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To reduce the impact of communicable diseases like COVID-19, collective action is required and likely to be susceptible to normative influence as well as whether people are more or less collectively oriented. We extend the theory of normative social behavior (TNSB) to account for group orientation and predict the relationships between social norms and physical distancing behaviors. Using a rolling cross-sectional design during 17 weeks of the pandemic, a national sample of US residents from 20 states (N = 8,778) participated in the study. The findings show that perceived descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and group orientation are significantly associated with physical distancing. The descriptive norm-behavior relationship and injunctive norm-behavior relationship are moderated by group orientation and the other predicted moderators in the TNSB. The findings extend the TNSB and highlight the need to understand social norms and group orientation in formative research for health communication campaigns designed to promote prevention behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public speaking engages and entertains audiences. Through neuroimaging, we can examine responses to speeches in real time. Replicating an earlier study, this study carries out two kinds of analyses – forward and reverse correlations. First, we examine how the soundwave carrying the speech relates to brain responses, finding that bilateral auditory cortex responses track with the speech signal's energy. Second, we use the speech-evoked brain responses to reverse-identify salient moments in the speech. Specifically, we focus on the right temporoparietal junction (TPJ), a region associated with social cognition. We find that TPJ-peaks reverse-identify socially engaging content (defined by the ability to evoke laughter). These results demonstrate new ways to study the relationship between story content and the audience responses it evokes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulmonary function test (PFT) is a widely used test in patients or for those who are at risk of respiratory dysfunction. In this study, we aimed to develop a more convenient system, namely, the impedance pulmonary function measurement system (IPFS), for overcoming the restrictions posed by the prevalent spirometric PFT. IPFS employs tetra polar electrodes that can measure pulmonary function using the subjects' hands alone. The impedance measured by IPFS extracts AC values of pulmonary impedance from DC values of body impedance in respiration. This system yields changes in the impedance of volume and flow. In order to verify IPFS, we compared the continuous waveforms obtained from the PFT module and developed IPFS using Pearson linear correlation coefficients (p < 0.01) for volume and flow. Further, we evaluated the potential application of IPFS for detecting pulmonary functions such as volume (FEV(1)/FVC Ratio) and flow (PEF), and compared the measured parameters between IPFS and spirometric PFT. Our results demonstrate that the measurements obtained using IPFS reflect pulmonary function parameters.

The purpose of this study is, for estimating energy expenditure with triaxial accelerometers during exercise, to compare determination coefficients of equations of the estimated regression according to several locations of the accelerometers on the body and then to present an estimation model on the location where there is the least restriction on physical activities. A small portable device that is able to obtain acceleration data during exercise was developed. It was attached on the back, wrist, knee and ankle of the body and then submaximal exercise was conducted on treadmills with the Bruce protocol. For the experimentation, seventeen males of twenties and thirties in good health (27.23+/-2.18) participated and wore the equipment to analyze respiratory gas, so that the values of acceleration and energy expenditure from the respiratory gas analyzer could be obtained at the same time. The energy expenditure values from the outputs of the respiratory gas equipment were set as a base value, and the accelerations and the physical features of the participants (age, weight, height and BMI) as variables, to check each correlation, and for each of the four locations of the accelerometers on the body, regression analysis was carried out. The results of the experiment are as follows: the correlation between the acceleration and the energy expenditure was the highest on the knee and the lowest on the wrist; but, the determination coefficients (R(2)) of the regression equations using the continued hours of exercise, weight and acceleration values did not show significant difference among the locations on the body, as the highest R(2) = 0.873 on the back and the lowest R(2) = 0.852 on the wrist. This study has shown two possibilities. First, it is possible to predict energy expenditure using accelerometer sensor without respiration gas analyzer in laboratory situation. Second, these findings can be applied to application ab- out predicting conveniently energy expenditure during outdoor activities using accelerometer on watch or shoes.

The purpose of this study is to determine an individual physiological signal and based on the information; develop equipment that will encourage the efficiency of exercise. To evaluate the practical use of equipment an experiment is carried out. The signal of twenty adult male is determined under condition of Exercise Stress Test. Measured physiological signals are ECG from ears, chest (Lead I), PPG from earlap, activity from ear and arm, and the body skin temperature of arm. For ECG data, there are two signals: one is ear-arm signal, and the other is chest (Lead I) signal. When compare those two, ear-arm detection rate shows 92.08% detection, and 93.13% at chest. The error rate occurred average 0.035(+/-0.014) seconds and 0.026(+/-0.017) seconds. For PPG, we can reduce the influence of motion artifact by Autocorrelation method, and as a result, peak detection rate increased from 94.3% to 98.4%, decreased the error rate with 0.058+/-0.076 to 0.023+/-0.031, Also, we certified that if the speed and elevation of the treadmill increase, physical activity increase, and the body temperature gets decreased. Upon this consequence, we developed a physiological data acquisition system that is convenient to user while they are exercising.

In this research, a device, which has a thermotherapic and massaging function and relaxes muscles, was used to evaluate the effect muscle relaxation has on stress relief. Therefore, the physiological changes namely Heart Rate (HR), Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Skin Temperature (SKT) of the subjects which reflect the autonomic nervous system and cardiovascular relationship were obtained and analyzed. In order to evaluate the assumption that the treatment relieves the subject's physiological and psychological stress, experiment was carried out on 25 adults (13 male and 12 female, age 52.32+/-18.121) through stages consisted of relaxation, pre-treatment, treatment and post-treatment. Treatment was provided to the back, stomach and leg area by massaging 55 degrees C heat to the back. According as the physiological changes of subjects before and after treatment were compared, the present research was able to prove that thermotherapy and massage treatment induces physiological change of patients thus relieves stress.