Perceptual learning in parafoveal vision

AbstractThe present study tests the effects of practice on parafoveal vernier and resolution acuity. By measuring task specificity, transfer of training to other retinal locations in the trained eye and transfer of training to the untrained eye, we directly address whether improvement on these tasks is the result of changes in the underlying physiological processes or simply the development of new cognitive strategies. We found that: (1) significant learning can occur for both vernier and resolution acuity in many (but not all) individuals; (2) there were significant individual differences in the degree and time-course of learning: (3) learning transfers to the untrained task; and (4) learning transfers to the other eye particularly when the visual pathway leads to the trained hemisphere. These results suggest that both physiological and cognitive processes contribute to the improvement seen after repetitive practice on these visual tasks

Dynamic random noise shrinks the twinkling aftereffect induced by artificial scotomas

AbstractPhysiological alterations in cortical neurons are induced during adaptation to an artificial scotoma, a small homogeneous patch within a dynamic random noise or patterned background. When the dynamic noise is replaced by an equiluminant gray background, a twinkling aftereffect can be seen in the location of the artificial scotoma. Following binocular adaptation, we discovered that the perceived size of the twinkling aftereffect was dramatically smaller than the inducing artificial scotoma. Dichoptic adaptation induced shrinkage in the twinkling aftereffect that was similar to that found after binocular adaptation, suggesting that the twinkling aftereffect and its shrinkage both have cortical origins. We speculate that this perceptual shrinkage may reflect the interaction between two cortical mechanisms: a twinkling aftereffect mechanism that spreads throughout the artificial scotoma, and a filling-in mechanism that has a greater influence at the edges of the artificial scotoma and spreads inwards

How to Get Results: The Impact of Operational Excellence in Healthcare

Operational Excellence provides a framework to drive meaningful change in any environment. The Webinar uses a real world case study to highlight the impact of Operational Excellence topics such as Lean, project management, and change leadership. This session focuses on strategies and tools to lead transformational efforts and improving healthcare delivery efficiency and effectiveness. Presentation: 59:2

Criteria for the diagnosis of corticobasal degeneration

Current criteria for the clinical diagnosis of pathologically confirmed corticobasal degeneration (CBD) no longer reflect the expanding understanding of this disease and its clinicopathologic correlations. An international consortium of behavioral neurology, neuropsychology, and movement disorders specialists developed new criteria based on consensus and a systematic literature review. Clinical diagnoses (early or late) were identified for 267 nonoverlapping pathologically confirmed CBD cases from published reports and brain banks. Combined with consensus, 4 CBD phenotypes emerged: corticobasal syndrome (CBS), frontal behavioral-spatial syndrome (FBS), nonfluent/agrammatic variant of primary progressive aphasia (naPPA), and progressive supranuclear palsy syndrome (PSPS). Clinical features of CBD cases were extracted from descriptions of 209 brain bank and published patients, providing a comprehensive description of CBD and correcting common misconceptions. Clinical CBD phenotypes and features were combined to create 2 sets of criteria: more specific clinical research criteria for probable CBD and broader criteria for possible CBD that are more inclusive but have a higher chance to detect other tau-based pathologies. Probable CBD criteria require insidious onset and gradual progression for at least 1 year, age at onset ≥50 years, no similar family history or known tau mutations, and a clinical phenotype of probable CBS or either FBS or naPPA with at least 1 CBS feature. The possible CBD category uses similar criteria but has no restrictions on age or family history, allows tau mutations, permits less rigorous phenotype fulfillment, and includes a PSPS phenotype. Future validation and refinement of the proposed criteria are needed

X(3): An Exactly Separable Gamma-Rigid Version of the X(5) Critical Point Symmetry

A gamma-rigid version (with gamma=0) of the X(5) critical point symmetry is constructed. The model, to be called X(3) since it is proved to contain three degrees of freedom, utilizes an infinite well potential, is based on exact separation of variables, and leads to parameter free (up to overall scale factors) predictions for spectra and B(E2) transition rates, which are in good agreement with existing experimental data for 172-Os and 186-Pt. An unexpected similarity of the first beta bands of the X(5) nuclei 150-Nd, 152-Sm, 154-Gd, and 156-Dy to the X(3) predictions is observed.Comment: LaTeX, 12 pagres, including 4 postscript figure

An educational leaflet improves response to invitation for screening for arthritis in patients with psoriasis in primary care, but only in practices in the most deprived areas

This study hypothesises that an educational leaflet about psoriatic arthritis (PsA) will improve psoriasis patients’ attendance for screening for PsA. A random sample of patients ≥18 years old with a coded diagnosis of psoriasis and no diagnosis of PsA, rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis were identified from five GP surgeries in Yorkshire, UK. Patients were randomised 1:1 to receive study information alone or with the educational leaflet, with an invitation to attend for a screening examination by a dermatologist and rheumatologist. Nine hundred thirty-two invitation packs were sent to recruit 191 (20.5%) participants. One hundred sixty-nine (88.5%) had current or previous psoriasis and 17 (10.1%) had previously undiagnosed PsA. The estimated prevalence of PsA was 18.1% (95% CI: 16.2, 20.1%). The response rate was lower than expected and was not significantly higher when patients received the educational leaflet (22.8 vs 18.3%, p = 0.08). Response rates varied by practice (14.7 to 30.6%). However, deprivation scores for each practice revealed a significant increase in response with the leaflet for deprivation decile of 3 (p < 0.001) but no significant differences in the other practices. An educational leaflet about PsA improves attendance for screening in primary care, but only in those practices with higher levels of socioeconomic deprivation

ToppCluster: a multiple gene list feature analyzer for comparative enrichment clustering and network-based dissection of biological systems

ToppCluster is a web server application that leverages a powerful enrichment analysis and underlying data environment for comparative analyses of multiple gene lists. It generates heatmaps or connectivity networks that reveal functional features shared or specific to multiple gene lists. ToppCluster uses hypergeometric tests to obtain list-specific feature enrichment P-values for currently 17 categories of annotations of human-ortholog genes, and provides user-selectable cutoffs and multiple testing correction methods to control false discovery. Each nameable gene list represents a column input to a resulting matrix whose rows are overrepresented features, and individual cells per-list P-values and corresponding genes per feature. ToppCluster provides users with choices of tabular outputs, hierarchical clustering and heatmap generation, or the ability to interactively select features from the functional enrichment matrix to be transformed into XGMML or GEXF network format documents for use in Cytoscape or Gephi applications, respectively. Here, as example, we demonstrate the ability of ToppCluster to enable identification of list-specific phenotypic and regulatory element features (both cis-elements and 3′UTR microRNA binding sites) among tissue-specific gene lists. ToppCluster’s functionalities enable the identification of specialized biological functions and regulatory networks and systems biology-based dissection of biological states. ToppCluster can be accessed freely at http://toppcluster.cchmc.org

Familial aggregation of postpartum mood symptoms in bipolar disorder pedigrees

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72364/1/j.1399-5618.2008.00455.x.pd

Rapid Immunization Against H5N1: A Randomized Trial Evaluating Homologous and Cross-Reactive Immune Responses to AS03A-Adjuvanted Vaccination in Adults

Background. Accelerated immunization schedules may help gain early control of influenza pandemics. We investigated different schedules of an AS03A-adjuvanted H5N1 vaccine