51
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Thurley K. Magnitude Estimation with Noisy Integrators Linked by an Adaptive Reference. Front Integr Neurosci 2016; 10:6. [PMID: 26909028 PMCID: PMC4754445 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2016.00006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2015] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Judgments of physical stimuli show characteristic biases; relatively small stimuli are overestimated whereas relatively large stimuli are underestimated (regression effect). Such biases likely result from a strategy that seeks to minimize errors given noisy estimates about stimuli that itself are drawn from a distribution, i.e., the statistics of the environment. While being conceptually well described, it is unclear how such a strategy could be implemented neurally. The present paper aims toward answering this question. A theoretical approach is introduced that describes magnitude estimation as two successive stages of noisy (neural) integration. Both stages are linked by a reference memory that is updated with every new stimulus. The model reproduces the behavioral characteristics of magnitude estimation and makes several experimentally testable predictions. Moreover, the model identifies the regression effect as a means of minimizing estimation errors and explains how this optimality strategy depends on the subject's discrimination abilities and on the stimulus statistics. The latter influence predicts another property of magnitude estimation, the so-called range effect. Beyond being successful in describing decision-making, the present work suggests that noisy integration may also be important in processing magnitudes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kay Thurley
- Department Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität MünchenMünchen, Germany; Bernstein Center for Computational NeuroscienceMunich, Germany
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52
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Limited capacity for memory tasks with multiple features within a single object. Atten Percept Psychophys 2015; 77:1488-99. [PMID: 25939700 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-015-0909-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Memory for multiple features might be limited by the number of features, the number of objects, or both. To focus on the role of features, we tested memory for a variable number of features within a single object. Subjects studied a single ellipse that varied in four features: size, orientation, contrast, and position. We conducted two experiments that differed in how memory was tested. If performance is limited only by the number of objects to be remembered, there should be no effect of the number of relevant features within a single object. Instead, for both experiments, the proportion correct was lower when four features had to be remembered rather than one. The magnitude of these effects varied with the details of the two experiments. Although similar results have been reported for experiments using multiple objects, the present experiments are some of the first to have demonstrated such an effect for a single object. This result is inconsistent with theories in which visual memory has a discrete limit on the number of stored objects, and no limit on the stored features within an object. Instead, it seems likely that objects and features both play roles in limiting performance in memory tasks.
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53
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Effects of stimulus order on discrimination sensitivity for short and long durations. Atten Percept Psychophys 2015; 77:1033-43. [DOI: 10.3758/s13414-015-0875-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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54
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Wiener M, Thompson JC. Repetition enhancement and memory effects for duration. Neuroimage 2015; 113:268-78. [PMID: 25818689 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.03.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2014] [Revised: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 03/19/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
Abstract
A remarkable aspect of conscious perception is that moments carryover from one to the next, also known as temporal continuity. This ability is thus crucial for detecting regularities, such as in speech and music, and may rely on an accurate perception of time. Investigations of human time perception have detailed two electroencephalographic (EEG) components associated with timing, the contingent negative variation (CNV) and late positive component of timing (LPCt); however, the precise roles of these components in timing remain elusive. Recently, we demonstrated that the perception of duration is influenced by durations presented on prior trials, which we explained by the creation of an implicit memory standard that adapts to local changes in sequence presentation. Here, we turn to the neural basis of this effect. Human participants performed a temporal bisection task in which they were required to classify the duration of auditory stimuli into short and long duration categories; crucially, the presentation order was first-order counterbalanced, allowing us to measure the effect of each presented duration on the next. EEG recordings revealed that the CNV and LPCt signals both covaried with the duration presented on the current trial, with CNV predicting reaction time and LPCt predicting choice. Additionally, both signals covaried with the duration presented in the prior trial but in different ways, with the CNV amplitude reflecting the change in the memory standard and the LPCt reflecting decision uncertainty. Furthermore, we observed a repetition enhancement effect of duration only for the CNV, suggesting that this signal additionally indexes the similarity of successive durations. These findings demonstrate dissociable roles for the CNV and LPCt, and demonstrate that both signals are continuously updated on a trial-by-trial basis that reflects shifts in temporal decisions.
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55
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Raviv O, Lieder I, Loewenstein Y, Ahissar M. Contradictory behavioral biases result from the influence of past stimuli on perception. PLoS Comput Biol 2014; 10:e1003948. [PMID: 25474117 PMCID: PMC4256013 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2014] [Accepted: 09/29/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Biases such as the preference of a particular response for no obvious reason, are an integral part of psychophysics. Such biases have been reported in the common two-alternative forced choice (2AFC) experiments, where participants are instructed to compare two consecutively presented stimuli. However, the principles underlying these biases are largely unknown and previous studies have typically used ad-hoc explanations to account for them. Here we consider human performance in the 2AFC tone frequency discrimination task, utilizing two standard protocols. In both protocols, each trial contains a reference stimulus. In one (Reference-Lower protocol), the frequency of the reference stimulus is always lower than that of the comparison stimulus, whereas in the other (Reference protocol), the frequency of the reference stimulus is either lower or higher than that of the comparison stimulus. We find substantial interval biases. Namely, participants perform better when the reference is in a specific interval. Surprisingly, the biases in the two experiments are opposite: performance is better when the reference is in the first interval in the Reference protocol, but is better when the reference is second in the Reference-Lower protocol. This inconsistency refutes previous accounts of the interval bias, and is resolved when experiments statistics is considered. Viewing perception as incorporation of sensory input with prior knowledge accumulated during the experiment accounts for the seemingly contradictory biases both qualitatively and quantitatively. The success of this account implies that even simple discriminations reflect a combination of sensory limitations, memory limitations, and the ability to utilize stimuli statistics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ofri Raviv
- The Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Interdisciplinary Center for Neural Computation, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
- * E-mail:
| | - Itay Lieder
- The Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Interdisciplinary Center for Neural Computation, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Yonatan Loewenstein
- The Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Interdisciplinary Center for Neural Computation, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
- Departments of Neurobiology and Cognitive Sciences and the Center for the Study of Rationality, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Merav Ahissar
- The Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Interdisciplinary Center for Neural Computation, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
- Departments of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
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56
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Matthews WJ, Meck WH. Time perception: the bad news and the good. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2014; 5:429-446. [PMID: 25210578 PMCID: PMC4142010 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2013] [Revised: 04/12/2014] [Accepted: 05/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Time perception is fundamental and heavily researched, but the field faces a number of obstacles to theoretical progress. In this advanced review, we focus on three pieces of 'bad news' for time perception research: temporal perception is highly labile across changes in experimental context and task; there are pronounced individual differences not just in overall performance but in the use of different timing strategies and the effect of key variables; and laboratory studies typically bear little relation to timing in the 'real world'. We describe recent examples of these issues and in each case offer some 'good news' by showing how new research is addressing these challenges to provide rich insights into the neural and information-processing bases of timing and time perception. WIREs Cogn Sci 2014, 5:429-446. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1298 This article is categorized under: Psychology > Perception and Psychophysics Neuroscience > Cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Warren H Meck
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke UniversityDurham, NC, USA
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57
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Wiener M, Thompson JC, Coslett HB. Continuous carryover of temporal context dissociates response bias from perceptual influence for duration. PLoS One 2014; 9:e100803. [PMID: 24963624 PMCID: PMC4071004 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0100803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2014] [Accepted: 05/29/2014] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent experimental evidence suggests that the perception of temporal intervals is influenced by the temporal context in which they are presented. A longstanding example is the time-order-error, wherein the perception of two intervals relative to one another is influenced by the order in which they are presented. Here, we test whether the perception of temporal intervals in an absolute judgment task is influenced by the preceding temporal context. Human subjects participated in a temporal bisection task with no anchor durations (partition method). Intervals were demarcated by a Gaussian blob (visual condition) or burst of white noise (auditory condition) that persisted for one of seven logarithmically spaced sub-second intervals. Crucially, the order in which stimuli were presented was first-order counterbalanced, allowing us to measure the carryover effect of every successive combination of intervals. The results demonstrated a number of distinct findings. First, the perception of each interval was biased by the prior response, such that each interval was judged similarly to the preceding trial. Second, the perception of each interval was also influenced by the prior interval, such that perceived duration shifted away from the preceding interval. Additionally, the effect of decision bias was larger for visual intervals, whereas auditory intervals engendered greater perceptual carryover. We quantified these effects by designing a biologically-inspired computational model that measures noisy representations of time against an adaptive memory prior while simultaneously accounting for uncertainty, consistent with a Bayesian heuristic. We found that our model could account for all of the effects observed in human data. Additionally, our model could only accommodate both carryover effects when uncertainty and memory were calculated separately, suggesting separate neural representations for each. These findings demonstrate that time is susceptible to similar carryover effects as other basic stimulus attributes, and that the brain rapidly adapts to temporal context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Wiener
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - James C. Thompson
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - H. Branch Coslett
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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58
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García-Pérez MA. Does time ever fly or slow down? The difficult interpretation of psychophysical data on time perception. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:415. [PMID: 24959133 PMCID: PMC4051264 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2014] [Accepted: 05/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Time perception is studied with subjective or semi-objective psychophysical methods. With subjective methods, observers provide quantitative estimates of duration and data depict the psychophysical function relating subjective duration to objective duration. With semi-objective methods, observers provide categorical or comparative judgments of duration and data depict the psychometric function relating the probability of a certain judgment to objective duration. Both approaches are used to study whether subjective and objective time run at the same pace or whether time flies or slows down under certain conditions. We analyze theoretical aspects affecting the interpretation of data gathered with the most widely used semi-objective methods, including single-presentation and paired-comparison methods. For this purpose, a formal model of psychophysical performance is used in which subjective duration is represented via a psychophysical function and the scalar property. This provides the timing component of the model, which is invariant across methods. A decisional component that varies across methods reflects how observers use subjective durations to make judgments and give the responses requested under each method. Application of the model shows that psychometric functions in single-presentation methods are uninterpretable because the various influences on observed performance are inextricably confounded in the data. In contrast, data gathered with paired-comparison methods permit separating out those influences. Prevalent approaches to fitting psychometric functions to data are also discussed and shown to be inconsistent with widely accepted principles of time perception, implicitly assuming instead that subjective time equals objective time and that observed differences across conditions do not reflect differences in perceived duration but criterion shifts. These analyses prompt evidence-based recommendations for best methodological practice in studies on time perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A. García-Pérez
- Departamento de Metodología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad ComplutenseMadrid, Spain
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59
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Dyjas O, Ulrich R. Effects of Stimulus Order on Discrimination Processes in Comparative and Equality Judgements: Data and Models. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2014; 67:1121-50. [DOI: 10.1080/17470218.2013.847968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
In typical discrimination experiments, participants are presented with a constant standard and a variable comparison stimulus and their task is to judge which of these two stimuli is larger (comparative judgement). In these experiments, discrimination sensitivity depends on the temporal order of these stimuli (Type B effect) and is usually higher when the standard precedes rather than follows the comparison. Here, we outline how two models of stimulus discrimination can account for the Type B effect, namely the weighted difference model (or basic Sensation Weighting model) and the Internal Reference Model. For both models, the predicted psychometric functions for comparative judgements as well as for equality judgements, in which participants indicate whether they perceived the two stimuli to be equal or not equal, are derived and it is shown that the models also predict a Type B effect for equality judgements. In the empirical part, the models’ predictions are evaluated. To this end, participants performed a duration discrimination task with comparative judgements and with equality judgements. In line with the models’ predictions, a Type B effect was observed for both judgement types. In addition, a time-order error, as indicated by shifts of the psychometric functions, and differences in response times were observed only for the equality judgement. Since both models entail distinct additional predictions, it seems worthwhile for future research to unite the two models into one conceptual framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Dyjas
- Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Germany
| | - Rolf Ulrich
- Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Germany
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60
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Aging and visual length discrimination: Sequential dependencies, biases, and the effects of multiple implicit standards. Vision Res 2014; 98:89-98. [DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2014.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2013] [Revised: 02/11/2014] [Accepted: 03/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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61
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The effects of type of interval, sensory modality, base duration, and psychophysical task on the discrimination of brief time intervals. Atten Percept Psychophys 2014; 76:1185-96. [DOI: 10.3758/s13414-014-0655-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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62
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Bausenhart KM, Dyjas O, Ulrich R. Temporal reproductions are influenced by an internal reference: explaining the Vierordt effect. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2014; 147:60-7. [PMID: 23896562 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2013.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2013] [Revised: 06/03/2013] [Accepted: 06/17/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Several findings from duration perception literature suggest that when making decisions about time, participants rely on an internal reference memory for time rather than merely on the current physical stimuli. According to a recent account, such an internal reference is formed by a continuous dynamic updating process that integrates duration information from previous trials and the current trial. In the present work, we show how such a dynamic mechanism can account for the classical yet unresolved Vierordt effect, which refers to the overestimation of relatively short and the underestimation of relatively long temporal intervals. We conducted an experiment to examine this and related predictions by means of a temporal reproduction task. Specifically, participants were presented with two successive time intervals - a standard s with constant duration and a comparison c with variable duration. Instead of performing a comparison judgment, however, the participants were subsequently cued to reproduce one of the two presented stimuli. Reproductions were affected not only by the temporal position of the to-be-reproduced stimulus, but also by the stimuli presented on earlier trials. These results support the notion of a dynamically updated internal reference underlying our judgments about the time elapsed, which might also be the basis of the Vierordt effect.
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63
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Bratzke D, Schröter H, Ulrich R. The role of consolidation for perceptual learning in temporal discrimination within and across modalities. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2014; 147:75-9. [PMID: 23906967 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2013.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2013] [Revised: 06/19/2013] [Accepted: 06/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Training people on temporal discrimination can substantially improve performance in the trained modality but also in untrained modalities. A pretest-training-posttest design was used to investigate whether consolidation plays a crucial role for training effects within the trained modality and its transfer to another modality. In the pretest, both auditory and visual discrimination performance was assessed. In the training phase, participants performed only the auditory task. After a consolidation interval of either 5 min or 24h, participants were again tested in both the auditory and visual tasks. Irrespective of the consolidation interval, performance improved from the pretest to the posttest in both modalities. Most importantly, the training effect for the trained auditory modality was independent of the consolidation interval whereas the transfer effect to the visual modality was larger after 24h than after 5 min. This finding shows that transfer effects benefit from extended consolidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Bratzke
- Cognition and Perception, Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Schleichstrasse 4, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Hannes Schröter
- Cognition and Perception, Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Schleichstrasse 4, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Rolf Ulrich
- Cognition and Perception, Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Schleichstrasse 4, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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64
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Duration perception of visual and auditory oddball stimuli: Does judgment task modulate the temporal oddball effect? Atten Percept Psychophys 2014; 76:814-28. [DOI: 10.3758/s13414-013-0602-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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65
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Adaptive psychophysical methods for nonmonotonic psychometric functions. Atten Percept Psychophys 2013; 76:621-41. [DOI: 10.3758/s13414-013-0574-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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66
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Shi Z, Church RM, Meck WH. Bayesian optimization of time perception. Trends Cogn Sci 2013; 17:556-64. [PMID: 24139486 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2013.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2013] [Revised: 09/19/2013] [Accepted: 09/19/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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