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Gaze stability of observers watching Op Art pictures.

It has been the matter of some debate why we can experience vivid dynamic illusions when looking at static pictures composed from simple black and white patterns. The impression of illusory motion is particularly strong when viewing some of the works of 'Op Artists, such as Bridget Riley's painting Fall. Explanations of the illusory motion have ranged from retinal to cortical mechanisms, and an important role has been attributed to eye movements. To assess the possible contribution of eye movements to the illusory-motion percept we studied the strength of the illusion under different viewing conditions, and analysed the gaze stability of observers viewing the Riley painting and control patterns that do not produce the illusion. Whereas the illusion was reduced, but not abolished, when watching the painting through a pinhole, which reduces the effects of accommodation, it was not perceived in flash afterimages, suggesting an important role for eye movements in generating the illusion for this image. Recordings of eye movements revealed an abundance of small involuntary saccades when looking at the Riley pattern, despite the fact that gaze was kept within the dedicated fixation region. The frequency and particular characteristics of these rapid eye movements can vary considerably between different observers, but, although there was a tendency for gaze stability to deteriorate while viewing a Riley painting, there was no significant difference in saccade frequency between the stimulus and control patterns. Theoretical considerations indicate that such small image displacements can generate patterns of motion signals in a motion-detector network, which may serve as a simple and sufficient, but not necessarily exclusive, explanation for the illusion. Why such image displacements lead to perceptual results with a group of Op Art and similar patterns, but remain invisible for other stimuli, is discussed.

Adult↗

Why cast shadows are expendable: insensitivity of human observers and the inherent ambiguity of cast shadows in pictorial art.

The kinds of visual cues artists choose to use or not use in their work can offer insight into perceptual processes. On the basis of the observed paucity of the use of cast shadow in pictorial art, we hypothesized that cast shadows might be relatively expendable as pictorial cues. In this study, we investigated two potential reasons for this expendability: first, viewers might be insensitive to much of the information that cast shadows provide; and, second, ambiguities about what is shadow and what is pigment can often be resolved only through motion-something that static media are ill-equipped to deal with. In experiment 1, we used a visual-search paradigm in which viewers had to determine if there were odd cast shadows in sets of 4, 8, 16, and 32 objects. In experiment 2, viewers had to discriminate between shadow/pigment ambiguities in both still and moving images. Our results demonstrate that viewers are neither particularly sensitive to static cast-shadow incongruities, nor are they able to disambiguate cast shadow from pigment without continuous motion information. Taken together, these results may help explain why cast shadows are relatively rare in static pictorial work.

Adult↗

A digital technique for art authentication.

We describe a computational technique for authenticating works of art, specifically paintings and drawings, from high-resolution digital scans of the original works. This approach builds a statistical model of an artist from the scans of a set of authenticated works against which new works then are compared. The statistical model consists of first- and higher-order wavelet statistics. We show preliminary results from our analysis of 13 drawings that at various times have been attributed to Pieter Bruegel the Elder; these results confirm expert authentications. We also apply these techniques to the problem of determining the number of artists that may have contributed to a painting attributed to Pietro Perugino and again achieve an analysis agreeing with expert opinion.

Journal Article↗

Animal art: Variation in bower decorating style among male bowerbirds Amblyornis inornatus.

Courtship bowers of the bowerbird Amblyornis inornatus, the most elaborately decorated structures erected by an animal other than humans, vary geographically and individually. Bowers in the south Kumawa Mountains are tall towers of sticks glued together, resting on a circular mat of dead moss painted black, and decorated with dull objects such as snail shells, acorns, and stones. Bowers in the Wandamen Mountains are low woven towers covered by a stick hut with an entrance, resting on a green moss mat and decorated with colorful objects such as fruits, flowers, and butterfly wings. Young males build simpler bowers, and adult males differ among themselves. Experiments with poker chips of seven colors offered as decorations showed that individual birds prefer some colors over others, individuals and populations differ in these preferences, certain objects are placed in specific parts of the bower, and birds steal chips from neighbors. Bower style may be partly learned. Hence, geographically varying bower styles may be a culturally transmitted trait, like human art styles.

Journal Article↗

State of the art in continuous speech recognition.

In the past decade, tremendous advances in the state of the art of automatic speech recognition by machine have taken place. A reduction in the word error rate by more than a factor of 5 and an increase in recognition speeds by several orders of magnitude (brought about by a combination of faster recognition search algorithms and more powerful computers), have combined to make high-accuracy, speaker-independent, continuous speech recognition for large vocabularies possible in real time, on off-the-shelf workstations, without the aid of special hardware. These advances promise to make speech recognition technology readily available to the general public. This paper focuses on the speech recognition advances made through better speech modeling techniques, chiefly through more accurate mathematical modeling of speech sounds.

Algorithms↗

About medicine and the arts. Charcot and French literature at the fin-de-siècle.

The relationship between medicine and the arts, literature in particular, has many aspects. One of the most obvious relations is the use of literature as a source for historical studies. Jean-Martin Charcot and his school often appear in French literature at the end of the 19th century. Several aspects will be highlighted in this study, including (1) the ideas about degenerative diseases in the work of Emile Zola, the main author of the naturalistic movement; (2) decadence and spiritism in two "transitional" novels by Joris Karl Huysmans, who, once supporter of the naturalistic movement, changed his ideas following observations of disease and cure that could not be explained in a scientific way. Charcot's work on hysteria and hypnosis, as well as Brown-Séquard's rejuvenation experiments with testicular extracts played an important role with this respect; (3) Charcot's relationship with the Daudets, in particular his treatment of Alphonse's tabes dorsalis and the ambivalent attitude of his son Léon Daudet towards Charcot; (4) the influence of the lectures at the Salpêtrière on the work of Guy de Maupassant, who attended the lessons in the mid-1880s. The reading of novels and biographies of these authors provides a part of the social context and the cultural atmosphere in Paris at the "fin-de-siècle" when Charcot and his school played an important role in medicine. Moreover, it shows the influence of medicine and science on society as recorded by writers.

France↗

Graves' ophthalmopathy through the eyes of the patient: A state of the art on health-related quality of life assessment.

The negative impact of the visual limitations and disfigurement associated with Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO) for a patient's daily life has always been acknowledged in clinical practice. However, only recently have the effects of GO on health-related quality of life (HRQL) been quantified using validated questionnaires. In this article, a state of the art is presented on the aims, methodology and application of HRQL assessment in GO research. HRQL assessment is important in cross-sectional studies aimed at describing the severity of GO on multiple outcome levels, including the impact of GO on patients' daily functioning and perception of health in general, and in longitudinal studies aimed at the evaluation of treatment efficacy or comparison of the effects of different treatments on HRQL. Only a few studies have measured the effects of GO on HRQL directly. Patients with GO have a relatively low HRQL, not only in the period that they are diagnosed and treated for the disease, but their low HRQL persists even many years after the final treatment. Because the current therapies for GO are primarily directed at improving (visual) functioning and appearance, these treatments should be evaluated for their effectiveness on HRQL outcomes. At the moment, the recently developed GO-QOL questionnaire is the only validated disease-specific instrument available to measure HRQL in patients with GO. The GO-QOL is recommended as an instrument to measure GO treatment effects on HRQL.

Journal Article↗

Herbal medicine: the science of the art.

In the last 50 years science has provided new perspectives on the ancient art of herbal medicine. The present article discusses ways in which the evidence base for the professional use of 'Western' herbal medicine, as therapy to treat disease, known as phytotherapy, can be strengthened and developed. The evidence base for phytotherapy is small and lags behind that for the nutritional sciences, mainly because phytochemicals are ingested as complex mixtures that are incompletely characterised and have only relatively recently been subject to scientific scrutiny. While some methodologies developed for the nutritional sciences can inform phytotherapy research, opportunities for observational studies are more limited, although greater use could be made of patient case notes. Randomised clinical trials of single-herb interventions are relatively easy to undertake and increasing numbers of such studies are being published. Indeed, enough data are available on three herbs (ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) and saw palmetto (Serenoa repens)) for meta-analyses to have been undertaken. However, phytotherapy is holistic therapy, using lifestyle advice, nutrition and individually-prescribed mixtures of herbs aimed at reinstating homeostasis. While clinical experience shows that this approach is applicable to a wide range of conditions, including chronic disease, evidence of its efficacy is scarce. Strategies for investigating the full holistic approach of phytotherapy and its main elements are discussed and illustrated through the author's studies at the University of Reading.

Chronic Disease↗

High blood lead levels in ceramic folk art workers in Michoacan, Mexico.

Ceramic folk art workers are at risk for developing lead intoxication. These workers live in small settlements, which often lack sanitation services, and these individuals work with ceramics in their homes. The study population comprised individuals of all ages from three rural communities in central Michoacan (Tzintzuntzan, Tzintzunzita, and Colonia Lazaro Cardenas). A survey questionnaire, which was provided to each individual, included questions about household characteristics, presence of a clay oven in the home, and use of lead oxide ("greta") and other hazardous products. Venous blood samples were obtained from the workers. We found lead exposure to be reduced if the home floor was covered and if the house had been painted < or =1 y prior to study. Blood lead levels exceeded the maximum level permitted, but the levels were lower than those found in the 1970s, during which time study techniques for analyzing samples differed from those used in the present study. In addition, activity patterns of the populations differed during the two studies.

Adolescent↗

Assessment of the state-of-the-art trueness and precision of serum total-calcium and glucose measurements in Finnish laboratories--the QSL-Finland study.

The purpose of the QSL-Finland study was to assess the state-of-the-art trueness and precision of serum total-calcium and glucose measurements in Finnish clinical laboratories. For this purpose, 21 hospitals and clinical institutes were selected. They measured six single donation sera, the total-calcium (t-calcium) and glucose content of which had been determined by ion chromatography and isotope dilution-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (ID-GC-MS) reference methods. The results were interpreted in light of specifications for imprecision, bias and total error of routine methods that have been proposed in the past. The data revealed that the performance of t-calcium and glucose methods is generally acceptable in Finnish clinical laboratories. This study did not lead to a separation of laboratories according to accreditation. In consequence, it seems that accreditation, in its present form, cannot substitute dedicated quality assurance practices.

Blood Glucose↗

Winnicott's antitheory and Winnicott's art. His significance for adult analysis.

The significance of Winnicott's work for the theory and practice of adult analysis is examined. Winnicott's most valuable contribution was to discern important new clinical phenomena. This is a crucial aspect of theory development, but not the same as explicating new theory, and partly accounts for the difficulty integrating his ideas with traditional psychoanalytic theory. Winnicott left the theoretical revisions possibly necessitated by his discoveries for others to accomplish, and some of this new work is discussed and synthesized. The nature of Winnicott's discoveries, especially the phenomenological field of transitional or intermediate experience, is elusive to define, and is also related to his clinical stance and his attitudes to theory for the purposes of clinical work. His work demonstrates the limits of theorizing and of our theories, and also an attitude toward theory that facilitates clinical and theoretical progress. He also provides conceptual language to discuss what is often called the art of psychoanalysis. Both the value and limitations of studying Winnicott are considered.

Adolescent↗

Hearing aid fitting procedures--state-of-the-art and current issues.

The increasing degree of sophistication in hearing aid technology calls for appropriate fitting strategies, as otherwise hearing aid users cannot receive the full benefit from the most modern technological achievements. This paper describes the state of the art in hearing aid fitting procedures and offers a look into possible future developments. Currently, threshold-based fitting formula compete with loudness- and sound-based fitting procedures. Whereas threshold-based approaches are straightforward and timesaving, they do not consider loudness growth and the sound preferences of the listener. On the other hand, loudness- and sound-based procedures do take these aspects into account, but they are time consuming and it is not yet proven that they provide higher benefit for the end user. This may be due to the fact that either there is actually no extra benefit or more likely that the evaluation tools or study designs have to be improved. Concerns about how to fit more advanced future hearing instruments seem to be inappropriate, as an analysis of possible future signal processing algorithms shows that they probably do not need extra fitting to the individual hearing impairment but rather need optimization according to the acoustical environment.

Hearing Aids↗

Early examples of art in Scottish hospitals, 1: Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick Children.

The artist Phoebe Traquair was commissioned to decorate a mortuary chapel for Edinburgh's Royal Hospital for Sick Children. This article is the first of two which look at examples of art created for, and in, Scottish hospitals in the 19th century. It is suggested that the importance of Scotland's contribution to this movement is unrecognized by many of its modern-day practitioners.

Child↗

Teaching the art of doctoring: an innovative medical student elective.

The authors describe a longitudinal third- and fourth-year elective, 'The Art of Doctoring', introduced in an attempt to counteract perceived frustration and cynicism in medical students at their home institution during the clinical years. The course goals aimed at helping students to develop self-reflective skills; improve awareness of and ability to modify personal attitudes and behaviors that compromise patient care; increase altruism, empathy and compassion toward patients; and sustain commitment to patient care, service and personal well-being. These goals were accomplished through introduction and development of five skill sets: learning from role models and peers; on-site readings of works by medical student- and physician-authors; self- and other-observation; self-reflective techniques; and case-based problem-solving. The course involved regular in-class exercises and homework assignments, as well as a personal project related to improving personal compassion, caring and empathy toward patients. Students also learned to use a coping algorithm to approach problematic clinical and interpersonal situations. Class discussions revealed three issues of recurring importance to students: loss of idealism, non-compliant patients, and indifferent, harsh or otherwise unpleasant attendings and residents. Quantitative and qualitative student evaluations overall indicated a generally favorable response to the course. Problems and barriers included attendance difficulties and variable levels of student engagement. Future directions for this type of educational intervention are considered, as well as its implications for medical education.

Altruism↗

Raynaud's phenomenon: state of the art 1998.

Raynaud's Phenomenon (RP) is a relatively common problem which may be troublesome and difficult to treat in a minority of patients. The state of the art in 1998 focusses on three key areas: the clinical spectrum of RP; its progression and prognosis; and its treatment. RP is a systemic disease, with a multifactorial aetiology and vasospasm affects not just the digits and skin but also major organs including the heart, lungs and kidneys. It is important to distinguish primary from secondary RP. RP may predate an associated connective tissue disease by many years and markers for this include severe RP symptoms with trophic skin changes, serological abnormalities and abnormal nailfold capillaries. Repeated attacks of vasospasm may cause ischaemic reperfusion injury to the endothelium, resulting in a vicious and self propagating cycle of cause and effect. Nifedipine remains the "gold standard" of treatment but a number of new and promising drugs, eg relaxin, are currently under investigation. "Vasodilator-plus" drugs, with the ability to also modulate some of the haemorrheological abnormalities in RP, are the drugs that are going to have a major clinical impact on the disease and hold promise for the future.

Biomarkers↗

Balancing within various discourses--the art of being old and living as a Sami woman.

The aim of this part of the Umeå 85+ Study was to explore how indigenous women narrate their lives and their experience of being old as Sami women. Interviews with 9 old Sami women were analyzed using grounded theory. The categories identified were "reindeer as the basis of life," "longing for significant Sami values," "feeling valued as a Sami woman," and "changing for survival;" these evolved into the core category: "balancing within various discourses-the art of being old and living as a Sami woman." Knowing how to balance provided the ability to make use of available opportunities.

Aged↗

Student perceptions of methylphenidate abuse at a public liberal arts college.

With the ever-increasing diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, methylphenidate has become readily accessible in the college environment. Several properties of methylphenidate indicate abuse liability. A survey regarding the recreational use of methylphenidate was distributed to the student body at a public, liberal arts college. More than 16% of the students reported they had tried methylphenidate recreationally, and 12.7% reported they had taken the drug intranasally. Use of the drug was more common among traditional students than among nontraditional students. Among traditional-age students, reports of methylphenidate use were roughly equivalent to reports of cocaine and amphetamine use. Environmental conditions characteristic of college student life may influence the recreational use of the drug.

Adult↗

AIDS vaccine: state of the art at the beginning of the third millennium.

This overview briefly summarizes the current status of global AIDS epidemic, especially pointing out how this pandemic looked in the last year of the second millennium. We also give a brief overview of the state of the art in development of AIDS vaccines together with a short summary of the supporting data and obstacles in this development.

AIDS Vaccines↗