RETRACTED ARTICLE: Considering the Relationship Between Language,Culture and Cognition to Scrutinize the Lexical Influences on Cognition

In this paper, we examine the interrelationships among language, culture, and cognition. The central notion that individuals with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds think differently is not far from our everyday experience. If you have had the opportunity to engage in a conversation with a person whose native language is not English, you may have found that communication breaks down at times and that some concepts are not easily translated into another language. Or if you happen to be a fluent bilingual or multilingual, you may agree with those bilinguals or multilinguals who mention that they think differently in each of their language. A number of intriguing questions arise here. Is there a particular style of thinking that is natural for speakers of each language? If so, is it possible for a person to think in a different way, one that is not natural for that individual? Is this style of thinking imparted by the language, the culture, or both? These and lots of other questions have engaged the attention of anthropologists, linguists and psychologists, but the point that we are going to explore is the lexical influences on cognition considering the relationship between language, culture and cognition.     

The effect of a psycho-educational intervention on weight management in obese military personnel

Obesity is a serious health problem for many population groups, including military personnel. Model-based health education programs have been shown to be effective in reducing weight. This study assessed the efficacy of an educational intervention based on a trans-theoretical model (TTM) targeting weight loss among active duty military. A single group experimental study using a before-after design was conducted in 49 military personnel with obesity. Constructs such as self-efficacy, decisional balance, stages of change, and processes of change as well as anthropometric measures including weight, waist circumference, and body mass index (BMI) were assessed at three times (baseline, 2 months after the intervention, and 4 months later). The intervention consisted of 10 educational sessions developed based on TTM constructs. At baseline, 30 (61%) and 19 (39%) persons were in the pre-action and action stages, respectively. By 2 months after the intervention, only 24 persons (49%) were in pre-action stages and 25 (51%) were in the action stages. Four months later, one (2%) and 43 (88%) were in pre-action and action stages. The mean changes in self-efficacy (25.7 ± 4.1 to 29.3 ± 2.4), decisional balance (9.2 ± 3.6 to 13.8 ± 1.9), total cognitive (74.7 ± 8.5 to 84.7 ± 6.3), and total behavioral change (60.8 ± 9.8 to 71.7 ± 7.8) were significantly different across the three time points. Reductions in weight (99.8 ± 10.4 to 93.0 ± 9.6), waist circumference (105.9 ± 14.2 to 100.2 ± 13.0), and BMI (32.5 ± 5.2 to 30.3 ± 4.5) from baseline to 4 months after the intervention were also significant (p < 0.05). An educational program based on TTM may be effective in reducing weight among obese military staff.     

The effect of acute stress exposure on ischemia and reperfusion injury in rat heart: role of oxytocin

Previous studies showed the protective effects of oxytocin (OT) on myocardial injury in ischemic and reperfused rat heart. Moreover, exposure to various stressors not only evokes sudden cardiovascular effects but also triggers the release of OT in the rat. The present study was aimed to evaluate the possible cardioprotective effects of endogenous OT released in response to stress (St), and effects of administration of exogenous OT on the ischemic-reperfused isolated heart of rats previously exposed to St. Wistar rats were divided into six groups: ischemia/reperfusion (IR); St: rats exposed to swim St for 10?min before anesthesia; St+atosiban (ATO): an OT receptor antagonist, was administered (1.5?mg/kg?i.p.) prior to St; St+OT: OT was administered (0.03?mg/kg?i.p.) prior to St; OT: OT was administrated prior to anesthesia; ATO was given prior to anesthesia. Isolated hearts were perfused with Krebs buffer solution by the Langendorff method and subjected to 30?min of regional ischemia followed by 60?min of reperfusion. The infarct size (IS) and creatine kinase MB isoenzyme (CK-MB) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in coronary effluent were measured. Hemodynamic parameters were recorded throughout the experiment. The plasma concentrations of OT and corticosterone were significantly increased by St. Unexpectedly St decreased IR injury compared with the IR alone group. OT administration significantly inhibited myocardial injury, and administration of ATO with St abolished recovery of the rate pressure product, and increased IS and levels of CK-MB and LDH. These findings indicate that activation of cardiac OT receptors by OT released in response to St may participate in cardioprotection and inhibition of myocardial IR injury.     

Believing In Twin Earth: New Evidence for the Normativity of Belief

According to many philosophers, the notion of belief is constitutively normative (Boghossian ( 2003 , 2005 ); Shah ( 2003 , 2006 ); Shah and Velleman ( 2005 ); Gibbard ( 2005 ); Wedgwood ( 2002 , 2007 )). In a series of widely discussed papers ( 1990 , 1992a , 1992b ), Terence Horgan and Mark Timmons have developed an ingenious ‘Moral Twin Earth’ argument against ‘Cornell Realist’ metaethical views which hold that moral terms have synthetic natural definitions in the manner of natural kind terms. In this paper we shall suggest that an adaptation of the Moral Twin Earth argument to the doxastic case – Doxastic Twin Earth – provides new evidence for the normativity of belief.     

The impact of religious cognitive behavioural therapy (RCBT) on general health among Iranians

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of religious cognitive behavioural therapy (RCBT) on general health among Iranians. This study was a randomised, single-blinded clinical trial from April 2017 to October 2017. One hundred forty-four Yazd citizens were selected using a cluster sampling method and randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. The experimental groups received 10 sessions of RCBT, lasting 45 minutes once a week and the control group remained on the waiting list. The results showed that mean general health scores in the experimental groups were significantly lower than those in the control group on the post-test. RCBT had the most positive impact on somatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia, social dysfunction, depression, and mental health. Based on these findings RCBT can be considered a significant and effective practical therapy for improving both general and psychological health.     

Avicenna on the Primary Propositions

Avicenna introduces the primary propositions (or the primaries, for short) as the most fundamental principles of knowledge. (In this paper, we are not primarily concerned with the primary/first intelligibles as concepts/conceptions.) However, as far as we are aware, Avicenna’s primaries have not yet been independently studied. Nor do Avicenna scholars agree on how to characterize them in the language of contemporary philosophy. It is well-known that the primaries are indemonstrable; nonetheless, it is not clear what the genealogy of the primaries is (§2), how, epistemologically speaking, they can be distinguished from other principles (§3), what their phenomenology is (§4), what the cause of the assent to them is (§5), how to explain the relationship between the ‘innate [nature] of the intellect’ and the primaries (§6) and, finally, back to their indemonstrability, in what sense they are ‘indemonstrable’ (§7). We will try to fill this gap. As a corollary, we will explain why Gutas’s view [Gutas, Dimitri. 2012. ‘The empiricism of Avicenna’, Oriens, 40, 391–436], among others, according to which the primaries are analytic (in the Kantian sense) is not true in general (§8). More particularly, we will argue that some primary propositions can be categorized under Kantian synthetic a priori, consistent with Black’s and Ardeshir’s conjecture [Black, Deborah L. 2013. ‘Certitude, justification, and the principles of knowledge in Avicenna’s epistemology’, in Peter Adamson, Interpreting Avicenna: Critical Essays, New York: Cambridge University Press; Ardeshir, Mohammad. 2008. ‘Ibn Sīnā’s philosophy of mathematics’, in S. Rahman, T. Street, and H. Tahiri, The Unity of Science in the Arabic Tradition, New York: Springer]. We hope that this work opens up some space to study Avicenna’s philosophy of mathematics and logic in connection with his epistemology, philosophy of mind and metaphysics.     

Growth: A Journey from Experience to Higher Perception Among Iranian Muslim CPR Survivors

Several studies have been conducted among cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) survivors. Some studies have shown that positive and negative experiences coexist. Emotional distress and psychopathology in CPR survivors are related to the urgent need to make growth. Understanding the meaning of CPR survivors’ lived experiences of growth may facilitate their growth. The aim of the study was to illuminate the meaning of CPR survivor’s lived experiences of growth in southeast Iran. A qualitative design using a phenomenological hermeneutic approach influenced by Ricoeur was used in 12 CPR survivors. Three main themes emerged including: (1) opening up a new horizon in the meaning of life, (2) opening up a new horizon in the meaning of interpersonal connections and (3) opening up a new horizon in the meaning of God and spirituality. The interpreted comprehensive understanding conveyed a meaning that CPR survivors’ experience of growth seems to be like opening the doors of perception to the higher reality. The finding may assist other CPR survivors to learn from participants in this study. Exposure to suitable narratives under health care provider supervision could develop profound learning. Training sessions with an emphasis on meditation education and how to use connecting to God in the adaptation process may approve the quality of life of CPR survivors.

     

Comparative study of trait emotional intelligence and executive functioning among youth

This study investigated the relationship between trait emotional intelligence (TEI) and executive skills (ESs), and the differences between TEI and ESs among Malaysian and Iranian youths. In this study, 226 Malaysians and 248 Iranians completed the TEIQue-SF and Executive Skills Questionnaire. Hypotheses were tested with Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings indicated that TEI had significant predictions on ESs, depending on cultural contexts. Significant differences were found in the effects of TEI on ESs, including emotional control, metacognition, goal-directed persistence, response inhibition, planning/prioritization, sustained attention, stress tolerance, task initiation, and working memory among Malaysian and Iranian youth. No significant difference was found in the effects of TEI on ESs, including flexibility, organization, and time management across both groups. This study makes a unique contribution to emotional intelligence and executive functioning research literature by considering several ESs at the same time for personal development and promoting healthier lives. Comparison of the effect of TEI on ESs in the Malaysian and Iranian contexts using advanced analysis methods is one of the most important methodological contributions of the study.     

Spiritual Health and Outcomes in Muslim ICU Patients: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

The aim of the present study is to describe how religiosity and spirituality affect the psychiatric morbidity of Muslim intensive care unit (ICU) patients. We conducted a prospective nationwide cross-sectional study of ICU patients discharged from 45 medical centers spanning 31 proivinces in Iran. Adults (age ≥ 18 years) admitted to the ICU and treated with invasive mechanical ventilation were eligible. Nine validated survey tools were administered to detect direct and indirect associations between spiritual health (SH) and depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic disorder. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Impact of Event Scale—Revised (IES-R), Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome 14 question (PTSS-14) quality-of-life (QoL), and quality of patient to physician or nurse communication (PP-QoC and PN-QoC) scales were modeled through two mediators by structural equation modeling (SEM). Sex, ICU type, LOS, and APACHE II score were added in the independent variable list. 338 eligible patients were discharged from the ICUs during the study period. 56 were excluded (clinical status), and 282 were administered the survey. 278 returned it, with 272 complete and 6 partial responses. SH displayed no direct or indirect association to QoL. SH was indirectly associated with decreased depression and anxiety (B = ? 0.081, p < 0.05) via PP-QoC mediator. Both direct and indirect positive associations were observed between SH and IES-R (B = 0.293, p < 0.05; via PP-QoC) and PTSS-14 scores (B = 0.267, p < 0.001; via PP-QoC). Medical ICU location was associated with decreased PTSS-14 scores via the same mediator. In this survey of Muslim ICU patients treated with invasive mechanical ventilation, SH correlated with decreased depression and anxiety, but paradoxically increased post-traumatic stress. The most influential mediator was patient–physician quality-of-communication.     

Effectiveness of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy on Psychological Well-Being of People with Late Blindness

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) on improving the psychological wellbeing of people with late blindness. The design of this study was organized into pre-test, post-test and follow-up with two groups; experimental and control. After choosing qualified individuals, they were replaced into experimental and control groups at random (30 clients in each group). Pre-test was conducted for both groups. Thereafter, the experimental group received REBT training. Both groups, took part in post-test at the end of the training course. After 1 month, follow-up test was taken. Tools such as demographic particulars, IBT questionnaire, depression, anxiety and stress 21 inventory, Eysenck questionnaire were used for gathering information of the study. All the analytical process has been done by SPSS18 program. The scores of both groups (experimental and control groups) were not different significantly in pre-test. The scores gained by the experimental group in post-test showed a significant increase compared with the pre-test result. It proved the effectiveness of REBT with experimental group. And also, in comparing post-test with follow-up experimental group no significant difference were yield. So, as a result the effectiveness interference through group training of REBT with experimental group can be evaluated as constant. In control group there were no significant difference among the scores gained in pre-test, post-test and follow up. The findings of this research indicate the effectiveness of group coaching of REBT with enhancing the indices of psychological well being of people with late blindness.