruction is presented first. These findings provide insight into the relative importance of the factors that determine the binding of visual information to the corresponding motor structures to enable fast feedback control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the impact of creative advertising on consumers' purchase intention and attention. By calculating mouse trajectories in two tasks, we found that when advertising gained enough attention, creative advertising can attract more attention and reduce individuals' feelings of uncertainty when making purchase decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mouse dynamics, information on user's interaction with a computer mouse, are in vogue in machine learning for purposes such as recommendations, personalization, prediction of user characteristics and behavioral biometrics. We point out a blind spot in current works involving mouse dynamics that originates in underestimating the gravity of the characteristics of the mouse device and configuration on the data that mouse dynamics are inferred from. In a controlled study with N = 32 participants, across three kinds of mouse interaction activities, we collect data for mouse dynamics utilizing a variety of mouse parameter configurations. We show that mouse dynamics commonly used in studies can be significantly altered by differences in mouse parameters. Out of 108 evaluated mouse dynamics metrics, 95 and 84 are affected between two conducted studies. A machine learning model's performance can be warped by the mouse parameters being used. We demonstrate on a prediction task that mouse parameters cannot be approached uniformly and without consideration. We discuss methodological implications — how mouse dynamics studies should account for the diversity of mouse-related conditions. • Mouse configurations, often neglected, affect machine learning models capturing user behavior. • The same user with different mouse configurations produces different mouse movement data. • Mouse sensitivity and CPI affect the values of commonly used mouse dynamics metrics. • Machine learning results can become skewed due to varied mouse configurations. • Experiment design for acquiring mouse dynamics comparable across mouse configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leech, as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of blood circulation and blood stasis, was also widely used to cure pulmonary fibrosis in China. In clinical practice, some traditional Chinese medicine preparation such as Shui Zhi Xuan Bi Hua Xian Tang and Shui Zhi Tong Luo Capsule composed of leech, could improve the clinical symptoms and pulmonary function in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, the material basis of the leech in the treatment of IPF were not yet clear. Screen out the components of leech that have the anti-pulmonary fibrosis effects, and further explore the therapeutic mechanism of the active components. In this study, the different molecular weight components of leech extract samples were prepared using the semi-permeable membranes with different pore sizes. The therapeutic effects of the leech extract groups with molecular weight greater than 10 KDa (>10 KDa group), between 3 KDa and 10 KDa (3–10 KDa group), and less than 3 KDa (<3 KDa group) on pulmonary fibrosis were firstly investigated by cell proliferation and cytotoxicity assay (MTT), cell wound healing assay, immunofluorescence staining (IF) and Western blot (WB) assay through the TGF-β1-induced fibroblast cell model. Then bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis (BML-induced PF) mouse model was constructed to investigate the pharmacological activities of the active component group of leech extract in vivo. Pathological changes of the mouse lung were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining (H&E) and Masson's trichrome staining (Masson). The hydroxyproline (HYP) content of lung tissues was quantified by HYP detection kit. The levels of extracellular matrix-related fibronectin (FN) and collagen type Ⅰ (Collagen Ⅰ), pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) monomer and Smad7 protein were determined via WB method. PKM2 and Smad7 protein were further characterized by IF assays. Using TGF-β1-induced HFL1 cell line as a PF cell model, the in vitro results demonstrated that the >10 KDa group could significantly inhibited the cell proliferation and migration, downregulated the expression level of cytoskeletal protein vimentin and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and reduced the deposition of FN and Collagen Ⅰ. In the BML-induced PF mouse model, the >10 KDa group significantly reduced the content of HYP, downregulated the expression levels of FN and Collagen Ⅰ in lung tissues, and delayed the pathological changes of lung tissue structure. The results of WB and IF assays further indicated that the >10 KDa group could up-regulate the expression level of PKM2 monomer and Smad7 protein in the cellular level, thereby delaying the progression of pulmonary fibrosis. Our study revealed that the >10 KDa group was the main material basis of the leech extract that inhibited pulmonary fibrosis through TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway. [Display omitted] • Classify the leech extract group with molecular weight. • The >10 KDa group best inhibited the activity of TGF-β1-induced fibroblast. • The >10 KDa group significantly alleviated BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. • The >10 KDa group attenuated IPF in TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In joint action literature it is often assumed that acting together is driven by pervasive and automatic process of co-representation, that is, representing the co-actor's part of the task in addition to one's own. Much of this research employs joint stimulus-response compatibility tasks varying the stimuli employed or the physical and social relations between participants. In this study we test the robustness of co-representation effects by focusing instead on variation in response modality. Specifically, we implement a mouse-tracking version of a Joint Simon Task in which participants respond by producing continuous movements with a computer mouse rather than pushing discrete buttons. We have three key findings. First, in a replication of an earlier study we show that in a classical individual Simon Task movement trajectories show greater curvature on incongruent trials, paralleling longer response times. Second, this effect largely disappears in a Go-NoGo Simon Task, in which participants respond to only one of the cues and refrain from responding to the other. Third, contrary to previous studies that use button pressing responses, we observe no overall effect in the joint variants of the task. However, we also detect a notable diversity in movement strategies adopted by the participants, with some participants showing the effect on the individual level. Our study casts doubt on the pervasiveness of co-representation, highlights the usefulness of mouse-tracking methodology and emphasizes the need for looking at individual variation in task performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer mouse tracking offers a simple and cost-efficient way to gather continuous behavioral data and has mostly been utilized in psychological science to study cognitive processes. The present study extends the potential applicability of computer mouse tracking and investigates the feasibility of using computer mouse tracking for stress measurement. Drawing on first empirical results and theoretical considerations, we hypothesized that stress affects sensorimotor processes involved in mouse usage. To explore the relationship between stress and computer mouse usage, we conducted a between-participant field experiment in which N = 994 participants worked on four mouse tasks in a high-stress or low-stress condition. In the manipulation check, participants reported different stress levels between the two conditions. However, frequentist and machine learning data analysis approaches did not reveal a clear and systematic relationship between mouse usage and stress. These findings challenge the feasibility of using straightforward computer mouse tracking for generalized stress measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) exhibiting certain superparamagnetic properties are optimal for drug delivery because they facilitate imaging and targeting of biological interactions at the cellular and molecular levels. In terms of monitoring, magnetic particle imaging (MPI) yields real-time MNPs position and concentration data, and guides MNPs to desired positions if an actuation function is available. Here, we describe a new, user-driven steering scheme for MNPs based on a virtual field free point (FFP). The scheme utilizes a general MPI system, with no need for additional hardware. The scheme facilitates interactive user manipulation with real-time imaging and MNPs actuation within the body. An FFP with four coils is used to model the resultant magnetic force and a virtual FFP to linearize that force with respect to the relative positions of the MNPs and the real FFP. Simulations and experiments confirm that the direction and magnitude of the forces exerted on MNPs via manipulation of the virtual FFP are controllable. An intuitive guidance system featuring real-time MPI at 2 Hz and user-driven virtual FFP manipulation (via a computer mouse) is employed to show that MNPs trajectories can be controlled. Our MPI-based navigation platform allows the user to effectively guide MNPs using real-time visual feedback, facilitating targeted drug delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deliberate attempts to portray oneself in an unrealistic manner are commonly encountered in the administration of personality questionnaires. The main aim of the present study was to explore whether mouse tracking temporal indicators and machine learning models could improve the detection of subjects implementing a faking-good response style when answering personality inventories with four choice alternatives, with and without time pressure. A total of 120 volunteers were randomly assigned to one of four experimental groups and asked to respond to the Virtuous Responding (VR) validity scale of the PPI-R and the Positive Impression Management (PIM) validity scale of the PAI via a computer mouse. A mixed design was implemented, and predictive models were calculated. The results showed that, on the PIM scale, faking-good participants were significantly slower in responding than honest respondents. Relative to VR items, PIM items are shorter in length and feature no negations. Accordingly, the PIM scale was found to be more sensitive in distinguishing between honest and faking-good respondents, demonstrating high classification accuracy (80–83%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Switching between motor tasks requires accurate adjustments for changes in dynamics (grasping a cup) or sensorimotor transformations (moving a computer mouse). Dual-adaptation studies have investigated how learning of context-dependent dynamics or transformations is enabled by sensory cues. However, certain cues, such as color, have shown mixed results. We propose that these mixed results may arise from two major classes of cues: “direct” cues, which are part of the dynamic state and “indirect” cues, which are not. We hypothesized that explicit strategies would primarily account for the adaptation of an indirect color cue but would be limited to simple tasks, whereas a direct visual separation cue would allow implicit adaptation regardless of task complexity. To test this idea, we investigated the relative contribution of implicit and explicit learning in relation to contextual cue type (colored or visually shifted workspace) and task complexity (1 or 8 targets) in a dual-adaptation task. We found that the visual workspace location cue enabled adaptation across conditions primarily through implicit adaptation. In contrast, we found that the color cue was largely ineffective for dual adaptation, except in a small subset of participants who appeared to use explicit strategies. Our study suggests that the previously inconclusive role of color cues in dual adaptation may be explained by differential contribution of explicit strategies across conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]