Behavioural and electrophysiological correlates of lightness contrast and assimilation.

Lightness contrast and assimilation are opposite phenomena: in contrast grey targets appear darker when bordering bright rather than dark surfaces; in assimilation grey targets appear lighter when bordering bright rather than dark surfaces. The underlying neurophysiological mechanisms of these phenomena are not known. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between contrast and assimilation, and the timing and levels of perceptual and cognitive processing using combined behavioural and electrophysiological methods. Thirty undergraduate students (23 female, age range 18-48 years) participated in a forced-choice (grey target is lighter/darker than a comparison square) task, using stimuli designed such that the inducers were in two configurations (small and large) and two shades (white and black). The behavioural data (more consistent and faster responses) corroborated previous findings of stronger contrast effects with white inducers and stronger assimilation effects with black inducers. According to the Event-Related Potentials (ERP) results the mean amplitude was larger in conditions with less consistent and slower behavioural responses. Thus, with contrast responses P1 amplitude was larger with black than white inducers, and N1 amplitude was larger to assimilation than contrast when the configuration of the stimulus was held constant. These results suggest contrast may occur as early as P1 (~ 110 ms) and assimilation may occur later in N2 (~ 220 ms), whereas in some conditions, differences in ERPs associated with contrast vs assimilation may happen as early as in N1 (~ 170 m), in occipital and parietal cortical sites.

Middle aortic syndrome--an 8-year story of pills, pretty balloons and struts.

BACKGROUND: Middle aortic syndrome (MAS) is an uncommon cause of hypertension in children. The management of hypertension secondary to MAS frequently requires several anti-hypertensive medications along with endovascular and often surgical intervention. CASE-DIAGNOSIS/TREATMENT: A 9-year-old boy presented with headaches and vomiting and was diagnosed with severe hypertension secondary to idiopathic MAS affecting a long segment of the abdominal aorta and left renal artery stenosis. Over the following 8 years his hypertension was successfully managed initially with percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty (PTA) of his left renal artery, followed by balloon dilatation of his abdominal aortic narrowing. He subsequently underwent abdominal aortic stent placement following failed repeat aortic balloon dilatation. Aged 17 years and 6 months he is now on a single anti-hypertensive agent with normal renal function and no evidence of target organ damage. CONCLUSION: In selected cases, MAS may be managed with PTA and stent placement with good long-term outcomes. Limited data on the use of PTA and stent insertion in children means that a structured approach to the management of refractory hypertension secondary to MAS remains elusive.

What information do consumers consider, and how do they look for it, when shopping for groceries online?

Previous research investigating what information shoppers seek when purchasing groceries has used either lab-experiments or observed shoppers in supermarkets. The present research investigates this question in a relatively naturalistic online-grocery environment. Forty participants completed their weekly shopping online while their eye-movements were recorded. Ten of the participants were subsequently interviewed to gain insight into their information seeking behaviour. We found that, when looking for products, 95% of participants navigated through the 'virtual departments', 80% used the 'search' facility, and 68% browsed the special offer pages. Once on the product pages, participants tended to look at the pictures of products, rather than examine detailed product information. To explain these findings, we suggest that online grocery sites simulate familiar supermarket environments, which may explain why consumers prefer to browse categories of products rather than use search terms. We also suggest that additional strategies are needed if consumers are to be encouraged to view detailed product information.

Is self-disgust an implicit or explicit emotional schema?

Self-disgust, a negative self-conscious emotional schema that is associated with mental health difficulties in both clinical and non-clinical populations, is typically assessed with self-reported measures that target physical and behavioural aspects of the self. The aim of the present research was to develop and validate a novel implicit self-disgust measure (ISDM) using an Implicit Association Task (IAT) paradigm, across three studies. Study 1 developed a list of disgust-related and positive words that were rated for emotional valence and arousal and informed the content of the ISDM. Study 2 developed and examined the ISDM using the single-target IAT in a non-clinical population and showed that scores in the ISDM were significantly associated with self-reported self-disgust. Study 3 partly replicated the findings of Study 2 among participants with trauma-related experiences and following a mood induction paradigm, showing a significant association between the ISDM and the physical aspect of self-reported self-disgust. These findings are significant because they have implications about the automaticity of self-disgust in people with traumatic experiences which can further inform clinical practice and interventions targeting self-disgust.

Dynamic Emotion Recognition and Social Inference Ability in Traumatic Brain Injury: An Eye-Tracking Comparison Study.

Emotion recognition and social inference impairments are well-documented features of post-traumatic brain injury (TBI), yet the mechanisms underpinning these are not fully understood. We examined dynamic emotion recognition, social inference abilities, and eye fixation patterns between adults with and without TBI. Eighteen individuals with TBI and 18 matched non-TBI participants were recruited and underwent all three components of The Assessment of Social Inference Test (TASIT). The TBI group were less accurate in identifying emotions compared to the non-TBI group. Individuals with TBI also scored lower when distinguishing sincere and sarcastic conversations, but scored similarly to those without TBI during lie vignettes. Finally, those with TBI also had difficulty understanding the actor's intentions, feelings, and beliefs compared to participants without TBI. No group differences were found for eye fixation patterns, and there were no associations between fixations and behavioural accuracy scores. This conflicts with previous studies, and might be related to an important distinction between static and dynamic stimuli. Visual strategies appeared goal- and stimulus-driven, with attention being distributed to the most diagnostic area of the face for each emotion. These findings suggest that low-level visual deficits may not be modulating emotion recognition and social inference disturbances post-TBI.

Malignant hypertension secondary to renovascular disease during infancy--an unusual cause of failure to thrive.

An 11-month-old girl presented with a history of failure to thrive, vomiting, polydipsia, polyuria and visual inattention. She was found to have malignant hypertension due to unilateral renal artery stenosis. This was successfully treated with percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty. Nearly 10 years following this initial presentation, she remains normotensive on no anti-hypertensive medications.

A review of the role of alcohol in the pathogenesis of oral cancer and the link between alcohol-containing mouthrinses and oral cancer.

This article will review the most recent literature on the effects of alcohol on the oral mucosa, and the possible mechanisms by which alcohol is thought to act as a carcinogen. The article will also consider the possible link between alcohol-containing mouthrinses and oral cancer. The authors recommend that the use of alcohol-containing mouthrinses in high-risk populations should be restricted, pending the outcome of further research.

Local biases drive, but do not determine, the perception of illusory trajectories.

When a dot moves horizontally across a set of tilted lines of alternating orientations, the dot appears to be moving up and down along its trajectory. This perceptual phenomenon, known as the slalom illusion, reveals a mismatch between the veridical motion signals and the subjective percept of the motion trajectory, which has not been comprehensively explained. In the present study, we investigated the empirical boundaries of the slalom illusion using psychophysical methods. The phenomenon was found to occur both under conditions of smooth pursuit eye movements and constant fixation, and to be consistently amplified by intermittently occluding the dot trajectory. When the motion direction of the dot was not constant, however, the stimulus display did not elicit the expected illusory percept. These findings confirm that a local bias towards perpendicularity at the intersection points between the dot trajectory and the tilted lines cause the illusion, but also highlight that higher-level cortical processes are involved in interpreting and amplifying the biased local motion signals into a global illusion of trajectory perception.

Depth Plane Separation Affects Both Lightness Contrast and Assimilation.

Lightness contrast and assimilation are two opposite phenomena: contrast occurs when a gray target perceptually acquires a complementary color than the bordering, inducing, surfaces; assimilation is when a gray target perceptually acquires the same color component as the inducers. Previous research has shown that both phenomena are affected by the manipulation of depth between the inducers and target. However, different results have been reported; it is not clear whether contrast persists when inducers are non-coplanar with the target. Previous studies differ for the spatial configuration of the stimuli and the technique adopted to manipulate depth. The aim of this research was to measure the effects of manipulating the depth between inducers and target in comparable conditions. Results show that contrast persists, but largely reduces, after depth manipulation while assimilation reverses to contrast. Furthermore, interesting asymmetries between white and black inducers emerged with white inducers favoring contrast and black inducers favoring assimilation. These results provide further evidence that high-level processes of visual processing are involved in both phenomena, with important consequences for lightness theories.

Temporal stability of eight phthalate metabolites and their glucuronide conjugates in human urine.

Humans are exposed to phthalates due to the ubiquitous use of these chemicals in consumer products. In the body, phthalates metabolize quickly to form hydrolytic and oxidative monoesters which, in turn, can be glucuronidated before urinary excretion. Exposure assessment studies typically report the total urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites (i.e., free plus glucuronidated species). Nevertheless, because conjugation may potentially reduce the bioactivity of the metabolites by reducing their bioavailability, measuring the concentrations of free species may be of interest. An accurate, quantitative measurement of phthalate monoesters and their conjugated species requires data on the stability of these species in urine after sample collection and before analysis. We studied the stability of eight phthalate metabolites and their glucuronide conjugates at 25, 4, and -70 degrees C. Interestingly, the total concentrations of phthalate metabolites decreased over time at 25 and 4 degrees C, but not at -70 degrees C for up to 1 year and despite several freeze-thaw cycles. We further observed a considerable decrease in the concentrations of the glucuronides of some phthalate metabolites 1 day and 3 days after collection when the samples were stored at 25 and 4 degrees C, respectively. By contrast, the concentrations of the glucuronide conjugates at -70 degrees C remained unchanged for the whole duration of the study (1 year). Based on these findings, we recommend transferring urine specimens to a cooler or a refrigerator immediately after collection followed by permanent storage at subfreezing temperatures within hours of sample collection.

Age Group Differences in Household Accident Risk Perceptions and Intentions to Reduce Hazards.

Very little is known about the extent to which seemingly vulnerable younger and older adults appraise household risks and relatedly whether safety information focused on raising risk awareness influences intentions to reduce hazards in the home. The present study assessed age differences in accident experience, risk attitudes, household accident risk perceptions, comparative optimism, personal control, efficacy judgements, and intentions to remove household hazards. It also examined the predictors of these intentions. Thirty-eight younger adults (aged 18 to 25) and forty older adults (aged 65 to 87) completed study booklets containing all measures. There were significant age group differences for all accident experience and risk-related variables. Younger adults experienced more accidents, had riskier attitudes, and had significantly lower cognitive risk perceptions (i.e., they were less likely to be injured due to a household accident). They also had lower affective risk perceptions (i.e., they were less worried) about their accident risk and perceived more personal control over the risk compared with older adults. Young adults were comparatively optimistic about their risk while older adults were pessimistic. Older adults had higher response efficacy and intentions to reduce hazards in the home. Only worry, response efficacy, and risk attitudes predicted intention, however, these relationships were not moderated by age or efficacy appraisal. Although tentative theoretical and practical implications are presented, further research is required in order to better understand the objective and subjective risk associated with household accidents, and to determine the factors that may improve safety, particularly for those most vulnerable.

Urinary concentrations of triclosan in the U.S. population: 2003-2004.

BACKGROUND: Triclosan is a synthetic chemical with broad antimicrobial activity that has been used extensively in consumer products, including personal care products, textiles, and plastic kitchenware. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to assess exposure to triclosan in a representative sample > or = 6 years of age of the U.S. general population from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). METHODS: We analyzed 2,517 urine samples using automated solid-phase extraction coupled to isotope dilution-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: We detected concentrations of total (free plus conjugated) triclosan in 74.6% of samples at concentrations of 2.4-3,790 microg/L. The geometric mean and 95th percentile concentrations were 13.0 microg/L (12.7 microg/g creatinine) and 459.0 microg/L (363.8 mug/g creatinine), respectively. We observed a curvilinear relation between age and adjusted least square geometric mean (LSGM) concentrations of triclosan. LSGM concentrations of triclosan were higher in people in the high household income than in people in low (p < 0.01) and medium (p = 0.04) income categories. CONCLUSIONS: In about three-quarters of urine samples analyzed as part of NHANES 2003-2004, we detected concentrations of triclosan. Concentrations differed by age and socioeconomic status but not by race/ethnicity and sex. Specifically, the concentrations of triclosan appeared to be highest during the third decade of life and among people with the highest household incomes.

Exposure of the U.S. population to bisphenol A and 4-tertiary-octylphenol: 2003-2004.

BACKGROUND: Bisphenol A (BPA) and 4-tertiary-octylphenol (tOP) are industrial chemicals used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins (BPA) and nonionic surfactants (tOP). These products are in widespread use in the United States. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess exposure to BPA and tOP in the U.S. general population. METHODS: We measured the total (free plus conjugated) urinary concentrations of BPA and tOP in 2,517 participants > or = 6 years of age in the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey using automated solid-phase extraction coupled to isotope dilution-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: BPA and tOP were detected in 92.6% and 57.4% of the persons, respectively. Least square geometric mean (LSGM) concentrations of BPA were significantly lower in Mexican Americans than in non-Hispanic blacks (p = 0.006) and non-Hispanic whites (p = 0.007); LSGM concentrations for non-Hispanic blacks and non-Hispanic whites were not statistically different (p = 0.21). Females had statistically higher BPA LSGM concentrations than males (p = 0.043). Children had higher concentrations than adolescents (p < 0.001), who in turn had higher concentrations than adults (p = 0.003). LSGM concentrations were lowest for participants in the high household income category (> $45,000/year). CONCLUSIONS: Urine concentrations of total BPA differed by race/ethnicity, age, sex, and household income. These first U.S. population representative concentration data for urinary BPA and tOP should help guide public health research priorities, including studies of exposure pathways, potential health effects, and risk assessment.

Concentrations of the sunscreen agent benzophenone-3 in residents of the United States: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003--2004.

BACKGROUND: The capability of benzophenone-3 (BP-3) to absorb and dissipate ultraviolet radiation facilitates its use as a sunscreen agent. BP-3 has other uses in many consumer products (e.g., as fragrance and flavor enhancer, photoinitiator, ultraviolet curing agent, polymerization inhibitor). OBJECTIVES: Our goal was to assess exposure to BP-3 in a representative sample of the U.S. general population > or = 6 years of age. METHODS: Using automated solid-phase extraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, we analyzed 2,517 urine samples collected as part of the 2003--2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. RESULTS: We detected BP-3 in 96.8% of the samples. The geometric mean and 95th percentile concentrations were 22.9 microg/L (22.2 microg/g creatinine) and 1,040 microg/L (1,070 microg/g creatinine), respectively. Least-square geometric mean (LSGM) concentrations were significantly higher (p < or = 0.04) for females than for males, regardless of age. LSGM concentrations were significantly higher for non-Hispanic whites than for non-Hispanic blacks (p < or = 0.01), regardless of age. Females were more likely than males [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 3.5; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.9-6.5], and non-Hispanic whites were more likely than non-Hispanic blacks (adjusted OR = 6.8; 95% CI, 2.9-16.2) to have concentrations above the 95th percentile. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to BP-3 was prevalent in the general U.S. population during 2003--2004. Differences by sex and race/ethnicity probably reflect differences in use of personal care products containing BP-3.

Use of mental simulations to change theory of planned behaviour variables.

OBJECTIVES: The predictive validity of the theory of planned behaviour is well established, but much less is known about: (a) whether there are causal relationships between key components of the model and (b) how to go about changing the theory of planned behaviour variables. This study tested the ability of outcome and process simulations to change variables specified in the theory of planned behaviour in relation to blood donation. DESIGN: Participants (N=146) were randomized to one of four conditions: outcome simulation only, process simulation only, process-plus-outcome simulation and a distractor control condition. The dependent variables were state anxiety, and intention attitude, subjective norm and perceived control from the theory of planned behaviour. METHODS: Participants were asked to empty their mind and visualize themselves: (a) after donating blood (outcome manipulation), (b) preparing to donate blood (process manipulation), (c) both preparing to donate blood and after having donated blood (process-plus-outcome manipulation) or (d) both preparing to get a high mark and after having got a high mark on their course (control condition). Following mental rehearsal, participants completed the dependent variables. RESULTS: There were no main effects of outcome simulation, but process simulation successfully increased intention, subjective norm and perceived control. There was also a significant outcome simulation x process simulation interaction for attitude. The effect of the process manipulation on intention was mediated by subjective norm and perceived control. CONCLUSIONS: The findings show promise for the use of mental simulations in changing cognitions and further research is required to extend the present findings to other health behaviours.

The role of pain, perseverative cognition and goal adjustment in vasculitis-associated fatigue.

Fatigue is a common symptom associated with vasculitis and contributes significantly to impaired quality of life. Motivational control theory suggests a role for perseverative cognition and goal adjustment in fatigue. Therefore, this study investigated these potential predictors of fatigue in individuals with vasculitis. A total of 249 participants completed online questionnaires assessing fatigue, perseverative cognition, goal disengagement and goal reengagement, in addition to demographic and disease-related variables. Hierarchical regression analysis found only pain, sleep disturbance, disease activity and perseverative cognition to significantly predict fatigue. This highlights the importance of psychological factors in determining fatigue in those with vasculitis.

On the perceptual aesthetics of interactive objects.

This study examined the aesthetics of interactive objects (IOs), which are three-dimensional physical artefacts that exhibit autonomous behaviour when handled. The aim of the research was threefold: first, to investigate whether aesthetic preference for distinctive objects' structures emerges in compound stimulation; second, to explore whether there exists aesthetic preference for distinctive objects' behaviours; and, finally, to test whether there exists aesthetic preference for specific combinations of objects' structures and behaviours. The following variables were systematically manipulated: (a) IOs' contour (rounded vs angular), (b) IOs' size (small vs large), (c) IOs' surface texture (rough vs smooth), and (d) IOs' behaviour (lighting, sounding, vibrating, and quiescent). Results show that behaviour was the dominant factor: it influenced aesthetics more than any other characteristic; vibrating IOs were preferred over lighting and sounding IOs, supporting the importance of haptic processing in aesthetics. Results did not confirm the size and smoothness effects previously reported in vision and touch, respectively, which suggests that the aesthetic preference that emerges in isolated conditions may be different in compound stimulation. Results corroborate the smooth curvature effect. We suggest that behavior may be an aesthetic primitive.

Sleep-related attentional bias for tired faces in insomnia: Evidence from a dot-probe paradigm.

People with insomnia often display an attentional bias for sleep-specific stimuli. However, prior studies have mostly utilized sleep-related words and images, and research is yet to examine whether people with insomnia display an attentional bias for sleep-specific (i.e. tired appearing) facial stimuli. This study aimed to examine whether individuals with insomnia present an attentional bias for sleep-specific faces depicting tiredness compared to normal-sleepers. Additionally, we aimed to determine whether the presence of an attentional bias was characterized by vigilance or disengagement. Forty-one individuals who meet the DSM-5 criteria for Insomnia Disorder and 41 normal-sleepers completed a dot-probe task comprising of neutral and sleep-specific tired faces. The results demonstrated that vigilance and disengagement scores differed significantly between the insomnia and normal-sleeper groups. Specifically, individuals with insomnia displayed difficulty in both orienting to and disengaging attention from tired faces compared to normal-sleepers. Using tired facial stimuli, the current study provides novel evidence that insomnia is characterized by a sleep-related attentional bias. These outcomes support cognitive models of insomnia by suggesting that individuals with insomnia monitor tiredness in their social environment.

The therapeutic potential of attentional bias modification training for insomnia: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of attentional bias modification (ABM) as a treatment for anxiety and depression has been extensively studied with promising results. Despite some evidence of sleep-related attentional biases in insomnia, only a small number of studies, yielding mixed results, have examined the application of ABM in insomnia. This study specifically aims to determine whether ABM can reduce (i) the presence of an attentional bias for sleep-related threatening words; (ii) insomnia symptom severity; (iii) sleep onset latency; and (iv) pre-sleep cognitive arousal amongst individuals with insomnia compared to a non-treatment control group of individuals with insomnia. METHODS/DESIGN: We propose a randomised controlled trial of 90 individuals from the general population who meet the criteria for Insomnia Disorder. Following an initial examination for the presence of a sleep-related attentional bias using the dot-probe paradigm, participants will be randomised to an online attentional bias modification training condition, or to a standard attentional bias task (non-treatment) control condition. Both conditions will be delivered online by a web platform. All participants allocated to the non-treatment control group will be offered ABM training once the study is complete. The primary outcome will be the attentional bias indices of vigilance and disengagement and self-reported insomnia symptoms, sleep onset latency and pre-sleep cognitive arousal. Attentional bias and insomnia symptoms will be assessed at baseline (day 1) and post-treatment (2 days after the final training session: day 9). Insomnia symptoms will be again assessed at follow-up (day 16). Secondary outcomes include examining whether sleep associated monitoring and worry are related to a sleep-related attentional bias in insomnia, and whether such reports reduce following ABM. All main analyses will be carried out on completion of follow-up assessments. The trial is supported by the Department of Psychology, Sociology and Politics at Sheffield Hallam University. DISCUSSION: This study will extend the research base examining the efficacy of attentional bias modification for insomnia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN ( ISRCTN11643569 , registered on 5 June 2018).

Charging and Transport Dynamics of a Flow-Through Electrode Capacitive Deionization System.

We present a study of the interplay among electric charging rate, capacitance, salt removal, and mass transport in "flow-through electrode" capacitive deionization (CDI) systems. We develop two models describing coupled transport and electro-adsorption/desorption which capture salt removal dynamics. The first model is a simplified, unsteady zero-dimensional volume-averaged model which identifies dimensionless parameters and figures of merits associated with cell performance. The second model is a higher fidelity area-averaged model which captures both spatial and temporal responses of charging. We further conducted an experimental study of these dynamics and considered two salt transport regimes: (1) advection-limited regime and (2) dispersion-limited regime. We use these data to validate models. The study shows that, in the advection-limited regime, differential charge efficiency determines the salt adsorption at the early stage of the deionization process. Subsequently, charging transitions to a quasi-steady state where salt removal rate is proportional to applied current scaled by the inlet flow rate. In the dispersion-dominated regime, differential charge efficiency, cell volume, and diffusion rates govern adsorption dynamics and flow rate has little effect. In both regimes, the interplay among mass transport rate, differential charge efficiency, cell capacitance, and (electric) charging current governs salt removal in flow-through electrode CDI.