-
Journal of Vision Oct 2023Occlusion, or interposition, is one of the strongest and best-known pictorial cues to depth. Furthermore, the successive occlusions of previous objects by newly...
Occlusion, or interposition, is one of the strongest and best-known pictorial cues to depth. Furthermore, the successive occlusions of previous objects by newly presented objects produces an impression of increasing depth. Although the perceived motion associated with this illusion has been studied, the depth percept has not. To investigate, participants were presented with two piles of disks with one always static and the other either a static pile or a stacking pile where a new disk was added every 200 ms. We found static piles with equal number of disks appeared equal in height. In contrast, the successive presentation of disks in the stacking condition appeared to enhance the perceived height of the stack-fewer disks were needed to match the static pile. Surprisingly, participants were also more precise when comparing stacking versus static piles of disks. Reversing the stacking by removing rather than adding disks reversed the bias and degraded precision. In follow-up experiments, we used nonoverlapping static and dynamic configurations to show that the effects are not due to simple differences in perceived numerosity. In sum, our results show that successive occlusions generate a greater sense of height than occlusion alone, and we posit that dynamic occlusion may be an underappreciated source of depth information.
Topics: Humans; Depth Perception; Illusions; Cues; Motion Perception
PubMed: 37796523
DOI: 10.1167/jov.23.12.2 -
MedRxiv : the Preprint Server For... Nov 2023Amplitude modulations (AM) are important for speech intelligibility, and deficits in speech intelligibility are a leading source of impairment in childhood listening...
PURPOSE
Amplitude modulations (AM) are important for speech intelligibility, and deficits in speech intelligibility are a leading source of impairment in childhood listening difficulties (LiD). The present study aimed to explore the relationships between AM perception and speech-in-noise (SiN) comprehension in children and to determine whether deficits in AM processing contribute to childhood LiD. Evoked responses were used to parse the neural origin of AM processing.
METHOD
Forty-one children with LiD and forty-four typically-developing children, ages 8-16 y.o., participated in the study. Behavioral AM depth thresholds were measured at 4 and 40 Hz. SiN tasks included the LiSN-S and a Coordinate Response Measure (CRM)-based task. Evoked responses were obtained during an AM Change detection task using alternations between 4 and 40 Hz, including the N1 of the acoustic change complex, auditory steady-state response (ASSR), P300, and a late positive response (LP). Maturational effects were explored via age correlations.
RESULTS
Age correlated with 4 Hz AM thresholds, CRM Separated Talker scores, and N1 amplitude. Age-normed LiSN-S scores obtained without spatial or talker cues correlated with age-corrected 4 Hz AM thresholds and area under the LP curve. CRM Separated Talker scores correlated with AM thresholds and area under the LP curve. Most behavioral measures of AM perception correlated with the SNR and phase coherence of the 40 Hz ASSR. AM Change RT also correlated with area under the LP curve. Children with LiD exhibited deficits with respect to 4 Hz thresholds, AM Change accuracy, and area under the LP curve.
CONCLUSIONS
The observed relationships between AM perception and SiN performance extend the evidence that modulation perception is important for understanding SiN in childhood. In line with this finding, children with LiD demonstrated poorer performance on some measures of AM perception, but their evoked responses implicated a primarily cognitive deficit.
PubMed: 37961469
DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.26.23297523 -
Cancers Aug 2023In the last two decades, robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) has gained popularity as a minimally invasive surgical (MIS) alternative to multi- and uniportal... (Review)
Review
In the last two decades, robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) has gained popularity as a minimally invasive surgical (MIS) alternative to multi- and uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). With this approach, the surgeon obviates the known drawbacks of conventional MIS, such as the reduced in-depth perception, hand-eye coordination, and freedom of motion of the instruments. Previous studies have shown that a robotic approach for operable lung cancer has treatment outcomes comparable to other MIS techniques such as multi-and uniportal VATS, but with less blood loss, a lower conversion rate to open surgery, better lymph node dissection rates, and improved ergonomics for the surgeon. The thoracic surgeon of the future is expected to perform more complex procedures. More patients will enter a multimodal treatment scheme making surgery more difficult due to severe inflammation. Furthermore, due to lung cancer screening programs, the number of patients presenting with operable smaller lung nodules in the periphery of the lung will increase. This, combined with the fact that segmentectomy is becoming an increasingly popular treatment for small peripheral lung lesions, indicates that the future thoracic surgeons need to have profound knowledge of segmental resections. New imaging techniques will help them to locate these lesions and to achieve a complete oncologic resection. Current robotic techniques exist to help the thoracic surgeon overcome these challenges. In this review, an update of the latest MIS approaches and nodule detection techniques will be given.
PubMed: 37686557
DOI: 10.3390/cancers15174281 -
Scientific Reports Jul 2023In the last decade, Ultrafast ultrasound localisation microscopy has taken non-invasive deep vascular imaging down to the microscopic level. By imaging diluted...
In the last decade, Ultrafast ultrasound localisation microscopy has taken non-invasive deep vascular imaging down to the microscopic level. By imaging diluted suspensions of circulating microbubbles in the blood stream at kHz frame rate and localizing the center of their individual point spread function with a sub-resolution precision, it enabled to break the unvanquished trade-off between depth of imaging and resolution by microscopically mapping the microbubbles flux and velocities deep into tissue. However, ULM also suffers limitations. Many small vessels are not visible in the ULM images due to the noise level in areas dimly explored by the microbubbles. Moreover, as the vast majority of studies are performed using 2D imaging, quantification is limited to in-plane velocity or flux measurements which hinders the accurate velocity determination and quantification. Here we show that the backscattering amplitude of each individual microbubble can also be exploited to produce backscattering images of the vascularization with a higher sensitivity compared to conventional ULM images. By providing valuable information about the relative distance of the microbubble to the 2D imaging plane in the out-of-plane direction, backscattering ULM images introduces a physically relevant 3D rendering perception in the vascular maps. It also retrieves the missing information about the out-of-plane motion of microbubbles and provides a way to improve 3D flow and velocity quantification using 2D ULM. These results pave the way to improved visualization and quantification for 2D and 3D ULM.
Topics: Microscopy; Microbubbles; Phantoms, Imaging; Biological Phenomena; Ultrasonography; Contrast Media
PubMed: 37455266
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38531-w -
Translational Psychiatry May 2024Bi-stable stimuli evoke two distinct perceptual interpretations that alternate and compete for dominance. Bi-stable perception is thought to be driven at least in part...
Bi-stable stimuli evoke two distinct perceptual interpretations that alternate and compete for dominance. Bi-stable perception is thought to be driven at least in part by mutual suppression between distinct neural populations that represent each percept. Abnormal visual perception has been observed among people with psychotic psychopathology (PwPP), and there is evidence to suggest that these visual deficits may depend on impaired neural suppression in the visual cortex. However, it is not yet clear whether bi-stable visual perception is abnormal among PwPP. Here, we examined bi-stable perception in a visual structure-from-motion task using a rotating cylinder illusion in a group of 65 PwPP, 44 first-degree biological relatives, and 43 healthy controls. Data from a 'real switch' task, in which physical depth cues signaled real switches in rotation direction were used to exclude individuals who did not show adequate task performance. In addition, we measured concentrations of neurochemicals, including glutamate, glutamine, and γ-amino butyric acid (GABA), involved in excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission. These neurochemicals were measured non-invasively in the visual cortex using 7 tesla MR spectroscopy. We found that PwPP and their relatives showed faster bi-stable switch rates than healthy controls. Faster switch rates also correlated with significantly higher psychiatric symptom levels, specifically disorganization, across all participants. However, we did not observe any significant relationships across individuals between neurochemical concentrations and SFM switch rates. Our results are consistent with a reduction in suppressive neural processes during structure-from-motion perception in PwPP, and suggest that genetic liability for psychosis is associated with disrupted bi-stable perception.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Adult; Psychotic Disorders; Visual Cortex; Visual Perception; Young Adult; Motion Perception; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Middle Aged
PubMed: 38714650
DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02913-z -
Science Bulletin Oct 2023Characterizing natural selection signatures and relationships with phenotype spectra is important for understanding human evolution and both biological and pathological...
Characterizing natural selection signatures and relationships with phenotype spectra is important for understanding human evolution and both biological and pathological mechanisms. Here, we identified 24 genetic loci under recent selection by analyzing rare singletons in 3946 high-depth whole-genome sequencing data of Han Chinese. The loci include immune-related gene regions (MHC cluster, IGH cluster, STING1, and PSG), alcohol metabolism-related gene regions (ADH1B, ALDH2, and ALDH3B2), and the olfactory perception gene OR4C16, in which the MHC cluster, ADH1B, and ALDH2 were also identified by TOPMed and WestLake Biobank. Among the signals, the IGH cluster is particularly interesting, in which the favored allele of variant 14_105737776_C_T (rs117518546, IgG1-G396R) promotes immune response, but also increases the risk of an autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). It is also surprising that our newly discovered ALDH3B2 evolved in the opposite direction to ALDH2 for alcohol metabolism. Besides monogenic traits, we found that multiple complex traits experienced polygenic adaptation. Particularly, multi-methods consistently revealed that lower blood pressure was favored in natural selection. Finally, we built a database named RePoS (recent positive selection, http://bigdata.ibp.ac.cn/RePoS/) to integrate and display multi-population selection signals. Our study extended our understanding of natural evolution and phenotype adaptation in Han Chinese as well as other populations.
Topics: Humans; Aldehyde Dehydrogenase, Mitochondrial; East Asian People; Phenotype; Selection, Genetic; Aldehyde Oxidoreductases
PubMed: 37661541
DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2023.08.027 -
Journal of Functional Morphology and... Jan 2024Therapists and strength and conditioning specialists use self-myofascial release (SMR) as an intervention tool through foam rollers or massage rollers for soft tissue... (Review)
Review
Therapists and strength and conditioning specialists use self-myofascial release (SMR) as an intervention tool through foam rollers or massage rollers for soft tissue massage, with the purpose of improving mobility in the muscular fascia. Moreover, the use of SMR by professional and amateur athletes during warm-ups, cool downs, and workouts can have significant effects on their physical performance attributes, such as range of motion (ROM) and strength. The purpose of this study was to analyse the literature pertaining to these types of interventions and their effects found in different physical performance attributes for athletes. A systematic search was carried out using the following databases: PUBMED, ISI Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane, including articles up to September 2023. A total of 25 articles with 517 athletes were studied in depth. SMR seems to have acute positive effects on flexibility and range of motion, without affecting muscle performance during maximal strength and power actions, but favouring recovery perception and decreasing delayed-onset muscle soreness. Some positive effects on agility and very short-range high-speed actions were identified, as well. In conclusion, although there is little evidence of its method of application due to the heterogeneity in that regard, according to our findings, SMR could be used as an intervention to improve athletes' perceptual recovery parameters, in addition to flexibility and range of motion, without negatively affecting muscle performance.
PubMed: 38249097
DOI: 10.3390/jfmk9010020 -
Eye and Brain 2023Parkinson's disease (PD) affects approximately 10 million individuals worldwide. Visual impairments are a common feature of PD. Patients report difficulties with visual... (Review)
Review
Parkinson's disease (PD) affects approximately 10 million individuals worldwide. Visual impairments are a common feature of PD. Patients report difficulties with visual scanning, impaired depth perception and spatial navigation, and blurry and double vision. Examination of PD patients reveals abnormal fixational saccades, strabismus, impaired convergence, and abnormal visually-guided saccades. This review aims to describe objective features of abnormal eye movements in PD and to discuss the structures and pathways through which these abnormalities may manifest.
PubMed: 37519412
DOI: 10.2147/EB.S384763 -
Biomolecules Feb 2024Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating joint disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. Despite its prevalence, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms... (Review)
Review
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating joint disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. Despite its prevalence, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms remains incomplete. In recent years, transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) channels have emerged as key players in OA pathogenesis. This review provides an in-depth exploration of the role of the TRPV pathway in OA, encompassing its involvement in pain perception, inflammation, and mechanotransduction. Furthermore, we discuss the latest research findings, potential therapeutic strategies, and future directions in the field, shedding light on the multifaceted nature of TRPV channels in OA.
Topics: Humans; Transient Receptor Potential Channels; Mechanotransduction, Cellular; TRPV Cation Channels; Osteoarthritis; Inflammation
PubMed: 38540712
DOI: 10.3390/biom14030292 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2023Tuberculosis (TB)-related knowledge is an important evaluation metric for health education interventions. Factor analysis is limited when used on ordinal scales and does...
Development and validation of assessment instrument for the perception and attitude toward tuberculosis among the general population in Indonesia: a Rasch analysis of psychometric properties.
INTRODUCTION
Tuberculosis (TB)-related knowledge is an important evaluation metric for health education interventions. Factor analysis is limited when used on ordinal scales and does not provide in-depth item function examinations, whereas Rasch analysis addresses these limitations and offers potential advantages such as generalizability, testing of unidimensionality, producing an ordered set of items, and identifying poorly functioning items. Therefore, this research aims to develop a reliable and valid measure of perception and attitude toward TB (PATT) for public application use Rasch Analysis.
METHODS
A questionnaire-based survey was conducted on the Indonesian general population using the Google Form platform. Rasch analysis was then employed to examine the psychometric properties and develop the final items of PATT.
RESULTS
Experts from across the TB community participated in the PATT development, producing an initial scale of 16 items. Up to 1,616 participants completed the PATT questionnaire, where 74.8% were female, and 5% had a TB history. The final unidimensional 16-item scale has an item reliability of 1.00 for the two components (perception and attitude), a person reliability index of 0.87 and 0.60, as well as a Cronbach's test reliability of 0.88 and 0.88 for perception and attitude, respectively.
CONCLUSION
The PATT is a unidimensional scale with good construct validity and internal consistency. It has the potential to be useful for the assessment of TB perception and attitude in research and clinical practice.
Topics: Humans; Female; Male; Psychometrics; Indonesia; Reproducibility of Results; Tuberculosis; Perception
PubMed: 37841718
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1143120