Positive Technology Journal

Internal and external imagery perspective measurement and use in imagining open and closed sports skills: an exploratory study.

Percept Mot Skills. 2007 Apr;104(2):387-404

Authors: Spittle M, Morris T

This study explored the measurement and use of internal and external imagery perspectives during imagery of open and closed sports skills. Participants (N=41; male=23; female=18), ages 14 to 28 (M = 19.4 yr.; SD = 3.1), who were recruited from undergraduate classes in human movement and physical education, and local sporting teams, completed the Imagery Use Questionnaire and then imagined performing eight common sports skills, four open skills and four closed skills, in a random order. Participants provided concurrent verbalisation during their imagery. Immediately after imagining each skill, participants completed a rating scale and retrospective verbalisation of imagery perspective use. Analysis indicated that the questionnaire gave a general imagery perspective preference but was not a strong predictor of imagery used on specific occasions. The three measures of imagery perspective were equivalent in imagining performing particular skills. Participants experienced more internal imagery than external imagery while imagining the eight sports skills, but there was no significant difference between perspective use on the open and closed skills.

Yoga Asana sessions increase brain GABA levels: a pilot study.

J Altern Complement Med. 2007 May;13(4):419-26

Authors: Streeter CC, Jensen JE, Perlmutter RM, Cabral HJ, Tian H, Terhune DB, Ciraulo DA, Renshaw PF

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare changes in brain gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels associated with an acute yoga session versus a reading session. It was hypothesized that an individual yoga session would be associated with an increase in brain GABA levels. DESIGN: This is a parallel-groups design. SETTINGS/LOCATION: Screenings, scan acquisitions, and interventions took place at medical school-affiliated centers. SUBJECTS: The sample comprised 8 yoga practitioners and 11 comparison subjects. INTERVENTIONS: Yoga practitioners completed a 60-minute yoga session and comparison subjects completed a 60-minute reading session. OUTCOME MEASURES: GABA-to-creatine ratios were measured in a 2-cm axial slab using magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging immediately prior to and immediately after interventions. RESULTS: There was a 27% increase in GABA levels in the yoga practitioner group after the yoga session (0.20 mmol/kg) but no change in the comparison subject group after the reading session ( -0.001 mmol/kg) (t = -2.99, df = 7.87, p = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS:These findings demonstrate that in experienced yoga practitioners, brain GABA levels increase after a session of yoga. This suggests that the practice of yoga should be explored as a treatment for disorders with low GABA levels such as depression and anxiety disorders. Future studies should compare yoga to other forms of exercise to help determine whether yoga or exercise alone can alter GABA levels.

Controlled evaluation of a neurofeedback training of slow cortical potentials in children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Behav Brain Funct. 2007 Jul 26;3(1):35

Authors: Drechsler R, Straub M, Doehnert M, Heinrich H, Steinhausen HC, Brandeis D

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Although several promising studies on neurofeedback training in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have been performed in recent years, the specificity of positive treatment effects continues to be challenged. METHODS: To evaluate the specificity of a neurofeedback training of slow cortical potentials, a twofold strategy was pursued: First, the efficacy of neurofeedback training was compared to a group training program for children with ADHD. Secondly, the extent of improvements observed in the neurofeedback group in relation to successful regulation of cortical activation was examined. Parents and teachers rated children's behaviour and executive functions before and after treatment. In addition, children underwent neuropsychological testing before and after training. RESULTS: According to parents' and teachers' ratings, children of the neurofeedback training group improved more than children who had participated in a group therapy program, particularly in attention and cognition related domains. On neuropsychological measures children of both groups showed similar improvements. However, only about half of the neurofeedback group learned to regulate cortical activation during a transfer condition without direct feedback. Behavioural improvements of this subgroup were moderately related to neurofeedback training performance, whereas effective parental support accounted better for some advantages of neurofeedback training compared to group therapy according to parents' and teachers' ratings. CONCLUSIONS: There is a specific training effect of neurofeedback of slow cortical potentials due to enhanced cortical control. However, non-specific factors, such as parental support, may also contribute to the positive behavioural effects induced by the neurofeedback training.

Via Medgadget

Lomak International Limited was awarded the Gold Prize in the Computer Equipment category in IDSA's 2007 Awards.

Company explains its technology:

Lomak (light operated mouse and keyboard) is designed for people that have difficulty with, or are unable to use, a standard computer keyboard and mouse. A hand or head pointer controls a beam of light that highlights then confirms the key or mouse functions on the keyboard. By confirming each key, only the correct selection is entered, which reduces errors and increases input speed.

In addition to speed and accuracy, Lomak offers a number of advantages over other access methods including;

 

• versatility and ease of use and training (people can be up and running with it almost immediately)
• 
  
• it requires no calibration and can operate in any ambient conditions
• 
  
• it does not require software (i.e. no dedicated computers are required for users with disabilities; converselyusers can log into their own PCs without assistance)
• 
  
• it does not require any screen area (no on-screen keyboard or mouse menu is required)
• 
  
• it can be used with any application (e.g. proprietary software such as accounting/payroll applications and other business software)

• Lomak is ideal for a work environment as it is easy to install, use and manage. It requires little or no technical support as from a systems perspective it is recognised as simply a USB keyboard and mouse.

   

LomaK

2007 IDEA Winners: Computer Equipment

Re-blogged from Networked Performance

By jo on calls + opps

NanoArt 2007 INTERNATIONAL ONLINE COMPETITION :: Deadline: December 31, 2007 :: Open to all artists and scientists.

NanoArt is a new art form where micro or nanosculptures created by artists or scientists through chemical or/and physical processes are visualized with powerful research tools like Scanning Electron Microscopes. The monochromatic electron microscope scans are processed further using different artistic techniques to create pieces of art that can be showcased for the general public. Nanoart21.org, founded by artists / scientist Cris Orfescu, will provide 3 high resolution monochromatic electron scans as seed images for artists to choose from. The participating artists will have to alter these images in any artistic way to finish the artistic-scientific process and create a NanoArt work. The artists or / and scientists are encouraged to participate with their own images as long as these visualize micro or nanostructures.

The worldwide competition NanoArt 2007 is open to all artists 18 years and older. Online voting will open January 1, 2008 through March 31, 2008. Judging is via the Internet and decided by our site visitors. Winners will be notified and published online around April 15, 2008.

For more details please visit: http://nanoart21.org/html/nanoart_2007.html

Age effects on gray matter volume and attentional performance in Zen meditation.

Neurobiol Aging. 2007 Jul 24;

Authors: Pagnoni G, Cekic M

Zen meditation, a Buddhist practice centered on attentional and postural self-regulation, has been speculated to bring about beneficial long-term effects for the individual, ranging from stress reduction to improvement of cognitive function. In this study, we examined how the regular practice of meditation may affect the normal age-related decline of cerebral gray matter volume and attentional performance observed in healthy individuals. Voxel-based morphometry for MRI anatomical brain images and a computerized sustained attention task were employed in 13 regular practitioners of Zen meditation and 13 matched controls. While control subjects displayed the expected negative correlation of both gray matter volume and attentional performance with age, meditators did not show a significant correlation of either measure with age. The effect of meditation on gray matter volume was most prominent in the putamen, a structure strongly implicated in attentional processing. These findings suggest that the regular practice of meditation may have neuroprotective effects and reduce the cognitive decline associated with normal aging.

Cortical activation changes induced by visual biofeedback tracking training in chronic stroke patients.

NeuroRehabilitation. 2007;22(2):77-84

Authors: Cho SH, Shin HK, Kwon YH, Lee MY, Lee YH, Lee CH, Yang DS, Jang SH

Objectives: We tried to examine whether visual biofeedback tracking training (VBTT) can improve both the gait performance and cortical activation pattern in chronic stroke patients. Design: We enrolled 10 chronic hemiparetic patients with stroke(mean age 46.3 +/- 5.19 years). The patients were randomly assigned to the training group (5 patients) or the control group (5 patients). VBTT was to follow the PC-generated sine waves with the knee joint electrogoniometer, and the two sine waves should appear as close to overlapping as possible on the PC monitor. The training was performed for 39 minutes/day, 5 days/week, for 4 weeks. Pre-training and post-training accuracy of tracking, functional status of gait, and functional MRI (fMRI) were measured. fMRI was performed at 1.5 T in parallel with timed knee flexion-extension movements at a fixed rate. Results: The accuracy of the tracking performance, walking speed, and motor scale for gait improved in the training group. Primary sensorimotor cortex (SM1) cortical activation shifted significantly from the unaffected to the affected hemisphere in the training group. Conclusions: We demonstrated that cortical activation changes occurred with gait function improvement in chronic stroke patients throughout the 4-week VBTT program. It seems that the cortical reorganization was induced by VBTT.

A good reading on mobile persuasion - Edited by BJ Fogg and Dean Eckles

 For more info, see www.mobilepersuasion.com

 Via PlanetHCI

More images like these can be found over at Hem.com.np.

Via Neatorama and the Presurfer

check it out: 

http://scienceblogs.com/omnibrain/2007/07/video_depth_ill...

Via Textually.org (Gizmodo)

"a cellphone concept design by Peter Lau enables blind users to easily dial numbers and make calls. It doesn't rely on Braille, but instead has differently angled keys that users can learn to recognize".

Via Information Aesthetics

This website shows beatiful animated landscape loops designed for visual relaxation (Flash plugin required)

Via Pink Tentacle

Researchers at the Chiba Institute of Technology have developed a robotic vehicle with eight wheels and legs designed to drive or walk over rugged terrain. The agile robot, which the developers aim to put into practical use within the next five years, can move sideways, turn around in place and drive or walk over a wide range of obstacles.

The researchers hope the robot’s abilities will help out with rescue operations, and they would like to see Halluc II’s technology put to use in transportation for the mobility-impaired.

Here’s a short video of the model in action.

Microvision announced that they have signed an agreement with Motorola to put their PicoP projector into future Motorola products. The PicoP is an ultra-miniature laser based display that enables a "big screen" viewing experience from mobile devices.

By projecting content displayed on the device screen onto a wall, object or even a curved surface, mobile users could easily share Websites or multimedia applications such as movies, personal videos, mobile TV, photographs and presentations with friends or business colleagues.

Press Release [Microvision]

From 3Dpoint /Via Metaversed/

Second Life resident Wrestling Hulka has a limited version of the virtual world running on the Nokia n800.

 
another mobile client for Second Life was developed by Comverse earlier in the year

boingboing

An Apple phone from 1983. Link via fudder.de

Simulating hemispatial neglect with virtual reality.

J Neuroengineering Rehabil. 2007 Jul 19;4(1):27

Authors: Baheux K, Yoshizawa M, Yoshida Y

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Hemispatial neglect is a cognitive disorder defined as a lack of attention for stimuli contra-lateral to the brain lesion. The assessment is traditionally done with basic pencil and paper tests and the rehabilitation programs are generally not well adapted. We propose a virtual reality system featuring an eye-tracking device for a better characterization of the neglect that will lead to new rehabilitation techniques. METHODS: This paper presents a comparison of eye-gaze patterns of healthy subjects, patients and healthy simulated patients on a virtual line bisection test. The task was also executed with a reduced visual field condition hoping that fewer stimuli would limit the neglect. RESULTS: We found that patients and healthy simulated patients had similar eye-gaze patterns. However, while the reduced visual field condition had no effect on the healthy simulated patients, it actually had a negative impact on the patients. We discuss the reasons for these differences and how they relate to the limitations of the neglect simulation. CONCLUSIONS: We argue that with some improvements the technique could be used to determine the potential of new rehabilitation techniques and also help the rehabilitation staff or the patient's relatives to better understand the neglect condition.

Via Networked Performance