Magic for the blind: are auditory tricks impossible?

Many magic tricks rely solely on vision, but there are few, if any, that rely on auditory perception alone. Here, we question why this is so and argue that research focusing on this issue could provide deeper theoretical insights into the similarities and differences between our senses.

The Vanishing Coin Illusion: When sound congruence affects visual representation of motion.

In the "classic" vanishing ball illusion (VBI), a magician pretends to throw a ball and the audience sees it go up and then disappear. To gain a better understanding of the mechanisms involved, we conducted two experiments to analyze the permeability of this type of illusion to auditory information. A modified version of the VBI (i.

Anchoring effect induces false memories.

While many studies have highlighted the existence of the anchoring effect in a wide variety of domains, no study to date has investigated its impact on memory. The present study aimed to test whether an irrelevant numerical anchor not only influences an estimate but also modifies the memory of the associated event. Two experiments (total N = 259) were conducted, combining the methodology used by Loftus and Palmer (Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 13, 585-589, 1974) and a classic anchoring paradigm.

On the Comprehensive Precipitation of Hydroxyapatites Unraveled by a Combined Kinetic-Thermodynamic Approach.

The present study combines experimental and theoretical approaches to investigate the competitive precipitation of calcium phosphates (CaPs) in aqueous solution in order to understand and control both the structural and textural properties of the synthesized hydroxyapatites (HAps). Some of the precipitation reactions were followed by Raman spectroscopy or achieved under kinetically controlled conditions. The CaP precursors of HAps were identified as a function of the precipitation pH of the medium and the order of introduction of the precursor ions in the synthesis reactor.

Fooling System 1 in the field of perception: Failure to intuitively detect attribute substitution in the flushtration count illusion.

To facilitate our interactions with the surroundings, the human brain sometimes reshapes the situations that it faces to simplify them. This phenomenon has been widely studied in the context of reasoning, especially through the attribute substitution error. It has however been given much less attention in the field of perception.

Phase selective synthesis of nickel silicide nanocrystals in molten salts for electrocatalysis of the oxygen evolution reaction.

We report phase selective synthesis of intermetallic nickel silicide nanocrystals in inorganic molten salts. NiSi and Ni2Si nanocrystals are obtained by reacting a nickel(ii) salt and sodium silicide Na4Si4 in the molten LiI-KI inorganic eutectic salt mixture. We report that nickel silicide nanocrystals are precursors to active electrocatalysts in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and may be low-cost alternatives to iridium-based electrocatalysts.

The Flushtration Count Illusion: Attribute substitution tricks our interpretation of a simple visual event sequence.

When faced with a difficult question, people sometimes work out an answer to a related, easier question without realizing that a substitution has taken place (e.g., Kahneman, 2011, Thinking, fast and slow.

On the limits of statistical learning: Intertrial contextual cueing is confined to temporally close contingencies.

Since the seminal study by Chun and Jiang (Cognitive Psychology, 36, 28-71, 1998), a large body of research based on the contextual-cueing paradigm has shown that the cognitive system is capable of extracting statistical contingencies from visual environments. Most of these studies have focused on how individuals learn regularities found within an intratrial temporal window: A context predicts the target position within a given trial. However, Ono, Jiang, and Kawahara (Journal of Experimental Psychology, 31, 703-712, 2005) provided evidence of an intertrial implicit-learning effect when a distractor configuration in preceding trials N - 1 predicted the target location in trials N.

In Situ Solid-Gas Reactivity of Nanoscaled Metal Borides from Molten Salt Synthesis.

Metal borides have mostly been studied as bulk materials. The nanoscale provides new opportunities to investigate the properties of these materials, e.g.

A Clinical Approach to Animal Bites with an Avulsion Flap: A Case Report.

Introduction: Animal bites are a common reason for visits to the Emergency Department in the US and worldwide. There are many different approaches to managing these wounds.

Case Presentation: We present a case of a 90-year-old white woman who sustained a large dog bite to her hand, over the dorsal aspect of the first metacarpal.

Incorporation of vanadium into the framework of hydroxyapatites: importance of the vanadium content and pH conditions during the precipitation step.

Even though vanadium-modified hydroxyapatite (V-HAp) samples are very promising systems for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane, the incorporation of vanadium into the hydroxyapatite framework was reported to be limited and to lead to over-stoichiometric compounds. Here, the synthesis of a Ca(PO)(VO)(OH) stoichiometric solid solution using a co-precipitation method is monitored in the whole composition range (0 ≤ x ≤ 6) by controlling the pH of the precipitation medium, with continuous (the first series of samples) or periodic (the second series of samples) addition of NHOH during the precipitation step or during the maturation step, respectively. It is demonstrated that the changes in pH conditions result in materials of a substantial difference in terms of the final composition.

Scientific Study of Magic: Binet's Pioneering Approach Based on Observations and Chronophotography.

In 1894, French psychologist Alfred Binet (1857-1911) published an article titled "The Psychol- ogy of Prestidigitation" that reported the results of a study conducted in collaboration with two of the best magicians of that period. By using a new method and new observation techniques, Binet was able to reveal some of the psychological mechanisms involved in magic tricks. Our article begins by presenting Binet's method and the principal professional magicians who par- ticipated in his studies.

Magicians fix your mind: How unlikely solutions block obvious ones.

In everyday life, several factors limit the human capacity to think differently. The present study shows that implanting an unlikely and unfamiliar idea in the mind can prevent participants from finding a more obvious one. To demonstrate this, we used a technique often adopted by magicians to misrepresent the method of a trick: the false solution.

The ball vanishes in the air: can we blame representational momentum?

In the vanishing ball illusion (VBI), the magician throws a ball up into the air twice and then pretends to do a third throw. On the third (fake) throw, the audience sees the ball go up and then disappear. In this article, we study the psychological mechanisms at play in this magic trick.

No need for a social cue! A masked magician can also trick the audience in the vanishing ball illusion.

In the vanishing ball illusion (VBI), a magician throws a ball up in the air twice, after which he pretends to toss it up again, when in fact it remains secretly concealed in his hand. Observers perceive an imaginary ball disappearing into the air. According to Kuhn and Land (2006), the VBI during the fake throw is mediated by the magician's gaze and/or head direction (also called "social cues") as he looks toward the imaginary ball.

Evidence for an H2 promoting effect in the selective catalytic reduction of NO(x) by propene on Au/Al2O3.

This work provides the first experimental evidence of an H2 effect in C3H6-SCR over an Au/Al2O3 catalyst. This effect could only be observed when the number of Au catalytic sites was decreased. The N2 turnover rate estimated for the first time for the Au catalytic sites for H2-C3H6-SCR was found to be similar to that estimated for Ag ones supported on Al2O3.

The impact on emergency department visits for respiratory illness during the southern california wildfires.

Introduction: In 2007 wildfires ravaged Southern California resulting in the largest evacuation due to a wildfire in American history. We report how these wildfires affected emergency department (ED) visits for respiratory illness.

Methods: We extracted data from a Kaiser Permanente database for a single metropolitan community ED.

Clinic-based intervention reduces unprotected sexual behavior among HIV-infected patients in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: results of a pilot study.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility, fidelity, and effectiveness of a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention intervention delivered to HIV-infected patients by counselors during routine clinical care in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Methods: A total of 152 HIV-infected patients, aged 18 years and older, receiving clinical care at an urban hospital in South Africa, were randomly assigned to intervention or standard-of-care control counselors. Intervention counselors implemented a brief risk reduction intervention at each clinical encounter to help patients reduce their unprotected sexual behavior.

On the clarification of the IR stretching vibration assignment of adsorbed N2 on Rh0 and Rhdelta+ surface atoms of supported Rh crystallites.

The low-temperature adsorption of N(2) on Rh/SiO(2) samples of various particle-size distributions was followed by FTIR. The addition of O(2) pulses on Rh(0) surfaces saturated with chemisorbed N(2) allowed us to reassign stretching frequencies attributed originally to N(2)-Rh(0) to N(2)-Rh(delta+). The formation of the latter oxidized Rh species is assumed to be induced by an electron withdrawal from adsorbed oxygen species on Rh surface centers neighboring those onto which N(2) species are chemisorbed.

A 2-year study of Candida-associated denture stomatitis treatment in aged care subjects.

Objective: To test the efficacy of two methods of treatment for denture stomatitis in aged care institutions.

Background Data: Candida-associated denture stomatitis has been associated with a lack of denture hygiene.

Materials And Methods: Sixty subjects with denture stomatitis were randomly divided into three groups: sodium hypochlorite denture soak, microwaving and control.