Rejecting probability summation for radial frequency patterns, not so Quick!

Radial frequency (RF) patterns are used to assess how the visual system processes shape. They are thought to be detected globally. This is supported by studies that have found summation for RF patterns to be greater than what is possible if the parts were being independently detected and performance only then improved with an increasing number of cycles by probability summation between them.

Perceptual-binding in a rotating Necker cube: The effect of context motion and position.

Previous studies have shown that spatial context influences the perceptual interpretation of ambiguous figures such as the Necker cube; however, the properties that mediate the influences of an unambiguous spatial context have yet to be investigated. Here we consider the effect of the motion and position of an unambiguous rotating skeleton cube on the perceived motion direction of an ambiguous rotating Necker cube. We aimed to determine whether the motion of the two figures could be perceptually bound, and if it could, to determine the properties of the binding.

Imagining circles--Empirical data and a perceptual model for the arc-size illusion.

An essential part of visual object recognition is the evaluation of the curvature of both an object's outline as well as the contours on its surface. We studied a striking illusion of visual curvature--the arc-size illusion (ASI)--to gain insight into the visual coding of curvature. In the ASI, short arcs are perceived as flatter (less curved) compared to longer arcs of the same radius.

Detection of between-eye differences in color: Interactions with luminance.

Between-eye differences in color or luminance result in the appearance of luster, which provides a cue for detecting between-eye differences. We measured thresholds for detecting between-eye differences in both hue and chromatic contrast (saturation) in dichoptically superimposed color patches. Sensitivity was found to be highest at isoluminance and decreased with the addition of task-irrelevant, spatially coextensive, binocular (i.

International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis.

Background: The body of knowledge regarding rhinosinusitis(RS) continues to expand, with rapid growth in number of publications, yet substantial variability in the quality of those presentations. In an effort to both consolidate and critically appraise this information, rhinologic experts from around the world have produced the International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis (ICAR:RS).

Methods: Evidence-based reviews with recommendations(EBRRs) were developed for scores of topics, using previously reported methodology.

Apelin in Normal Pregnancy and Pregnancies Complicated by Placental Insufficiency.

Introduction: Apelin is a potent inotropic agent and causes endothelium-mediated vasodilation. Its cardiovascular profile suggests a role in the regulation of gestational hemodynamics.

Methods: We longitudinally assessed maternal serum apelin levels and hemodynamics (cardiac output and total peripheral resistance) between 20 and 34 weeks gestation in 18 women at high risk of placental dysfunction.

International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis Executive Summary.

Background: The body of knowledge regarding rhinosinusitis (RS) continues to expand, with rapid growth in number of publications yet substantial variability in the quality of those presentations. In an effort to both consolidate and critically appraise this information, rhinologic experts from around the world have produced the International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis (ICAR:RS). This executive summary consolidates the findings of the ICAR:RS document.

Facial Expression Aftereffect Revealed by Adaption to Emotion-Invisible Dynamic Bubbled Faces.

Visual adaptation is a powerful tool to probe the short-term plasticity of the visual system. Adapting to local features such as the oriented lines can distort our judgment of subsequently presented lines, the tilt aftereffect. The tilt aftereffect is believed to be processed at the low-level of the visual cortex, such as V1.

Probability, not linear summation, mediates the detection of concentric orientation-defined textures.

Previous studies investigating signal integration in circular Glass patterns have concluded that the information in these patterns is linearly summed across the entire display for detection. Here we test whether an alternative form of summation, probability summation (PS), modeled under the assumptions of Signal Detection Theory (SDT), can be rejected as a model of Glass pattern detection. PS under SDT alone predicts that the exponent β of the Quick- (or Weibull-) fitted psychometric function should decrease with increasing signal area.

Learning From Experience: Development of a Cognitive Task List to Perform a Caesarean Section in the Second Stage of Labour.

Objective: Caesarean section at full cervical dilatation is a challenging procedure with a higher risk of fetal and maternal morbidity. We wished to elicit the essential clinical components of a CS at full dilatation performed skilfully and safely.

Methods: We conducted a prospective study with both qualitative (individual interviews) and quantitative (questionnaire) components.

Choice of Formula and Accuracy of Fetal Weight Estimation in Small-for-Gestational-Age Fetuses.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify the most accurate sonographic models for fetal weight estimation in specific subgroups of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) fetuses.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of women who delivered an SGA neonate and underwent a sonographic estimation of fetal weight within 7 days of delivery in a single tertiary center (n = 370). The accuracy of fetal weight estimation was compared for 33 sonographic models (27 nontargeted and 6 targeted SGA- or low-birth-weight-specific models) in specific subgroups of SGA fetuses: early versus late SGA, asymmetric versus symmetric, and presence of Doppler abnormalities.

Shape recognition: convexities, concavities and things in between.

Visual objects are effortlessly recognized from their outlines, largely irrespective of viewpoint. Previous studies have drawn different conclusions regarding the importance to shape recognition of specific shape features such as convexities and concavities. However, most studies employed familiar objects, or shapes without curves, and did not measure shape recognition across changes in scale and position.

Maternal Cardiac Output and Fetal Doppler Predict Adverse Neonatal Outcomes in Pregnant Women With Heart Disease.

Background: The mechanistic basis of the proposed relationship between maternal cardiac output and neonatal complications in pregnant women with heart disease has not been well elucidated.

Methods And Results: Pregnant women with cardiac disease and healthy pregnant women (controls) were prospectively followed with maternal echocardiography and obstetrical ultrasound scans at baseline, third trimester, and postpartum. Fetal/neonatal complications (death, small-for-gestational-age or low birthweight, prematurity, respiratory distress syndrome, or intraventricular hemorrhage) comprised the primary study outcome.

The hemodynamics of late-onset intrauterine growth restriction by MRI.

Background: Late-onset intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) results from a failure of the placenta to supply adequate nutrients and oxygen to the rapidly growing late-gestation fetus. Limitations in current monitoring methods present the need for additional techniques for more accurate diagnosis of IUGR in utero. New magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology now provides a noninvasive technique for fetal hemodynamic assessment, which could provide additional information over conventional Doppler methods.

Placental transcriptome in development and pathology: expression, function, and methods of analysis.

The placenta is the essential organ of mammalian pregnancy and errors in its development and function are associated with a wide range of human pathologies of pregnancy. Genome sequencing has led to methods for investigation of the transcriptome (all expressed RNA species) using microarrays and next-generation sequencing, and implementation of these techniques has identified many novel species of RNA including: micro-RNA, long noncoding RNA, and circular RNA. These species can physically interact with both each other and regulatory proteins to modify gene expression and messenger RNA to protein translation.

Dichoptic colour-saturation masking is unmasked by binocular luminance contrast.

We demonstrate a new type of interaction between suprathreshold colour (chromatic) and luminance contrast in the context of binocular, specifically dichoptic vision. A highly saturated isoluminant violet 'mask' disk in one eye greatly elevates detection thresholds for an isoluminant violet 'test' disk in the other eye, an example of dichoptic colour-saturation masking. However when binocular luminance contrast (i.

Investigation of bacterial repopulation after sinus surgery and perioperative antibiotics.

Background: Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) enjoys high success rates, but repopulation with pathogenic bacteria is 1 of the hallmarks of poorer outcomes. There are many hypothesized sources of repopulating bacteria; however, this process remains largely unexplored. This study examined changes in the sinus microbiome after ESS and medical therapies to identify potential sources for postsurgical microbial repopulation.

Fetal growth restriction and cardiovascular outcome in early human infancy: a prospective longitudinal study.

The association between low birth weight and premature cardiovascular disease has led to the "prenatal origin of adult disease-hypothesis". We postulated that fetal growth restriction is associated with cardiovascular changes detectable at birth and in early infancy. Fifty-two appropriately grown fetuses (AGA) and 60 growth-restricted fetuses (FGR) with (n = 20) or without (n = 40) absent or reversed end-diastolic umbilical artery blood flow were prospectively examined by echocardiography before birth, at 1 week and 6 months of life.

Detection of chromatic and luminance distortions in natural scenes.

A number of studies have measured visual thresholds for detecting spatial distortions applied to images of natural scenes. In one study, Bex [J. Vis.