Family interaction in abusive, neglectful, and normal families

This study represents an attempt to discover whether there are distinctive patterns of day-to-day interactions that distinguish abusive and neglectful families from families with no known history of abusing or neglecting their children. Observational data collected in the homes of 17 abuse, 17 neglect, and 19 control families indicated that the abusive and neglectful parents demonstrated lower rates of interaction, overall, and were more likely to emphasize the negative in their relationships with their children. The implications of these data for further research and for intervention efforts are discussed.     

Relation between optically induced and tracking-limb-movement curvature in a visual capture phenomenon

Two experiments were conducted to help determine the nature of visual capture in the perception of curvature. If an individual finger-tracks a straight edge while viewing limb movements through a curve-inducing lens, the edge is reported to feel curved even though the finger is moving in a straight path. It has recently been demonstrated, however, that the finger actually tracks the straight edge through a curved path with the same orientation as the induced visual curve. In order to specify more completely the degree of relation between the visual and tracking (motor) curves the first experiment determined the fate of tracking limb-movement curvature when the eyes were closed. The second experiment determined whether curvature of tracking limb movement decreased as the magnitude of the visual curve was decreased. Results from both experiments supported the contention that curved tracking limb movement may mediate the visual and felt curves. The nature of the mechanism underlying felt curvature in visual capture was discussed.     

Ocular manifestations of acute pandysautonomia

In recent years counterimmunoelectrophoresis has been increasingly used in the diagnosis of microbial diseases, and our study was undertaken to evaluate its possible use in the rapid detection of antibodies against Coccidioides immitis. One hundred twelve specimens from 50 patients were studied. The study population comprised the following: Group I, 34 patients with an active coccidioidomycosis infection; Group II, five patients with a positive coccidioidin skin test; Group III, five patients with a negative coccidioidin skin test; and Group IV, six patients with other fungal infections. Counterimmunoelectrophoresis was positive in 93 of 96 specimens in Group I and negative in the other groups. The results obtained by counterimmunoelectrophoresis correlated well with complement fixation and double immunodiffusion and indicate that it is an excellent tool for the diagnosis of patients with coccidioidomycosis.     

Dural posterior fossa AVM producing raised sagittal simus pressure. Case report

A patient with raised intracranial pressure secondary to a dural arteriovenous malformation (AVM) of the posterior fossa is presented. Direct shunting of arterial blood into the transverse sigmoid sinus caused a considerable increase of the sagittal sinus pressure (SSP) and elevation of intracranial pressure (ICP). Both ICP and SSP returned to normal values following obliteration of the dural AVM by selective embolization.     

Hypothalamic Na+ and Ca++ ions and temperature set-point: new mechanisms of action of a central or peripheral thermal challenge and intrahypothalamic 5-HT, NE, PGEi and pyrogen

The effects of changes in ambient and central temperature, amines, PGEu and pyrogen were investigated with respect to the mechanism of Na+-Ca++ ratio in the posterior hypothalamus of the unrestrained cat. Guide tubes were implanted bilaterally above the posterior hypothalamic area of 23 cats so as to accommodate push-pull cannulae. After a Na+ or Ca++ sensitive site was identified by perfusion at 50 mul/min of an artificial CSF containing 10.4 mM excess Ca++ ions or 13.6 mM excess Na+ ions, several types of experiments were undertaken with the results summarized as follows: if the cat was exposed to a cold or warm environmental temperature as the posterior hypothalamus was perfused with excess cation, the typical hypothermia was produced by Ca++ and hyperthermia by Na+ ions. However, if the cat was exposed to peripheral cooling or warming 30 min prior to the perfusion, the fall or rise produced by Ca++ or Na+ was attenuated or prevented. In other experiments, 1.0 muCi 45Ca++ was injected in the ion sensitive site in the posterior hypothalamus to label stores of the cation. Raising of ambient temperature caused a retention of 45Ca++ in this hypothalmic area, whereas a cold environmental temperature enhanced the efflux of 45Ca++ at the same perfusion site. The magnitude of change in 45Ca++ efflux depended upon the intensity of the thermal challenge. Similarly, warming of the anterior hypothalmic, preoptic area by means of implanted thermodes caused an immediate diminution in 45Ca++ efflux in the posterior hypothalamus, whereas cooling of this anterior region augmented the extrusion of 45Ca++ ions from the posterior area. When substances which produce a temperature change were applied to the same thermosensitive zone, the direction of shift in 45Ca++ flux in the posterior area corresponded to the signal for heat production or heat loss. That is, the microinjection of 5-HT, PGE1 or Salmonella typhosa into the anterior hypothalamus enhanced the efflux of 45Ca++ in the posterior hypothalamus as hyperthermia developed, whereas a similar microinjection of norepinephrine reduced the 45Ca++ output from the same sites. Finally, locally anesthetizing the cells of the anterior hypothalamus by the nerve blocker, procaine, prevented the cold and heat-induced 45Ca++ eflux and retention, respectively. These results suggest that if the Na+-Ca++ ratio in the posterior hypothalamus establishes and maintains the set-point for body temperature of 37 degrees -38 degrees C, the mechanism of lability of Ca++ through changes in binding characteristics, transport, or metabolism of the cation serves two purposes: (1) the active defense of the set-point temperature through gradations in ion shifts; and (2) the upward or downward change in set-point value, pathological or normal, triggered by virtue of impulses relayed from the anterior hypothalamus.     

Ascending pressor and depressor pathways in the cat spinal cord

Blood pressure responses to stimulation of the cervical dorsolateral sulcus (DLS) of the spinal cord and lumbar dorsal roots were studied in anesthetized, vagotomized, and paralyzed cats. Stimulation of the lumbar dorsal roots elicited pressor responses with high-frequency stimulation (50 Hz, 10 V, 1 ms) and depressor responses with low-grequency stimulation (1 Hz, 10 V, 1 ms). Pressor responses were converted to depressor responses after bilateral lesions were made in the DLS area rostral to the site of stimulation. These results suggest that the ascending spinal pressor pathways are localized in the DLS region. Furthermore, these depressor responses were abolished by placing additional bilateral lesions in the dorsolateral funiculus (DLF) rostral to the site of stimulation. These data indicate the presence of ascending depressor pathways in the DLF which are anatomically separate from pressor pathways. Both pathways were found to be bilateral systems, and decussation of fibers appears to be complete within three segments rostral to their entry into the spinal cord. Ascending depressor pathways have a low optimal frequency of activation, as opposed to the ascending pressor pathways which have a relatively high optimal frequency of activation. Neurophysiological evidence obtained by recording unit activity from the cervical sympathetic trunk confirmed the localization of the ascending pressor and depressor pathways.     

Object interaction detection using hand posture cues in an office setting

Activity recognition plays a key role in providing information for context-aware applications. When attempting to model activities, some researchers have looked towards Activity Theory, which theorizes that activities have objectives and are accomplished through interactions with tools and objects. The goal of this paper is to determine if hand posture can be used as a cue to determine the types of interactions a user has with objects in a desk/office environment. Furthermore, we wish to determine if hand posture is user-independent across all users when interacting with the same objects in a natural manner. Our experiments indicate that (a) hand posture can be used to determine object interaction, with accuracy rates around 97%, and (b) hand posture is dependent upon the individual user when users are allowed to interact with objects as they would naturally.