The Operational Process of Nostalgia: The Trigger Determines the Nostalgic Experience

Nostalgia is a complex affective state with a strong cognitive component focussed on past autobiographical memories. This complex nature of nostalgia is discussed in the literature but there are scarce empirical observations of state nostalgic processes. In this study, the operational process of nostalgia is explored by the use of two types of stimuli—indirect (instructions) and direct (music)—with a sample of 285 participants (18–35 years old) in a mixed-method experimental design. Nostalgia was observed in terms of its operational process (reaction time, duration, intensity and variation), the characteristics of the recalled event (event type and contents), and the nature of the nostalgic experience (its phenomenology, affect and motivation). The studied parameters of all three nostalgic components were found to vary with the stimulus that triggered it. The study shows that nostalgia is not a constant phenomenon but depends on the conditions that give rise to it.

The effects of iconicity and conventionalisation on word order preferences

Of the 6 possible orderings of the 3 main constituents of language (subject, verb and object), two —- SOV and SVO —- are predominant cross-linguistically. Previous research using the silent gesture paradigm in which hearing participants produce or respond to gestures without speech, has shown that different factors such as reversibility, salience and animacy can affect the preferences for different orders. Here, we test whether participants’ preferences for orders that are conditioned on the semantics of the event change depending on i) the iconicity of individual gestural elements and ii) the prior knowledge of a conventional lexicon. Our findings demonstrate the same preference for semantically-conditioned word order found in previous studies, specifically that SOV and SVO are preferred differentially for different types of events. We do not find that iconicity of individual gestures affects participants’ ordering preferences, however we do find that learning a lexicon leads to a stronger preference for SVO-like orders overall. Finally, we compare our findings from English speakers, using an SVO-dominant language, with data from speakers of an SOV-dominant language, Turkish. We find that, while learning a lexicon leads to an increase in SVO preference for both sets of participants, this effect is mediated by language background and event type, suggesting that an interplay of factors together determine preferences for different ordering patterns. Taken together, our results support a view of word order as a gradient phenomenon responding to multiple biases.

Age effects in autobiographical memory depend on the measure

Studies examining age effects in autobiographical memory have produced inconsistent results. This study examined whether a set of typical autobiographical memory measures produced equivalent results in a single participant sample. Five memory tests (everyday memory, autobiographical memory from the past year, autobiographical memory from age 11–17, word-cued autobiographical memory, and word-list recall) were administered in a single sample of young and older adults. There was significant variance in the tests’ sensitivity to age: word-cued autobiographical memory produced the largest deficit in older adults, similar in magnitude to word-list recall. In contrast, older adults performed comparatively well on the other measures. The pattern of findings was broadly consistent with the results of previous investigations, suggesting that (1) the results of the different AM tasks are reliable, and (2) variable age effects in the autobiographical memory literature are at least partly due to the use of different tasks, which cannot be considered interchangeable measures of autobiographical memory ability. The results are also consistent with recent work dissociating measures of specificity and detail in autobiographical memory, and suggest that specificity is particularly sensitive to ageing. In contrast, detail is less sensitive to ageing, but is influenced by retention interval and event type. The extent to which retention interval and event type interact with age remains unclear; further research using specially designed autobiographical memory tasks could resolve this issue.

Potentials for grammaticalization

This paper discusses the grammaticalization of motion verbs in Mandarin. A class of motion verbs in Mandarin that regularly appears at either V1 or V2 position in the V1+V2 construction is only grammaticalized at the V2 position, where the verb becomes a directional complement. We provide a cognitive semantic account and propose a new hypothesis that we call the syntactic position and event type sensitivity hypothesis in grammaticalization. We analyze corpus data across five historical stages for 11 simplex directional complements. The analysis draws on Talmy’s macro-event theory and Lehmann’s grammaticalization parameters. It is concluded that motion verbs at the V1 position are most likely to have agentive subjects, which foregrounds the idea of motion in V1, while V2 focuses on the Agent’s purpose. Motion verbs at V2 are relatively more likely to have non-agentive subjects, which foregrounds the Path element in V2 and complements the action of V1, rather than the purpose of the Agent. What triggers the grammaticalization of the V2 is the foregrounding of the Path element in V2, which complements the action of V1, and its non-agentive subject.

Epidemiology of Spine Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Wrestling Athletes

Background: Spine injuries are common in collegiate wrestlers and can lead to reinjury, persistent pain, and time lost from participation. Purpose: To describe the epidemiology of spine injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) wrestlers between academic years 2009 to 2010 and 2013 to 2014. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: The incidence and characteristics of spine injuries were identified utilizing the NCAA–Injury Surveillance Program database. Spine injuries were assessed for injury type, injury mechanism, time of season, event type, recurrence, participation restriction, and time lost from participation. Rates of injury were calculated as the number of injuries divided by the total number of athlete-exposures (AEs). Injury rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated for event type and time of season, and results with 95% confidence intervals that did not include 1.0 were considered statistically significant. Results: There were an estimated 2040 spine injuries reported in the database over the 4-year period, resulting in an injury rate of 0.71 per 1000 AEs. Spine injuries were over twice as likely to occur in competitions as in practices (IRR, 2.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-3.69). More injuries occurred in both the preseason (0.94 per 1000 AEs) and the postseason (1.12 per 1000 AEs) compared with the regular season (0.55 per 1000 AEs). Contact injuries (42%) were the most common mechanism of injury, and brachial plexus injury (20%) was the most common diagnosis. Only 1.3% of injuries required surgery, and athletes most commonly returned to sport within 24 hours (33%) or within 6 days (25%). Conclusion: This investigation found an overall injury rate of 0.71 per 1000 AEs in wrestling athletes between academic years 2009 to 2010 and 2013 to 2014. The majority of these injuries were new, and athletes most commonly returned to sport within 24 hours. The injury rate was highest in competition, and both the preseason and the postseason showed a higher injury rate than that in season. Efforts to improve injury prevention and management should be informed by these findings.

100+ COVID-19 websites and apps: yet a lack of granular data from India

— A comprehensive analysis of more than 100 digital platforms (web and mobile) from India shows a lack of granular data in the reporting of COVID-19 surveillance, vaccination monitoring, and bed availability.— As of 5 June 2021, age and gender distribution is available for less than 22% of cases and deaths; and comorbidity distribution is available for less than 30% of deaths.— Total vaccination stratified by healthcare workers, frontline workers, and age brackets is reported by only 14 out of the 36 subnationals (states and union territories) in India. — There is no reporting of adverse events following immunization by vaccine and event type. — By showing what, where, and how much data is missing, we join the Indian scientific community in pushing for a more responsible and transparent reporting of granular data.

Head Impact Biomechanics in Youth Flag Football: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Youth flag football participation has rapidly grown and is a potentially safer alternative to tackle football. However, limited research has quantitatively assessed youth flag football head impact biomechanics. Purpose: To describe head impact biomechanics outcomes in youth flag football and explore factors associated with head impact magnitudes. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: We monitored 52 player-seasons among 48 male flag football players (mean ± SD; age, 9.4 ± 1.1 years; height, 138.6 ± 9.5 cm; mass, 34.7 ± 9.2 kg) across 3 seasons using head impact sensors during practices and games. Sensors recorded head impact frequencies, peak linear ( g) and rotational (rad/s2) acceleration, and estimated impact location. Impact rates (IRs) were calculated as 1 impact per 10 player-exposures; IR ratios (IRRs) were used to compare season, event type, and age group IRs; and 95% CIs were calculated for IRs and IRRs. Weekly and seasonal cumulative head impact frequencies and magnitudes were calculated. Mixed-model regression models examined the association between player characteristics, event type, and seasons and peak linear and rotational accelerations. Results: A total of 429 head impacts from 604 exposures occurred across the study period (IR, 7.10; 95% CI, 4.81-10.50). Weekly and seasonal cumulative median head impact frequencies were 1.00 (range, 0-2.63) and 7.50 (range, 0-21.00), respectively. The most frequent estimated head impact locations were the skull base (n = 96; 22.4%), top of the head (n = 74; 17.2%), and back of the head (n = 66; 15.4%). The combined event type IRs differed among the 3 seasons (IRR range, 1.45-2.68). Games produced greater IRs (IRR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.01-1.53) and peak linear acceleration (mean difference, 5.69 g; P = .008) than did practices. Older players demonstrated greater combined event–type IRs (IRR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.12-1.90) and increased head impact magnitudes than did younger players, with every 1-year age increase associated with a 3.78 g and 602.81-rad/s2 increase in peak linear and rotational acceleration magnitude, respectively ( P≤ .005). Conclusion: Head IRs and magnitudes varied across seasons, thus highlighting multiple season and cohort data are valuable when providing estimates. Head IRs were relatively low across seasons, while linear and rotational acceleration magnitudes were relatively high.