How to Stay on Task
“In many activities, it is difficult to maintain a high level of focus over time. Our research asks why this is the case,” said Matthew K. Robison, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Arlington. Although humans generally perform fine in situations that require sustained attention, they are often distracted, which can lead to inattention. Common distractions can be anything from thinking about a new romantic interest to reacting to a car honking. Most inattention has minor consequences like forgetting to forward an email or pick up an item at the grocery store. However, other inattention can lead to serious consequences, such as a train operator not reacting to an incident, a surgeon forgetting a step in an operation or an individual forgetting to turn off an oven.
“Sustaining attention can be easier said than done, as attention fluctuates(波动) across short and long intervals,” Robison said. One of the most common approaches to studying inattention has been to examine response time to a variety of tasks. For this study, Robison and colleagues employed more than 100 participants to complete reaction time tasks for about 25 minutes. In a standard control condition, participants were simply told to respond as quickly as possible on each trial. “In this condition, reaction times systematically increased across time, consistent with the idea that task focus was decreasing,” Robison said. “However, when we gave them specific goals to pursue and made those goals harder over time, they did not show that effect.”
The drop in concentration goes some way to explaining why we remember or forget the moment and why some people remember better than others. Robison and colleagues at the University of Oregon have also published a new study on maintaining attention. The results provide evidence that a simple and easily implementable change in behavior — setting specific goals for oneself — can significantly improve our ability to maintain task focus over time. “Setting a specific goal will increase sustained attention and reduce inattention,” said Robison based on his studies.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How to Stay Healthy in Autumn
In recent days, the weather in most regions is no longer hot, and people can relax and enjoy the cool autumn. However, there is a big gap in temperature in the morning and evening, and the air is also drier. All of these factors can lead to dry mouth and nose, sore throat, dry cough, dry hair loss and other symptoms. People are more likely to get sick during the seasonal change from summer through autumn. So, here are some tips to keep you healthy and comfortable into the winter months.
Do eat watery food. According to traditional Chinese medicine, autumn corresponds to the lungs of the human body.Pay attention to wet lungs in dry weather.The most convenient and easy way to protect lungs in autumn is to drink more water. In addition, you can adopt the diet therapy of traditional Chinese medicine, eating some watery food, like pear and duck meat.
Do have easily digested food. People’s spleen (牌) and stomach functions are weakened because of the raw and cold food they had during the long, hot summer. So in autumn, you should give your spleen and stomach a rest. For example,you can choose some nutritious food that is easy to digest to eat, such as fish and red bean.
Be sure to take vitamin supplements. Vitamins play an important role in the body’s immune system. The number and vitality of immune cells are related to vitamins when the body resists foreign invasion. It is recommended that you eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C, such as kiwi and oranges.
Sleep is an important means for people to restore their physical strength, ensure their health and enhance their immunity. In autumn, it is suggested that you go to bed at 9 pm, or try to fall asleep before 11 o’clock. If you sleep at this time, it is great for your body and you can get a good quality of sleep.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Living in the countryside?
Rolling hills and endless green pastures — those images are easy to conjure when thinking of the peaceful country lifestyle.
When lockdowns descended upon many countries across the world during the pandemic, social media seemed to be dominated by pictures of cottages and village life. So, why is living in the countryside becoming a modern fantasy — and are there benefits to considering a slower pace of life?
It makes sense that some people would want to give up the crowded and noisy city streets for the perceived tranquility of the traditional country life — especially during an event like a pandemic. The lockdowns and extensive periods of working from home have given people time to think about what they want from life. But it’s not just about having a greener place to look at out your window.
There is more evidence that relates to the benefits of rural living. Villages aren’t normally subject to the stop-go traffic we see in city centres, the buses fighting with taxis for dominance, or metro systems with trains that scream from one station to the next. In short, there’s less air pollution in your country retreat — a thing which increases the chances of developing respiratory conditions or heart disease. You also get more opportunities to take long walks and see the sights, meaning you can get more exercise. Less noise, more walks and better air can also lead to less stress and an increased life expectancy, according to studies such as one conducted by the British government in 2012.
However, there are some things that need to be considered.
Weather can be a large drawback when it comes to moving to the countryside. In some parts of the country, the winters bring blizzards and the spring brings torrential rains and flooding.
Living .far from the hustle and bustle of the city means that some, people may feel isolated or even lonely. And as people get older, life far from doctors or public transport could become a bit of a challenge.
So, if you’re considering a change of pace and moving to a picturesque village, there is a range of pros and cons to consider before taking the plunge.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
American College of Physicians 'stepped out of its lane" by placing gun control in medical education. Stanley Gold-farb, formerly the associate dean of curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, argued that teaching social justice issues and population health comes "at the expense of strict training in medical science" at a time when sub-specialists are in short supply. But many physicians, ourselves included, think social issues should be at the heart of medical education.
Formal medical school typically takes four years, followed by several years of residency（住院医生实习期）and often a fellowship（研究员职位）, and during that short time students have a wide range of competing requirements. They must learn complex biological and chemical pathways that explain diseases and health. They must be educated on how to read the the scientific literature and apply it to their patients. They must master many therapies and know how to adapt them to patients' varied diseases states. On top of all this, they must learn to communicate effectively and compassionately with patients and colleagues.
Being a good doctor also demands that we understand the reasons behind poor health. Our mission is not simply to diagnose, manage and treat. Physicians should act to prevent the root causes of illness and improve well-being. Physicians are trained to tackle problems at their root. System and structural-level social issues are also drivers of poor health, and it is our duty to address them. Medical training must evolve to produce doctors who are able to not only treat the individual but also understand the larger influencers of health -- of which gun violence is most emphatically one. As medical professors, we would fail our students -- and our patients - if we expected any less.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
