Extending the perception of shape from known to unknown shading

Two experiments are reported which demonstrate the effects of light-source position as an intervening variable upon the perception of relief in pictures. In the first experiment, it is shown that the pattern of light (attached shadow) falling upon forms that can be recognized as having unambiguous surface relief (concave and convex parts) influences the perception of forms with ambiguous surface relief. In the second experiment it is demonstrated that cast shadows may also determine the interpretation of ambiguous relief. These findings suggest that light-source position, implicitly or explicitly, mediates the interpretation of surface relief in pictures.

Receptor-dependent and independent degradation of insulin by isolated swine adipocytes at 37 C

Insulin binding and degradation were measured at 37 C in isolated swine adipocytes. In preliminary experiments, binding decreased rapidly with increasing incubation time. This was associated with a marked increase in insulin degradation. Insulin binding was suppressed by some lots of bovine serum albumin (BSA), which suggests that some commercial preparations of BSA are contaminated with insulin-like molecules. In adipocyte suspensions, greater than 90% of the insulin degraded was due to a nonreceptor mediated process (i.e., insulin degrading activity present in the media). Despite the presence of insulin degrading activity in the media the cells were metabolically (as judged by lipogenic capacity and lactic dehydrogenase activity) and morphologically (greater than 98% excluded trypan blue) intact indicating that the cells were not leaking during the incubation. In subsequent experiments it was found that the specific step associated with transfer of cells during adipocyte isolation resulted in the release of insulin degrading activity. Implementation of a 30-min preincubation and washing sequence after adipocyte isolation removed the media insulin degrading activity, resulting in a marked reduction (approximately 70%) of insulin degradation by adipocyte suspensions. As a result of this modification, binding of tracer quantities of insulin attained steady-state binding conditions and maintained this for 2 h. These results demonstrate that techniques can be used to minimize nonreceptor mediated insulin degradation in adipocyte suspensions. As a result in vitro studies can be conducted that measure insulin binding and biological action in swine adipocytes at physiological temperatures.

Form and depth in global stereopsis

Three experiments were performed to investigate the role of vergence and the relationship between form and depth processes in global steropsis by comparing global and classical stereopsis. In the first experiment, the speed of stereoscopic resolution as a function of initial fixation-target distance was measured to discover the role of vergence in stereopsis with the random-dot and contoured stereograms. In the second experiment, the accuracy of form and depth discrimination as a function of fixation-target distance was measured using brief stimulus exposure (150 ms) to examine the nature of form and depth processing in global stereopsis. In the third experiment, the speed of resolving random-dot stereograms in the presence or absence of juxtaposed contoured stereograms was observed to examine the interaction of global stereopsis and classical stereopsis. The conclusions of these studies are summarized as follows: First, vergence plays a critical role in the solution of the random-dot stereograms but not in the solution of contoured stereograms. Second, performance with the contoured stereograms is better than with the random-dot stereograms in terms of both speed and accuracy. Third, in random-dot stereograms, discrimination of form is independent of and more accurate than discrimination of depth. Fourth, again for random-dot stereograms, the disparity of target relative to fixation systematically affects discrimination of form but not discrimination of depth. Fifth, a rapid reduction in reaction time over practice occurs for both types of stereograms. Finally, strong interference with the solution of the random-dot stereograms by the monocular contour occurs when the two kinds of stimuli are present simultaneously.

Risk factors related to ischemic and hemorrhagic cerebrovascular disease at autopsy: the Honolulu Heart Study

This study of cerebrovascular lesions at autopsy among Hawaiian Japanese men identifies similar risks factors for cerebral infarction and hemorrhage that have been identified in a previous incidence study. Demonstrated differences were essentially the same whether subjects with these tissue changes were compared to men showing no central nervous system disease at autopsy or when they were compared with men still alive. Cerebral infarcts accompanied myocardial infarction (CHD) in 58% of autopsy cases and were associated with CHD risk factors (high serum cholesterol, hypertension, severe atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries and aorta). These associations did not persist when CHD cases were removed from the analysis, indicating there were two subsets of men with cerebral infarction. Hypertension was strongly associated with hemorrhagic disease, as were cigarette use and alcohol consumption.

Light source position in the perception of object shape

The apparent relief of monocularly viewed surfaces reversed when the order of light and shade was reversed relative to the position of a lamp observed the moment earlier. The pattern of shading was reversed either by illuminating from a direction opposite to that of the apparent direction of illumination or by inverting the illuminating image relative to the light source. The combination of both of these manipulations restores the original juxtaposition of light source and shading and reestablished accurate perception of relief. These results demonstrate that the perception of the relief of physical surfaces depends upon the remembered position of an apparent light source.

Temporal nature of insulin binding and insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism in isolated swine adipocytes

Insulin binding and insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism were measured in swine adipocytes isolated from adipose tissue obtained by biopsy on 4 successive days. These characteristics were also measured in adipose tissue obtained on the 5th d immediately after exsanguination. Binding of 125I-insulin was measured at three different concentrations of unlabeled insulin (0, 1, 100 ng/ml) on each day. Specific binding (pg bound . 2 X 10(5) adipocytes-1 X 90 min-1) was not different (P greater than .05) for each insulin concentration among the 5 d. Specifically bound insulin increased (P less than .05) with increasing insulin concentration. The effects of insulin (0, 1, 100 ng/ml) on glucose oxidation and glucose conversion to lipid were also examined in biopsy (B) and postmortem (PM) adipocytes. For a respective insulin concentration, there was no difference in glucose oxidation or lipid synthesis over the 5-d (four B, one PM) sampling period. Lipid synthesis was stimulated by the presence of insulin (P less than .05; 1 and 100 ng/ml) when compared with basal incubations; however, glucose oxidation was unaffected by the presence of insulin. There was no difference in lipid synthetic rates between 1 and 100 ng/ml of insulin. The responsiveness of glucose oxidation and lipid synthesis to insulin in PM samples was identical to that for adipocytes from B samples. These results indicate: 1) that glucose metabolism and insulin binding to adipocytes isolated from swine adipose tissue obtained by biopsy did not differ from that in tissue samples obtained shortly after death and 2) that insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism and insulin binding did not fluctuate appreciably over a 5-d period when adipose tissue was obtained at the same time each day.

Lesser gastric curvature and fundus myotomy. Experimental and clinical studies

To eliminate successfully the undesirable side effects of the highly selective vagotomy, we developed a new, simpler type of vagotomy. As it was thoroughly demonstrated in dogs, myotomy of the lesser gastric curvature and fundus of the stomach denervates the parietal cell mass. Preoperative and postoperative acid studies were carried out with histamine phosphate (0.4 mg/kg given intramuscularly) and insulin injection (0.2 units/kg given intravenously). After myotomy, the curve was shifted to the right in response to histamine; insulin response was completely abolished. These results provided the basis for the treatment of duodenal ulcer in a human patient and confirmed that the operation is capable of producing satisfactory secretory inhibition. Our early experimental and clinical results have been encouraging. Therefore, we support further investigation regarding clinical application of this method in the treatment of chronic duodenal ulcers.

Induced abortion and spontaneous fetal loss in subsequent pregnancies

The effect of induced abortion on spontaneous pregnancy loss in subsequent pregnancies was studied based on 3,416 pairs of matched data in a follow-up investigation. Pregnancy outcome was examined also in relation to abortion procedure, gestation length at time of abortion, and number of previous abortions. In general there was no significant association between prior induced abortion and risks of pregnancy loss with the relative risks of 1.10, 0.88, and 0.81 for the first to third trimester respectively. A slight increase of first-trimester spontaneous loss was noted with the D&C/Suction procedure and early induced abortion (less than 9 weeks). The D&C procedure was associated with non-significant increase of second-trimester loss with the relative risk of 1.59.

Induced abortion and ectopic pregnancy in subsequent pregnancies

In a prospective study the rate of ectopic pregnancies of women with prior induced abortion was contrasted to two sets of comparison groups: a large set of unmatched observations and a smaller subset of matched and refined data. The crude rates of ectopic pregnancy among 4004 abortion and 98,316 control pregnancies, excluding repeat pregnancies of the same women, were 0.57% and 0.49%, respectively. No significant association was detected between history of induced abortion and ectopic pregnancy based on the chi 2 analysis on unmatched data stratified by maternal age and marital status (relative risk = 1.18, 95% confidence limits (CL) 0.57-1.79) or the multivariate logistic regression analysis on the smaller set of data (relative risk = 1.34, 95% CL 0.66-2.72). Within pregnancies of the induced abortion group the risk of ectopic pregnancy was not related to abortion procedure, use of laminaria, number of prior induced abortions, or length of gestation at time of abortion. However, there was a clear association between the presence of post-abortion infection or retained secundines and ectopic pregnancy with a fivefold increase for those pregnancies of women with a history of these complications over those without these complications within the induced abortion cohort.

Preparation, characterization, and insulin sensitivity of isolated swine adipocytes: comparison with adipose tissue slices

The technique of Rodbell (J. Biol. Chem. 239: 375) was modified considerably in order to isolate swine adipocytes without rupturing large cells. Cell size and diameter distributions were the same for adipocytes fixed with OsO4 following isolation with collagenase and adipoctes liberated from OsO4-fixed adipose tissue slices. Lipogenic rates were greater for isolated adipocytes compared with thin adipose tissue slices at low (0.5 mM) and high (10 mM) glucose concentrations (cells = 307 and 1100; slices = 139 and 744 nMoles glucose leads to lipid/10(6) cells/hr for 0.5 and 10 mM glucose, respectively, P less than 0.001). Similar differences were found for glucose oxidation. Sensitivity to insulin was determined by measuring the stimulation of lipogenesis and glucose oxidation in the presence of 0, 1, 5, 25, and 100 ng/ml of purified porcine insulin at low (0.5 mM) and high (10 mM) glucose concentrations. Relative to basal incubations, the addition of insulin caused similar increases in glucose oxidation and lipogenesis for isolated adipocytes and adipose tissue slices when glucose concentration was 10 mM. These results indicate 1) that isolated swine adipocytes can be prepared without alterations in cell size or diameter distribution, and 2) that isolated adipocytes have higher rates of glucose oxidation and lipogenesis from glucose even though they retain a similar in vitro sensitivity to insulin.

Perceptive field sizes and a new version of the Hermann grid

The Hermann grid has been explained in terms of concentric receptive fields and also used to determine the size of centers and surrounds in perceptive fields in humans. A new figure, which is simply the outlines of the squares of the Hermann grid, shows that receptive fields having a range of excitatory and inhibitory sizes may be responsible for the Hermann illusion.

Preconception radiation, intrauterine diagnostic radiation, and childhood neoplasia

Diagnostic X-ray examinations as a potential risk for neoplasia were investigated in a prospective study of 55,908 women who participated in the Collaborative Perinatal Project of the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke. The X-ray exposure histories of 145 mothers whose children developed neoplasms and 290 matched controls were examined. Of the childhood neoplasms, 40 were malignant and 105 were benign. Generally, the data were consistent with increased risk of malignant neoplasms among children of women exposed to X-rays before and during pregnancy, with a somewhat higher relative risk estimate for preconception exposure. No significant association of X-ray exposure and benign neoplasms was detected.

The effect of induced abortion on the incidence of Down's syndrome in Hawaii

There was a decrease in the recorded number of cases and in the incidence rate of Down's syndrome in Hawaii between 1963-1969 and 1971-1977. Independent of all other factors, induced abortion accounted for 43 percent of the decline in the number of cases, based on the assumption that a substantial number of clandestine abortions were being performed in Hawaii before the 1970 legalization of abortion. However, if we assume that very few illegal abortions were performed prior to 1970, there would have been an actual 3.5 percent increase in the number of cases of Down's syndrome in the absence of legal abortion. Declining pregnancy rates and decreasing age-specific incidence rates of Down's syndrome also contributed to the drop in the number of cases between 1963-1969 and 1971-1977.

Segregation analysis of schizophrenia under a mixed genetic model

Family data were collected on a multi-ethnic cohort of hospitalized schizophrenics in Hawaii in 1942. Results showed that prevalence rates for Orientals were significantly higher (p less than 0.001) than rates for Caucasians, Polynesians and others. Complex segregation analysis using a generalized mixed genetic model was performed on 507 sibships collected under both complete and incomplete selection. Likelihood ratio tests between the generalized model and two subhypotheses of a major gene effect and a polygenic effect revealed that neither subhypotheses could be rejected at the 5% level of significance. While neither hypothesis could be adequately supported by the likelihood ratio test, certain aspects of the findings suggest a preference for the multifactorial model in explaining the inheritance of schizophrenia in these data.

Completeness and accuracy of reporting induced abortions performed in Hawaii's hospitals, 1970--74

This study examined the completeness and accuracy of reporting induced abortions to the official agency by following up documented cases of abortions performed in hospitals in Hawaii for the years 1970--74. The following two sets of records were initially linked by computer on the basis of first name, maiden name, date of the event, age, and ethnic background: (a) a total of 18,531 induced abortions ascertained in hospitals with complete linking information and (b) official fetal death and live birth records filed at the State health department. Overall, 96.1 percent of the hospital abortions were matched in the official certificates. Of 17,550 abortions classified as elective, 98.7 percent were so recorded in the certificate file, whereas the remainder were reported as mostly either therapeutic or unknown for cause of fetal death. When the probability of matches for those abortions without complete linking information and possible errors in the information were considered, the estimates of underreporting to the health department were a maximum of 3.9 percent and a minimum of 1.2 percent; the mean value was 2.6 percent. The extent of underreporting of induced abortions is becoming serious with the widespread practice of abortion procedures in nonhospital institutions in recent years. The results of the study also demonstrated the utility of the record-linkage process in checking data for completeness and accuracy or studying separate vital events on the same persons.

Women who obtain repeat abortions: a study based on record linkage

The proportion of induced abortions in a year that are repeat procedures rises over time, but this rate is as low as can be expected given the shortcomings of currently available contraceptives. There is no evidence that women substitute abortion for contraception. Teenagers and poor women have greater difficulty avoiding unwanted pregnancies.

Genetic and environmental determinants of periodontal disease

Reanalysis of data on periodontal disease in 241 families [Chung et al, 1977b], based on an extended and more satisfactory path model [Rao et al, 1979], failed to detect significant heritability, and concluded in favor of cultural inheritance only, without maternal effects or intergenerational differences. The most parsimonious hypothesis yields a relative variance component of 0.338 +/- 0.024 due to indexed environment for both children and adults, the remainder (1.0--0.338 = 0.662) being due to residual nongenetic factors.

A genetic and epidemiologic study of periodontal disease in Hawaii. II. Genetic and environmental influence

In order to determine the relative influence of genetic and environmental factors in periodontal disease, path analysis has been applied to 241 nuclear families. Common family environment was represented by an index. The data failed to detect significant heritability, and common family environment proved to be a major determinant in the variation of periodontal health.

Dental plaque and dietary intakes in schoolchildren in Hawaii

Plaque formation on the teeth as measured by the number of teeth with a heavy plaque accumulation was found to be influenced by diet. Accumulation of plaque was enhanced by the frequent consumption of food items such as sweet rolls, sweet breads, manapua, and poi. All of these are characterized by their sucrose content and stickiness. However, fruit drinks were shown to have a retarding effect on plaque growth. The information on the amount of plaque had little relationship with the dental caries status of the subjects, whereas it was significantly associated with periodontal health.

Effect of premature loss of deciduous canines and molars on malocclusion of the permanent dentition

The effect of the premature loss of deciduous canines and first and second molars on malocclusion of the permanent dentition was studied in 255 schoolchildren 11 years of age or older at the most recent examination of the permanent dentition. Malocclusion was evaluated by scoring malalignment (major and minor) and measurement of crowding in the anterior teeth. Children who had a premature loss of one or more canines or molars had a higher frequency of receiving orthodontic treatment of one type or another for the permanent dentition. The likelihood of need of treatment increased with the number of prematurely lost teeth. Children who had lost one or more deciduous teeth through age 9 had a greater than threefold increase in the frequency of orthodontic treatment relative to the control. Of those who did not receive orthodontic treatment, there was no detectable relationship of the premature loss of canines with the malalignment of permanent teeth. However, there was a significant effect of the premature extraction of molars on malalignment especially major malalignment of permanent teeth. No differences were noted in their effects between the first and second deciduous molars. Crowding of the anterior teeth was directly affected by the premature loss of deciduous canines.

Do American born Japanese children still grow faster than native Japanese?

Growth patterns of Japanese schoolchildren in Hawaii, composed of 2,954 boys and 3,213 girls aged between 11 and 17, were compared with those comparable groups of Japanese schoolchildren in Japan based on the data published by the Japanese Ministry of Education. Growth characteristics studied were height, weight, and relative weight index, weight/(height). The Hawaii-Japanese boys were taller at early ages but the difference disappeared by age 16. Native Japanese girls were shorter than Hawaii-Japanese until age 13, but they overtook the latter by age 14, exceeding them in height after age 15. A similar pattern was found in weights of girls but the Hawaii-Japanese boys remained consistently heavier by 5.0 to 9.0 kg than native Japanese. The relative weight measure indicated that the Hawaii boys were more "obese" than native Japanese boys for the growth period studied; whereas the same tendency was maintained until age 15 in girls. These observations indicate a marked degree of convergence of the patterns of physical growth of the two populations, whose differences were unmistakably in favor of American born children in earlier studies. It is concluded that the convergence is due largely to the improved environmental conditions in Japan in recent years.

Diabetes mellitus: discrimination between single locus and multifactorial models of inheritance

Family data from 6,559 diabetic propositi were analyzed using the method of complex segregation analysis in an attempt to discriminate the two models of two-allele single-locus inheritance and multifactorial inheritance for early, middle, and late onset diabetes. The three parameters in the single locus model were: degree of dominance, penetrance, and proportion of phenocopies. In early onset diabetes, the heritability estimated from the multifactorial model was so high as to inidcate major gene action. In middle and late onset diabetes, best fitting single-locus models were found to explain the data as well as the multifactorial model.

Genetic and epidemiologic studies of oral characteristics in Hawaii's schoolchildren: V. Sibling correlations in occlusion traits

Sibling correlations with adjustment for age, sex, and other covariates showed the highest degree of similarity in incisor width, followed by malalignment, overjet, overbite, crowding, spacing, and crossbites. The smallest intrafamily correlations were observed in the variables in buccal segment relationship, especially in neutroclusion and idealized occlusion pattern.

Racial variation in diabetes mellitus in Japanese and Caucasians living in Hawaii

Comparisons were made between diabetic and control groups in Japanese and Caucasians living in Honolulu, Hawaii. The study was performed on the multiphasic screening records of 109 diagnosed diabetics and 173 healthy controls in Japanese, and 69 diagnosed diabetics and 326 healthy controls in Caucasians. Discriminant function analysis was employed with relevant anthropometric, medical, and biochemical variables. The common set of significant discriminant variables were: diabetic sib, a history of high blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, urine sugar, glucose over 190 mg%, and serum glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase, with age and sex effects fitted. The data suggested that heterogeneity exists between the two racial groups in the relationships of some of these variables with the disease.

Genetic and epidemiologic studies of oral characteristics in Hawaii's schoolchildren: dietary patterns and caries prevalence

The relationship between the frequency of eating various foods and caries was studied in 910 eighth grade students of different races in Hawaii. There was a significant positive association between the frequency of candy and gum intake and DMF teeth. Racial differences still persisted after accounting for the dietary variation.