Predictors of the relationships between nutritional supplement use and weight-modification goals of U.S. Army soldiers.

Background: U.S. Army Soldiers must meet body weight and composition standards and consequently may use nutritional supplements (NS) purported to assist in weight modification (WM).

Confidence in the efficacy and safety of dietary supplements among United States active duty army personnel.

Background: United States Army Soldiers regularly use dietary supplements (DS) to promote general health, enhance muscle strength, and increase energy, but limited scientific evidence supports the use of many DS for these benefits. This study investigated factors associated with Soldiers' confidence in the efficacy and safety of DS, and assessed Soldiers' knowledge of federal DS regulatory requirements.

Methods: Between 2006 and 2007, 990 Soldiers were surveyed at 11 Army bases world-wide to assess their confidence in the effectiveness and safety of DS, knowledge of federal DS regulations, demographic characteristics, lifestyle-behaviors and DS use.

Demonstrations of spatiotemporal integration and what they tell us about the visual system.

Five sets of displays are presented on the journal website to be viewed in conjunction with the text. We concentrate on the factors that give rise to the integration and disruption of the direction of apparent motion in two-dimensional and three-dimensional space. In the first set of displays we examine what factors contribute to the integration and disruption of apparent motion in the Ramachandran/Anstis clustered bistable quartets.

The Hermann grid illusion revisited.

The Hermann grid illusion consists of smudges perceived at the intersections of a white grid presented on a black background. In 1960 the effect was first explained by a theory advanced by Baumgartner suggesting the illusory effect is due to differences in the discharge characteristics of retinal ganglion cells when their receptive fields fall along the intersections versus when they fall along non-intersecting regions of the grid. Since then, others have claimed that this theory might not be adequate, suggesting that a model based on cortical mechanisms is necessary [Lingelbach et al, 1985 Perception 14(1) A7; Spillmann, 1994 Perception 23 691 708; Geier et al, 2004 Perception 33 Supplement, 53; Westheimer, 2004 Vision Research 44 2457 2465].

Behavioural state affects saccadic eye movements evoked by microstimulation of striate cortex.

We examine how behavioural conditions affect the manner in which electrical stimulation of striate cortex (V1) influences the generation of saccadic eye movements. Monkeys were trained (i) to acquire a fixation spot and remain fixated for juice reward and (ii) to acquire a fixation spot and generate a saccade to a visual target for reward. Electrical stimulation was delivered at various times during the execution of these tasks.