scholarly journals Aesthetic Perception of Line Patterns: Effect of Edge-Orientation Entropy and Curvilinear Shape

i-Perception ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 204166952095074
Author(s):  
Sarah Stanischewski ◽  
Carolin S. Altmann ◽  
Anselm Brachmann ◽  
Christoph Redies
Keyword(s):  
Large Degree ◽  
Complex Line ◽  
Aesthetic Perception ◽  
Edge Orientation ◽  
Neurophysiological Studies ◽  
Independent Edge ◽  
Preference Ratings ◽  
Line Elements ◽  
Line Patterns

Curvilinearity is a perceptual feature that robustly predicts preference ratings for a variety of visual stimuli. The predictive effect of curved/angular shape overlaps, to a large degree, with regularities in second-order edge-orientation entropy, which captures how independent edge orientations are distributed across an image. For some complex line patterns, edge-orientation entropy is actually a better predictor for what human observers like than curved/angular shape. The present work was designed to disentangle the role of the two features in artificial patterns that consisted of either curved or angular line elements. We systematically varied these patterns across two more dimensions, edge-orientation entropy and the number of lines. Eighty-three participants rated the stimuli along three aesthetic dimensions ( pleasing, harmonious, and complex). Results showed that curved/angular shape was a stronger predictor for ratings of pleasing and harmonious if the stimuli consisted of a few lines that were clearly discernible. By contrast, edge-orientation entropy was a stronger predictor for the ratings if the stimuli showed many lines, which merged into a texture. No such differences were obtained for complexity ratings. Our findings are in line with results from neurophysiological studies that the processing of shape and texture, respectively, is mediated by different cortical mechanisms.

On the role of edge orientation in stereo vision

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (12) ◽  
pp. 209-1-209-6
Author(s):  
Alfredo Restrepo ◽  
Julian Quiroga
Keyword(s):  
Stereo Vision ◽  
Edge Orientation

scholarly journals A Wrinkle in Time: Circadian biology in pulmonary vascular health and disease

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J Bryant ◽  
Elnaz Ebrahimi ◽  
Amy Nguyen ◽  
Christopher A Wolff ◽  
Michelle L Gumz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Hypertension ◽  
Large Degree ◽  
Systemic Hypertension ◽  
Pulmonary Vascular Disease ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
The Core ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Circadian Biology

An often over looked element of pulmonary vascular disease is time. Cellular responses to time, which are regulated directly by the core circadian clock, have only recently been elucidated. Despite an extensive collection of data regarding the role of rhythmic contribution to disease pathogenesis (such as systemic hypertension, coronary artery and renal disease), the roles of key circadian transcription factors in pulmonary hypertension remain under-studied. This is despite a large degree of overlap in the pulmonary hypertension and circadian rhythm fields, including not only shared signaling pathways, but also cell-specific effects of the core clock that are known to result in both protective and adverse lung vessel changes. Therefore, the goal of this review is to summarize the current dialogue regarding common pathways in circadian biology, with a specific emphasis on its implications in the progression of pulmonary hypertension. In this work, we emphasize specific proteins involved in the regulation of the core molecular clock while noting the circadian cell-specific changes relevant to vascular remodeling. Finally, we apply this knowledge to the optimization of medical therapy, with a focus on sleep hygiene and the role of chronopharmacology in patients with this disease. In dissecting the unique relationship between time and cellular biology, we aim to provide valuable insight into the practical implications of considering time as a therapeutic variable. Armed with this information, physicians will be positioned to more efficiently utilize the full four dimensions of patient care, resulting in improved morbidity and mortality of pulmonary hypertension patients.

scholarly journals Binding Mechanisms in Visual Perception and Their Link With Neural Oscillations: A Review of Evidence From tACS

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Ghiani ◽  
Marcello Maniglia ◽  
Luca Battaglini ◽  
David Melcher ◽  
Luca Ronconi
Keyword(s):  
Visual Perception ◽  
Feature Binding ◽  
Causal Role ◽  
Oscillatory Activity ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Brain Oscillations ◽  
Temporal Binding ◽  
Neurophysiological Studies ◽  
Binding Mechanisms

Neurophysiological studies in humans employing magneto- (MEG) and electro- (EEG) encephalography increasingly suggest that oscillatory rhythmic activity of the brain may be a core mechanism for binding sensory information across space, time, and object features to generate a unified perceptual representation. To distinguish whether oscillatory activity is causally related to binding processes or whether, on the contrary, it is a mere epiphenomenon, one possibility is to employ neuromodulatory techniques such as transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). tACS has seen a rising interest due to its ability to modulate brain oscillations in a frequency-dependent manner. In the present review, we critically summarize current tACS evidence for a causal role of oscillatory activity in spatial, temporal, and feature binding in the context of visual perception. For temporal binding, the emerging picture supports a causal link with the power and the frequency of occipital alpha rhythms (8–12 Hz); however, there is no consistent evidence on the causal role of the phase of occipital tACS. For feature binding, the only study available showed a modulation by occipital alpha tACS. The majority of studies that successfully modulated oscillatory activity and behavioral performance in spatial binding targeted parietal areas, with the main rhythms causally linked being the theta (~7 Hz) and beta (~18 Hz) frequency bands. On the other hand, spatio-temporal binding has been directly modulated by parieto-occipital gamma (~40–60 Hz) and alpha (10 Hz) tACS, suggesting a potential role of cross-frequency coupling when binding across space and time. Nonetheless, negative or partial results have also been observed, suggesting methodological limitations that should be addressed in future research. Overall, the emerging picture seems to support a causal role of brain oscillations in binding processes and, consequently, a certain degree of plasticity for shaping binding mechanisms in visual perception, which, if proved to have long lasting effects, can find applications in different clinical populations.

CONSULTANCY AND CARE WITH Ex-PLISSIT MODEL IN GENITAL AESTHETIC SURGERY

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 29-38
Author(s):  
Aytül HADIMLI ◽  
Ebru SERT ◽  
Birsen KARACA SAYDAM
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Sexual Satisfaction ◽  
Aesthetic Surgery ◽  
Obstetrics And Gynecology ◽  
Aesthetic Perception ◽  
Plastic And Reconstructive Surgery ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
Plissit Model

Recent years with the widespread use of social media, the aesthetic perception of societies has started to change. People, with the desire to be liked, turn to plastic surgery with the importance they attach to physical appearance. Women's aesthetic genital surgery operations also show a parallel trend with this trend. Aesthetic surgery operations performed in the genital area are mostly designed and focused on sexual satisfaction and attractiveness. Among these procedures that do not have a medical indication, the most common ones are; labiaplasty, perineoplasty, vaginoplasty, hymenectomy and G-point amplification. Although the operations are performed by gynecology and plastic and reconstructive surgery specialists, pre-and postoperative care is provided to the patient by midwives and nurses. In this context, in this review, it is aimed to evaluate the counseling and care role of midwives and nurses with the Ex-PLISSIT Model, as well as the recommendations of international obstetrics and gynecology associations for genital aesthetic surgery operations and these operations.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Disrupts Eye-Hand Interactions in the Posterior Parietal Cortex

2000 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 1677-1680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Van Donkelaar ◽  
Ji-Hang Lee ◽  
Anthony S. Drew
Keyword(s):  
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Parietal Cortex ◽  
Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Posterior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Hand Movement ◽  
Open Loop ◽  
Neurophysiological Studies ◽  
Posterior Parietal ◽  
Hand Coordination

Recent neurophysiological studies have started to shed some light on the cortical areas that contribute to eye-hand coordination. In the present study we investigated the role of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) in this process in normal, healthy subjects. This was accomplished by delivering single pulses of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the PPC to transiently disrupt the putative contribution of this area to the processing of information related to eye-hand coordination. Subjects made open-loop pointing movements accompanied by saccades of the same required amplitude or by saccades that were substantially larger. Without TMS the hand movement amplitude was influenced by the amplitude of the corresponding saccade; hand movements accompanied by larger saccades were larger than those accompanied by smaller saccades. When TMS was applied over the left PPC just prior to the onset of the saccade, a marked reduction in the saccadic influence on manual motor output was observed. TMS delivered at earlier or later periods during the response had no effect. Taken together, these data suggest that the PPC integrates signals related to saccade amplitude with limb movement information just prior to the onset of the saccade.

scholarly journals Short and sweet: foreleg abnormalities in Havanese and the role of the FGF4 retrogene

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim K. L. Bellamy ◽  
Frode Lingaas
Keyword(s):  
Mutant Allele ◽  
Large Degree ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Wild Type Allele ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Gradual Decline ◽  
Type Allele ◽  
Population Frequency ◽  
Welfare Implications

Abstract Background Cases of foreleg deformities, characterized by varying degrees of shortened and bowed forelegs, have been reported in the Havanese breed. Because the health and welfare implications are severe in some of the affected dogs, further efforts should be made to investigate the genetic background of the trait. A FGF4-retrogene on CFA18 is known to cause chondrodystrophy in dogs. In most breeds, either the wild type allele or the mutant allele is fixed. However, the large degree of genetic diversity reported in Havanese, could entail that both the wild type and the mutant allele segregate in this breed. We hypothesize that the shortened and bowed forelegs seen in some Havanese could be a consequence of FGF4RG-associated chondrodystrophy. Here we study the population prevalence of the wild type and mutant allele, as well as effect on phenotype. We also investigate how the prevalence of the allele associated with chondrodystrophy have changed over time. We hypothesize that recent selection, may have led to a gradual decline in the population frequency of the lower-risk, wild type allele. Results We studied the FGF4-retrogene on CFA18 in 355 Havanese and found variation in the presence/absence of the retrogene. The prevalence of the non-chondrodystrophic wild type is low, with allele frequencies of 0.025 and 0.975 for the wild type and mutant allele, respectively (linked marker). We found that carriers of the beneficial wild type allele were significantly taller at the shoulder than mutant allele homozygotes, with average heights of 31.3 cm and 26.4 cm, respectively. We further found that wild type carriers were born on average 4.7 years earlier than mutant allele homozygotes and that there has been a gradual decline in the population frequency of the wild type allele during the past two decades. Conclusions Our results indicate that FGF4RG-associated chondrodystrophy may contribute to the shortened forelegs found in some Havanese and that both the wild type and mutant allele segregate in the breed. The population frequency of the wild type allele is low and appear to be decreasing. Efforts should be made to preserve the healthier wild type in the population, increase the prevalence of a more moderate phenotype and possibly reduce the risk of foreleg pathology.

Effect of Tempo on Music Preferences of Children in Elementary and Middle School

1996 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda P. Montgomery
Keyword(s):  
Rank Correlation ◽  
Orchestral Music ◽  
Spearman Rank Correlation ◽  
Music Preferences ◽  
Musical Preference ◽  
Preference Ratings ◽  
Preference Responses ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Elementary And Middle School

This study was designed to examine the effect of tempo on preference responses of kindergarten to Grade 8 children. Listener age and gender were additional variables under consideration. In total, 996 subjects indicated preference opinions on pictographic Likert written response forms while listening to 15 excerpts of orchestral music from early Romantic opera. Two moderate and three fast musical examples were given the highest mean ratings. Spearman rank correlation indicated a positive significant relationship between tempo and preference (p < .01). Friedman analyses of variance revealed significant differences in mean preference ratings for music of differing tempos within Grades 3-8 (p < .01). Listener age was also indicated as a strong influence on overall preference ratings, with youngest children generally giving highest ratings. Results provide further support for the role of tempo and listener age in musical preference.

Learning about Climate Change: Finance Ministries in International Climate Change Politics

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakob Skovgaard
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Market Failure ◽  
Climate Change Policy ◽  
Large Degree ◽  
Climate Change Negotiations ◽  
Change Policy ◽  
International Climate ◽  
Climate Change Politics ◽  
International Climate Change

In the course of the last four years, finance ministries have increasingly become involved in the international climate change negotiations. Their involvement has to a large degree been an outcome of the framing of climate change as a market failure. This framing calls for an active climate change policy and is at odds with the framing of climate change policy that was previously predominant in finance ministries: that it constitutes expenditure to be avoided. The persistence of both framings has led to clashes within and between finance ministries with respect to climate change. The article calls for further research focusing on the role of the two frames and of finance ministries as actors in climate change politics.

Separation of hepatic and gastrointestinal signals from the common “hepatic” branch of the vagus

2004 ◽  
Vol 287 (1) ◽  
pp. R120-R126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles C. Horn ◽  
Mark I. Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Gastrointestinal Tract ◽  
Jugular Vein ◽  
Nerve Activity ◽  
Hepatic Hilus ◽  
Afferent Fibers ◽  
Neurophysiological Studies ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Common ◽  
Hepatic Branch

Anatomic studies show that the common hepatic branch (CHB) of the vagus contains afferent fibers that innervate sites outside the hepatoportal region, primarily in the gastrointestinal tract. In the current experiments on the anesthetized rat, the source of signals from the CHB was determined by recording CHB neurophysiological responses before and after transection of the gastroduodenal branch (GDB) of the CHB. Serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] and CCK-8 were used as probes to stimulate the CHB. Most of the CHB afferent fibers were 5-HT sensitive (56%), and 35% of these were also sensitive to CCK-8. Portal vein vs. jugular vein infusion of 5-HT and CCK-8 and GDB transection showed that 5-HT- and CCK-sensitive fibers innervate the hepatoportal region and areas outside the hepatic hilus (e.g., the gastrointestinal tract). Suppression of basal nerve activity by a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist (Y-25130) suggests that ∼50% of CHB afferent fibers contain 5-HT3 receptors, but none of these fibers appears to be in the hepatoportal region because only in rats with an intact GDB did Y-25130 reduce nerve activity. In summary, these data are in close agreement with anatomic observations on the distribution of the CHB fibers and indicate that neurophysiological studies of the CHB must be carefully evaluated given the prominent role of nonhepatoportal afferent signals recorded from the CHB.

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