Deployment of attention to facial expressions varies as a function of emotional quality-but not in alexithymic individuals.

Background: Alexithymia is a risk factor for emotional disorders and is characterized by differences in automatic and controlled emotion processing. The multi-stimulus free-viewing task has been used to detect increased negative and reduced positive attentional biases in depression and anxiety. In the present eye-tracking study, we examined whether lexical emotional priming directs attention toward emotion-congruent facial expressions and whether alexithymia is related to impairments in lexical priming and spontaneous attention deployment during multiple face perception.

Depressive symptoms and visual attention to others' eyes in healthy individuals.

Background: Eye contact is a fundamental part of social interaction. In clinical studies, it has been observed that patients suffering from depression make less eye contact during interviews than healthy individuals, which could be a factor contributing to their social functioning impairments. Similarly, results from mood induction studies with healthy persons indicate that attention to the eyes diminishes as a function of sad mood.

The impact of lesion side on bilateral upper limb coordination after stroke.

Background: A stroke frequently results in impaired performance of activities of daily life. Many of these are highly dependent on effective coordination between the two arms. In the context of bimanual movements, cyclic rhythmical bilateral arm coordination patterns can be classified into two fundamental modes: in-phase (bilateral homologous muscles contract simultaneously) and anti-phase (bilateral muscles contract alternately) movements.

Positive attentional bias mediates the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and trait affect.

Emotional intelligence and, in particular, the component emotion regulation may increase well-being and improve mood and coping with negative emotions. In the present eye-tracking study, we examined whether attention allocation to positive stimuli mediates the relationship between emotion regulation abilities and trait affect. Gaze behavior of 104 healthy adults was analyzed in a free-viewing task, in which happy, sad, angry, and neutral faces were shown simultaneously for ten seconds.

Experiences of maltreatment in childhood and attention to facial emotions in healthy young women.

Using reaction-time measures, research on the relationship between childhood maltreatment and biased attention to emotional stimuli in adults has obtained inconsistent results. To help clarify this issue, we conducted an eye-tracking study on the link between childhood maltreatment and allocation of attention to facial emotions analyzing gaze behavior in addition to manual reactions. In contrast to prior investigations, we excluded individuals with tendencies to minimize maltreatment experiences from analyses.

NMR measurements of gaseous sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) to probe the cross-linking of EPDM rubber.

The effects of embedding gaseous SF6 into EPDM rubber were investigated using NMR methods. It was found that observed sorption and desorption processes follow the behavior of the dual mode sorption model. A strong correlation was found between EPDM cross-linking and transversal relaxation time of embedded SF6.

NMR investigation of gaseous SF6 confinement into EPDM rubber.

The confinement process of gaseous sulphurhexafluoride (SF6) in ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) rubber was investigated by spectroscopic and spatially resolved NMR techniques. A strong elongation of T1 relaxation time of SF6 and a decrease of the diffusion coefficient were found. A possible explanation may be the strong restriction of molecular mobility due to interactions between SF6 and active centers of the EPDM.

Application of single point imaging (SPI) to solid state materials.

Single Point Imaging (SPI) is a 3D phase encoding MRI method proposed by S. Emid and J.H.

Volume-selective multi-pulse spin-echo spectroscopy and selective suppression of spectral lines.

A method is described allowing the recording of in vivo NMR spectra in sharply bound volume elements preselected on the basis of slice images. Experiments with phantom samples, as well as with a test person in a whole-body instrument, have been carried out to demonstrate the applicability of the technique. In the case of proton spectroscopy, suppression of the water and/or or of the lipid line is often desirable.

[MR-tomography and -spectroscopy of skeletal muscles using high magnetic field strengths].

Intact as well as neuromuscular affected skeletal muscles can be precisely analysed by MR tomography with high magnetic field strengths. The substitution of muscle by adipose tissue under atrophic conditions is seen most clearly in fat images, while the morphology of small structures is predominantly shown by water images. The aim of in-vivo spectroscopy is an identification and quantification of metabolites.