Moving Just Like You: Motor Interference Depends on Similar Motility of Agent and Observer

Recent findings in neuroscience suggest an overlap between brain regions involved in the execution of movement and perception of another’s movement. This so-called “action-perception coupling” is supposed to serve our ability to automatically infer the goals and intentions of others by internal simulation of their actions. A consequence of this coupling is motor interference (MI), the effect of movement observation on the trajectory of one’s own movement. Previous studies emphasized that various features of the observed agent determine the degree of MI, but could not clarify how human-like an agent has to be for its movements to elicit MI and, more importantly, what ‘human-like’ means in the context of MI. Thus, we investigated in several experiments how different aspects of appearance and motility of the observed agent influence motor interference (MI). Participants performed arm movements in horizontal and vertical directions while observing videos of a human, a humanoid robot, or an industrial robot arm with either artificial (industrial) or human-like joint configurations. Our results show that, given a human-like joint configuration, MI was elicited by observing arm movements of both humanoid and industrial robots. However, if the joint configuration of the robot did not resemble that of the human arm, MI could longer be demonstrated. Our findings present evidence for the importance of human-like joint configuration rather than other human-like features for perception-action coupling when observing inanimate agents

Allergic fungal sinusitis: CT findings.

PURPOSE : To determine the computed tomographic (CT) findings in patients with allergic fungal sinusitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors retrospectively reviewed CT scans and surgical and histopathologic reports in 45 patients (27 male, 18 female; age range, 8-68 years) with allergic fungal sinusitis from multiple institutions. The median age (25 years) and demographics of the patients were determined. Two head and neck radiologists together evaluated the CT scans for the presence of intrasinus high-attenuation areas, extent of sinus involvement, bone expansion and thinning, bone erosion, and extension of disease into the adjacent soft tissues. RESULTS: Allergic fungal sinusitis was more common in male patients and in patients aged 20-30 years. All patients had increased intrasinus attenuation at non-contrast material-enhanced CT. Multiple sinus involvement occurred in 43 patients. Bilateral involvement was more common than unilateral disease. Forty-four patients had complete opacification of at least one of the involved sinuses; 43 of these patients had expansion of an involved sinus, 42 had remodeling and thinning of the bony sinus walls, and 41 had erosion of the sinus wall. CONCLUSION: Allergic fungal sinusitis is a distinct clinical entity with nonspecific symptoms that may be initially suggested by the CT findings. These findings should alert the clinician to the possibility of allergic fungal sinusitis and prompt other diagnostic studies to establish the diagnosis and treatment plan

Symphysiotomy in Zimbabwe; Postoperative Outcome, Width of the Symphysis Joint, and Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice among Doctors and Midwives

BACKGROUND: Obstructed labour remains one of the leading causes of maternal and foetal death and morbidity in poorly resourced areas of the world, where the 24 hours availability of a caesarean section (CS) cannot be guaranteed, and the CS related mortality rate is still high. In these settings, reinstatement of symphysiotomy has been advocated. The objectives were, in1994; to study perioperative and long-term complications of symphysiotomy and compare them to those related to CS for similar indications, in 1996; to measure the symphyseal width after symphysiotomy and compare it to that after normal vaginal delivery, and, in 1998; to assess knowledge, attitudes and practice related to symphysiotomy among doctors and midwives in Zimbabwe. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Thirty-four women who had undergone symphysiotomy and 29 women who had undergone a CS for obstructed labour were interviewed. The symphyseal widths of 19 women with a previous symphysiotomy were compared to that of 92 women with previous normal vaginal deliveries, using ultrasound technique. Forty-one doctors and 39 midwives, in three central hospitals and seven district hospitals in Zimbabwe, were interviewed about symphysiotomy. None of the 34 women reported serious soft tissue injuries or infections post symphysiotomy. Long-term complications after symphysiotomy do not differ notably from those after CS for similar indications. The intra-articular width of the symphysis pubis is increased after a symphysiotomy. Seventy-nine of the 80 interviewed health care workers knew about symphysiotomy. One obstetrician had performed symphysiotomies. Two-thirds of the participants considered symphysiotomy an obsolete and second-class operation, but lifesaving and appropriate in remote areas of Zimbabwe. Ten of 13 midwives in remote areas wanted to carry out symphysiotomies themselves. CONCLUSIONS: No severe complications due to symphysiotomy were revealed in this study. The results suggest that a modest permanent enlargement of the pelvis post symphysiotomy (together with the absence of a scarred uterus) may facilitate subsequent vaginal delivery. Doctors and midwives working in district hospitals have a more positive attitude to symphysiotomies than the colleagues in central hospitals. Obstetricians (who would have to do the teaching), working in the large urban hospitals almost exclude symphysiotomy as an alternative management in Zimbabwe

High time for conservation: adding the environment to the debate on marijuana liberalization

The liberalization of marijuana policies, including the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana, is sweeping the United States and other countries. Marijuana cultivation can have significant negative collateral effects on the environment that are often unknown or overlooked. Focusing on the state of California, where by some estimates 60%–70% of the marijuana consumed in the United States is grown, we argue that (a) the environmental harm caused by marijuana cultivation merits a direct policy response, (b) current approaches to governing the environmental effects are inadequate, and (c) neglecting discussion of the environmental impacts of cultivation when shaping future marijuana use and possession policies represents a missed opportunity to reduce, regulate, and mitigate environmental harm.Published versio

Different Prey Resources Suggest Little Competition Between Non-Native Frogs and Insectivorous Birds Despite Isotopic Niche Overlap

Non-native amphibians often compete with native amphibians in their introduced range, but their competitive effects on other vertebrates are less well known. The Puerto Rican coqui frog (Eleutherodactylus coqui) has colonized the island of Hawaii, and has been hypothesized to compete with insectivorous birds and bats. To address if the coqui could compete with these vertebrates, we used stable isotope analyses to compare the trophic position and isotopic niche overlap between the coqui, three insectivorous bird species, and the Hawaiian hoary bat. Coquis shared similar trophic position to Hawaii amakihi, Japanese white-eye, and red-billed leiothrix. Coquis were about 3 ‰ less enriched in δ15N than the Hawaiian hoary bat, suggesting the bats feed at a higher trophic level than coquis. Analyses of potential diet sources between coquis and each of the three bird species indicate that there was more dietary overlap between bird species than any of the birds and the coqui. Results suggest that Acari, Amphipoda, and Blattodea made up \u3e90% of coqui diet, while Araneae made up only 2% of coqui diet, but approximately 25% of amakihi and white-eye diet. The three bird species shared similar proportions of Lepidoptera larvae, which were ~25% of their diet. Results suggest that coquis share few food resources with insectivorous birds, but occupy a similar trophic position, which could indicate weak competition. However, resource competition may not be the only way coquis impact insectivorous birds, and future research should examine whether coqui invasions are associated with changes in bird abundance

Grand Challenges in Shape-Changing Interface Research

Shape-changing interfaces have emerged as an new method for interacting with computers, using dynamic changes in a device’s physical shape for input and output. With the advances of research into shape-changing interfaces, we see a need to synthesize the main, open research questions. The purpose of this synthesis is to formulate common challenges across the diverse fields engaged in shape-change research, to facilitate progression from single prototypes and individual design explorations to grander scientific goals, and to draw attention to challenges that come with maturity, including those concerning ethics, theory-building, and societal impact. In this article we therefore present 12 grand challenges for research on shape-changing interfaces, derived from a three-day workshop with 25 shape-changing interface experts with backgrounds in design, computer science, human-computer interaction, engineering, robotics, and material science

Hydrologic Variability Affects Invertebrate Grazing on Phototrophic Biofilms in Stream Microcosms

The temporal variability of streamflow is known to be a key feature structuring and controlling fluvial ecological communities and ecosystem processes. Although alterations of streamflow regime due to habitat fragmentation or other anthropogenic factors are ubiquitous, a quantitative understanding of their implications on ecosystem structure and function is far from complete. Here, by experimenting with two contrasting flow regimes in stream microcosms, we provide a novel mechanistic explanation for how fluctuating flow regimes may affect grazing of phototrophic biofilms (i.e., periphyton) by an invertebrate species (Ecdyonurus sp.). In both flow regimes light availability was manipulated as a control on autotroph biofilm productivity and grazer activity, thereby allowing the test of flow regime effects across various ratios of biofilm biomass to grazing activity. Average grazing rates were significantly enhanced under variable flow conditions and this effect was highest at intermediate light availability. Our results suggest that stochastic flow regimes, characterised by suitable fluctuations and temporal persistence, may offer increased windows of opportunity for grazing under favourable shear stress conditions. This bears important implications for the development of comprehensive schemes for water resources management and for the understanding of trophic carbon transfer in stream food webs