Evidence of long-term allocentric spatial memory in the Terrestrial Hermit Crab Coenobita compressus.

Spatial learning is a complex cognitive skill and ecologically important trait scarcely studied in crustaceans. We investigated the ability of the Pacific (Ecuadorian) hermit crab Coenobita compressus, to learn an allocentric spatial task using a palatable novel food as reward. Crabs were trained to locate the reward in a single session of eleven consecutive trials and tested subsequently, for short- (5 min) and long-term memory 1, 3 and 7 days later. Our results indicate that crabs were able to learn the location of the reward as they showed a reduction in the time required to find the food whenever it was present, suggesting a visuo-spatial and olfactory cue-guided task resolution. Moreover, crabs also remember the location of the reward up to 7 days after training using spatial cues only (without the food), as evidenced by the longer investigation time they spent in the learned food location than in any other part of the experimental arena, suggesting a visuo-spatial memory formation. This study represents the first description of allocentric spatial long-term memory in a terrestrial hermit crab.

Evaluación de la percepción musical por estimulación acústica vs. eléctrica / Evaluation of musical perception by acoustic vs. electrical stimulation

Objetivo: evaluar las diferencias en la percepción musical entre la estimulación sonora eléctrica frente a la acústica. Materiales y métodos: se recolectó información de pacientes adultos con implante coclear unilateral, con oído contralateral sano o hipoacusia leve y con un tiempo de rehabilitación auditiva mayor a 12 meses. Se les aplicaron escalas de reconocimiento musical, de calidad de vida Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI), identificación de tono, ritmo, instrumentos y canciones. Resultados y conclusiones: se recolectaron datos de 6 pacientes con edades entre 37-73 años, promedio de tonos puros (PTA, por sus siglas en inglés) en oído sano <40 dB y porcentaje de máxima discriminación (SDS, por sus siglas en inglés): 100 % sin cambios en el postoperatorio. El oído implantado con un rango de PTA postoperatorio entre 40 y 58,3 dB y SDS entre 70-90 %. Se aplicó la escala GBI, en donde la mayoría de los pacientes obtuvieron resultados positivos con un rango entre +41 y -13. La mayoría de los pacientes aumentaron la frecuencia de escucha musical post-implantación (4/6 pacientes). La mitad de los pacientes reportaron mejoría en el papel que desempeña la música en sus vidas. En el reconocimiento del tono y del ritmo en el oído implantado se encontraron resultados similares posterior a la implantación con respecto al oído sano, con medianas de 17/20 frente a 16/20 en patrones tonales y 18,5/20 frente a 18/20 en patrones rítmicos. El reconocimiento de las canciones fue mejor con la letra que sin la letra en el oído implantado (8/8 frente a 7/8, respectivamente). El reconocimiento de instrumentos en el oído implantado fue 4,5/8 instrumentos frente a 7,5/8 en el oído sano.

Objective: To evaluate the differences in musical perception between electrical and acoustic sound stimulation. Materials and methods: Adult patients with unilateral cochlear implant, healthy or mild hearing loss in the contralateral ear and rehabilitation time greater than 12 months were evaluated. Musical recognition scales, quality of life Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI) and identification of tone, rhythm, instruments, and songs were applied. Results and conclusions: 6 patients were collected, ages between 37-73 years, healthy ear with a pure tone average (PTA) <40 dB, speech discrimination score (SDS): 100 % without changes in the postoperative period. The Implanted ear with average PTA between 40­58.3 dB and SDS between 70-90 % post-implantation. The GBI scale was applied where most of the patients obtained positive results, with a range between +41 and -13. Most of the patients improved the frequency of music-listening after implantation (4/6 patients). Half of the patients reported improvement in the role music plays in their lives. In the recognition of the tone and rhythm in the implanted ear, similar results were found after the implantation with respect to the healthy ear, with medians of 17/20 vs. 16/20 in tonal patterns and 18.5/20 vs. 18/20 in rhythmic patterns. The recognition of the songs was better with the lyrics than without the lyrics in the implanted ear, with medians of 8/8 vs. 7/8. The recognition of instruments in the implanted ear was 4.5/8 vs. 7.5/8 in the healthy ear.

Evidence-Based Practice Knowledge, Attitude, Access and Confidence: A comparison of dental hygiene and dental students.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether current educational strategies at a dental institution in the United States made a difference in dental hygiene (DNHY) and dental students' (D3) learning outcomes in the four domains of evidence-based practice (EBP), knowledge, attitude, accessing evidence, and confidence (KACE), following a 12-week research design course.Methods: All participants DNHY (n=19) and D3 (n=96) enrolled in the research design course at Loma Linda University completed a paper KACE survey distributed on the first day of class. Students completed the KACE survey once more at the end of the 12-week course. Pre- and post-survey results were compared both within and between the DNHY and D3 student groups to identify the learning outcomes in the four domains of EBP; knowledge, attitude, accessing evidence, and confidence in EBP. Descriptive statistics were conducted to profile all variables in the study; the level of significance was set at α=0.05.Results: All DNHY students (n=19) completed the pre and post KACE surveys; of the D3 (n=96) students enrolled in the course 82% (n=79) competed the post-survey. Comparison of the survey results showed that both DNHY and D3 students demonstrated statistically significant increases in their level of knowledge and attitude (p < 0.05) towards EBP. In the attitude domain, DNHY students indicated more positive attitudes towards EBP (p < 0.001) than their D3 student cohorts. Neither group demonstrated significant changes in confidence in applying EBP (p > 0.05).Conclusion: DNHY and D3 students increased their knowledge and developed more positive attitudes towards EBP following a 12-week research design course. Study results identify improvement areas for EBP knowledge acquisition including determining levels of evidence, analysis of study results, and evaluating the appropriateness of research study designs through the use of validated EBP survey instrument.