Gaze behavior in analytical and holistic face processing

We conducted two experiments examining children's and adults' gaze behavior when processing faces analytically (focusing on a single feature) or holistically (comparing the overall similarity of the faces). Children 6-8 and 9-10 years of age and adults were instructed to assign schematically drawn faces in Experiment 1 and photos of real faces in Experiment 2 to two categories. The categories were constructed so as to allow either an analytical or holistic categorization of the faces. During all trials, gaze behavior was recorded from stimulus onset until reaction. The location and duration of the fixations used were analyzed. Whereas the holistic processors fixated the whole area of the eyes and nose most and longest independently of age, analytical processors showed a more feature-specific gaze behavior, focusing their fixations upon the particular feature used for subsequent processing. Thus, differences in analytical and holistic face processing can be detected early in gaze behavior-that is, at the visual encoding stage.

Task-Specific Knowledge of the Law of Pendulum Motion in Children and Adults

The present experiment investigated children and adults’ knowledge of the pendulum law under different task conditions. The question asked was whether adults and fourth-graders knew that the period of a pendulum is a function of pendulum length but is independent of its mass. The task was to judge the period on a rating scale (judgment task), to imagine the swinging pendulum and indicate the corresponding time interval (imagery task), or to adjust the period of a dynamically presented pendulum (perception task). Normative consideration of pendulum length as the only relevant factor was primarily found in the perception task and, for adults, in the imagery task, whereas in the judgment task, children and adults frequently considered the irrelevant dimension of mass. Most children showed poor imagery performance. Preceding adjustment (perception task) and rating (judgment task) had no differential influence on subsequent imagery performance.

[DRG and OPS-301: effects on the acquisition performance in radiology]

Reimbursement for inpatient services rendered based on comparable daily care rates, case-based flat rates, and special fees as practiced until now has been replaced by the system of diagnosis-related groups. Up until 2004, operation and procedure system (OPS 301) codes could be processed completely automatically by appropriate adaptation of the radiology information system (RIS). Because of further differentiation of OPS codes in the 2005 version, it is no longer possible to unambiguously determine OPS codes automatically. Our goal was to fulfill these additional requirements with as little extra effort as possible. In 36 of 2138 procedures during an observation period of 12 days, i.e., 4/day, manual input on the part of the radiology technical assistant and quality assurance by the diagnosing physician were necessary. This is only needed in complicated procedures for which the minor added effort is negligible in comparison to the entire effort expended for the procedure. We were thus able to achieve the goal of near automation of ascertaining OPS codes.

Myocarditis susceptibility in female mice depends upon ovarian cycle phase at infection

Female BALB/c mice were infected with coxsackievirus B3 in the diestrus, proestrus, estrus, or metestrus phases of the ovarian cycle. Cycle stage was determined by vaginal smear. All mice were killed 7 days after infection. Females infected in the diestrus and especially the proestrus phases developed myocarditis. CD4+ T cells expressing interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) infiltrate the myocardium in these two phases, whereas CD4+ T cells expressing IL-4 are more frequent during estrus. Cardiac virus titers were determined 15 h and 7 days after infection. No differences in virus titer were seen at 7 days. These studies show that natural hormone variations can have substantial effects on viral pathogenicity presumably due to hormone effects on the immune system.

Brief communication: birth month influences reproductive performance in contemporary women

BACKGROUND

Season of birth has been reported to affect later reproduction in samples of pre-modern women and contemporary men.

METHODS

To examine whether the effect of birth date is also valid in contemporary women, we investigated the association between birth month and measures of reproductive performance (number of live-born children, % childless individuals) in a representative sample of contemporary Austrian women.

RESULTS

Among reproducing women, birth month is significantly associated with the number of live-born children (n = 2839, P = 0.032). On average, women born in summer months have fewer children than women born during the remainder of the year. No association between birth month and the percentage of childless individuals was found.

CONCLUSIONS

As has been reported in pre-modern women, month of birth also appears to affect later reproduction in contemporary women.

Effects of season of birth on reproduction in contemporary humans: brief communication

BACKGROUND

At high latitudes the external environment varies with season, and therefore the season of birth may contribute to the developmental processes during the perinatal period.

METHODS

We investigated the association between birth season and measures of reproductive performance (offspring count, percentage childless individuals) in a contemporary sample of women and men.

RESULTS

In the male sample (n = 2342), men born in autumn had fewer offspring (mean 1.4 versus 1.62; P < 0.01) and a higher probability of remaining childless (32.6% versus 25.6%; P = 0.01) than men born in spring. The photoperiod at a male's birth was significantly positively correlated with his subsequent offspring count (P = 0.023). In the female sample, an association between birth season and reproduction was not found.

CONCLUSIONS

We assume that in men, among other seasonal factors, pre- or perinatal photoperiod might be involved in the underlying physiological mechanism.

Mikrogenetische Studien zum physikalischen Wissenserwerb von Kindern:

Zusammenfassung. In zwei mikrogenetischen Studien mit 7-jährigen Kindern wurde am Beispiel der Balkenwaagen-Aufgabe und mit Hilfe der Rule-Assessment-Methode untersucht, inwieweit intuitives physikalisches Vorwissen den Erwerb neuen physikalischen Regelwissens beeinflusst. In einem Vortest wurden jeweils solche Versuchsteilnehmer ausgewählt, welche bei Vorhersagen des Verhaltens der Balkenwaage ausschließlich die Gewichtsdimension beachteten (Regel I). In einer Trainingssitzung beobachteten sie dann entweder reguläre (mögliche) oder hierzu inverse (unmögliche) Ereignisse, in denen sich die Waage bei augenscheinlich gleichem Gewicht nach der Seite mit dem größeren bzw. kleineren Hebelarm neigte. In Experiment 1, bei dem in der Trainingsphase acht solcher Trials dargeboten wurden, lernten annähernd ebenso viele Kinder die inverse Berücksichtigung des Hebelarms (bei inversem Training) wie dessen reguläre Berücksichtigung (bei regulärem Training). Während der Lernphase machten die regulär trainierten Kinder jedoch häufiger korrekte Vorhersagen als die invers trainierten. In Experiment 2 wurde deshalb die Zahl der kritischen Trainingstrials auf zwei reduziert. Es ergab sich ein deutlicher, statistisch bedeutsamer Effekt zugunsten der regulären Trainingsbedingung. Unsere Ergebnisse bestätigen insgesamt die Annahme einer differentiellen Lernbereitschaft und liefern Evidenz für hypothesengeleitetes Lernen bei 7-jährigen Kindern.

The role of characteristic motion in object categorization

We report three experiments where we investigated the role of movement in object recognition. Previous studies have suggested a distinct and separate mechanism for object motion encoding, related to the action or motor-based system. To date, however, the role of an object's motion in long-term memory representations has not been explicitly tested. Here we were specifically interested in whether an object's characteristic motion patterns are integrated with static properties in an object's representation in memory. To that end, we used a simple categorization task where novel objects were categorized on the basis of two static (color and shape) and two dynamic (action and path) properties. The "action" of an object referred to its intrinsic motion pattern, whereas "path" referred to an object's extrinsic motion pattern (i.e., the route an object took). In Experiment 1, we found that all properties were relevant for categorization with the exception of path. This result was not due to path being less salient than other properties (Experiment 2). In Experiment 3, we found that when the action property was redundant that path was now used for categorization, suggesting that path was not used with action in Experiment 1 because of temporal order effects. Our findings argue for a cue-integrated model of object representation in memory.

When Is the Ball Going to Hit the Ground? Duration Estimates, Eye Movements, and Mental Imagery of Object Motion

Performance in 2 versions of a computer-animated task was compared. Participants either indicated the time of arrival of a target that rolled off a horizontal surface and fell--hidden from view--onto a landing point (production task) or judged flight time on a rating scale (judgment task). As predicted, performance was significantly better in the production task (Experiment 1), in which imagery of object motion probably replaced reasoning processes. Participants who exhibited eye movements suggesting mental tracking performed particularly well in the production task (Experiment 2). There was, however, no decrement in performance when participants were asked to fixate the point where the target disappeared. For motion duration estimations, eye movements seem to be only a by-product of mental tracking.

Oral subchronic toxicity of aqueous crude extract of Plantago australis leaves

The toxic effects of chronic oral administration (60 days) of aqueous crude extract (AE) of Plantago australis Lam. (Plantaginaceae) in rats at doses of 850 and 1700 mg/kg on biochemical (ALT, AST, creatinine, urea, glucose, alkaline phosphatase, total proteins and albumin), hematological (complete hemogram), and histopathological (heart, lung, liver, kidney, esophagus, stomach and gut) parameters were studied. All biochemical and hematological parameters were found to be in the normal range, but ALT in animals that received AE of 850 mg/kg was higher. Histopathological analysis of organs, especially the liver did not present alterations.

Cardiac MR in Robotic Heart Surgery for Preoperative Identification of the Target Vessel and Precise Port Placement - A Theoretical Model

BACKGROUND

The identification of the ideal anastomosis site and the proper port placement are critical for the success of closed-chest robotic surgery. We investigated a new systematic procedure for precise port placement for TECABs.

METHODS

We used trigonometry and a human thoracic model to determine the optimal working angles between anastomotic plane, instruments, and endoscope. We then applied the results to seven human subjects as follows: 1. A navigation grid was located extrathoracically before cardiac MR examination. 2. The ideal anastomosis site was defined with the MR. Intrathoracic distances and angles were computed with cardiac MR software and projected onto the thorax. 3. The ideal port placement points were marked on the thorax.

RESULTS

The optimal working angle between endoscope and instruments was 35 degrees. 0 degrees and 90 degrees angles were associated with a significant reduction in visualization, technical ease, quality and anastomosis time. The course of the LAD was identified in all seven volunteers with MR. Mean deviation of the endoscope port from the medioclavicular line was 4.3+/-2.1 cm and of the instrument ports from the anterior axillary line 8.4+/-2.4 cm.

CONCLUSIONS

Cardiac MR in combination with the navigation grid proved suitable for the visualization of coronary vessels for individually calculating port placement points on the thorax.

Effects of season, sex, and sample collection on concentrations of fecal cortisol metabolites in red deer (Cervus elaphus)

Seasonal variation, sex differences, and invasive sample collection may confound glucocorticoid measures as indices of stress. We investigated the effects of sex and season on glucocorticoid production on a non-invasive basis by measuring concentrations of cortisol metabolites in feces of undisturbed red deer (Cervus elaphus). Although feces can be collected easily, assignment to individuals is difficult. Anonymous fecal samples may cause overrepresentation of particular individuals thus introducing a source of error when estimating mean hormone levels within a population. We therefore examined the effects of collecting anonymous fecal samples on mean fecal cortisol metabolite levels. Neither sex nor sample collection mode significantly affected mean fecal cortisol metabolite concentrations in the studied population of red deer. Fecal glucocorticoid excretion varied seasonally with a peak during December and January. Out of several potential predictor variables investigated, minimum ambient temperature and snow proved to be the only factors exerting a significant effect on fecal glucocorticoid excretion. We suggest that high winter glucocorticoid levels may act via catabolic function during adaptation of deer to cold winter month when resources are limited.

Low-grade mucosa-associated lymphoma of the breast: radiological-pathological correlation

Primary breast lymphoma generally is a rare disease. We present a case of a low-grade mucosa-associated (MALT) lymphoma of the breast in a 32-year-old woman, a distinctive type of localized non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), which is very seldom located in the breast. We performed differential diagnosis and radiological-pathological correlation with regard to typical microscopic criteria and clinical relevance that apply for that special entity.

Osseous metastases in breast cancer: radiographic monitoring of therapeutic response

BACKGROUND

Standard radiographs are primary means of evaluation of therapy-induced changes of the skeletal structure in patients with breast cancer metastatic to the bone, but objective quantitation has been difficult to standardize.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Serial radiographs of therapy-induced changes in the structure of bone metastases secondary to breast cancer were analyzed in 274 patients over a period of 10 years and roentgenologic signs of tumor response evaluated with regard to a defined principal metastasis.

RESULTS

Indicators of regression were recalcification/reossification of primary osteolysis (11.6%), the formation of marginal sclerosis around the defect (13.5%) and lack of progression over a period of up to at least 12 months (10.5%). Reduction of sclerosis or structural loosening in primary osteosclerotic metastases (2.5%) may also be evidence of regression. Recurrence or progression of tumor was manifested by new metastases and/or increase in lesion size (56.9%) as well as development of lytic areas in primarily sclerotic or mixed metastases (2.5%). One hundred and one out of 157 patients with initially sclerotic or mixed metastases stayed stable or showed a response which lasted 12 months or longer. The duration of response in osteolytic lesions was less favourable. Irradiation and complex treatment (chemotherapy or hormonal therapy plus irradiation) was most often associated with a favourable objective response, 75%, which in 8 cases reflected nonprogression of disease, recalcification of primary osteolysis in 11 cases, the formation of marginal sclerosis around the defect in 8 lesions and disappearance of metastases in 1 case.

CONCLUSION

Standard radiographs are useful in the serial evaluation of the effectiveness of therapy for osseous metastases in that anatomic quantitation of lesions as well as the dynamic evolution of lytic lesions to blastic healing may be observed