Brain Scans May Help Guide Career Choice

ScienceDaily (July 22, 2010) — General aptitude tests and specific mental ability tests are important tools for vocational guidance. Researchers are now asking whether performance on such tests is based on differences in brain structure, and if so, can brain scans be helpful in choosing a career? In a first step, researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Research Notes have investigated how well eight tests used in vocational guidance correlate to gray matter in areas throughout the brain.

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Richard Haier, from the University of California, USA, worked with a team of researchers to investigate the neurological basis for performance on each of the tests. He said, "Individual differences in cognitive abilities provide information that is valuable for vocational guidance. There is some debate, however, as to whether results on individual tests of specific abilities may be more helpful than results on tests of broader factors, like general intelligence. We compared brain networks identified using scores on broad cognitive ability tests to those identified by using specific cognitive tests to determine whether these relatively broad and narrow approaches yield similar results."

 

Using MRI, the researchers correlated gray matter with independent ability factors (general intelligence, speed of reasoning, numerical, spatial, memory) and with individual test scores from a battery of cognitive tests completed by 40 individuals seeking vocational guidance. They found that, in general, the grey matter correlates for the broad and narrow test types were different.
Speaking about the results Haier said, "A person's pattern of cognitive strengths and weaknesses is related to their brain structure, so there is a possibility that brain scans could provide unique information that would be helpful for vocational choice. Our current results form a basis to investigate this further."

Vitamin D Tied to Women's Cognitive Performance

 

ScienceDaily (Nov. 30, 2012) — Two new studies appearing in the Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences show that vitamin D may be a vital component for the cognitive health of women as they age.

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Higher vitamin D dietary intake is associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to research conducted by a team led by Cedric Annweiler, MD, PhD, at the Angers University Hospital in France.

 

Similarly, investigators led by Yelena Slinin, MD, MS, at the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis found that low vitamin D levels among older women are associated with higher odds of global cognitive impairment and a higher risk of global cognitive decline.

Slinin's group based its analysis on 6,257 community-dwelling older women who had vitamin D levels measured during the Study of Osteopathic Fractures and whose cognitive function was tested by the Mini-Mental State Examination and/or Trail Making Test Part B.

Very low levels of vitamin D (less than 10 nanograms per milliliter of blood serum) among older women were associated with higher odds of global cognitive impairment at baseline, and low vitamin D levels (less than 20 nanograms per milliliter) among cognitively-impaired women were associated with a higher risk of incident global cognitive decline, as measured by performance on the Mini-Mental State Examination.

Annweieler's team's findings were based on data from 498 community-dwelling women who participated in the Toulouse cohort of the Epidemiology of Osteoporosis study.
Among this population, women who developed Alzheimer's disease had lower baseline vitamin D intakes (an average of 50.3 micrograms per week) than those who developed other dementias (an average of 63.6 micrograms per week) or no dementia at all (an average of 59.0 micrograms per week).

These reports follow an article published in the Journals of Gerontology Series A earlier this year that found that both men and women who don't get enough vitamin D -- either from diet, supplements, or sun exposure -- may be at increased risk of developing mobility limitations and disability.

Fall Market Jitters a SAD Thing: Less Daylight in Fall May Lead to Depressed Markets

 

ScienceDaily (Oct. 11, 2011) — It's no surprise to researcher Lisa Kramer that financial market dips and crashes typically happen in the fall. Her most recent study, forthcoming in Social Psychological and Personality Science, shows that people who experience seasonal depression shun financial risk-taking during seasons with diminished daylight but are more willing to accept risk in spring and summer. The work builds on previous studies by Kramer and others, suggesting seasonal depression may be sufficiently powerful to move financial markets.

"We've never, until now, been able to tie a pervasive market-wide seasonal phenomenon to individual investors' emotions," says Prof. Kramer, who teaches behavioural finance at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. Titled, "This is Your Portfolio on Winter," she co-wrote the study with the University of Waterloo's Mark Weber.

The researchers based their findings on a study of faculty and staff at a large North American university. Participants were paid for each part of the study they joined, which included online surveys and behavioural assessments. They also had the option of putting some or all of their payment into an investment with 50:50 odds and where the potential gains exceeded the potential losses, to mimic financial risk. Participants who experienced seasonal depression chose more of the guaranteed payments and put less money at risk in winter, but their risk tolerance came more into line with other participants' in summer.

About 10 percent of the population suffers from severe seasonal depression, known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). However evidence suggests even those who do not suffer from the medical condition of SAD still experience some degree of seasonal fluctuation in mood. Previous research has noted seasonal patterns in stock market returns have been consistent with people avoiding risk in the fall and winter.

"So much common wisdom about economics and finance is built on the notion that we're very rational about making financial decisions," says Prof. Kramer. "But increasingly we're discovering financial decision-making is an inherently emotional process."

The findings have implications for people like financial planners who Prof. Kramer says may need to be more sensitive to seasonal variation in their clients' risk tolerance. Stock traders may also benefit from understanding where their reactions are coming from when dealing with a bad trading day.
"It's important to take a deep breath and make sure that decisions are being made on the basis of objective criteria, rather than emotional criteria," she says.

How Smartphone Changed the Daily Routine of an Individual

 

 

We live in the technological era where science has revolutionized our very lives. It is difficult indeed to go a day without electronic devices and gadgets. For most of us, Smartphones have become very essential devices that we cannot do without. Thanks to these headsets our lives are so much easier and comfortable.

Smartphones have changed the way we complete our normal tasks by using customized systems to effectively do work. They also largely contributed to the way we all communicate with each other. Smartphones and their varied applications have enabled us to organize work, constantly updated on social networking sites, create design art, make presentations, have a touch of professional photography and enjoy gaming, to name a few.

The concept of multi-tasking was brought on to a new level altogether, by Smartphones today. The ease with which we are able to perform almost anything is just amazing. It is now possible to call a friend while walking, send a message to someone else and browse online at the same time.

Things are just getting better, easier and more comfortable by the day.
With every passing day, the number of applications and version of Smartphones that are launched is staggering. The clear significance that these phones play in our daily lives is truly great. Science is making a lot of progress these days making applications that not only entertain us but also help us in our place of work.

Graphical user interfacing and graphical art have allowed professionals to create presentations and documents on the go. No more is it necessary to sit in front of the desktop computer to work. But with a Smartphone it is now possible to travel and deal with important business work with ease. Every version that is released has new and improved features with advanced applications.

Applications for Smartphones are designed for a targeted audience aiming to help them in some way or to just entertain. These applications are created for every age group covering kids, teenagers, students and business professionals. The apps are usually downloaded through online mobile app stores and they are generally available under categories making it easier for people to purchase the one they want. The most common categories are Entertainment, Games, Books, Business and Finance, Education, Travel, Health, Food and Drink, Music, Social Network, Sports and News. There are numerous others to join the list of applications.

The utilization of Smartphones not only helps us with our tasks but also educates us on the technological advances being made. Now even kids are learning the ins and outs of the software and hardware that's being used in these devices.

Read more at http://geekotsav.wordpress.com/ for the latest happening in technology and mobile computing fields.
 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tejas_Solpaurkar

Submissive Asian Women May Empower the Man in the Relationship

 

Yes, Asian women are submissive, but there is a big misconception about just how submissive they are. Asian women are educated and deserve respect; however, they like being with a man who can take charge and take care of them. Being submissive does not mean they are weak. In fact, it is quite the opposite. They are the core of their family. They care for their children and their husband, which in turn empowers him, allowing him to better care for her and their brood.

1. Childhood

From the time Asian women are children, they are taught to have respect for all the men in their lives. This is not a way to degrade them, but rather to trust in the decisions the male figures make for them. In return for the respect they show, they are cared for. These values carry over into their adulthood and marriage. They have a strong sense of family which is extremely male-centric. These are the values they also teach their children.

2. Head of Household

One of the many ways an Asian woman empowers her husband is supporting all of his decisions. Unlike American women, who feel they must have a say in household decisions, Asian women view their spouse as the head of the family. If her husband chooses to do something he feels is right for his family, whether it be a career move or financial choice, she supports him. In return he cares for her, loves her and shows her the respect she deserves.

3. The Children

Asian women take complete charge of the children, raising them to show their father the same respect she does. This results in the children taking the advice their father gives them, allowing him to guide them through their lives, preventing them from making costly mistakes that could have negative effects on their future.

4. Advancement in Career

Most American women tend to voice their opinions when their husbands want to make a career move they do not agree with, especially if it means uprooting their family. Asian women are the opposite. They have complete trust in their husbands, empowering him to advance in his career and better support his family in the long run.

5. A Stronger Marriage

Asian women come from a culture that does not like confrontation. Supporting her husband and empowering him with her support not only shows him respect as the man of the house, but strengthens the marriage as well. The goal of Asian women is not only to have a marriage that lasts forever, but also to have a happy marriage. Being submissive to her husband empowers him to accomplish this goal with her.

Many think than Asian women are so submissive they open doors for their husbands, allowing him to walk in before she does so herself. This may be true for some, but not for all. What many must keep in mind is this: these women enjoy their lives of submission. It is what they know, it is how they were raised. And in return they receive respect, security and love. Empowering their husbands is what Asian women choose to do, not what they have to do.

Generally speaking Submissive Asian Women and Asian Girls may empower the man in the relationship Please read our Asian Dating articles to learn more about that.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jenny_Rogers


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