A demonstration of 'broken' visual space

It has long been assumed that there is a distorted mapping between real and ‘perceived’ space, based on demonstrations of systematic errors in judgements of slant, curvature, direction and separation. Here, we have applied a direct test to the notion of a coherent visual space. In an immersive virtual environment, participants judged the relative distance of two squares displayed in separate intervals. On some trials, the virtual scene expanded by a factor of four between intervals although, in line with recent results, participants did not report any noticeable change in the scene. We found that there was no consistent depth ordering of objects that can explain the distance matches participants made in this environment (e.g. A > B > D yet also A < C < D) and hence no single one-to-one mapping between participants’ perceived space and any real 3D environment. Instead, factors that affect pairwise comparisons of distances dictate participants’ performance. These data contradict, more directly than previous experiments, the idea that the visual system builds and uses a coherent 3D internal representation of a scene

Group interventions to improve health outcomes : a framework for their design and delivery

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Seatbelt use and risk of major injuries sustained by vehicle occupants during motor-vehicle crashes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies

BackgroundIn 2004, a World Health Report on road safety called for enforcement of measures such as seatbelt use, effective at minimizing morbidity and mortality caused by road traffic accidents. However, injuries caused by seatbelt use have also been described. Over a decade after publication of the World Health Report on road safety, this study sought to investigate the relationship between seatbelt use and major injuries in belted compared to unbelted passengers.MethodsCohort studies published in English language from 2005 to 2018 were retrieved from seven databases. Critical appraisal of studies was carried out using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) checklist. Pooled risk of major injuries was assessed using the random effects meta-analytic model. Heterogeneity was quantified using I-squared and Tau-squared statistics. Funnel plots and Egger's test were used to investigate publication bias. This review is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42015020309).ResultsEleven studies, all carried out in developed countries were included. Overall, the risk of any major injury was significantly lower in belted passengers compared to unbelted passengers (RR 0.47; 95%CI, 0.29 to 0.80; I-2=99.7; P=0.000). When analysed by crash types, belt use significantly reduced the risk of any injury (RR 0.35; 95%CI, 0.24 to 0.52). Seatbelt use reduces the risk of facial injuries (RR=0.56, 95% CI=0.37 to 0.84), abdominal injuries (RR=0.87; 95% CI=0.78 to 0.98) and, spinal injuries (RR=0.56, 95% CI=0.37 to 0.84). However, we found no statistically significant difference in risk of head injuries (RR=0.49; 95% CI=0.22 to 1.08), neck injuries (RR=0.69: 95%CI 0.07 to 6.44), thoracic injuries (RR 0.96, 95%CI, 0.74 to 1.24), upper limb injuries (RR=1.05, 95%CI 0.83 to 1.34) and lower limb injuries (RR=0.77, 95%CI 0.58 to 1.04) between belted and non-belted passengers.ConclusionIn sum, the risk of most major road traffic injuries is lower in seatbelt users. Findings were inconclusive regarding seatbelt use and susceptibility to thoracic, head and neck injuries during road traffic accidents. Awareness should be raised about the dangers of inadequate seatbelt use. Future research should aim to assess the effects of seatbelt use on major injuries by crash type

Cancer incidence in British Indians and British whites in Leicester, 2001–2006

BACKGROUND: Incidence rates for many cancers are lower in India than in Britain and it is therefore of interest to compare rates in British Indians to British whites, as well as to rates in India. We present estimates for Leicester, which has the largest population of Indian origin in Britain, and also has virtually complete, self-assigned, ethnicity data. METHODS: We obtained data on all cancer registrations from 2001 to 2006 for Leicester with ethnicity data obtained by linkage to the Hospital Episode Statistics database. Age-standardised incidence rates were calculated for British Indians and British whites as well as incidence rate ratios, adjusted for age and income. RESULTS: Incidence rate ratios for British Indians compared with British whites were significantly less than 1.0 for all cancers combined (0.65) and for cancer of the breast (0.72), prostate (0.76), colon (0.46), lung (0.30), kidney (0.36), stomach (0.54), bladder (0.48) and oesophagus (0.64), but higher than 1.0 for liver cancer (1.95). CONCLUSION: These results are likely to be the most accurate estimate of cancer incidence in British Indians to date and confirm that cancer incidence in British Indians is lower than in British whites in Leicester, particularly for cancer of the breast, prostate, colon and lung (and other smoking-related cancers), but much higher than in India

Cancer incidence among the south Asian and non-south Asian population under 30 years of age in Yorkshire, UK.

Few studies have examined epidemiological differences between ethnic groups for children and young adults with cancer

Perspective from a Younger Generation -- The Astro-Spectroscopy of Gisbert Winnewisser

Gisbert Winnewisser's astronomical career was practically coextensive with the whole development of molecular radio astronomy. Here I would like to pick out a few of his many contributions, which I, personally, find particularly interesting and put them in the context of newer results.Comment: 14 pages. (Co)authored by members of the MPIfR (Sub)millimeter Astronomy Group. To appear in the Proceedings of the 4th Cologne-Bonn-Zermatt-Symposium "The Dense Interstellar Medium in Galaxies" eds. S. Pfalzner, C. Kramer, C. Straubmeier, & A. Heithausen (Springer: Berlin

Utilising daily diaries to examine oral health experiences associated with dentine hypersensitivity

Background: The current investigation examined the determinants of oral health experiences associated with dentine hypersensitivity using prospective diary methodology. Methods: Staff and students from a large UK university who had self-diagnosed dentine hypersensitivity completed an online daily diary and text survey for two weeks recording their mood, oral health-related coping behaviours, coping and pain appraisals, pain experiences and functional limitations. Cross sectional and lagged path analyses were employed to examine relationships. Results: 101 participants took part in the diary study. Participants had a mean age of 26.3 years (range=18-63) and most were female (N=69). Individuals who used more oral health-related coping behaviours predicted and experienced greater levels of pain on subsequent days. Negative mood also predicted worse pain outcomes. The daily diary method provided a useful avenue for investigating variations in oral health experiences and relationships between variables that can fluctuate daily. Conclusions: Psychological variables such as coping and mood play an important role in the pain experiences of people with dentine hypersensitivity. The study highlights the benefits of using prospective methods to elucidate the experiences of people with oral condition

Gastrodin Inhibits Allodynia and Hyperalgesia in Painful Diabetic Neuropathy Rats by Decreasing Excitability of Nociceptive Primary Sensory Neurons

Painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) is a common complication of diabetes mellitus and adversely affects the patients’ quality of life. Evidence has accumulated that PDN is associated with hyperexcitability of peripheral nociceptive primary sensory neurons. However, the precise cellular mechanism underlying PDN remains elusive. This may result in the lacking of effective therapies for the treatment of PDN. The phenolic glucoside, gastrodin, which is a main constituent of the Chinese herbal medicine Gastrodia elata Blume, has been widely used as an anticonvulsant, sedative, and analgesic since ancient times. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying its analgesic actions are not well understood. By utilizing a combination of behavioral surveys and electrophysiological recordings, the present study investigated the role of gastrodin in an experimental rat model of STZ-induced PDN and to further explore the underlying cellular mechanisms. Intraperitoneal administration of gastrodin effectively attenuated both the mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia induced by STZ injection. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings were obtained from nociceptive, capsaicin-sensitive small diameter neurons of the intact dorsal root ganglion (DRG). Recordings from diabetic rats revealed that the abnormal hyperexcitability of neurons was greatly abolished by application of GAS. To determine which currents were involved in the antinociceptive action of gastrodin, we examined the effects of gastrodin on transient sodium currents (INaT) and potassium currents in diabetic small DRG neurons. Diabetes caused a prominent enhancement of INaT and a decrease of potassium currents, especially slowly inactivating potassium currents (IAS); these effects were completely reversed by GAS in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, changes in activation and inactivation kinetics of INaT and total potassium current as well as IAS currents induced by STZ were normalized by GAS. This study provides a clear cellular basis for the peripheral analgesic action of gastrodin for the treatment of chronic pain, including PDN

The digestion of protein and carbohydrate by the stream detritivore, Tipula abdominalis (Diptera, Tipulidae)

The digestive system of larvae of Tipula abdominalis (Diptera, Tipulidae), a stream detritivore, is poorly adapted for the digestion of the major polysaccharides in its diet, but well adapted for the digestion of protein. These crane fly larvae are unable to digest the major cell wall polysaccharides of higher plants, i.e., cellulose, hemicellulose and pectin. The only polysaccharides toward which the midguts of T. abdominalis exhibited any activity were α-amylose and laminarin, indicating that polysaccharide digestion is restricted to α-1,4-and β-1,3-glucans. The most concentrated source of these two classes of carbohydrates in submerged leaf litter would be associated fungal tissue. The midgut of T. abdominalis is strongly alkaline throughout, with a maximum pH near 11.5 in a narrow zone near the midpoint. Proteolytic activity in the midgut is extraordinarily high, and the pH optimum for midgut proteolytic activity is above 11. We conclude that the high alkalinity and high proteolytic activity observed in T. abdominalis larvae are manifestations of a highly efficient protein-digesting system, a system of crucial importance to a nitrogen-limited organism which must derive its nitrogen from a resource in which much of the limited nitrogen present is in a “bound” form in complexes of proteins with lignins and polyphenols.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47733/1/442_2004_Article_BF00346265.pd