[Orthographic similarity or semantic relation? The origin of orthographic neighborhood size effects on the lexical decision to Japanese kanji words].

It is known that lexical decisions to Japanese kanji words get faster as the orthographic neighborhood size of the words grows. This study aimed to show that this facilitative effect of orthographic neighborhood size is due not only to orthographic similarity but also to semantic relationships between words and their neighbors. In the experiment, common and proper nouns each composed of two kanji characters were used as stimuli, the latter having no semantic relation to their neighbors. Lexical decision times for each type of noun were measured with large and small orthographic neighborhoods. The results showed that lexical decision times for both common and proper nouns with large neighborhoods were shorter than those with small neighborhoods, and that the difference was prominent for common nouns sharing their first characters with neighbors. These results suggest that the semantic relatedness of the first characters of Japanese kanji words and their neighbors also facilitates their lexical decision. Finally, variance of neighborhood effects on lexical decision among writing systems and the need to consider various kanji-specific factors are discussed.

Large submucosal hematoma after cold snare polypectomy for colorectal adenoma.

Cold snare polypectomy (CSP), for the treatment of colorectal polyps, has become widespread due to its low incidence of adverse events compared to that of endoscopic procedures such as endoscopic mucosal resection. However, we experienced a case of large hematoma development shortly after CSP for a colorectal adenoma despite no bleeding during the procedure. The patient underwent CSP for a 7-mm type Isp lesion in the ascending colon. She returned the following day because of hematochezia. Computed tomography showed a 70-mm, high-intensity mass in the ascending colon, consistent with the large hematoma that was detected by colonoscopy. Although the patient initially had right-sided abdominal pain, it gradually improved with conservative treatment. The hematoma decreased in size, and she was discharged 20 days after emergency admission. Although CSP can be a favorable alternative to more invasive procedures and is expected to be performed more frequently, adverse events, such as that described in this case, should be anticipated.

The effect of temporal uncertainty on negative priming.

The purpose of this study was to assess whether the temporal uncertainty of stimuli appearance influences negative priming. A simple reaction time measure of temporal uncertainty was introduced and showed that temporal uncertainty varied according to the response-stimulus interval (RSI). Using a design introduced by Conway in 1999 for manipulating RSIs, temporal uncertainty was shown to be measurably different for different RSI conditions, even across conditions which previous research had assumed to be equal in temporal uncertainty. This difference in temporal uncertainty partially accounted for differences in negative priming between conditions. An important implication is that research in negative priming generally should take account of temporal uncertainty, for example, by using the simple reaction time measure used here.