Revealing subthreshold motor contributions to perceptual confidence

Established models of perceptual metacognition, the ability to evaluate our perceptual judgements, posit that perceptual confidence depends on the strength or quality of feedforward sensory evidence. However, alternative theoretical accounts suggest the entire perception-action cycle, and not only variation in sensory evidence, is monitored when evaluating confidence in one’s percepts. Such models lead to the counterintuitive prediction that perceptual confidence should be directly modulated by features of motor output. To evaluate this proposal here we recorded electromyographic (EMG) activity of motor effectors while subjects performed a near-threshold perceptual discrimination task and reported their confidence in each response in a pre-registered experiment. A subset of trials exhibited subthreshold EMG activity in response effectors before a decision was made. Strikingly, trial-by-trial analysis showed that confidence, but not accuracy, was significantly higher on trials with subthreshold motor activation. These findings support a hypothesis that preparatory motor activity, or a related latent variable, impacts upon confidence over and above performance, consistent with models in which perceptual metacognition integrates information across the perception-action cycle

A Large-Scale FPGA-Based Trigger and Dead-Time Free DAQ System for the Kaos Spectrometer at MAMI

The Kaos spectrometer is maintained by the A1 collaboration at the Mainz Microtron MAMI with a focus on the study of (e,e'K^+) coincidence reactions. For its electron-arm two vertical planes of fiber arrays, each comprising approximately 10 000 fibers, are operated close to zero degree scattering angle and in close proximity to the electron beam. A nearly dead-time free DAQ system to acquire timing and tracking information has been installed for this spectrometer arm. The signals of 144 multi-anode photomultipliers are collected by 96-channel front-end boards, digitized by double-threshold discriminators and the signal time is picked up by state-of-the-art F1 time-to-digital converter chips. In order to minimize background rates a sophisticated trigger logic was implemented in newly developed Vuprom modules. The trigger performs noise suppression, signal cluster finding, particle tracking, and coincidence timing, and can be expanded for kinematical matching (e'K^+) coincidences. The full system was designed to process more than 4 000 read-out channels and to cope with the high electron flux in the spectrometer and the high count rate requirement of the detectors. It was successfully in-beam tested at MAMI in 2009.Comment: Contributed to 17th IEEE Real Time Conference (RT10), Lisbon, 24-28 May 201

The Confidence Database

Understanding how people rate their confidence is critical for the characterization of a wide range of perceptual, memory, motor and cognitive processes. To enable the continued exploration of these processes, we created a large database of confidence studies spanning a broad set of paradigms, participant populations and fields of study. The data from each study are structured in a common, easy-to-use format that can be easily imported and analysed using multiple software packages. Each dataset is accompanied by an explanation regarding the nature of the collected data. At the time of publication, the Confidence Database (which is available at https://osf.io/s46pr/) contained 145 datasets with data from more than 8,700 participants and almost 4 million trials. The database will remain open for new submissions indefinitely and is expected to continue to grow. Here we show the usefulness of this large collection of datasets in four different analyses that provide precise estimations of several foundational confidence-related effects

A high-resolution photoemission study of ethanol adsorption on Si(111)-(7×7)

Ethanol adsorption on Si(111)-(7×7) has been investigated by high-resolution photoemission in the valence band and the Si 2p and C 1s energy regions. The valence band spectra show that, similarly to methanol adsorption on Si(111)-(7×7), ethanol adsorption is dissociative and occurs through O–H bond breakage and Si–O bond formation. However, at variance with a previous study, we find that the adsorption does not proceed selectively on surface rest atoms. The lack of site selectivity is also confirmed by the photoemission spectra of the Si 2p core level line. The possibility of a further fragmentation of the ethoxy species into a methoxy plus a methyl group is discussed

A high-resolution photoemission study of ethanol adsorption on Si(111)-(7x7)

Ethanol adsorption on Si(111)-(7 x 7) has been investigated by high-resolution photoemission in the valence band and the Si 2p and C Is energy regions. The valence band spectra show that, similarly to methanol adsorption on Si(111)-(7 x 7), ethanol adsorption is dissociative and occurs through O-H bond breakage and Si-O bond formation. However, at variance with a previous study, we find that the adsorption does not proceed selectively on surface rest atoms. The lack of site selectivity is also confirmed by the photoemission spectra of the Si 2p core level line. The possibility of a further fragmentation of the ethoxy species into a methoxy plus a methyl group is discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

A high-resolution photoemission study of ethanol adsorption on Si(111)-(7x7)

Ethanol adsorption on Si(111)-(7 x 7) has been investigated by high-resolution photoemission in the valence band and the Si 2p and C Is energy regions. The valence band spectra show that, similarly to methanol adsorption on Si(111)-(7 x 7), ethanol adsorption is dissociative and occurs through O-H bond breakage and Si-O bond formation. However, at variance with a previous study, we find that the adsorption does not proceed selectively on surface rest atoms. The lack of site selectivity is also confirmed by the photoemission spectra of the Si 2p core level line. The possibility of a further fragmentation of the ethoxy species into a methoxy plus a methyl group is discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

Definition und Darstellung der verschiedenen Typen des Nasenzyklus mittels Langzeitrhinometrie

Background!#!A reciprocal swelling of the nasal mucosa is often referred to as the classical nasal cycle; however, reports in the literature suggest a more complex picture. Most of the research on the nasal cycle is based on individual measurements. The long-term rhinometry (LRM) now makes it possible to continuously examine the cyclic swelling of the nasal mucosa over 24 h. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the nasal cycle with LRM over 24 h.!##!Material and methods!#!An LRM was performed in 55 rhinologically healthy subjects over 24 h using the portable measuring system Rhino-Move© (Happersberger Otopront; Hohenstein, Germany).!##!Results!#!In addition to the expected strictly reciprocal swelling of the nasal mucosa in the sense of the classical nasal cycle, the following cycle types were detected: in-concert type with simultaneous rise and drop of the air flow on both sides of the nose, the one-sided type with significant congestion and decongestion of the mucous membrane only on one side and no detectable changes on the other side of the nose and the non-cycle type without any change in airflow on both sides. Most subjects showed a complex picture with multiple cycle types within the 24 h measurement (mixed nasal cycle). The types often differed during the day and night.!##!Conclusion!#!This study confirms the assumption that the nasal cycle measured over 24 h is much more complex than often described in the literature. Most subjects showed several of the 5 cycle types described here. The LRM has proven to be an easy to- use and reliable measurement method. The relationship between cycle type and physical activity as well as other factors remains to be investigated

Intramammary Angiomatoid Fibrous Histiocytoma, a Rare EWSR1 Rearranged Mesenchymal Neoplasm in a Previously Unreported Anatomic Location with Review of the Cleveland Clinic Experience

Angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma (AFH) is a rare soft tissue tumor that is most commonly reported to arise in the subcutaneous tissues of the upper extremities in adolescents and young adults. At present, the WHO classifies this neoplasm as a tumor of uncertain differentiation. AFH is most often clinically regarded as a tumor of intermediate risk due to low reported rates of recurrence and only rare occurrences of metastases. Its histomorphological hallmarks are a prominent lymphoid cuff surrounding a spindle cell neoplasm with syncytial-appearing cytoplasm. Several variant morphologies have been described. Genetically, the tumor is characterized by translocations involving the EWSR1 gene in over 90% of cases. A widening range of anatomical locations and morphological variants of AFH has been reported in the literature; however, neither anatomic location nor specific morphologic features have been shown to correlate with clinical/biological behavior. We report a unique case of AFH arising in the parenchyma of the breast. The neoplasm showed the typical histomorphology including a peripheral lymphoid cuff. The lesional cells in this case were found to be immunoreactive with desmin, and a positive EWSR1 result was confirmed by break-apart fluorescence in situ hybridization testing. To our knowledge, this is the first report of AFH arising in the breast parenchyma of a postmenopausal female