Associations with monetary values do not influence access to awareness for faces

Human faces can convey socially relevant information in various ways. Since the early detection of such information is crucial in social contexts, socially meaningful information might also have privileged access to awareness. This is indeed suggested by previous research using faces with emotional expressions. However, the social relevance of emotional faces is confounded with their physical stimulus characteristics. Here, we sought to overcome this problem by manipulating the relevance of face stimuli through classical conditioning: Participants had to learn the association between different face exemplars and high or low amounts of positive and negative monetary outcomes. Before and after the conditioning procedure, the time these faces needed to enter awareness was probed using continuous flash suppression, a variant of binocular rivalry. While participants successfully learned the association between the face stimuli and the respective monetary outcomes, faces with a high monetary value did not enter visual awareness faster than faces with a low monetary value after conditioning, neither for rewarding nor for aversive outcomes. Our results tentatively suggest that behaviorally relevant faces do not have privileged access to awareness when the assessment of the faces’ relevance is dependent on the processing of face identity, as this requires complex stimulus processing that is likely limited at pre-conscious stages.

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Unmasking Anxiety in Autism: Explicit and Implicit Threatening Face Stimuli Dissociate Amygdala-centered Functional Connectivity

10.1101/2020.03.24.005272 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Yu-Chun Chen ◽

Chenyi Chen ◽

Róger Marcelo Martínez ◽

Yang-Tang Fan ◽

Chia-Chien Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽

Neural Pathways ◽

Threat Processing ◽

Fmri Study ◽

Face Stimuli ◽

Socially Relevant ◽

Amygdala Reactivity

ABSTRACTBackgroundAnxiety is the most prevalent comorbidity in individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Amygdala reactivity to explicit and implicit threat processing is predictive of anxiety-related symptomatology. The neural mechanisms underlying the link between anxiety and ASD remains elusive.MethodsIn this fMRI study, we recruited young adults with ASD (N = 31) and matched them with controls, then proceeded to assess their autistic and anxiety traits by the use of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S), respectively; and scanned their hemodynamic responses, including amygdala, in response to explicit and implicit (backwardly masked) perception of threatening faces.ResultsAs compared to controls, the amygdala reactivity in ASD subjects was significantly lower to explicit threat, but comparable for implicit threat. The correlations of the amygdala reactivity with the AQ and STAI-S were dissociated depending on threat processing (explicit or implicit). Furthermore, the amygdala in ASD relative to controls had a more negative functional connectivity with the superior parietal cortex, fusiform gyrus, and hippocampus for explicit threat, whereas a more positive connectivity with the medial prefrontal cortex, temporal pole, and hippocampus for implicit threat.ConclusionIn ASD, the transmission of socially relevant information along dorsal and ventral neural pathways centered on the amygdala is dissociated depending on explicit and implicit threat processing. This dissociation, ascribed to their failure to compromise pre-existing hyperarousal, might contribute to anxiety in ASD.

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Perspective influences eye movements during real-life conversation: Mentalising about self vs. others in autism

10.31234/osf.io/7druh ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Mahsa Barzy ◽

Heather Jane Ferguson ◽

David Williams

Keyword(s):

Eye Movements ◽

Real Life ◽

Social Background ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Mental States ◽

Social Attention ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Cognitive Mechanisms ◽

Verbal Responses ◽

Socially Relevant

Socio-communication is profoundly impaired among autistic individuals. Difficulties representing others’ mental states have been linked to modulations of gaze and speech, which have also been shown to be impaired in autism. Despite these observed impairments in ‘real-world’ communicative settings, research has mostly focused on lab-based experiments, where the language is highly structured. In a pre-registered experiment, we recorded eye movements and verbal responses while adults (N=50) engaged in a real-life conversation. Conversation topic either related to the self, a familiar other, or an unfamiliar other (e.g. "Tell me who is your/your mother’s/Marina’s favourite celebrity and why?”). Results replicated previous work, showing reduced attention to socially-relevant information among autistic participants (i.e. less time looking at the experimenter’s face, and more time looking around the background), compared to typically-developing controls. Importantly, perspective modulated social attention in both groups; talking about an unfamiliar other reduced attention to potentially distracting or resource demanding social information, and increased looks to non-social background. Social attention did not differ between self and familiar other contexts- reflecting greater shared knowledge for familiar/similar others. Autistic participants spent more time looking at the background when talking about an unfamiliar other vs. themselvesFuture research should investigate the cognitive mechanisms underlying this effect.

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IFRS and Stock Returns: An Empirical Analysis in Brazil

Binus Business Review ◽

10.21512/bbr.v7i2.1593 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 179 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rodrigo F. Malaquias ◽

Anderson Martins Cardoso ◽

Gabriel Alves Martins

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Stock Market ◽

Stock Returns ◽

Stock Exchange ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Graphic Analysis ◽

Accounting Numbers ◽

Before And After ◽

Accounting Reports ◽

Accounting Convergence

In recent years, the convergence of accounting standards has been an issue that motivated new studies in the accounting field. It is expected that the convergence provides users, especially external users of accounting information, with comparable reports among different economies. Considering this scenario, this article was developed in order to compare the effect of accounting numbers on the stock market before and after the accounting convergence in Brazil. The sample of the study involved Brazilian listed companies at BM&FBOVESPA that had American Depository Receipts (levels II and III) at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). For data analysis, descriptive statistics and graphic analysis were employed in order to analyze the behavior of stock returns around the publication dates. The main results indicate that the stock market reacts to the accounting reports. Therefore, the accounting numbers contain relevant information for the decision making of investors in the stock market. Moreover, it is observed that after the accounting convergence, the stock returns of the companies seem to present lower volatility.

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Antimicrobial prescribing patterns in surgical inpatient of tertiary care hospital in Eastern India

International Journal of Basic & Clinical Pharmacology ◽

10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20193199 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (8) ◽

pp. 1902

Author(s):

Sumit Kumar Gupta ◽

Siddhartha Ghosh

Keyword(s):

Tertiary Care ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Prescribing Patterns ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Antibiotic Administration ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Beta Lactam ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Before And After ◽

Surgery Department

Background: Antimicrobials form the cornerstone of prescriptions for treating infection. Surgical management cannot be possible without the use of antibiotics. Severity of infection, suspected spectrum of organisms and their sensitivity, co-morbidities of the patient, route of antibiotic administration are the important parameter to consider before selecting antibiotic.Methods: Cross-sectional, hospital based, descriptive study was conducted in the ward of Surgery Department of IQ City Medical college, Durgapur over a period of 1 year. The relevant information was entered into the pretested preformats (containing name, age, sex, diagnosis, ongoing treatment as recorded from patients’ prescription slips or CRFs) and analyzed. Necessary permission was granted by the Institutional Ethical Committee and written informed consent was obtained from the patients prior to collecting their prescription slips/CRF.Results: Commonest cause of hospitalization was cholelithiasis (318 (32.7%)). Antimicrobials were the most commonly prescribed drugs (1626 (31.6%)). Single antibiotic prescribing frequency are similar to two antibiotic prescribing (both 44%). Piperacillin+Tazobactum combination most commonly prescribe antibiotic.Conclusions: Beta lactam antibiotic specifically Piperacillin (ATC class: J01D) were the most commonly prescribed antibiotic agents both before and after surgical procedures.

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Neural networks supporting social evaluation of bodies based on body shape

10.31234/osf.io/q4faj ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Inez Greven ◽

Paul Downing ◽

Richard Ramsey

Keyword(s):

Neural Networks ◽

Body Shape ◽

Neural Mechanism ◽

Relevant Information ◽

The Body ◽

Social Judgments ◽

Social Evaluation ◽

Fmri Experiment ◽

Socially Relevant ◽

Social Inferences

Body shape cues inferences regarding personality and health, but the neural processes underpinning such inferences remain poorly understood. Across two fMRI experiments, we test the extent to which neural networks associated with body perception and theory-of-mind (ToM) support social inferences based on body shape. Participants observed obese, muscular, and slim bodies that cued distinct social inferences as pilot experiments revealed. To investigate judgment intentionality, the first fMRI experiment required participants to detect repeat presentations of bodies, whereas in fMRI Experiment 2 participants intentionally formed an impression. Body and ToM networks were localized using independent functional localisers. Experiment 1 revealed no differential network engagement for muscular or obese compared to slim bodies. By contrast, in Experiment 2, compared to slim bodies, forming impressions of muscular bodies engaged the body-network more, whereas the ToM-network was engaged more when forming impressions of obese bodies. These results demonstrate that social judgments based on body shape do not rely on a single neural mechanism, but rather on multiple mechanisms that are separately sensitive to body fat and muscularity. Moreover, dissociable responses are only apparent when intentionally forming an impression. Thus, these experiments show how segregated networks operate to extract socially-relevant information cued by body shape.

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End-of-Life Decision-Making in Intensive Care Ten Years after a Law on Advance Directives in Germany

Medicina ◽

10.3390/medicina57090930 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 57 (9) ◽

pp. 930

Author(s):

Jan A. Graw ◽

Fanny Marsch ◽

Claudia D. Spies ◽

Roland C. E. Francis

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Intensive Care ◽

End Of Life ◽

Advance Directives ◽

Advance Directive ◽

Medical Center ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Before And After ◽

Ethical Approval

Background and Objectives: Mortality on Intensive Care Units (ICUs) is high and death frequently occurs after decisions to limit life-sustaining therapies. An advance directive is a tool meant to preserve patient autonomy by guiding anticipated future treatment decisions once decision-making capacity is lost. Since September 2009, advance directives are legally binding for the caregiver team and the patients’ surrogate decision-maker in Germany. The change in frequencies of end-of-life decisions (EOLDs) and completed advance directives among deceased ICU patients ten years after the enactment of a law on advance directives in Germany is unknown. Materials and Methods: Retrospective analysis on all deceased patients of surgical ICUs of a German university medical center from 08/2008 to 09/2009 and from 01/2019 to 09/2019. Frequency of EOLDs and advance directives and the process of EOLDs were compared between patients admitted before and after the change in legislation. (No. of ethical approval EA2/308/20) Results: Significantly more EOLDs occurred in the 2019 cohort compared to the 2009 cohort (85.8% vs. 70.7% of deceased patients, p = 0.006). The number of patients possessing an advance directive to express a living or therapeutic will was higher in the 2019 cohort compared to the 2009 cohort (26.4% vs. 8.9%; difference: 17.5%, p < 0.001). Participation of the patients’ family in the EOLD process (74.7% vs. 60.9%; difference: 13.8%, p = 0.048) and the frequency of documentation of EOLD-relevant information (50.0% vs. 18.7%; difference: 31.3%, p < 0.001) increased from 2009 to 2019. Discussion: During a ten-year period from 2009 to 2019, the frequency of EOLDs and the completion rate of advance directives have increased considerably. In addition, EOLD-associated communication and documentation have further improved.

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Genetic Data, Genome Understanding, and Socially Relevant Information

Protecting Genetic Privacy in Biobanking through Data Protection Law ◽

10.1093/oso/9780192896476.003.0002 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 7-18

Author(s):

Dara Hallinan

Keyword(s):

Genetic Analysis ◽

Genetic Relationships ◽

Genomic Data ◽

Genetic Data ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Significant Information ◽

Multiple Factors ◽

Phenotype Data ◽

Wide Range ◽

Socially Relevant

This chapter discusses the range of types of data which might be subject to genetic analysis to produce socially relevant information. These genetic data include raw genomic data as well as other types of data, such as phenotype data and inheritance data. Genetic analysis of these types of data is currently capable of producing a wide range of socially relevant information, including information concerning identity, genetic relationships, phenotype, health, and social and behavioural traits. It is not the case, however, that each type of genetic data can be subject to only one type of genetic analysis to produce only one type of socially relevant information. Rather, each type of genetic data, particularly genomic data, can be subject to multiple types of genetic analysis. Nor is it necessarily the case that genetic analyses produce socially relevant information which is completely accurate. Rather, the degree of accuracy of information will usually depend on multiple factors. The chapter then looks at the range of parties about whom socially significant information may be produced.

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Brands and the Pandemic: A Cautionary Tale

Social Media + Society ◽

10.1177/2056305120948236 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 205630512094823

Author(s):

Melissa Aronczyk

Keyword(s):

Digital Media ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Reliable Information ◽

Cautionary Tale ◽

Brand Reputation ◽

Socially Relevant ◽

The Impact

This essay examines the troubling logic of digital media ecosystems, which devalue socially relevant information to maintain brand reputation. At a time when the value of news to provide essential and reliable information is made dramatically apparent, advertising technologies privilege the safety of brands over the safety of individuals. The essay reviews the logic of current digital advertising infrastructure, focusing on the impact of automated technologies on the decline of professional journalism.

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Dampened Slow Oscillation Connectivity Anticipates Amyloid Deposition in the PS2APP Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells9010054 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 54 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Alessandro Leparulo ◽

Mufti Mahmud ◽

Elena Scremin ◽

Tullio Pozzan ◽

Stefano Vassanelli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Posterior Parietal Cortex ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Brain Network ◽

Plaque Deposition ◽

Model Of Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Linear Probe ◽

Before And After ◽

Phase Amplitude

To fight Alzheimer’s disease (AD), we should know when, where, and how brain network dysfunctions initiate. In AD mouse models, relevant information can be derived from brain electrical activity. With a multi-site linear probe, we recorded local field potentials simultaneously at the posterior-parietal cortex and hippocampus of wild-type and double transgenic AD mice, under anesthesia. We focused on PS2APP (B6.152H) mice carrying both presenilin-2 (PS2) and amyloid precursor protein (APP) mutations, at three and six months of age, before and after plaque deposition respectively. To highlight defects linked to either the PS2 or APP mutation, we included in the analysis age-matched PS2.30H and APP-Swedish mice, carrying each of the mutations individually. Our study also included PSEN2−/− mice. At three months, only predeposition B6.152H mice show a reduction in the functional connectivity of slow oscillations (SO) and in the power ratio between SO and delta waves. At six months, plaque-seeding B6.152H mice undergo a worsening of the low/high frequency power imbalance and show a massive loss of cortico-hippocampal phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) between SO and higher frequencies, a feature shared with amyloid-free PS2.30H mice. We conclude that the PS2 mutation is sufficient to impair SO PAC and accelerate network dysfunctions in amyloid-accumulating mice.

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Abnormal Processing of Social Information from Faces in Autism

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/089892901564289 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 232-240 ◽

Cited By ~ 353

Author(s):

Ralph Adolphs ◽

Lonnie Sears ◽

Joseph Piven

Keyword(s):

Social Cognition ◽

Social Information ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Neural Substrates ◽

Social Knowledge ◽

Social Judgments ◽

High Functioning ◽

Impaired Ability ◽

Socially Relevant ◽

Underlying Processes

Autism has been thought to be characterized, in part, by dysfunction in emotional and social cognition, but the pathology of the underlying processes and their neural substrates remain poorly understood. Several studies have hypothesized that abnormal amygdala function may account for some of the impairments seen in autism, specifically, impaired recognition of socially relevant information from faces. We explored this issue in eight high-functioning subjects with autism in four experiments that assessed recognition of emotional and social information, primarily from faces. All tasks used were identical to those previously used in studies of subjects with bilateral amygdala damage, permitting direct comparisons. All subjects with autism made abnormal social judgments regarding the trustworthiness of faces; however, all were able to make normal social judgments from lexical stimuli, and all had a normal ability to perceptually discriminate the stimuli. Overall, these data from subjects with autism show some parallels to those from neurological subjects with focal amygdala damage. We suggest that amygdala dysfunction in autism might contribute to an impaired ability to link visual perception of socially relevant stimuli with retrieval of social knowledge and with elicitation of social behavior.

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