Memory influences haptic perception of softness

The memory of an object’s property (e.g. its typical colour) can affect its visual perception. We investigated whether memory of the softness of every-day objects influences their haptic perception. We produced bipartite silicone rubber stimuli: one half of the stimuli was covered with a layer of an object (sponge, wood, tennis ball, foam ball); the other half was uncovered silicone. Participants were not aware of the partition. They first used their bare finger to stroke laterally over the covering layer to recognize the well-known object and then indented the other half of the stimulus with a probe to compare its softness to that of an uncovered silicone stimulus. Across four experiments with different methods we showed that silicon stimuli covered with a layer of rather hard objects (tennis ball and wood) were perceived harder than the same silicon stimuli when being covered with a layer of rather soft objects (sponge and foam ball), indicating that haptic perception of softness is affected by memory.

Training of Natural Dyes Production and Its Application for Batik at Batik Manggar Gading SMEs

The community empowerment activity have been conducted with the topic “Training of Natural Dyes Production and its Application for Batik” that involves researchers and members of Batik Manggar Gading SMEs. The purpose of this project is introducing natural dyes as batik dyes to batik craftmen in Batik Manggar Gading SMEs. Natural dyes has some advantages than synthetic dyes. In addition to typical colour, natural dyes was claimed to be more eco-friendly product so it has higher market value. The develompent of knowledge and skills in production process of batik natural dyes is expected to increase income and livehood of batik craftsmen. Community empowerment is made through two activities, namely field survey and training. Field survey was conducted to identify and collect relevant information about production process in Batik Manggar Gading SMEs. Meanwhile, the training was held at Batik Manggar Gading SMEs consists of two types of training. The first training, participants are given the knowledge about the potential of natural ingredients that can be used as natural dyes and practice how to extract/ create a substance the color of nature. The second, participant are given training about deployment process of batik coloring used natural dyes. As a result of these activities, 22 members of SMEs can make natural dyes batik. Natural dyes batik is a result of the utilization of biodiversity in pushing the economic income of the community. Natural dyes batik can be a Indonesia flagship product particular Gunungkidul Regency in international market.

Colourimetric analysis of some powdered medicinal herbs from Ogbomoso, Nigeria

Background: The organoleptic evaluation of herbal drugs is as old as science, but the authentication of herbs on the basis of their fluorescence characteristics is difficult and sometimes impracticable because humans are limited by their sense of colour recognition.Aim: This article undertakes a computer-aided examination of some powdered herbal materials with a view to characterising them calourimetrically, thus providing a reliable organoleptic clue for their authentication, against possible misidentification.Setting: Research was conducted in Ogbomoso, Nigeria.Methods: Seventeen herbal materials (i.e. stem bark, root/root bark, vines, fruit calyx, leaf sheath and seed) used for two traditional powdered drugs were collected and pulverised into powders. Their colours were digitised by scanning the surface of the powders in petri dishes using a CamScanner installed on a Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1 Model 7500, and were qualitatively and quantitatively analysed by uploading the images into the online Cool Hypertext Preprocessor (Cool PHP) software tool, setting the number of colours at five, thus giving consideration to only five dominant colour shades in each image, all expressed as hexadecimal codes. The codes were uploaded into Chir.ag/art, another online tool, to read off the colour names. The relative mean percentage, frequency and relative colour intensity (RCI) of each colour shade were calculated, and the colour with the highest RCI was taken as the first or typical colour of each herb.Results: Nine of the 62 colours observed, namely Lucky, Sandrift, Cannon Pink, Potters Clay, Mandalay, Ferra, Domino, Russet and Roti, were highly restricted in distribution, each being the first or typical colour in only one species of the herbs (i.e. Enantia chlorantha, Garcinia kola, Hibiscus sabdariffa, Khaya senegalensis, Sarcocephalus latifolius, Sorghum bicolor, Theobroma cacao, Uvaria chamae and Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides respectively). These colours were therefore substantially diagnostic of those herbs. Another nine colours among the most frequently observed colours and the number of species that had them were Pesto (9), Shadow (8), Driftwood (8), Barley Corn (5), Domino (4), Roman Coffee (4), Cape Palliser (4), Himalaya (4) and Husk (4); these were less diagnostic of the herbs in question. Based on the distribution of these colours, a diagnostic PHP colour chart was constructed for the authentication of the powdered medicinal herbs.Conclusion: Powders of the 17 medicinal herbs analysed have been characterised colourimetrically with each species being unambiguously diagnosed. The study has therefore circumvented the subjectivity of the human sense of colour recognition in medicinal herb authentication.

First record of the invasive land flatworm Bipalium adventitium (Platyhelminthes, Geoplanidae) in Canada

Specimens of Bipalium adventitium (Platyhelminthes, Geoplanidae) were found in Montréal, Québec, Canada. The specimens showed the typical colour pattern of the species and barcoding (Cytochrome Oxidase I) demonstrated near-identity with a sequence of the same species from the USA. This is the first record of the species in Canada.

Translation: the puzzle of colour

This research contributes to the study of colour terms as a cognitive phenomenon. Since colour is not a universal concept and an ordinary mind does not perceive colour separately from the object, it is possible to observe the knowledge about colour, which exists in the lan­guage but does not exist in its physical sense. We hold that the given knowledge is the cause of significant difficulties arising in the translation of various colour terms, though the nature of these terms existence should not be complex in its essence, being a basic phenomenon of the natural world. Moreover, certain ambiguity rises when reference points of colour do not coin­cide with the indirect naming of colours and shades in different languages. Different pairs of languages apparently set their individual spectrum of translation difficulties. We characterise some typical colour-related English into Russian translation difficulties which arise at the cognitive level.

A Is for Apple: the Role of Letter–Word Associations in the Development of Grapheme–Colour Synaesthesia

This study investigates the origins of specific letter–colour associations experienced by people with grapheme–colour synaesthesia. We present novel evidence that frequently observed trends in synaesthesia (e.g., A is typically red) can be tied to orthographic associations between letters and words (e.g., ‘A is for apple’), which are typically formed during literacy acquisition. In our experiments, we first tested members of the general population to show that certain words are consistently associated with letters of the alphabet (e.g., A is for apple), which we named index words. Sampling from the same population, we then elicited the typical colour associations of these index words (e.g., apples are red) and used the letter → index word → colour connections to predict which colours and letters would be paired together based on these orthographic-semantic influences. We then looked at direct letter–colour associations (e.g., red, blue…) from both synaesthetes and non-synaesthetes. In both populations, we show statistically that the colour predicted by index words matches significantly with the letter–colour mappings: that is, red because A is for apple and apples are prototypically red. We therefore conclude that letter–colour associations in both synaesthetes and non-synaesthetes are tied to early-learned letter–word associations.

Isolasi Senyawa Flavonoid Pada Biji Pinang Yaki (Areca vestiaria Giseke)

Pinang Yaki (Areca vestiaria Giseke) adalah tanaman endemik Sulawesi Utara yang berkhasiat untuk mengobati berbagai penyakit. Penelitian sebelumnya menyatakan bahwa biji dan kulit Pinang Yaki mengandung flavonoid (Samosir et al., 2012; Mamonto et al., 2014). Sekarang akan dilaporkan Isolasi Senyawa Flavonoid dari biji Pinang Yaki. Metoda yang dilakukan sebagai berikut: Ekstrak metanol difraksinasi dengan n-heksan, etil asetat dan air. Fraksi etil asetat dimurnikan dengan metode Kromatografi Lapis Tipis Kresgel G60 F254 dan Kromatografi Kolom dengan berbagai pelarut, setiap pemisahan dipandu dengan AlCl3 5% dalam etanol yang menampakan warna khas dari flavonoid. Isolat murni yang didapatkan selanjutnya dikarakterisasi dengan menggunakan metode spektroskopi UV dan H-NMR. Isolat murni yang diperoleh diduga adalah Afzelekin.Pinang Yaki (Areca vestiaria Giseke) is a endemic plant of North sulawesi that efficacious for various disease treatment. Same research reported that Pinang Yaki seed and skin seed contain Flavonoid compound (Samosir et al., 2012; Mamonto et al., 2014). This research reported isolation of Flavonoid compound from Pinang Yaki seed, The methods is: methanol ekstract fractionating with n-hexane, ethyl acetate dan aquades. Ethyl acetate fraction was purified by Thin Layer Chromatography Kresgel G60 F254 method and Column Chromatography with various solvent, every separation guided by 5% AlCl3 in ethanol which reveals the typical colour of Flavonoid compound. After that, the obtained pure isolates was characterized by various UV-Spectroscopy and H-NMR methods. The structure of isolate compound predicted as Afzelechin.

Evaluation Index Study of Students’ Physiological Rhythm Effects under Fluorescent Lamp and LED

The influence of artificial classroom light source’s colour temperature to students’ learning efficiency and physiology rhythm is the focus of this study. An experiment compares a subjects’ learning efficiency, asthenopia and brain fag under different luminance level of three typical colour temperatures from T5 fluorescent lamps and LED. Using comprehensive index ε and norm identification Ψ for quantitative evaluation and testing under different lighting environments, we determined the best colour temperature of two experimental light sources. We also determined the best combinations of illuminance value and the colour temperature that should be avoided in classroom lighting. Experiment shows that spectrum difference obviously effects comprehensive index ε and norm identification Ψ. For learning efficiency and health of people, there need to be improvement in the spectrum of fluorescent lamps and LEDs

Colour doppler imaging of shunts from the left portal branch in portal hypertension

Purpose: to describe the typical colour Doppler appearance of a shunt through the parenchyma of the left lobe of the liver in portal hypertension Material and Methods: Ultrasound images of 141 patients with biopsy-verified cirrhosis were reviewed. Special note was taken of the appearance of shunts from the left portal branch Results: in 28 patients, shunts from the left portal branch were detected ultra-sonographically, 10 of which ran through the liver parenchyma on a course separated from the ligamentum teres. Seven of these 10 followed a tortuous course just below the surface of the liver creating a ball or corkscrew-like pattern Conclusion: Shunts from the left portal branch are not uncommon and may represent the only ultrasonographically detectable pathology in these patients. Recognition of the typical pattern will facilitate their detection