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Pathological dissociation is relatively common in the United States and may be associated with violent or criminal behavior. Dissociative Disorders, especially Dissociative Identity Disorder, are considered controversial diagnoses by some in the psychiatric and legal professions. Individuals who offend during dissociative states may not be criminally responsible if they meet the legal standard for insanity, however, insanity pleas based on dissociative symptoms are rare. This review examined Federal appellate case law for potential legal barriers to the insanity defense for dissociative conditions and any restrictions imposed on related expert evidence. Few rulings directly addressed these questions but there do not appear to be any unique barriers for dissociation‐related insanity pleas. Some cases provided valuable insights regarding the admission of expert evidence, effective expert testimony, and the role of defense counsel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self‐induced extreme intoxication akin to automatism (SIEA) is a complicated and controversial legal concept resistant to jurisdictional consensus. In the United States, SIEA has, at times, been considered under the concept of “settled insanity.”. In the United Kingdom, the defense may be allowed for specific intent crimes, though the defendant's awareness of the foreseeability of risk is addressed at trial. In Canada, recent jurisprudence has led to legal and practice landscape changes related to self‐induced extreme intoxication. Here, we provide an overview of automatism and an update on the Canadian perspective with a review of the facts and an analysis of the Supreme Court of Canada's landmark decision in R v. Brown, where the court permitted the SIEA defense to be utilized for general intent crimes and acquitted Matthew Winston Brown, a 26‐year‐old male with no history of mental illness, with respect to two counts of “break and enter” and one count of “aggravated assault.” We review the social and legislative response to the changing case law as well as related implications for expert testimony, which may be provided by forensic mental health professionals. Given the judicial and legal implications of the recent changes for both perpetrators and victims of violent crime and given the dynamic international landscape on extreme intoxication in criminal law, the review is thought to be of interest to a broad category of stakeholders including policymakers and those working in forensic psychiatry and law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A more rewarding choice, even if it requires more effort, is usually preferred by individuals; yet, in some cases, individuals choose less profitable and less tiring options. This study explored the behavioral and electrophysiological (EEG) correlates of healthy adults performing a task, designed to investigate the decision-making process behind the selection of more effortful (but highly monetarily rewarding) and less effortful (but less monetarily rewarding) options. Methods: A sample of 20 healthy adults (mean age = 46.40) performed the decision-making task, while behavioral data and EEG frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, and beta) were collected. The Maximization Scale (MS) was administered to evaluate individuals' differences in the tendency to maximize their choices. Results: the results showed a general preference for selecting more compared to less effortful options, while no significant differences were obtained for the response times. Individuals who score higher on the MS High Standards subscale are more inclined to choose less effortful options; conversely, those with lower scores are more likely to choose a more effortful and rewarding option. However, no significant correlations were found between the behavioral data and the alternative search, or the decision difficulty subscales of the MS. EEG findings reported a significant interaction effect Choice × Electrode in delta, theta, alpha and beta bands. Specifically, the choice of less effortful options is associated with a higher increase in delta, theta, alpha, and beta band power in the right temporoparietal area (TP10) and by a lower activation of delta and theta in the contralateral site (TP9). The delta band decreased in left frontal area (AF7) during the task for the less versus more effortful options. Conclusions: Overall, despite more effortful and more monetarily rewarding options seeming to be the most rational ones to choose, less effortful choices are associated with specific EEG correlates, suggesting that there is a perceived advantage in avoiding automatisms, delaying gratification, and maximizing future possibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of our research is to reveal the ways of the implementation of awakening-motivational, analytical-synthetic and executive phases into the process of translation activity. Methods of the research. The following theoretical methods of the research were used to solve the tasks formulated in the article: the categorical method, structural and functional methods, the methods of the analysis, systematization, modeling and generalization. The ascertaining research was used as an empirical method. The results of the research. Analyzing speech activity, we’d like to emphasize that each individual act of the translation activity begins with a motive and planning. Also, each act ends with a result, the achievement of a certain goal, and the basis of the structure of the translation activity. In such a way, translation activity is a dynamic system of specific actions and operations, which have the aim to be the result of this achievement. Such a dynamic system of Translation is the basis of the operational and prognostic mechanisms of the translator’s activity; it largely determines the speed and automatism of translation activities in the whole. The psychological content of translation activity includes different conditions of this activity, in which this activity takes a place. In such a way translation activity is determined by such elements, as the subject, means, tools, product and result. Conclusions. The subject of the translational activity determines its nature. It is precisely in it that the need of providing translational activity is realized. For example, in oral translational activity the subject is thought as a form of reflection of the relationships between objects and phenomena of a natural reality. It is in the process of expressing thoughts that the purpose of speech lies, in particular, in the reproduction of thoughts by the translator. The purpose of listening is realized, in turn. At the same time, a foreign language is a means of social communication, a means of expression and understanding, a tool of translational activity. It is a thought as an element of the psychological content of oral translational activity that determines the features and the conditions of its implementation.

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]

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]

Background: A more rewarding choice, even if it requires more effort, is usually preferred by individuals; yet, in some cases, individuals choose less profitable and less tiring options. This study explored the behavioral and electrophysiological (EEG) correlates of healthy adults performing a task, designed to investigate the decision-making process behind the selection of more effortful (but highly monetarily rewarding) and less effortful (but less monetarily rewarding) options. Methods: A sample of 20 healthy adults (mean age = 46.40) performed the decision-making task, while behavioral data and EEG frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, and beta) were collected. The Maximization Scale (MS) was administered to evaluate individuals’ differences in the tendency to maximize their choices. Results: the results showed a general preference for selecting more compared to less effortful options, while no significant differences were obtained for the response times. Individuals who score higher on the MS High Standards subscale are more inclined to choose less effortful options; conversely, those with lower scores are more likely to choose a more effortful and rewarding option. However, no significant correlations were found between the behavioral data and the alternative search, or the decision difficulty subscales of the MS. EEG findings reported a significant interaction effect Choice × Electrode in delta, theta, alpha and beta bands. Specifically, the choice of less effortful options is associated with a higher increase in delta, theta, alpha, and beta band power in the right temporoparietal area (TP10) and by a lower activation of delta and theta in the contralateral site (TP9). The delta band decreased in left frontal area (AF7) during the task for the less versus more effortful options. Conclusions: Overall, despite more effortful and more monetarily rewarding options seeming to be the most rational ones to choose, less effortful choices are associated with specific EEG correlates, suggesting that there is a perceived advantage in avoiding automatisms, delaying gratification, and maximizing future possibilities.

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.

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]

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]

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.

The objective of this study was to explore police officers' beliefs, meaning whether a "crime priming" is capable of showing automatic prejudice in the identification of weapons and whether a crime reduction priming can mitigate it, seeking to understand which processes can make the expression of racism more evident. With that we conducted two experiments with police officers (N = 80) and university students (N = 77) randomly allocated to an experimental group subjected to crime priming. In the second experiment we submitted the groups to a criminal's rehabilitation priming. In Study 1, crime priming contributed to shorter response times for both guns and tools preceded by a black individual's face. Under rehabilitation priming, participants showed longer response times for both guns and tools, an effect intensified when preceded by a black individual's face. With regard to hits, more hits occurred for guns than for tools, a result unaffected by the experimental manipulation. With regard to hits, more hits occurred for gun than for tool, a result unaffected by the experimental manipulation. In the 500 ms time-limited phase (study 2), there was no effect of the priming types on response times, with only a higher hit rate for black individual's faces. With that, questions about the importance of replicating WIT results in a more mixed sample in which both the control group and the police officers group can be considered as coming from minorities (i.e. blacks and latinx). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Sanat ve Tasarim Dergisi is the property of Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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]

Copyright of Rivista di Politica is the property of Rubbettino Editore and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Background Patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) present with a variety of physical and mental symptoms, including visual hallucinations, delusions, depression, rapid eye sleep movement behavior disorder, and olfactory dysfunction. This study describes another interesting psychiatric symptom, which seems to be characteristic of DLB, in many patients who visited the author's psychogeriatrics department for neurocognitive disorders or psychogeriatric diseases. Methods The clinical courses of seven representative cases of DLB, each of which included episodes of this interesting psychiatric symptom, are described to clarify the commonalities they shared. Results After examining the characteristic symptoms of these cases, a novel term was proposed for a new concept in psychiatric phenomenology, the “Yume‐Utsutsu” (dreamy or half‐asleep) phenomenon. “Yume‐Utsutsu” is a Japanese word that means a mental state in which dreams are indistinguishable from reality. This phenomenon is different from visual hallucinations, fluctuating cognition, rapid eye sleep movement behavior disorder, delirium, and epilepsy‐related automatism. Conclusions The “Yume‐Utsutsu” (dreamy or half‐asleep) phenomenon proposed as a novel psychiatric concept in this article is useful for diagnosing and clarifying the psychopathology of DLB.

This column provides an overview of how courts have taken into account seizures and postictal states in terms of assigning criminal responsibility. In England, New Zealand and Australia, courts have generally treated evidence of epileptic seizures and postictal states as raising the defence of mental impairment which often results in indefinite detention. In comparison, there is a series of Canadian cases that have resulted in acquittals after evidence of seizures has been accepted as negating voluntariness or the fault element of the offence. It appears that policy issues have been influential in the Canadian cases, particularly a reluctance to equate epilepsy with "mental disorder". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The functioning of the cardiovascular system is critical for embryo survival. Cardiac contractions depend on the sequential activation of different classes of voltage-gated ion channels. Understanding the fundamental features of these interactions is important for identifying the mechanisms of pathologies development in the myocardium. However, at present there is no consensus on which ion channels are involved in the formation of automaticity in the early embryonic stages. The aim of this study was to elucidate the expression of genes encoding various types of ion channels that are involved in the generation of electrical activity chicken heart at different stages of ontogenesis. We analyzed the expression of 14 genes from different families of ion channels. It was revealed that the expression profiles of ion channel genes change depending on the stages of ontogenesis. The HCN4, CACNA1D, SCN1A, SCN5A, KCNA1 genes have maximum expression at the tubular heart stage. In adult, a switch occurs to the higher expression of CACNA1C, KCNH6, RYR and SLC8A1 genes. This data correlated with the results obtained by the microelectrode method. It can be assumed that the automaticity of the tubular heart is mainly due to the mechanism of the «membrane-clock» (hyperpolarization-activated current (I f ), Ca 2+ -current L-type (I CaL ), Na + -current (I Na ) and the slow component of the delayed rectifier K + -current (I Ks )). Whereas in adult birds, the mechanism for generating electrical impulses is determined by both « membrane- clock» and «Ca 2+ -clock»., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Keywords: Sexual assault; sexual; touching; automatism; appeal EN Sexual assault sexual touching automatism appeal 216 220 5 06/23/22 20220601 NES 220601 Section 78 Sexual Offences Act (SOA) 2003 describes the circumstances in which a penetration, touching or any other activity is treated as being "sexual" for the purposes of the SOA. On appeal, A alleged that the trial judge was wrong not to leave the defence of non-insane automatism to the jury in respect of Count 1. In his summation to the jury (at [24] of the judgment), the learned trial judge directed them in accordance with s 78(a) that the sole question for them to consider was whether A intentionally touched CS. In summary, A contended that the trial judge should have directed the jury in accordance with s 78(b), namely that they had to be sure that (i) that by its nature the touching may be sexual and, (ii) that because of its circumstances or the purpose of any person in relation to it (or both) it was sexual. [Extracted from the article]

Study Question: Is the automatic embryo grading function of specific time-lapse systems clinically useful as a decision support tool for IVF laboratories?Summary Answer: Blastocyst grading according to the automatic scoring system is directly associated with the likelihood of implantation and live birth, at least in treatments without preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A).What Is Known Already: Several embryo selection algorithms have been described since the introduction of time-lapse technology in IVF laboratories, but no one algorithm has yet been sufficiently consolidated for universal use. Multicentric models based on automated grading systems offer promise for standardization of embryo selection.Study Design, Size, Duration: A retrospective cohort study was performed including 1678 patients who underwent IVF treatments between 2018 and 2020 and whose embryos (n = 12 468) were cultured in time-lapse systems.Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: After obtaining the required parameters (division time to 2, 3, 4 and 5 cells; time of blastocyst formation; inner cell mass quality; and trophectoderm quality), the automatic embryo score was calculated using the software included in the appropriate workstation. First, embryo score was compared with conventional morphological quality and the subsequent clinical outcomes of 1952 single blastocyst transfers. Second, we quantified the contribution of the automatic embryo score and conventional morphological grade to implantation and live birth outcome with multivariate logistic regression analysis in different patient populations.Main Results and the Role Of Chance: A higher embryo score was associated with a better clinical outcome of IVF treatment. The mean of the automatic embryo score varied significantly (P < 0.001) among embryos with different morphological categories, between euploid and aneuploid embryos, between embryos resulting in positive versus negative pregnancy, between implanted and non-implanted embryos, and between embryos resulting in positive and negative live birth. Embryo score was related to the odds of implantation and live birth in the oocyte donation program (odds ratio (OR)=1.29; 95% CI [1.19-1.39]; P < 0.001 for implantation and OR = 1.26; 95% CI [1.16-1.36]; P < 0.001 for live birth) and in conventional treatments with autologous oocytes (OR = 1.38; 95% CI [1.24-1.54]; P < 0.001 for implantation and OR = 1.47; 95% CI [1.30-1.65]; P < 0.001 for live birth). There was no significant association of embryo score with implantation or live birth in treatments involving PGT-A.Limitations, Reasons For Caution: This study is limited by its retrospective nature. Further prospective randomized trials are required to confirm the clinical impact of these findings. The single-center design should be taken into account when considering the universal application of the model.Wider Implications Of the Findings: Evidence of the clinical efficiency of automated embryo scoring for ranking embryos with different morphological grade and potential in order to achieve higher implantation and live birth rates may make it a decision support tool for embryologists when selecting blastocysts for embryo transfer.Study Funding/competing Interest(s): This research has been funded by a grant from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities FIS (PI21/00283) awarded to M.M. There are no competing interests to declare.Trial Registration Number: N/A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ictal religious speech and gestures, rare ictal semiological findings, sign the epileptic focus at the non-dominant temporal lobe in the literature. Therefore, we aim to present non-dominant temporal lobe semiological findings, including ictal praying and religious gestures in three cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing popularity of artificial intelligence techniques, questions about the capabilities and limitations of these technologies gain notoriety. This work proposes that, as contemporary forms of automatism, these technologies share similarities with those analyzed by Gilbert Simondon's philosophy of technique. It also proposes that therefore his thought is of great value to reflect on them. Developing mainly from "Complementary note on the consequences of the notion of individuation", and taking artificial neural network as an example algorithm, the article presents three moments when artificial intelligence would express limitations in relation to its structure that was fixed by its inventor. These limitations are in the input data, in the training of the model and in the final representation of the knowledge allegedly learned. The article concludes with a brief analysis on the consequences of extensive use of AI technologies in the light of the limitations presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the pursuit of developing a fundamental understanding of terms, phenomena, rules and meanings in music, vital to the performance and interpretation of a musical work, it is necessary to apply a methodologically grounded system to the reading of a score that efficiently establishes a basis for understanding the musical content and contributes to the development of musical abilities and musicality more broadly. In the musical-pedagogical process, as part of the wider set of music disciplines (harmony, counterpoint, music forms, knowledge of music styles), the most crucial are the methods and systems of work which allow the reading of musical notation and the understanding of a musical piece to be generated and profiled. The system of models and modelling is a form of work about the perception and reception of a musical work composed on a musical model and the process of working with that model, i.e. modelling. The complexity of the system is reflected in the two sub-elements of modelling: the development of associative abilities by recalling the sound of the model, and gaining an automatic response to sound. Until now, work on models and modelling has been treated using a musical-pedagogical approach. In this study it is defined as a system which is applicable to the process of reading and interpreting a musical text, without being predicated on musical style or the tonal bases of music. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an immanent and radical critique of bourgeois society through one of the most critical debates of the first two years of the pandemic: the "release of patents" of vaccines against covid-19, which has compromised not only governments and the owners of the means of production, but also scientists, economists, politicians, militants, activists, journalists, academics. From a Marxist-Lacanian perspective, the debate is an opportunity to understand the desperate situation we find ourselves in at the beginning of the third decade of the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tendency to mimic the behaviour of others is affected by a variety of social factors, and it has been argued that such "mirroring" is often unconsciously deployed as a means of increasing affiliation during interpersonal interactions. However, the relationship between automatic motor imitation and status/power is currently unclear. This paper reports five experiments that investigated whether social status (Experiments 1, 2, and 3) or power (Experiments 4 and 5) had a moderating effect on automatic imitation (AI) in finger-movement tasks, using a series of different manipulations. Experiments 1 and 2 manipulated the social status of the observed person using an associative learning task. Experiment 3 manipulated social status via perceived competence at a simple computer game. Experiment 4 manipulated participants' power (relative to the actors) in a card-choosing task. Finally, Experiment 5 primed participants using a writing task, to induce the sense of being powerful or powerless. No significant interactions were found between congruency and social status/power in any of the studies. Additionally, Bayesian hypothesis testing indicated that the null hypothesis should be favoured over the experimental hypothesis in all five studies. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for AI tasks, social effects on mimicry, and the hypothesis of mimicry as a strategic mechanism to promote affiliation.

Objectives Demand for hand sanitizers has surged since the coronavirus broke out and spread around the world. Hand sanitizers are usually applied by squirting the sanitizer liquid when one presses a pump with one’s hand. This causes many people to come into contact with the pump handle, which increases the risk of viral transmission. Some hand sanitizers on the market are automatically pumped. However, because sanitizer containers and pump devices are designed to be compatible only between products produced by the same manufacturer, consumers must also repurchase the container for the liquid if they replace the hand sanitizer. Therefore, this paper suggests the design of an automatic hand sanitizer system compatible with various sanitizer containers. Methods An automatic hand sanitizer system was designed, which will be presented in two stages describing the instrument structure and control parts. This work focused on using the elasticity of pumps and improving people’s access to devices. Results We have designed an automatic hand sanitizer system that is compatible with various containers. When one moves one’s hand close to the device sensor, the hand sanitizer container is pumped once. Conclusions The automatic hand sanitizer device proposed in this paper is ultimately expected to contribute to contactless hand disinfection in public places and virus infection prevention. Additionally, it is economical and eco-friendly by decreasing waste emissions.

The cerebral automatism, using scientific experiments, maintains that the experience of the decision-making process is a simple illusion, a mental process interpretative of a cerebral response to the external stimulus. On the other hand, any model of imputation of personal responsibility, whether in the civil or criminal sphere, imposes the existence of a reproachability of conduct. The exclusion of the volitional element removes all responsibility, since the agent could not be required to act in a different way, in the absence of a choice. The problem is connected with the philosophical controversy between determinists, libertarians, and compatibilists. There are profound implications not only for the structures of the legal model of liability, but also for the construction of public policies for the prevention and repair of damages. More than this, the adoption of one or another perspective points to a particular worldview and, for this, a peculiar understanding of what it is to be human. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Early stages of PD alter most domains (executive, attention, memory and visuo-spatial) except for language. • Severe effects were found in set-shifting in early PD, therefore extending to more than just executive dysfunction. • Automatic and controlled components do not differentiate the types of cognitive impairments in early PD. • Controlled tests are more impaired than automatic ones in early PD. • Methodological improvements are needed to cover both automatic and controlled tests to better characterise early cognitive signs in PD. Initial changes in Parkinson's disease (PD) are marked by loss of automatic movements and decline of some cognitive functions. Yet, the exact profile and extent of cognitive impairments in early stages of PD as well as their mechanisms related to automatic motor dysfunction remain unclear. Our objective was to examine the neuropsychological changes in early PD and their association to automatic and controlled modes of behavioural control. Significant relationships between early PD and cognitive dysfunction in set-shifting, abstraction ability/concept formation, processing speed, visuospatial/constructional abilities and verbal-visual memory was found. We also noted that tests with a strong effortful and controlled component were similarly affected as automatic tests by early PD, particularly those testing verbal memory, processing speed and visuospatial/constructional functions. Our findings indicate that initial stages of PD sets constraints over most of the cognitive domains normally assessed and are not easily explained in terms of either automatic or controlled mechanisms, as both appear similarly altered in early PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does seeing music notation activate the motor systems of expert musicians in preparation for playing, even when they do not have an instrument to play? Trombonists, non-trombonist musicians, and non-musicians were asked to indicate whether the second note of a visually presented two-note sequence was higher or lower than the first note. Participants responded by moving a joystick forward for " higher " and backward for " lower " or by pressing a button in the top or bottom row, respectively, of a computer keyboard. We examined response time as a function of whether the direction of movement required by the task was the same (congruent) or different (incongruent) from the direction of movement of a trombone slide when playing the same notes on the trombone. For trombonists, responses were faster for congruent than for incongruent trials for the joystick, but not for the keyboard. There was no effect of congruency for non-trombonists for joystick or keyboard responses. The trombone congruency effect is a new kind of musical Stroop effect. Learning to play a musical instrument links the motor and perceptual systems so that seeing musical notes automatically primes playing them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]