Color Grouping in Space and Time: Evidence From Negative Color-Based Carryover Effects in Preview Search.

Five experiments addressed the role of color grouping in preview search (D. G. Watson & G. W. Humphreys, 1997). Experiment 1 used opposite color ratios of distractors in preview and second search displays, creating equal numbers of distractors in each color group in the final display. There was selective slowing for new targets carrying the majority color of the old items. This effect held when there was no bias in the preview and only the second search set had an uneven color ratio (Experiment 2). In Experiment 3, participants had foreknowledge of the target color, and effects were shown over and above those due to color biases. Experiment 4 demonstrated negative color carryover even when previews changed color. Experiment 5 showed reduced color carryover effects when previews were presented more briefly. Collectively, the results provide evidence for inhibitory carryover effects in preview search based on feature grouping. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Global shape cannot be attended without object identification.

Tested whether the global shape of objects can be processed without accessing semantic or identity information. Ss judged which of 2 fragmented forms had the same global shape as a reference stimulus. Matching stimuli could be physically identical, semantically related, or unrelated. The reference stimulus and nonmatching (distractor) form could be semantically related or unrelated. Similarity effects in the related condition were unconfounded with matches nameable and nonnameable forms. For nameable forms, related matching forms facilitated performance; a related distractor disrupted performance. Semantic interference was eliminated when nameable distractors were replaced with nonnameable partners; semantic similarity effects on matching were eliminated with a nonnameable reference stimulus and with inverted targets and distractors. Access to information concerning global shape does not normally occur without object identification. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bovine IgG2a antibodies to Haemophilus somnus and allotype expression

AIMS/BACKGROUND: To characterise clinically a large kindred segregating retinitis pigmentosa and sensorineural hearing impairment in an autosomal dominant pattern and perform genetic linkage studies in this family. Extensive linkage analysis in this family had previously excluded the majority of loci shown to be involved in the aetiologies of RP, some other forms of inherited retinal degeneration, and inherited deafness. METHODS: Members of the family were subjected to detailed ophthalmic and audiological assessment. In addition, some family members underwent skeletal muscle biopsy, electromyography, and electrocardiography. Linkage analysis using anonymous microsatellite markers was performed on DNA samples from all living members of the pedigree. RESULTS: Patients in this kindred have a retinopathy typical of retinitis pigmentosa in addition to a hearing impairment. Those members of the pedigree examined demonstrated a subclinical myopathy, as evidence by abnormal skeletal muscle histology, electromyography, and electrocardiography. LOD scores of Zmax = 3.75 (theta = 0.10), Zmax = 3.41 (theta = 0.10), and Zmax = 3.25 (theta = 0.15) respectively were obtained with the markers D9S118, D9S121, and ASS, located on chromosome 9q34-qter, suggesting that the causative gene in this family may lie on the long arm (q) of chromosome 9. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that the gene responsible for the phenotype in this kindred is located on chromosome 9 q. These data, together with evidence that a murine deafness gene is located in a syntenic area of the mouse genome, should direct the research community to consider this area as a candidate region for retinopathy and/or deafness genes.     

Performance and ruminal function development of young calves fed diets with Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract.

Neonatal Holstein heifer (n = 72) and bull (n = 40) calves were used to study the effects of Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract (Amaferm) on their performance and on rumen development. The starter diets were formulated to achieve Amaferm consumption of 0, .5, 1, or 3 g per calf daily. Calves were fed milk daily and allowed to consume starter and a mixture of alfalfa and bromegrass hay ad libitum. Weaning was when calves consumed 550 g of starter on 2 consecutive d. Weight gain and feed consumption were recorded weekly. Forty of the heifer calves, 10 from each treatment, were selected randomly to study the effects of Amaferm on ruminal fermentative development. Ruminal fluid samples were collected for pH, ruminal fermentation products, and for bacterial enumerations. Overall, Amaferm-supplemented calves were weaned 1 wk earlier than unsupplemented calves. They had higher total VFA, propionate, and acetate concentrations in the rumen than unsupplemented calves. Total anaerobic, hemicellulolytic, and pectinolytic bacterial counts were higher; cellulolytic bacterial counts tended to be higher for the Amaferm-supplemented calves than for controls. In general, Amaferm-supplemented calves had greater ruminal microbial activity than those not fed Amaferm.     

Mothers' supervision of their children's peer play: Relations with beliefs, perceptions, and knowledge.

Mothers (N?=?76) of 3- to 5-year-old children completed questionnaires assessing beliefs in the importance and modifiability (vs. innateness) of children's peer relationship skills, perceptions of their children's social competence with peers, and strategies they would use in response to children's peer interaction problems. A subsample of mothers (n?=?34) was observed supervising the play of their own children and a peer. Maternal perceptions of children's competence were negatively associated with the extent of mothers' involvement in children's play, whereas the quality of supervision was predicted by knowledge of socialization strategies and the interaction of beliefs and knowledge. Beliefs appeared to moderate the effects of maternal knowledge on mothers' behavior in that knowledge was associated with the quality of supervision only when mothers believed social skills were important and modifiable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preservation and visualization of the sea urchin embryo blastocoelic extracellular matrix.

Several methods were utilized to visualize the structure and orientation of the blastocoelic extracellular matrix (ECM) in Strongylocentrotus purpuratus embryos at the mesenchyme blastula stage. Rapid freezing in liquid propane cooled to LN2 temperatures followed by freeze substitution was used to preserve the ECM without shrinkage due to dehydration. Scanning, transmission, and light microscopy were employed to elucidate the ECMs' structure. The blastocoelic ECM consisted of parallel fibrillar sheets that were interconnected by finer filaments and oriented along the animal-vegetal axis. The ECM completely filled the blastocoelic cavity as viewed by scanning electron microscopy. The basal lamina could be distinguished from the blastocoelic ECM as a thin coat on the plasma membrane of epithelial cells; the ECM was in contact with this coat. In contrast, the blastocoelic ECM attached directly to the plasma membrane of primary mesenchyme cells (PMC) which did not possess a basal lamina. The blastocoelic ECM was isolated as an intact "bag" and probed in a hydrated state with Con A and alcian blue. Confocal microscopy confirmed that the entire blastocoel was filled with a fibrillar ECM. These approaches offer advantages for future studies of the ECMs of sea urchin embryos and their roles in gastrulation.     

Direct Observation of Triplet Reactions of Anthraquinone Vat Dyes Using Nanosecond Laser Photolysis

The triplet-triplet spectra of three commercial anthraquinone vat dyes (C.I. 67300, C.I. 59100 and C.I. 60515) were studied in solution at room temperature using laser photolysis. The triplet states of these dyes react with oxygen, and the rate constants for the quenching process were measured, together with the rates of energy transfer from the triplet state to anthracene. These observations are considered in relation to the photoreactivity of these dyes.     

Managing obesity through mobile phone applications: a state-of-the-art review from a user-centred design perspective

Evidence has shown that the trend of increasing obesity rates has continued in the last decade. Mobile phone applications, benefiting from their ubiquity, have been increasingly used to address this issue. In order to increase the applications’ acceptance and success, a design and development process that focuses on users, such as user-centred design, is necessary. This paper reviews reported studies that concern the design and development of mobile phone applications to prevent obesity, and analyses them from a user-centred design perspective. Based on the review results, strengths and weaknesses of the existing studies were identified. Identified strengths included: evidence of the inclusion of multidisciplinary skills and perspectives; user involvement in studies; and the adoption of iterative design practices. Weaknesses included the lack of specificity in the selection of end-users and inconsistent evaluation protocols. The review was concluded by outlining issues and research areas that need to be addressed in the future, including: greater understanding of the effectiveness of sharing data between peers, privacy, and guidelines for designing for behavioural change through mobile phone applications.     

Factors influencing the photofading of commercial anthraquinone dyes in solution

The photofading of two anthraquinone dyes has been studied in aqueous solution using ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy and flash photolysis. The influence of alcohol concentration, pH, atmosphere, photosensitisers and stabilisers have been examined and these lead to some important conclusions on the mechanism of dye fading. Essentially, the results indicate the photoexcited triplet state of the dye undergoes a process of either electron or hydrogen-atom abstraction depending on the nature of the environment. Other factors such as aggregation and singlet oxygen also appear to play an important role in solution photofading. The relevance of these results to photofading in a polymeric phase is discussed.     

When simulated environments make the difference: the effectiveness of different types of training of car service procedures

An empirical analysis was performed to compare the effectiveness of different approaches to training a set of procedural skills to a sample of novice trainees. Sixty-five participants were randomly assigned to one of the following three training groups: (1) learning-by-doing in a 3D desktop virtual environment, (2) learning-by-observing a video (show-and-tell) explanation of the procedures, and (3) trial-and-error. In each group, participants were trained on two car service procedures. Participants were recalled to perform a procedure either 2 or 4 weeks after the training. The results showed that: (1) participants trained through the virtual approach of learning-by-doing performed both procedures significantly better (i.e. p < .05 in terms of errors and time) than people of non-virtual groups, (2) the virtual training group, after a period of non-use, were more effective than non-virtual training (i.e. p < .05) in their ability to recover their skills, (3) after a (simulated) long period from the training—i.e. up to 12 weeks—people who experienced 3D environments consistently performed better than people who received other kinds of training. The results also suggested that independently from the training group, trainees’ visuospatial abilities were a predictor of performance, at least for the complex service procedure, adj R ² = .460, and that post-training performances of people trained through virtual learning-by-doing are not affected by learning styles. Finally, a strong relationship (p < .001, R ² = .441) was identified between usability and trust in the use of the virtual training tool—i.e. the more the system was perceived as usable, the more it was perceived as trustable to acquire the competences.