Inversion produces opposite size illusions for faces and bodies

Faces are complex, multidimensional, and meaningful visual stimuli. Recently, Araragi and colleagues (Araragi, Aotani, & Kitaoka, 2012) demonstrated an intriguing face size illusion whereby an inverted face is perceived as larger than a physically identical upright face. Like the face, the human body is a highly familiar and important stimulus in our lives. Here, we investigated the specificity of the size underestimation of upright faces illusion, testing whether similar effects also hold for bodies, hands, and everyday objects. Experiments 1a and 1b replicated the face-size illusion. No size illusion was observed for hands or objects. Unexpectedly, a reverse size illusion was observed for bodies, so that upright bodies were perceived as larger than their inverted counterparts. Experiment 2 showed that the face and reverse body size illusions were maintained even when the photographic contrast polarity of the stimuli was reversed, indicating that the visual system driving the illusions relies on geometric featural information rather than image contrast. Our findings show that size illusions caused by inversion show a high level of category specificity, with opposite illusions for faces and bodies

Inversion produces opposite size illusions for faces and bodies

Faces are complex, multidimensional, and meaningful visual stimuli. Recently, Araragi, Aotani, & Kitaoka (2012) demonstrated an intriguing face size illusion whereby an inverted face is perceived as larger than a physically identical upright face. Like the face, the human body is a highly familiar and important stimulus in our lives. Here, we investigated the specificity of the size underestimation of upright faces illusion, testing whether similar effects also hold for bodies, hands, and everyday objects. Experiments 1a and 1b replicated the face-size illusion. No size illusion was observed for hands or objects. Unexpectedly, a reverse size illusion was observed for bodies, so that upright bodies were perceived as larger than their inverted counterparts. Experiment 2 showed that the face illusion was maintained even when the photographic contrast polarity of the stimuli was reversed, indicating that the visual system driving the illusion relies on geometric featural information rather than image contrast. In Experiment 2, the reverse size illusion for bodies failed to reach significance. Our findings show that size illusions caused by inversion show a high level of category specificity, with opposite illusions for faces and bodies

Predictors of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

Although significant advances in respiratory care have been made in neonatal medicine, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) remains the most common serious pulmonary morbidity in premature infants. The development of BPD is the result of the complex interactions between multiple perinatal and postnatal factors. Early identification of infants at the most risk of developing BPD through the use of estimators and models may allow a targeted approach at reducing BPD in the future

Nitrous oxide may interfere with the reconsolidation of drinking memories in hazardous drinkers in a prediction-error-dependent manner

Weakening drinking-related reward memories by blocking their reconsolidation is a potential novel strategy for treating alcohol use disorders. However, few viable pharmacological options exist for reconsolidation interference in humans. We therefore examined whether the NMDA receptor antagonising gas, Nitrous Oxide (N2O) could reduce drinking by preventing the post-retrieval restabilisation of alcohol memories in a group of hazardous drinkers. Critically, we focussed on whether prediction error (PE; a key determinant of reconsolidation) was experienced at retrieval. Sixty hazardous drinkers were randomised to one of three groups that retrieved alcohol memories either with negative PE (Retrieval + PE), no PE (Retrieval no PE) or non-alcohol memory retrieval with PE (No-retrieval +PE). All participants then inhaled 50% N_{2}O for 30 min. The primary outcome was change in beer consumption and alcohol cue-driven urge to drink from the week preceding manipulation (baseline) to the week following manipulation (test). The manipulation did not affect drinking following the intended retrieval+/- PE conditions However, a manipulation check, using a measure of subjective surprise, revealed that the group-level manipulation did not achieve the intended differences in PE at retrieval. Assessment of outcomes according to whether alcohol-relevant PE was actually experienced at retrieval, showed N_{2}O produced reductions in drinking in a retrieval and PE-dependent fashion. These preliminary findings highlight the importance of directly testing assumptions about memory reactivation procedures in reconsolidation research and suggest that N_{2}O should be further investigated as a potential reconsolidation-blocking agent

Dimethyl Acetals, an Indirect Marker of the Endogenous Antioxidant Plasmalogen Level, are Reduced in Blood Lipids of Sudanese Pre-eclamptic Subjects whose Background Diet is High in Carbohydrate

In Sudanese women with (n = 60) and without (n = 65) pre-eclampsia, circulating lipids, plasma and red cell saturated and monounsaturated fatty (MUFA) acids and dimethyl acetals (DMAs) were investigated. DMAs are an indirect marker of levels of plasmalogens, endogenous antioxidants, which play a critical role in oxidative protection, and cholesterol homeostasis. The pre-eclamptics had higher C18:1n-9 (p < 0.001) and ΣMUFA (p < 0.01) in plasma free fatty acids, C16:1n-7, C18:1n-9, ΣMUFA; 16:0/16:1n-7 (p < 0.01) in erythrocyte choline phosphoglycerides (ePC) and 16:1n-7, 18:1n-7 and 16:0/16:1n-7 (p < 0.01) in erythrocyte ethanolamine phosphoglycerides (ePE). In contrast, the DMAs 18:0, 18:1 and ΣDMAs in ePE, and 16:0, 18:0 and ΣDMAs in ePC were reduced (p < 0.001) in the pre-eclamptic women. This study of pregnant women with high carbohydrate and low fat background diet suggests pre-eclampsia is associated with oxidative stress and enhanced activity of the microsomal enzyme stearyl-CoA desaturase (delta 9 desaturase), as assessed by palmitic/palmitoleic (C16:0/C16:n-1) and stearic/oleic (C18/C18:1n-9) ratios