EXPRESS: The Influence of Three-Dimensional Cues on Body Size Judgements

2022 ◽  
pp. 174702182210768
Author(s):  
Georgia Turnbull ◽  
Joanna Alexi ◽  
Georgina Mann ◽  
Yanqi Li ◽  
Manja Engel ◽  
...  

Research has shown that body size judgements are frequently biased, or inaccurate. Critically, judgement biases are further exaggerated for individuals with eating disorders, a finding that has been attributed to difficulties integrating body features into a perceptual whole. However, current understanding of which body features are integrated when judging body size is lacking. In this study, we examine whether individuals integrate three-dimensional (3D) cues to body volume when making body size judgements. Computer-generated body stimuli were presented in a 3D Virtual Reality (VR) environment. Participants (N = 412) were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: in one condition the to-be-judged body was displayed binocularly (containing 3D cues to body volume), in the other, bodies were presented monocularly (2D cues only). Across 150 trials, participants were required to make a body size judgement of a target female body from a third-person point of view using an unmarked visual analogue scale (VAS). It was found that 3D cues significantly influenced body size judgements. Namely, thin 3D bodies were judged smaller, and overweight 3D bodies were judged larger, than their 2D counterpart. Furthermore, to reconcile these effects, we present evidence that the two perceptual biases, regression to the mean and serial dependence, were reduced by the additional 3D feature information. Our findings increase our understanding of how body size is perceptually encoded and creates testable predictions for clinical populations exhibiting integration difficulties.

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anieke Brombacher ◽  
Leanne E. Elder ◽  
Pincelli M. Hull ◽  
Paul A. Wilson ◽  
Thomas H. G. Ezard

Abstract Body size is one of the most commonly measured traits in ecology and evolution because it covaries with environmental (e.g., temperature, latitude, degree of population isolation) and life-history (e.g., metabolic rate, generation time) traits. However, the driving mechanisms of body size variation in the distant geological past are poorly known and complicated by partial specimen recovery, limited population-level sampling, and the use of linear measurements as proxies for three-dimensional volumetric-size data. How much information are we missing by using approximate metrics of body size? Here we examine this question in an evolving lineage of planktonic foraminifera. We measure test diameter and surface area of over 500 individuals of the species Globoconella puncticulata using two-dimensional images. These results are compared with measurements of test volume of the same individuals as measured by a recently developed high-throughput method for analysing three-dimensional morphometrics as well as high-resolution three-dimensional computed tomography scanning. Our results show that even in a lineage showing substantial morphological change, a cross-sectional test area can provide a consistent proxy for body volume. Approximating body volume with one-dimensional (linear) size measurements is more problematic as it systematically over- and underestimates the smallest and largest tests, respectively. In our study, shape (here measured as shell-aspect ratio) only explained marginally more variation when included in the regressions. The use of 3D light microscopy introduces a small degree of scatter in the data, but the number of individuals necessary to detect trends in body size with sufficient statistical power is comparable to the sample size required for other traits. These results imply that even in an evolving lineage undergoing substantial morphological change, cross-sectional area can provide a consistent proxy for body size.


2020 ◽  
pp. 193-243
Author(s):  
Fabrizio Benedetti

This chapter approaches the placebo effect from a modern point of view, namely, as a psychobiological phenomenon worthy of scientific inquiry. By definition, the placebo effect is the effect that follows the administration of an inert treatment (the placebo), whereas in a placebo-related effect no placebo is given but similar mechanisms are at work. Today, the placebo effect, or placebo response, is considered a psychobiological phenomenon that must not be confounded with other phenomena such as spontaneous remission and statistical regression to the mean. The nocebo effect, or nocebo response, is a negative placebo effect which goes in the opposite direction. There is not a single but many placebo effects across different medical conditions and therapeutic interventions, and different biological mechanisms are involved. Expectation of a future outcome plays a central role but learning is important as well.


Fossil Record ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrícia Rita ◽  
Kenneth De Baets ◽  
Martina Schlott

Abstract. Body size changes have been reported across crisis intervals. Belemnites – now considered extinct stem-decabrachians – have rarely been investigated for this purpose, and the few studies have resulted in ambiguous outcomes. Here we investigate two Toarcian belemnite accumulations in southern Germany from a morphometric point of view with the support of computed tomography data. The aim of this study is to test whether a difference in size can be observed between the rostra of the two studied samples, from individual lineage to community, and which proxy is more reliable. A significant decrease in median size from the Early Toarcian (Dactylioceras tenuicostatum Zone) to the Middle Toarcian (Haugia variabilis Zone) is recognized. This is observed at the community level of organization, considering the whole assemblage, but also within Passaloteuthis–Acrocoelites lineage, at the genus level. It is also demonstrated that diameter-based measurements or maximum preserved length are not reliable proxies for size, and therefore apical length or three-dimensional approximations, such as the geometric mean or the post-phragmocone volume, are more advisable. This is especially important when comparing specimens with markedly different rostrum shapes. Further studies are, however, still necessary to disentangle the mechanisms behind the reduction in rostrum size within the Toarcian and their putative environmental causes.


PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Citton ◽  
Ignacio Díaz-Martínez ◽  
Silvina de Valais ◽  
Carlos Cónsole-Gonella

The Los Menucos locality in Patagonia, Argentina, bears a well-known ichnofauna mostly documented by small therapsid footprints. Within this ichnofauna, large pentadactyl footprints are also represented but to date were relatively underinvestigated. These footprints are here analyzed and discussed based on palaeobiological indications (i.e., trackmaker identification). High resolution digital photogrammetry method was performed to achieve a more objective representation of footprint three-dimensional morphologies. The footprints under study are compared withPentasauropusfrom the Upper Triassic lower Elliot Formation (Stormberg Group) of the Karoo Basin (Lesotho, southern Africa). Some track features suggest a therapsid-grade synapsid as the potential trackmaker, to be sought among anomodont dicynodonts (probably Kannemeyeriiformes). While the interpretation of limb posture in the producer ofPentasauropustracks from the Los Menucos locality agrees with those described from the dicynodont body fossil record, the autopodial posture does not completely agree. The relative distance between the impression of the digital (ungual) bases and the distal edge of the pad trace characterizing the studied tracks likely indicates a subunguligrade foot posture (i.e., standing on the last and penultimate phalanges) in static stance, but plantiportal (i.e., the whole foot skeleton and related soft tissues are weight-bearing) during the dynamics of locomotion. The reconstructed posture might have implied an arched configuration of the articulated metapodials and at least of the proximal phalanges, as well as little movement capabilities of the metapodials. Usually, a subunguligrade-plantiportal autopod has been described for gigantic animals (over six hundreds kilograms of body weight) to obtain an efficient management of body weight. Nevertheless, this kind of autopod is described here for large but not gigantic animals, as the putative trackmakers ofPentasauropuswere. This attribution implies that such an autopodial structure was promoted independently from the body size in the putative trackmakers. From an evolutionary point of view, subunguligrade-plantiportal autopods not necessarily must be related with an increase in body size, but rather the increase in body size requires a subunguligrade or unguligrade, plantiportal foot. Chronostratigraphically,Pentasauropuswas reported from Upper Triassic deposits of South Africa and United States, and from late Middle Triassic and Upper Triassic deposits of Argentina. Based on the stratigraphic distribution of the ichnogenus currently accepted, a Late Triassic age is here proposed for thePentasauropus-bearing levels of the Los Menucos Group.


2002 ◽  
Vol 727 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Ichikawa ◽  
T. Akita ◽  
M. Okumura ◽  
M. Haruta ◽  
K. Tanaka

AbstractThe catalytic properties of nanostructured gold catalyst are known to depend on the size of the gold particles and to be activated when the size decreases to a few nanometers. We investigated the size dependence of the three-dimensional nanostructure on the mean inner potential of gold catalysts supported on titanium oxide using electron holography and high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM). The contact angle of the gold particles on the titanium oxide tended to be over 90° for gold particles with a size of over 5 nm, and below 90° for a size of below 2 nm. This decreasing change in the contact angle (morphology) acts to increase the perimeter and hence the area of the interface between the gold and titanium oxide support, which is considered to be an active site for CO oxidation. The mean inner potential of the gold particles also changed as their size decreased. The value of the inner potential of gold, which is approximately 25 V in bulk state, rose to over 40 V when the size of the gold particles was less than 2 nm. This phenomenon indicates the existence of a charge transfer at the interface between gold and titanium oxide. The 3-D structure change and the inner potential change should be attributed to the specific electronic structure at the interface, owing to both the “nano size effect” and the “hetero-interface effect.”


2004 ◽  
Vol 155 (5) ◽  
pp. 142-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Defila

The record-breaking heatwave of 2003 also had an impact on the vegetation in Switzerland. To examine its influences seven phenological late spring and summer phases were evaluated together with six phases in the autumn from a selection of stations. 30% of the 122 chosen phenological time series in late spring and summer phases set a new record (earliest arrival). The proportion of very early arrivals is very high and the mean deviation from the norm is between 10 and 20 days. The situation was less extreme in autumn, where 20% of the 103 time series chosen set a new record. The majority of the phenological arrivals were found in the class «normal» but the class«very early» is still well represented. The mean precocity lies between five and twenty days. As far as the leaf shedding of the beech is concerned, there was even a slight delay of around six days. The evaluation serves to show that the heatwave of 2003 strongly influenced the phenological events of summer and spring.


1996 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 347-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. Dominy ◽  
D. A. Kirkham

Interturbine diffusers provide continuity between HP and LP turbines while diffusing the flow upstream of the LP turbine. Increasing the mean turbine diameter offers the potential advantage of reducing the flow factor in the following stages, leading to increased efficiency. The flows associated with these interturbine diffusers differ from those in simple annular diffusers both as a consequence of their high-curvature S-shaped geometry and of the presence of wakes created by the upstream turbine. It is shown that even the simplest two-dimensional wakes result in significantly modified flows through such ducts. These introduce strong secondary flows demonstrating that fully three-dimensional, viscous analysis methods are essential for correct performance modeling.


Author(s):  
Daphne Schönegg ◽  
Raphael Ferrari ◽  
Julian Ebner ◽  
Michael Blumer ◽  
Martin Lanzer ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose The close topographic relationship between vascular and osseous structures in the condylar and subcondylar region and marked variability in the arterial course has been revealed by both imaging and cadaveric studies. This study aimed to verify the previously published information in a large sample and to determine a safe surgical region. Methods We analyzed the three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography images of 300 individuals. Results The mean distance between the middle meningeal artery and the apex of the condyle or the most medial point of the condyle was 18.8 mm (range: 11.2–25.9 mm) or 14.5 mm (range: 8.8–22.9 mm) respectively. The course of the maxillary artery relative to the lateral pterygoid muscle was medial in 45.7% of cases and lateral in 54.3%. An asymmetric course was evident in 66 patients (22%). The mean distance between the maxillary artery and condylar process at the deepest point of the mandibular notch was 6.2 mm in sides exhibiting a medial course (range: 3.7–9.8 mm) and 6.6 mm in sides exhibiting a lateral course (range: 3.9–10.4 mm). The distances were significantly influenced by age, gender, and the course of the maxillary artery. Conclusion Our study emphasizes the marked inter- and intra-individual variability of the maxillary and middle meningeal arterial courses. We confirmed the proximity of the arteries to the condylar process. Extensive surgical experience and thorough preparation for each individual case are essential to prevent iatrogenic vascular injury.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 1718
Author(s):  
Hasan Zobeyer ◽  
Abul B. M. Baki ◽  
Saika Nowshin Nowrin

The flow hydrodynamics around a single cylinder differ significantly from the flow fields around two cylinders in a tandem or side-by-side arrangement. In this study, the experimental results on the mean and turbulence characteristics of flow generated by a pair of cylinders placed in tandem in an open-channel flume are presented. An acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) was used to measure the instantaneous three-dimensional velocity components. This study investigated the effect of cylinder spacing at 3D, 6D, and 9D (center to center) distances on the mean and turbulent flow profiles and the distribution of near-bed shear stress behind the tandem cylinders in the plane of symmetry, where D is the cylinder diameter. The results revealed that the downstream cylinder influenced the flow development between cylinders (i.e., midstream) with 3D, 6D, and 9D spacing. However, the downstream cylinder controlled the flow recirculation length midstream for the 3D distance and showed zero interruption in the 6D and 9D distances. The peak of the turbulent metrics generally occurred near the end of the recirculation zone in all scenarios.


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