On associations between computers and restaurants: rapid learning of new associations on a conceptual implicit memory test

A novel event-based conceptual implicit memory test was designed to tap the development of new associations between objects and ad hoc categories. At study, participants were presented with a plausible story that linked an incongruous object (computer) with an ad hoc category (restaurant). At test, participants judged whether a given object was typically found in a restaurant. In Experiment 1, judgment time was significantly slower for the incongruous object (computer) when the story had previously linked the computer to the restaurant, relative to when it had not. Experiment 2 replicated this effect and ruled out the alternative interpretation that this interference effect was attributable to a general slowing of responses to all studied items. Unlike in prior studies, this demonstration of associative priming cannot be attributed to perceptual priming or to test awareness in memory-intact participants. The paradigm therefore offers a unique opportunity to study single-trial conceptual learning in memory-intact and memory-impaired populations.

Recognizing objects seen from novel viewpoints: effects of view similarity and time

View combination refers to a process that allows generalization to novel views of an object by the combination of object views represented in memory. The present experiments examined whether the perceived similarity between views or the temporal separation of views poses constraints on the view combination process. The results indicated that, although similar views are mapped onto the same object more easily than dissimilar views, dissimilar views, when experienced contiguously in time, produce greater generalization after view combination than similar views. These findings suggest that although the mapping of dissimilar views to the same object is difficult, exposure to temporally contiguous dissimilar views produces better generalization than does exposure to similar views, presumably because they provide more structural information about the object. However, view combination appears to be constrained to views experienced contiguously in time.

Recognizing objects seen from novel viewpoints: effects of view similarity and time

View combination refers to a process that allows generalization to novel views of an object by the combination of object views represented in memory. The present experiments examined whether the perceived similarity between views or the temporal separation of views poses constraints on the view combination process. The results indicated that, although similar views are mapped onto the same object more easily than dissimilar views, dissimilar views, when experienced contiguously in time, produce greater generalization after view combination than similar views. These findings suggest that although the mapping of dissimilar views to the same object is difficult, exposure to temporally contiguous dissimilar views produces better generalization than does exposure to similar views, presumably because they provide more structural information about the object. However, view combination appears to be constrained to views experienced contiguously in time.

Antioxidants, lipid peroxidation and lipoproteins in primary hypertension

The antioxidants and lipid peroxidation products are being extensively studied because of their potential importance and pathogenetic role in several non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular diseases and cancer, but the data on hypertension is scanty. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the levels of lipid peroxidation and antioxidants besides dislipidemia changes among 32 newly diagnosed male hypertensives by comparing them with an equal sample of normotensives. Significant increase in serum lipid peroxide levels and decrease in antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase and vitamins E and A were observed among hypertensives than the controls. Hypertensives had higher total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, body mass index and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels than normotensives. The percentage prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and obesity was higher in study subjects. Obese hypertensives had significantly higher levels of lipid peroxides and lipids with no change in antioxidant status than normal-weight hypertensives. Our results suggest that hypertensive patients may have elevated lipid peroxidation, lipids and reduced protection from antioxidants, which may contribute to the propensity in such patients to develop cardiovascular diseases, and to correct this, antioxidant supplementation besides weight reduction may be helpful to reduce the severity of burden.

Generalization to novel views from view combination

Four experiments examined whether or not exposure to two views (A and B) of a novel object improves generalization to a third view (C) through view combination on tasks that required symmetry or recognition memory decisions. The results of Experiment 1 indicated that exposure to either View A or View B alone produced little or no generalization to View C on either task. The results of Experiment 2 indicated that exposure to both View A and View B did improve generalization to View C, but only for symmetrical objects. Experiment 3 replicated this generalization advantage for symmetrical but not asymmetrical objects, when objects were well learned at study. The results of Experiment 4 showed that Views A and B did not have to be presented consecutively to facilitate responses to View C. Together, the pattern of results suggests that generalization to novel views does occur through view combination of temporally separated views, but it is more likely to be observed with symmetrical objects.

Antigenic variation in Foot and Mouth Disease Virus type Asia 1 isolates circulated during 1993-95 in India

The antigenic variation in Foot and Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) is very high. The effective strategy to control the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in India which is a habitat of four serotypes O, A, C and Asia 1, is by regular vaccination, using the vaccine strain most suitable for the local situation. India is an endemic country with the disease being widely distributed. Selection of vaccine strain should therefore need the information on the circulating viruses. Asia 1 causes the second largest number of disease outbreaks in India. As there is no information available with respect to the extent of antigenic variation in FMDV type Asia 1, we have studied FMDV isolates from vaccinated and unvaccinated animals from different parts of the country and compared their relationship with Asia 1 vaccine virus. The immunogenic, hypervariable region of viral protein 1 (VP1) gene was amplified by RT-PCR and sequenced. Analysis of sequence data showed that the viruses from two field outbreaks of Southern India were closely related to each other when compared to the isolate from the North and all the three isolates are away from the vaccine virus.

Collaboration Technology for Rural Health-care

Health-care is a collaborative endeavor involving a number of individuals and organizations with diverse perspectives. Computer-supported collaboration technologies have great potential to enable health-care providers to improve the quality of care provided to their patients. Such technologies have the potential to overcome barriers to quality health-care in the small, scattered populations of rural areas. Rapid changes in technology are making it more and more possible for collaborative telemedicine to be a part of the practice of medicine. The World Wide Web has amply demonstrated that the globe has shrunk and information from afar is a mere mouse click away. However, the ease with which information is accessed along with the potential disclosure and misuse of personal information has raised serious concerns about the ability to restrict such information to legitimate accesses by duly authorized health-care providers. The authors present their experience in developing a health-care collaboration facility, ARTEMIS, which enabled Web-based access to electronic medical records, and provide a vision of their experiment to provide secure telemedicine for rural health-care practitioners.

Do vision and haptics share common representations? Implicit and explicit memory within and between modalities

Previous assessments of verbal cross-modal priming have typically been conducted with the visual and auditory modalities. Within-modal priming is always found to be substantially larger than cross-modal priming, a finding that could reflect modality modularity, or alternatively, differences between the coding of visual and auditory verbal information (i.e., geometric vs. phonological). The present experiments assessed implicit and explicit memory within and between vision and haptics, where verbal information could be coded in geometric terms. Because haptic perception of words is sequential or letter-by-letter, experiments were also conducted to isolate the effects of simultaneous versus sequential processing from the manipulation of modality. Together, the results reveal no effects of modality change on implicit or explicit tests. The authors discuss representational similarities between vision and haptics as well as image mediation as possible explanations for the results.

Experiences with ARTEMIS--an Internet-based telemedicine system

ARTEMIS is one of the first systems to exploit the Internet/Intranet technologies for exchanging patient information among health care providers. The primary project goal was to develop and demonstrate a regional telehealth environment specifically to support real-time consultations among health care providers via a computer network, provide secure access to multi-media patient records and discharge summaries, facilitate authentication/digital sign-off, multi-media mail-based referrals, and network-based dictation/transcription. A prototype is deployed in southern West Virginia in a Community Care Network (CCN). The CCN consists of providers, hospitals, clinics, laboratories, that make up one "Virtual" clinic on the "Intranet". ARTEMIS employs new technologies such as Java and JavaScript for the browser, and CORBA-based "middleware" for interoperability at the server-end. Several experiments were designed for evaluating the impact of ARTEMIS on patient care. In this paper we discuss the challenges we faced and the means by which we plan to meet these challenges. We conclude by outlining new thrust areas in which we are concentrating in our next phase of development of ARTEMIS.

Collaboration Technology for Rural Health-care

Health-care is a collaborative endeavor involving a number of individuals and organizations with diverse perspectives. Computer-supported collaboration technologies have great potential to enable health-care providers to improve the quality of care provided to their patients. Such technologies have the potential to overcome barriers to quality health-care in the small, scattered populations of rural areas. Rapid changes in technology are making it more and more possible for collaborative telemedicine to be a part of the practice of medicine. The World Wide Web has amply demonstrated that the globe has shrunk and information from afar is a mere mouse click away. However, the ease with which information is accessed along with the potential disclosure and misuse of personal information has raised serious concerns about the ability to restrict such information to legitimate accesses by duly authorized health-care providers. The authors present their experience in developing a health-care collaboration facility, ARTEMIS, which enabled Web-based access to electronic medical records, and provide a vision of their experiment to provide secure telemedicine for rural health-care practitioners.

A strategy for the development of secure telemedicine applications

Healthcare applications based on computer-supported collaboration technologies have the potential to improve the quality of care delivered to patients. Such applications can help overcome barriers to quality healthcare in the small, scattered populations of rural areas enabling telemedicine to be a part of the practice of medicine. However the growing concern about the potential for abuse through disclosure of personal health information to unauthorized parties has restricted the deployment and adoption of these potentially valuable tools. The authors, who built ARTEMIS--an Intranet healthcare collaboration facility, now describe their approach to develop secure telemedicine applications for rural healthcare practitioners.

Do vision and haptics share common representations? Implicit and explicit memory within and between modalities

Previous assessments of verbal cross-modal priming have typically been conducted with the visual and auditory modalities. Within-modal priming is always found to be substantially larger than cross-modal priming, a finding that could reflect modality modularity, or alternatively, differences between the coding of visual and auditory verbal information (i.e., geometric vs. phonological). The present experiments assessed implicit and explicit memory within and between vision and haptics, where verbal information could be coded in geometric terms. Because haptic perception of words is sequential or letter-by-letter, experiments were also conducted to isolate the effects of simultaneous versus sequential processing from the manipulation of modality. Together, the results reveal no effects of modality change on implicit or explicit tests. The authors discuss representational similarities between vision and haptics as well as image mediation as possible explanations for the results.

Size and reflection effects in priming: a test of transfer-appropriate processing

Prior research has suggested that priming on perceptual implicit tests is insensitive to changes in stimulus size and reflection. The present experiments were performed to investigate whether size and reflection effects can be obtained in priming under conditions that encourage the processing of this information at study and at test, as predicted by transfer-appropriate processing. The results indicate that priming was affected by a change in the physical size of an object when study and test tasks required a judgment about the real size of pictorial objects (e.g., deciding whether a zebra presented small or large on the screen was larger or smaller than a typical chair), and when the test task required the identification of fragmented pictures. However, a change in left-right orientation had no effect on priming when study and test tasks required a judgment about the left-right orientation of familiar objects, or when the test task involved the identification of fragmented pictures. This difference between size and reflection effects is discussed in terms of the differential importance of size and reflection information in shape identification.

Lipid peroxidation, antioxidant defences and red-cell membrane changes in relation to coronary risk index and symptomatic coronary heart disease

OBJECTIVE

To establish the normal lipoprotein profile in the population and identify the early warning signs of coronary heart disease (CHD).

DESIGN

Random blood sampling of healthy adults and patients with symptomatic CHD including that complicated with acute myocardial infarction.

METHODS

Plasma lipids, lipoproteins, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzymes and scavengers, red-cell membrane lipids and glycoproteins were assayed.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

The normal levels of plasma lipids and lipoproteins were established. Levels of plasma free fatty acids, fibrinogen, white blood cell counts, echinocytes, red-cell membrane lipids and protein-bound carbohydrate components are significantly higher in healthy subjects with coronary risk index above 4.5 than they are in normal individuals. Antioxidant defences appear to be the distinguishing factor, remaining higher in normal individuals and thus keeping lipid peroxidation under control. In symptomatic CHD, antioxidant defences are significantly lowered.

Representation of rotated objects in explicit and implicit memory

The effects of rotating familiar and novel objects in depth between study and test were explored on short-term recognition, long-term recognition, and priming tasks. Short-term recognition memory was not affected by rotation in depth when the study and test views shared the same visible parts. However, long-term recognition was sensitive to rotation, even when all the parts were visible in both views. Priming was also affected by rotation, but only when study and test views did not share the same parts, or when test views were generated from rotations greater than 67 degrees. Together, the results suggest that long-term recognition memory is mediated by representations that specify viewpoint in depth precisely, whereas priming is mediated by representations that are more broadly tuned with respect to orientation. Furthermore, the insensitivity of the short-term recognition memory task to rotation suggests the possibility that viewpoint-invariant descriptions are generated from multiple successive views.

The Marcus Gunn phenomenon: discussion and report of three cases

The Marcus Gunn phenomenon and Marin Amat syndrome (inverted Marcus Gunn phenomenon) are discussed, along with their associated features. Two patients exhibiting the Marcus Gunn phenomenon only and one patient exhibiting both the Marcus Gunn phenomenon and Marin Amat syndrome are described.

Representation of rotated objects in explicit and implicit memory

The effects of rotating familiar and novel objects in depth between study and test were explored on short-term recognition, long-term recognition, and priming tasks. Short-term recognition memory was not affected by rotation in depth when the study and test views shared the same visible parts. However, long-term recognition was sensitive to rotation, even when all the parts were visible in both views. Priming was also affected by rotation, but only when study and test views did not share the same parts, or when test views were generated from rotations greater than 67 degrees. Together, the results suggest that long-term recognition memory is mediated by representations that specify viewpoint in depth precisely, whereas priming is mediated by representations that are more broadly tuned with respect to orientation. Furthermore, the insensitivity of the short-term recognition memory task to rotation suggests the possibility that viewpoint-invariant descriptions are generated from multiple successive views.

An overview of the CERC ARTEMIS project

The basic premise of this effort is that health care can be made more effective and affordable by applying modern computer technology to improve collaboration among diverse and distributed health care providers. Information sharing, communication, and coordination are basic elements of any collaborative endeavor. In the health care domain, collaboration is characterized by cooperative activities by health care providers to deliver total and real-time care for their patients. Communication between providers and managed access to distributed patient records should enable health care providers to make informed decisions about their patients in a timely manner. With an effective medical information infrastructure in place, a patient will be able to visit any health care provider with access to the network, and the provider will be able to use relevant information from even the last episode of care in the patient record. Such a patient-centered perspective is in keeping with the real mission of health care providers. Today, an easy-to-use, integrated health care network is not in place in any community, even though current technology makes such a network possible. Large health care systems have deployed partial and disparate systems that address different elements of collaboration. But these islands of automation have not been integrated to facilitate cooperation among health care providers in large communities or nationally. CERC and its team members at Valley Health Systems, Inc., St. Marys Hospital and Cabell Huntington Hospital form a consortium committed to improving collaboration among the diverse and distributed providers in the health care arena. As the first contract recipient of the multi-agency High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) Initiative, this team of computer system developers, practicing rural physicians, community care groups, health care researchers, and tertiary care providers are using research prototypes and commercial off-the-shelf technologies to develop an open collaboration environment for the health care domain. This environment is called ARTEMIS--Advanced Research TEstbed for Medical InformaticS.