In the Midst of the Maelstrom

Academic mobbing's impact upon the target and the target's professional world can throw one's world off kilter to the point that the target has difficulty maintaining a semblance of psychological and cognitive balance. This story is one target's approach towards maintaining a semblance of balance within the midst of the horrors of academic mobbing and bullying attacks. This target's ethical compass and balance are maintained through the support and guidance of outstanding colleagues, yet in more personal moments the target's sense of psychological equilibrium and emotional stability are drawn from the lifetime accumulation of quotations, lyrics, and poems that articulate one's ethical compass and steadfast psychological center.

A Weighted Balance Model of Opinion Hyperpolarization

Polarization is threatening the stability of democratic societies. Until now, polarization research has mainly focused on opinion extremeness, disregarding the correlation between different policy issues. We explain the emergence of hyperpolarization, i.e., the combination of extremeness and correlation between issues, by developing Weighted Balance Theory (WBT), a new theory of opinion formation. WBT extends Heider's cognitive balance theory to encompass multiple weighted attitudes. We validate WBT on empirical data from the 2016 National Election Survey. Furthermore, we develop an opinion dynamics model based on WBT, which, for the first time, is able to generate hyperpolarization and to explain the link between affective and opinion polarization. In addition, our theory encompasses other phenomena of opinion dynamics, including mono-polarization and backfire effects.

Severe Dizziness Related to Postural Instability, Changes in Gait and Cognitive Skills in Patients with Chronic Peripheral Vestibulopathy

Introduction Peripheral vestibular disorders can lead to cognitive deficits and are more common in elderly patients. Objective To evaluate and correlate cognitive, balance and gait aspects in elderly women with chronic peripheral vestibular dizziness, and to compare them with elderly women without vestibular disorders. Methods Twenty-two women presenting peripheral vestibular dizziness episodes for at least six months participated in the study. The individuals were categorized by dizziness severity level: moderate (n = 11) or severe (n = 11). The control group (n = 11) included women showing no vestibulopathy, light-headedness or dizziness. Cognitive assessments and semi-static and dynamic balance assessments were performed with the Balance Master (Neurocom International, Inc., Clackamas, OR), while the Dizziness Handicap Inventory provided a score for the severity of the symptoms. The groups were submitted to statistics of inference and correlation between cognitive, balance and stability variables. Results The group with severe dizziness showed higher sway speed of the center of pressure in the anteroposterior direction, smaller step length, and slower gait than the control group. Regarding the cognitive variables, the group with severe dizziness symptoms presented significant correlations with stability and gait variables. Conclusion The relationship between cognitive aspects, balance and gait was stronger in women with severe dizziness than in those with no vestibulopathy.

Penerapan Strategi Konflik Kognitif dalam Pembelajaran Listrik Dinamis

As a person knowledge increases there will be a higher cognitive balance through assimilation and accommodation. In the assimilation, there will be contact or effective cognitive conflict between the old concept with a new reality. Stimulation of cognitive conflict in learning will greatly assist the process of assimilation that will be more effective and meaningful in students' cognitive structures. This reason is the background to write the thesis entitled “Application of Cognitive Conflict Strategy Learning In Dynamic Electricity”. The Application of Cognitive Conflict Strategy in Dynamic Electricity learning is carried out in order to determine whether student achievement is better with the application of cognitive conflict strategy than the conventional learning model. The influence of activity on the achievement of students learning physics concepts through the dynamic power through the implementation strategy of cognitive conflict and to know the structure cognitive students about the concept of dynamic electricity.

Concussion in Sport

Concussions affect millions of athletes of all ages each year in a variety of sports. Athletes in certain sports such as American football, ice hockey, rugby, soccer, and combative sports like boxing are at higher risk for concussion. Direct or indirect mechanical forces acting on the skull and brain cause a concussion, which is a milder form of brain injury. Conventional neuroimaging (e.g., computerized tomography [CT], magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) for concussion is typically negative. Concussions involve both neurometabolic and subtle structural damage to the brain that results in signs (e.g., loss of consciousness [LOC], amnesia, confusion), symptoms (e.g., headache, dizziness, nausea), and functional impairment (e.g., cognitive, balance, vestibular, oculomotor). Symptoms, impairment, and recovery time following concussion can last from a few days to weeks or months, based on a variety of risk factors, including younger age, female sex, history of concussion, and history of migraine. Following a concussion, athletes may experience one or more clinical profiles, including cognitive fatigue, vestibular, oculomotor, post-traumatic migraine (PTM), mood/anxiety, and/or cervical. The heterogeneous nature of concussion warrants a comprehensive approach to assessment, including a thorough clinical examination and interview; symptom inventories; and cognitive, balance, vestibular, oculomotor, and exertion-based evaluations. Targeted treatment and rehabilitation strategies including behavior management, vestibular, vision, and exertion therapies, and in some cases medication can be effective in treating the various concussion clinical profiles. Some athletes experience persistent post-concussion symptoms (PCS) and/or psychological issues (e.g., depression, anxiety) following concussion. Following appropriate treatment and rehabilitation strategies, determination of safe return to play is predicated on being symptom-free and back to normal levels of function at rest and following exertion. Certain populations, including youth athletes, may be at a higher risk for worse impairment and prolonged recovery following concussion. It has been suggested that some athletes experience long-term effects associated with concussion including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). However, additional empirical studies on the role of concussion on CTE are needed, as CTE may have multiple causes that are unrelated to sport participation and concussion.