A Cross-Cultural Comparison of the Use of a Gestalt Perceptual Strategy

Perception ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
D N Perkins ◽  
Jan B Deregowski

The ability to discriminate whether pictured box shapes (parallelopipeds) are projections of three-dimensional rectangular forms has been demonstrated by Perkins and Cooper in US populations and interpreted as a symptom of a general Gestalt strategy in perception. Deregowski suggested earlier that this perceptual strategy might not appear as strongly in less ‘carpentered’ cultures, among perceivers less familiar with Western modes of depiction. A study is reported in which the performance on the discrimination by US children in grades 1, 4, and 7; and children from Zimbabwe, Africa, in grades 1, 2, 4, and 7—children of less experience with pictures and urban environments—has been examined. All groups evinced the discrimination at high levels of statistical significance. However, the findings disclosed much less accurate performance in the Zimbabwe groups at all grade levels, and no improvement with age either in the US or in Zimbabwe. The absence of improvement argues against an explanation of the difference between the US and Zimbabwe groups in terms of either a carpentered-world hypothesis or a difficulty with picture perception, at least when those interpretations are taken in their simplest forms.

2016 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 1004-1009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asli Baysal ◽  
Ahmet Oguz Sahan ◽  
Mehmet Ali Ozturk ◽  
Tancan Uysal

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the intraexaminer repeatability and interexaminer reproducibility of soft tissue landmarks on three-dimensional (3-D) stereophogrammetric images. Materials and Methods: Thirty-four stereophotogrammetric images were taken and 19 soft tissue points were identified. The images were obtained using the 3-DMD Face (3-DMD TM Ltd, Atlanta, Ga) system. Two examiners marked 34 images manually with a mouse-driven cursor 4 weeks apart. Intraexaminer marking differences were calculated and classified as <0.5 mm, 0.5–1 mm, and >1 mm. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated for intraexaminer reliability. A paired-samples t-test was used to evaluate the difference between the examiners. Interexaminer reproducibility was evaluated by kappa analysis. Statistical significance was set at P < .05. Results: Only one landmark (labiale superior) had an intraexaminer marking difference less than 0.5 mm. Existing landmarks had an intraexaminer difference less than 1 mm, but higher than 0.5 mm. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) indicated good intraexaminer repeatability for both observers. The ICC range for examiners 1 and 2 was 0.986–1.000 and 0.990–1.000, respectively. Kappa scores showed good interexaminer agreement, especially on the z-axis. Conclusions: Except labiale superior, the soft tissue landmarks used in this study were shown to have moderate reproducibility, but the difference between the landmarks was less than 1 mm, and they had clinically acceptable reproducibility.


Author(s):  
Mohamad Ahmad Saleem KHASAWNEH ◽  

This study aims at identifying, analysing, and classifying the mistakes that students make in grades (second, third, and fourth) in the elementary stage in Aseer in reading aloud and developing a proposed program to treat these errors. The study used the experimental approach. The study sample consisted of (72) male and female students from the study population, representing the three grade levels. 24 students (12 males and 12 females) were taken from each grade, and the study sample was taken from seven schools. The results of the study showed that there are no statistically significant differences in students ’reading errors due to the gender variable. The prevalence of reading errors in students’ readings is not related to males or females or vice versa. Despite the difference between the reader's gender and the teacher’s gender, the differences came free of any clear statistical significance. The study revealed statistically significant differences in students’ mastery of some reading skills due to the gender variable. The skills that showed differences are observing punctuation, meaning skills, and reading speed. Females were better than males in these skills, and there were no statistically significant differences in the remaining reading skills between the genders. The study recommended preparing training courses to familiarize male and female teachers with the latest findings of studies related to reading to employ them in educational situations and providing teachers with methods to diagnose students' weakness in reading.


2010 ◽  
Vol 55 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 125-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
D-C Woo ◽  
C-B Choi ◽  
J-W Nam ◽  
K-N Ryu ◽  
G-H Jahng ◽  
...  

The purpose of this work was to evaluate hydrocephalic ventricular changes using three quantitative analysis methods. The height, area and volume of the ventricles and brain were measured in 20 Yorkshire terriers (10 normal and 10 hydrocephalic dogs) using low-field MR imaging (at 0.2 Tesla). All measurements were averaged and the relative ventricle size was defined as a percentage (percent size of the ventricle/size of the brain). The difference between normal and hydrocephalic dogs was statistically significant for the average of each ventricle as well as for the percentage value. Five hydrocephalic symptoms were identified: circling, head tilting, seizures, ataxia, and strabismus. With respect to height, area and volume of the brain/ventricle, the difference between normal and hydrocephalic dogs was not significant. The ventricle/brain with height (1D) was related to the area (2D) and volume (3D). The correlations with area and volume were as good as the ventricle/brain height ratio in the case of hydrocephalic dogs. Therefore, one-, two- and three-dimensional quantitative methods may be complementary. We expect that the stage of hydrocephalic symptoms can be classified if statistical significance for ventricular size among symptoms is determined with the analysis of a large number of hydrocephalic cases.


1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 190-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lun-Jou Lo ◽  
Jeffrey L. Marsh ◽  
Alex A. Kane ◽  
Michael W. Vannier

Unilateral coronal synostosis (UCS) produces overt craniofacial dysmorphology. UCS surgery in infancy aims to release the osseous restriction and normalize the fronto-orbital deformity. The quantitative effect of this surgery on the orbit and its contents is unknown. This study was conducted to quantify the preoperative orbital dysmorphology and its surgical outcome in patients with unilateral coronal synostosis. Twenty-eight UCS patients had preoperative three-dimensional computerized tomographic (CT) scans (at mean age 4.0 months), cranio-orbital reconstructive surgery (at 4.7 months), and postoperative scans (at 18.1 months). The CT data were analyzed using a computer workstation and AnalyzeTM biomedical imaging software. Four measurements were performed on both ipsilateral (same side as synostosis) and contralateral (opposite to synostosis) orbits of each scan: orbital index (OI, 100 × height/width of orbit), orbital cavity volume (OV), ocular globe volume (GV), and ventral globe index (VGI, 100 × globe volume ventral to the anterior surface of orbital cavity/GV). The data were analyzed for statistical significance using Student's t test. Preoperatively, the OI was significantly greater on the ipsilateral than on the contralateral side (113.7 vs. 87.3). There was a significant improvement on both sides of the orbit postoperatively, with ipsilateral 99.1 and contralateral 92.1. However, the difference between both sides remained significant. The OV was smaller in the ipsilateral orbits both pre- and postoperatively, with ipse/contralateral ratios of 95.8 and 95.2, respectively. Importantly, the GV was consistently smaller in the ipsilateral orbits preoperatively, with an ipse/contralateral ratio of 93.3. The ratio increased to 97.1 postoperatively, a statistically significant change. In the ipsilateral orbits, the preoperative VGI was significantly greater. The VGI improved postoperatively. These data indicate that UCS affects the development of the osseous orbit as well as its soft-tissue contents. After cranio-orbital surgery, there is diminution of asymmetry of both the bony orbit and its soft-tissue contents. Partial normalization of orbital dysmorphology occurred during the first postoperative year. UCS surgery in infancy does not prevent growth of orbital hard or soft tissues, and it seems to permit normalization of previously impaired growth.


Author(s):  
Kenneth H. Downing

Three-dimensional structures of a number of samples have been determined by electron crystallography. The procedures used in this work include recording images of fairly large areas of a specimen at high tilt angles. There is then a large defocus ramp across the image, and parts of the image are far out of focus. In the regions where the defocus is large, the contrast transfer function (CTF) varies rapidly across the image, especially at high resolution. Not only is the CTF then difficult to determine with sufficient accuracy to correct properly, but the image contrast is reduced by envelope functions which tend toward a low value at high defocus.We have combined computer control of the electron microscope with spot-scan imaging in order to eliminate most of the defocus ramp and its effects in the images of tilted specimens. In recording the spot-scan image, the beam is scanned along rows that are parallel to the tilt axis, so that along each row of spots the focus is constant. Between scan rows, the objective lens current is changed to correct for the difference in specimen height from one scan to the next.


2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gino Casale ◽  
Robert J. Volpe ◽  
Brian Daniels ◽  
Thomas Hennemann ◽  
Amy M. Briesch ◽  
...  

Abstract. The current study examines the item and scalar equivalence of an abbreviated school-based universal screener that was cross-culturally translated and adapted from English into German. The instrument was designed to assess student behavior problems that impact classroom learning. Participants were 1,346 K-6 grade students from the US (n = 390, Mage = 9.23, 38.5% female) and Germany (n = 956, Mage = 8.04, 40.1% female). Measurement invariance was tested by multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) across students from the US and Germany. Results support full scalar invariance between students from the US and Germany (df = 266, χ2 = 790.141, Δχ2 = 6.9, p < .001, CFI = 0.976, ΔCFI = 0.000, RMSEA = 0.052, ΔRMSEA = −0.003) indicating that the factor structure, the factor loadings, and the item thresholds are comparable across samples. This finding implies that a full cross-cultural comparison including latent factor means and structural coefficients between the US and the German version of the abbreviated screener is possible. Therefore, the tool can be used in German schools as well as for cross-cultural research purposes between the US and Germany.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 49-64
Author(s):  
E. M. Bogdanova ◽  
Yu. L. Trubacheva ◽  
O. M. Yugai ◽  
S. V. Chernyshov ◽  
E. G. Rybakov ◽  
...  

AIM: to compare multiparametric endorectal ultrasound (ERUS) and enhanced imaging colonoscopy in the diagnosis of early colorectal cancer.PATIENTS AND METHODS: the study included 78 patients with epithelial rectal tumor. All the patients underwent multiparametric ERUS and colonoscopy with examination by narrow beam imaging (NBI) at optical magnification. All the patients were operated.RESULTS: a morphological examination removed specimens revealed adenomas in 48 cases, in 19 specimens – adenocarcinomas in situ and T1, and in 11 specimens – adenocarcinomas with invasion of the muscle layer or deeper. When calculating the accuracy indicators of diagnostic methods for groups of patients with adenoma, Tis-T1 adenocarcinoma, and T2-T3 adenocarcinoma, the difference in the sensitivity and specificity of the methods in none of the presented groups did not reach the level of statistical significance (p>0.05).ROC analysis showed that ultrasound has a prognostic value comparable to colonoscopy. The area difference was 0.013 (p=0.85).CONCLUSION: endoscopy and ultrasound have similar value in the diagnosis of malignant transformation of rectal adenomas.


Author(s):  
Ruihuan Pan ◽  
Shanshan Ling ◽  
Haodong Yang ◽  
Yan Huang ◽  
Lechang Zhan ◽  
...  

Background: Shoulder-hand syndrome (SHS) refers to a syndrome causing sudden edema, shoulder pain and limited hand function. Qingpeng ointment, a kind of Tibetan medicine, can reduce swelling, relieve pain, tonify stagnation and clear the meridians, which is consistent with the pathological mechanism of SHS after stroke. Therefore, if clinical trials can be used to explore the effectiveness of Qingpeng ointment for treatment of poststroke SHS and promote its application in clinical medicine, this is of specific significance for the treatment of poststroke SHS. Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of Qingpeng ointment in the treatment of poststroke SHS. To provide an objective basis for a better therapeutic treatment for poststroke SHS. Method: A prospective, randomized, controlled study was conducted. This study recruited 120 patients with poststroke SHS who met the inclusion criteria. They were randomized into the treatment group and the control group, with 60 patients allocated to each group. The treatment group received routine medical treatment and rehabilitative care after using the Qingpeng ointment, while the patients in the control group received only routine treatment without the ointment. All patients received clinical assessment with the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), measurement of the range of motion (ROM) of the upper-limb joints, the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Upper Extremity (FMA-U) and the Modified Barthel Index Score (MBI) before and after the whole treatment. Results: After 4 weeks of treatment, the VAS scores of both groups were decreased significantly (P<0.05), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). There is no statistical significance for the difference between the treatment group and control group in terms of the FMA-U and MBI scores and the forward bend, backward, outstretch, external rotation and pronation angles after treatment. The increases in the values of VAS, FMA-M and MBI in the treatment group were greater than those in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The increases in the values of the forward bend, outreach and external rotation angles in the treatment group were greater than those in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The treatment group showed better results than the control group in terms of the relief of pain symptoms, the improvement of motor function and the improvement of the activities of daily living for patients with shoulder-hand syndrome after cerebral hemorrhage. Qingpeng ointment is effective and safe in treating poststroke SHS.


1983 ◽  
Vol 218 (1210) ◽  
pp. 119-126 ◽  

The number of iron atoms in the dimeric iron-containing superoxide dismutase from Pseudomonas ovalis and their atomic positions have been determined directly from anomalous scattering measurements on crystals of the native enzyme. To resolve the long-standing question of the total amount of iron per molecule for this class of dismutase, the occupancy of each site was refined against the measured Bijvoet differences. The enzyme is a symmetrical dimer with one iron site in each subunit. The iron position is 9 ņ from the intersubunit interface. The total iron content of the dimer is 1.2±0.2 moles per mole of protein. This is divided between the subunits in the ratio 0.65:0.55; the difference between them is probably not significant. Since each subunit contains, on average, slightly more than half an iron atom we conclude that the normal state of this enzyme is two iron atoms per dimer but that some of the metal is lost during purification of the protein. Although the crystals are obviously a mixture of holo- and apo-enzymes, the 2.9 Å electron density map is uniformly clean, even at the iron site. We conclude that the three-dimensional structures of the iron-bound enzyme and the apoenzyme are identical.


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