Pseudo-Synesthesia through Reading Books with Colored Letters

Background Synesthesia is a phenomenon where a stimulus produces consistent extraordinary subjective experiences. A relatively common type of synesthesia involves perception of color when viewing letters (e.g. the letter ‘a’ always appears as light blue). In this study, we examine whether traits typically regarded as markers of synesthesia can be acquired by simply reading in color. Methodology/Principal Findings Non-synesthetes were given specially prepared colored books to read. A modified Stroop task was administered before and after reading. A perceptual crowding task was administered after reading. Reading one book (>49,000 words) was sufficient to induce effects regarded as behavioral markers for synesthesia. The results of the Stroop tasks indicate that it is possible to learn letter-color associations through reading in color (F(1, 14) = 5.85, p = .030). Furthermore, Stroop effects correlated with subjective reports about experiencing letters in color (r(13) = 0.51, p = .05). The frequency of viewing letters is related to the level of association as seen by the difference in the Stroop effect size between upper- and lower-case letters (t(14) = 2.79, p = .014) and in a subgroup of participants whose Stroop effects increased as they continued to read in color. Readers did not show significant performance advantages on the crowding task compared to controls. Acknowledging the many differences between trainees and synesthetes, results suggest that it may be possible to acquire a subset of synesthetic behavioral traits in adulthood through training. Conclusion/Significance To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of acquiring letter-color associations through reading in color. Reading in color appears to be a promising avenue in which we may explore the differences and similarities between synesthetes and non-synesthetes. Additionally, reading in color is a plausible method for a long-term ‘synesthetic’ training program

Repurposing NGO data for better research outcomes: A scoping review of the use and secondary analysis of NGO data in health policy and systems research

Background Non-government organisations (NGOs) collect and generate vast amounts of potentially rich data, most of which are not used for research purposes. Secondary analysis of NGO data (their use and analysis in a study for which they were not originally collected) presents an important but largely unrealised opportunity to provide new research insights in critical areas including the evaluation of health policy and programmes. Methods A scoping review of the published literature was performed to identify the extent to which secondary analysis of NGO data has been used in health policy and systems research (HPSR). A tiered analytic approach provided a comprehensive overview and descriptive analyses of the studies which: 1) used data produced or collected by or about NGOs; 2) performed secondary analysis of the NGO data (beyond use of an NGO report as a supporting reference); 3) used NGO-collected clinical data. Results Of the 156 studies which performed secondary analysis of NGO-produced or collected data, 64% (n=100) used NGO-produced reports (e.g. to critique NGO activities and as a contextual reference) and 8% (n=13) analysed NGO-collected clinical data.. Of the studies, 55% investigated service delivery research topics, with 48% undertaken in developing countries and 17% in both developing and developed. NGO-collected clinical data enabled HPSR within marginalised groups (e.g. migrants, people in conflict-affected areas), with some limitations such as inconsistencies and missing data. Conclusion We found evidence that NGO-collected and produced data are most commonly perceived as a source of supporting evidence for HPSR and not as primary source data. However, these data can facilitate research in under-researched marginalised groups and in contexts that are hard to reach by academics, such as conflict-affected areas. NGO–academic collaboration could help address issues of NGO data quality to facilitate their more widespread use in research. Their use could enable relevant and timely research in the areas of health policy, programme evaluation and advocacy to improve health and reduce health inequalities, especially in marginalised groups and developing countries

Contrasting nonclassical silicon-hydrogen interactions in niobium and tantalum half-sandwich complexes: Si-H center dot center dot center dot M agostic versus M-H center dot center dot center dot Si-Cl interligand hypervalent interactions

Reaction of [CpM(NAr)(PMe3)2] (M = Nb, Ta; Ar = 2,6-C6H3iPr2) with HSiClMe2 gives two remarkably different nonclassical Si···H···M products depending only on the identity of M; [CpTa(NAr)(H)(SiMe2Cl)(PMe3)] possesses an unusual electron-rich M-H···Si interligand hypervalent interaction while [CpNb{η3-N(Ar)SiMe2-H}Cl(PMe3)] is the first example of a β-agostic silylamine Si-H···M interaction showing a 'stretched' Si-H bond

Crosstalk among Bcl-2 family members in B-CLL: seliciclib acts via the Mcl-1/Noxa axis and gradual exhaustion of Bcl-2 protection

Seliciclib (R-roscovitine) is a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor in clinical development. It triggers apoptosis by inhibiting de novo transcription of the short-lived Mcl-1 protein, but it is unknown how this leads to Bax/Bak activation that is required for most forms of cell death. Here, we studied the effects of seliciclib in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL), a malignancy with aberrant expression of apoptosis regulators. Although seliciclib-induced Mcl-1 degradation within 4 h, Bax/Bak activation occurred between 16 and 20 h. During this period, no transcriptional changes in apoptosis-related genes occurred. In untreated cells, prosurvival Mcl-1 was engaged by the proapoptotic proteins Noxa and Bim. Upon drug treatment, Bim was quickly released. The contribution of Noxa and Bim as a specific mediator of seliciclib-induced apoptosis was demonstrated via RNAi. Significantly, 16 h after seliciclib treatment, there was accumulation of Bcl-2, Bim and Bax in the 'mitochondria-rich' insoluble fraction of the cell. This suggests that after Mcl-1 degradation, the remaining apoptosis neutralizing capacity of Bcl-2 is gradually overwhelmed, until Bax forms large multimeric pores in the mitochondria. These data demonstrate in primary leukemic cells hierarchical binding and crosstalk among Bcl-2 members, and suggest that their functional interdependence can be exploited therapeuticall

Enhancing psychosocial support for HIV positive adolescents in Harare, Zimbabwe.

BACKGROUND: There is a recognized gap in the evidence base relating to the nature and components of interventions to address the psycho-social needs of HIV positive young people. We used mixed methods research to strengthen a community support group intervention for HIV positive young people based in Harare, Zimbabwe. METHODS: A quantitative questionnaire was administered to HIV positive Africaid support group attendees. Afterwards, qualitative data were collected from young people aged 15-18 through tape-recorded in-depth interviews (n=10), 3 focus group discussions (FGDs) and 16 life history narratives. Data were also collected from caregivers, health care workers, and community members through FGDs (n=6 groups) and in-depth interviews (n=12). Quantitative data were processed and analysed using STATA 10. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: 229/310 young people completed the quantitative questionnaire (74% participation). Median age was 14 (range 6-18 years); 59% were female. Self-reported adherence to antiretrovirals was sub-optimal. Psychological well being was poor (median score on Shona Symptom Questionnaire 9/14); 63% were at risk of depression. Qualitative findings suggested that challenges faced by positive children include verbal abuse, stigma, and discrimination. While data showed that support group attendance is helpful, young people stressed that life outside the confines of the group was more challenging. Caregivers felt ill-equipped to support the children in their care. These data, combined with a previously validated conceptual framework for family-centred interventions, were used to guide the development of the existing programme of adolescent support groups into a more comprehensive evidence-based psychosocial support programme encompassing caregiver and household members. CONCLUSIONS: This study allowed us to describe the lived experiences of HIV positive young people and their caregivers in Zimbabwe. The findings contributed to the enhancement of Africaid's existing programme of support to better promote psychological well being and ART adherence