Word: buffer
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...saying, they start with a few primitive reflexes that get things going," says Sirois. For example, hardwired in the brain is an instinct that draws a baby's eyes to a human face. From brain-imaging studies we also know that the brain has some sort of visual buffer that continues to represent objects after they have been removed--a lingering perception rather than conceptual understanding. So when babies encounter novel or unexpected events, Sirois explains, "there's a mismatch between the buffer and the information they're getting at that moment. And what you do when...
...stress in all the wrong ways. A November survey by the advocacy group Mental Health America found that we frequently deal with chronic stress by watching television, skipping exercise and forgoing healthy foods. The problem with these coping mechanisms is that they keep you from doing things that help buffer your stress load--like exercising or relaxing with friends or family--or add greater stress to your body. Indeed, using many of our most cherished time-saving gadgets can backfire. Cell phones and mobile e-mail devices--to give just two examples--make it harder to get away from...
...rules change, when what used to work doesn't anymore, your ability to reason takes a hit. Just being aware of your nervous system's built-in bias toward learned helplessness in the face of unrelieved stress can help you identify and develop healthy habits that will buffer at least some of the load...
...experiment" with the unfortunate Xiang Xiang was the start of a program aimed at returning captive-bred pandas to the wild. But critics say the park is barely able to support the existing population. And, although he says some animals might be introduced into what are now buffer areas around the park, Fan notes that the pressure on the protected zone from factories, roads and human habitation is immense and likely to keep growing. He also concedes that, except for ungulates like deer and antelopes, rehabilitation programs are notoriously unsuccessful, with the animals rarely able to shake their dependency...
...Belgian nationality is a recent invention. The country was born in 1830 when the southern, Catholic provinces of the Netherlands broke off with the support of other European powers eager to have a neutral buffer between France and the German principalities. The southern region of the country was for more than a century the richer part, with steel mills, coal mines and the cultural hegemony of the French language; the Flemish spoken in the north was considered little more than a peasant patois. But since the Second World War, Flanders has moved ahead, with higher income, lower unemployment...