Sarah Dolscheid

Prelinguistic Infants Are Sensitive to Space-Pitch Associations Found Across Cultures

People often talk about musical pitch using spatial metaphors. In English, for instance, pitches can be “high” or “low” (i.e., height-pitch association), whereas in other languages, pitches are described as “thin” or “thick” (i.e., thickness-pitch association). According to results from psychophysical studies, metaphors in language can shape people’s nonlinguistic space-pitch representations. But does language establish mappings between space and pitch in the first place, or does it only modify preexisting associations? To find out, we tested 4-month-old Dutch infants’ sensitivity to height-pitch and thickness-pitch mappings using a preferential-looking paradigm. The infants looked significantly longer at cross-modally congruent stimuli for both space-pitch mappings, which indicates that infants are sensitive to these associations before language acquisition. The early presence of space-pitch mappings means that these associations do not originate from language. Instead, language builds on preexisting mappings, changing them gradually via competitive associative learning. Space-pitch mappings that are language-specific in adults develop from mappings that may be universal in infants.

Spatial Congruity Effects Reveal Metaphorical Thinking, not Polarity Correspondence.

Spatial congruity effects have often been interpreted as evidence for metaphorical thinking, but an alternative account based on polarity correspondence (a.k.a. markedness) has challenged this view. Here we compared metaphor- and polarity-correspondence-based explanations for spatial congruity effects, using musical pitch as a testbed. In one experiment, English speakers classified high- and low-frequency pitches as “high” and “low,” or as “front” and “back,” to determine whether space-pitch congruity effects could be elicited by any marked spatial continuum. Although both pairs of terms describe bipolar spatial continuums, we found congruity effects only for high/low judgments, indicating that markedness is not sufficient to produce space-pitch congruity effects. A second experiment confirmed that there were no space-pitch congruity effects for another pair of terms that have clear markedness (big/small), but which do not denote spatial height. By contrast, this experiment showed congruity effects for words that cued an appropriate vertical spatial schema (tall/short), even though these words are not used conventionally in English to describe pitches, ruling out explanations for the observed pattern of results based on verbal polysemy. Together, results suggest that space-pitch congruity effects reveal metaphorical uses of spatial schemas, not polarity correspondence effects.

Comparability of Point-of-Care versus Central Laboratory Hemoglobin Determination in Emergency Patients at a Supra-Maximal Care Hospital

Fulfilling the requirements of point-of-care testing (POCT) training regarding proper execution of measurements and compliance with internal and external quality control specifications is a great challenge. Our aim was to compare the values of the highly critical parameter hemoglobin (Hb) determined with POCT devices and central laboratory analyzer in the highly vulnerable setting of an emergency department in a supra maximal care hospital to assess the quality of POCT performance. In 2548 patients, Hb measurements using POCT devices (POCT-Hb) were compared with Hb measurements performed at the central laboratory (Hb-ZL). Additionally, sub collectives (WHO anemia classification, patients with Hb <8 g/dl and suprageriatric patients (age >85y.) were analyzed. Overall, the correlation between POCT-Hb and Hb-ZL was highly significant (r = 0.96, p<0.001). Mean difference was -0.44g/dl. POCT-Hb values tended to be higher than Hb-ZL values (t(2547) = 36.1, p<0.001). Standard deviation of the differences was 0.62 g/dl. Only in 26 patients (1%), absolute differences >2.5g/dl occurred. McNemar´s test revealed significant differences regarding anemia diagnosis according to WHO definition for male, female and total patients (♂ p<0.001; ♀ p<0.001, total p<0.001). Hb-ZL resulted significantly more often in anemia diagnosis. In samples with Hb<8g/dl, McNemar´s test yielded no significant difference (p = 0.169). In suprageriatric patients, McNemar´s test revealed significant differences regarding anemia diagnosis according to WHO definition in male, female and total patients (♂ p<0.01; ♀ p = 0.002, total p<0.001). The difference between Hb-ZL and POCT-Hb with Hb<8g/dl was not statistically significant (<8g/dl, p = 1.000). Overall, we found a highly significant correlation between the analyzed hemoglobin concentration measurement methods, i.e. POCT devices and at the central laboratory. The results confirm the successful implementation of the presented POCT concept. Nevertheless some limitations could be identified in anemic patients stressing the importance of carefully examining clinically implausible results.

Quantifier comprehension is linked to linguistic rather than to numerical skills. Evidence from children with Down syndrome and Williams syndrome

Comprehending natural language quantifiers (like many, all, or some) involves linguistic and numerical abilities. However, the extent to which both factors play a role is controversial. In order to determine the specific contributions of linguistic and number skills in quantifier comprehension, we examined two groups of participants that differ in their language abilities while their number skills appear to be similar: Participants with Down syndrome (DS) and participants with Williams syndrome (WS). Compared to rather poor linguistic skills of individuals with DS, individuals with WS display relatively advanced language abilities. Participants with WS also outperformed participants with DS in a quantifier comprehension task while number knowledge did not differ between the two groups. When compared to typically developing (TD) children of the same mental age, participants with WS displayed similar levels regarding quantifier abilities, but participants with DS performed worse than the control group. Language abilities but not number skills also significantly predicted quantifier knowledge in a linear regression analysis, stressing the importance of linguistic abilities for quantifier comprehension. In addition to determining the skills that are relevant for comprehending quantifiers, our findings provide the first demonstration of how quantifiers are acquired by individuals with DS and WS, an issue not investigated so far.

Thrombolysis in stroke patients: Comparability of point-of-care versus central laboratory international normalized ratio

Background In acute stroke patients, thrombolysis is one gold standard therapy option within the first four hours after the ischemic event. A contraindication for thrombolysis is an International Normalized Ratio (INR) value >1.7. Since time is brain, rapid and reliable INR results are fundamental. Aim was to compare INR values determined by central laboratory (CL) analyzer and Point-of-Care Testing(POCT)-device and to evaluate the quality of POCT performance in cases of potential therapeutic thrombolysis at a certified stroke unit. Methods In 153 patients INR measurements using POCT-devices (HEMOCHRON Signature Elite®) were compared to INR measurements (BCS®XP) performed at the central laboratory. Outlier evaluation was performed regarding the critical thrombolysis cut-off. Results Overall, we demonstrated a significant correlation (r = 0.809, p<0.0001) between both measurement methods. Mean value of the absolute difference between CL-INR and POCT-INR measurements was 0.23. In 95.4% of these cases, no differences regarding the critical cut-off (INR 1.7) were observed. POCT-INR values tended to be higher than the CL-INR values (p = 0.01). In 4.6% cases, a different value regarding thrombolysis cut-off was found. All patients were >75 years. Conclusions POCT-INR measurements based on our POCT concept are suitable to determine INR values in critical stroke patients. Nevertheless, outlier evaluation is mandatory.

Spring School on Language, Music, and Cognition: Organizing Events in Time

The interdisciplinary spring school “Language, music, and cognition: Organizing events in time” was held from February 26 to March 2, 2018 at the Institute of Musicology of the University of Cologne. Language, speech, and music as events in time were explored from different perspectives including evolutionary biology, social cognition, developmental psychology, cognitive neuroscience of speech, language, and communication, as well as computational and biological approaches to language and music. There were 10 lectures, 4 workshops, and 1 student poster session. Overall, the spring school investigated language and music as neurocognitive systems and focused on a mechanistic approach exploring the neural substrates underlying musical, linguistic, social, and emotional processes and behaviors. In particular, researchers approached questions concerning cognitive processes, computational procedures, and neural mechanisms underlying the temporal organization of language and music, mainly from two perspectives: one was concerned with syntax or structural representations of language and music as neurocognitive systems (i.e., an intrapersonal perspective), while the other emphasized social interaction and emotions in their communicative function (i.e., an interpersonal perspective). The spring school not only acted as a platform for knowledge transfer and exchange but also generated a number of important research questions as challenges for future investigations.

Retrospective Evaluation of the Accuracy of Point of Care versus Central Laboratory Sodium Measurements at a Supra Maximal Care Hospital

Citation: Dolscheid-Pommerich, R.C., et al. Retrospective Evaluation of the Accuracy of Point of Care Versus Central Laboratory Sodium Measurements at a Supra Maximal Care Hospital. (2018) J Anesth Surg 5(1): 22-26. Received date: January 31, 2018 Accepted date: February 16, 2018 Published date: February 22, 2018 Ramona C. Dolscheid-Pommerich1*, Sarah Dolscheid2, Lars Eichhorn3, Birgit Stoffel-Wagner1, Ingo Graeff4

Method comparison of tumor markers assessed by LOCI™- and ECLIA-based technologies

Abstract Background: Since the introduction of luminescent oxygen channeling immunoassays (LOCI™)-based assays in the daily laboratory routine of tumor marker measurements, only a small number of method comparisons with established immunoassays have been published. We performed a method comparison between LOCI™-based tumor marker assays for Dimension™ VISTA and electrochemiluminiscent immunoassays (ECLIA) for Cobas™ e411, for α-fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), CA 125, CA 15-3, CA 19-9, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and free PSA (fPSA). Methods: Tumor markers were assessed in 1088 sera from routine diagnostics on the Dimension™ VISTA 1500 and Cobas™ e411 analyzers. Results: Strong correlations were achieved for PSA (r=0.999), AFP (r=0.994) and CEA (r=0.993). Results were quite comparable as only minor slopes of 1.05 (PSA), 1.02 (AFP) and 0.94 (CEA), respectively, were found. However, correlations for CA 125 (r=0.976), CA 19-9 (r=0.960), fPSA (r=0.950) and CA 15-3 (r=0.940) were only moderate, and considerable slopes were observed for these markers with higher values for CA 19-9 (slope 1.50) and lower ones for CA 15-3 (0.76), fPSA (0.75) and CA 125 (0.64), for Dimension™ VISTA 1500. Conclusions: We found excellent correlations and comparable values for AFP, CEA and PSA, but only moderate correlations for fPSA, CA 125, CA 15-3 and CA 19-9. The slopes for CA 19-9, CA 15-3, fPSA and CA 125 have to be considered when analysis methods for tumor markers are changed.