A distorted model of a familiar multi-level building with a systematic overestimation of the height was demonstrated earlier in psychophysical and real world navigational tasks. In the current study ...we further investigated this phenomenon with a tablet-based application. Participants were asked to adjust height and width of the presented buildings to best match their memory of the dimensional ratio. The estimation errors between adjusted and true height-width ratios were analyzed. Additionally, familiarity with respect to in- and outside of the building as well as demographic data were acquired. A total of 142 subjects aged 21 to 90 years from the cities of Bern and Munich were tested. Major results were: (1) a median overestimation of the height of the multi-level buildings of 11%; (2) estimation errors were significantly less if the particular building was unknown to participants; (3) in contrast, the height of tower-like buildings was underestimated; (4) the height of long, flat shaped buildings was overestimated. (5) Further features, such as the architectonical complexity were critical. Overall, our internal models of large multi-level buildings are distorted due to multiple factors including geometric features and memory effects demonstrating that such individual models are not rigid but plastic with consequences for spatial orientation and navigation.
Soil moisture was recently included in the list of Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) that are deemed essential for IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and UNFCCC (United Nations ...Framework Convention on Climate Change) needs and considered feasible for global observation. ECVs data records should be as long, complete and consistent as possible, and in the case of soil moisture this means that the data record shall be based on multiple data sources, including but not limited to active (scatterometer) and passive (radiometer) microwave observations acquired preferably in the low-frequency microwave range. Among the list of sensors that can be used for this task are the C-band scatterometers on board of the ERS and METOP satellites and the multi-frequency radiometers SMMR, SSM/I, TMI, AMSR-E, and Windsat. Together, these sensors already cover a time period of more than 30 years and the question is how can observations acquired by these sensors be merged to create one consistent data record? This paper discusses on a high-level possible approaches for fusing the individual satellite data. It is argued that the best possible approach for the fusion of the different satellite data sets is to merge Level 2 soil moisture data derived from the individual satellite data records. This approach has already been demonstrated within the WACMOS project (http://wacmos.itc.nl/) funded by European Space Agency (ESA) and will be further improved within the Climate Change Initiative (CCI) programme of ESA (http://www.esa-cci.org/).
Background and purpose
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) removal improves clinical symptoms of many patients with idiopathic normal‐pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH). The aim of this study was to investigate the ...correlation of changes in the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) with patient responses to CSF removal.
Methods
Transorbital ultrasonography was performed to obtain ONSD measurements in 31 patients with iNPH before and after lumbar puncture. Measurements were obtained while patients were supine and upright. Changes in the ONSD between supine and upright positions ONSD variability (ONSD‐V) were assessed and compared with those in 60 healthy volunteers. ONSD‐V was correlated with relative changes in a validated iNPH severity (Boon) score.
Results
Mean pre‐puncture ONSD‐V was significantly lower in healthy volunteers and patients with no response to CSF removal (Fisher test) 0.05 ± 0.14 mm (SD) than in responsive patients 0.37 ± 0.20 mm (SD), P < 0.001. ONSD‐V predicted response to the spinal tap test (odds ratio, 0.30; 95% confidence interval, 0.12–0.75 mm, P = 0.011). The higher the ONSD‐V, the better the therapeutic effect (χ2 = 14.980, P < 0.001). The post‐spinal tap test ONSD‐V correlated significantly with clinical severity in the motor portion of the Boon score 0.16 ± 0.23 mm (SD), P = 0.003.
Conclusions
The ONSD‐V before and after spinal tap test correlated well with the clinical effects of CSF removal. Transorbital ultrasonography seems to be a reliable, safe add‐on to the Fisher test and may support selection of patients for shunt intervention.
The Plasma and Suprathermal Ion Composition (PLASTIC) investigation provides the in situ solar wind and low energy heliospheric ion measurements for the NASA Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory ...Mission, which consists of two spacecraft (STEREO-A, STEREO-B). PLASTIC-A and PLASTIC-B are identical. Each PLASTIC is a time-of-flight/energy mass spectrometer designed to determine the elemental composition, ionic charge states, and bulk flow parameters of major solar wind ions in the mass range from hydrogen to iron. PLASTIC has nearly complete angular coverage in the ecliptic plane and an energy range from ∼0.3 to 80 keV/e, from which the distribution functions of suprathermal ions, including those ions created in pick-up and local shock acceleration processes, are also provided.
In patients who present with acute ischemic stroke while on treatment with non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs), coagulation testing is necessary to confirm the eligibility for ...thrombolytic therapy. We evaluated the current use of coagulation testing in routine clinical practice in patients who were on NOAC treatment at the time of acute ischemic stroke.
Prospective multicenter observational RASUNOA registry (Registry of Acute Stroke Under New Oral Anticoagulants; February 2012-2015). Results of locally performed nonspecific (international normalized ratio, activated partial thromboplastin time, and thrombin time) and specific (antifactor Xa tests, hemoclot assay) coagulation tests were documented. The implications of test results for thrombolysis decision-making were explored.
In the 290 patients enrolled, nonspecific coagulation tests were performed in ≥95% and specific coagulation tests in 26.9% of patients. Normal values of activated partial thromboplastin time and international normalized ratio did not reliably rule out peak drug levels at the time of the diagnostic tests (false-negative rates 11%-44% 95% confidence interval 1%-69%). Twelve percent of patients apparently failed to take the prescribed NOAC prior to the acute event. Only 5.7% (9/159) of patients in the 4.5-hour time window received thrombolysis, and NOAC treatment was documented as main reason for not administering thrombolysis in 52.7% (79/150) of patients.
NOAC treatment currently poses a significant barrier to thrombolysis in ischemic stroke. Because nonspecific coagulation test results within normal range have a high false-negative rate for detection of relevant drug concentrations, rapid drug-specific tests for thrombolysis decision-making should be established.
URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01850797.
Introduction The otolith organs sense the head’s translational motion and its orientation relative to gravity. Signals proportional to head acceleration are carried by otolith afferents from the ...vestibular endorgan to the brain. fMRI studies revealed the insula, the inferior parietal lobule as well as the superior/middle/transverse temporal gyri as regions involved in the processing of otolith input ( Schlindwein et al., 2008 ). However, due to the poor temporal resolution of the BOLD signal knowledge on the temporal processing and the interaction between the distinct brain areas is sparse. Recent EEG studies using loud click sounds ( McNerney et al., 2011; Todd et al., 2014 ) reported reliable evoked potentials observable on the scalp. Though, the used stimuli resulted in a superposition of auditory and vestibular signals. Aim of the current study was to avoid this superposition by the use of passive translational body movements for otolith stimulation. Methods The EEG of thirteen healthy, right-handed subjects was recorded while they were seated on a motion platform. Subjects were seated in a padded racing seat mounted on the platform. In order to mask motion related sounds by the platform subjects wear head phones by which white noise of 90 dB (SPL) was presented. During the experiment the platform performed translational movements along the interaural (IA) axis, the dorsoventral (DV) axis and the nasooccipital (NO) axis. The EEG was analyzed to visualize the potentials evoked by the onset of the movement. Results We identified a series of potentials evoked by this stimulation. In particular we found a positive component peaking about 40 ms after acceleration onset, a negative component after about 80 ms, followed by another positive component after approximately 200 ms ( Fig. 1 ). Voltage maps showed strongest activity in electrodes over the parietal, occipital lobes and at electrode Cz ( Fig. 2 ). Source localization estimated the inferior parietal lobe, the superior frontal gyrus, and the insula as potential generators of these components. Discussion These potentials are in line with the previously published EEG studies on otolith stimulation using loud click sounds. Additionally, the estimated generators nicely fit the locations reported in several previous imaging studies on the stimulation of the vestibular system. We conclude that recording EEG during passive body movements is a feasible way to shed some light on the temporal processing of vestibular otolith input and the interaction between the involved brain areas. Acknowledgements The work was supported by Deutsche Stiftung Neurologie, Graduate School for Systemic Neuroscience (GSN) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF grant code 01 EO 0901).
Age has been reported to influence amplitude and latency of the P300 potential. Nevertheless, it is not yet fully understood which brain regions are responsible for these effects. The aim of this ...study was to investigate age-effects on the P300 potential and the simultaneously acquired BOLD signal of functional MRI. 32 healthy male subjects were investigated using an auditory oddball paradigm. The functional MRI data were acquired in temporal synchrony to the task. The evoked potential data were recorded during the intervals in between MR image acquisitions in order to reduce the influence of the scanner noise on the presentation of the tones and to reduce gradient artifacts. The age-effects were calculated by means of regression analyses. In addition, brain regions modulated by the task-induced amplitude variation of the P300 were identified (single trial analysis). The results indicated an age effect on the P300 amplitude. Younger subjects demonstrated increased parietal P300 amplitudes and increased BOLD responses in a network of brain regions including the anterior and posterior cingulate cortex, the insula, the temporo-parietal junction, the superior temporal gyrus, the caudate body, the amygdala and the parahippocampal gyrus. Single trial coupling of EEG and fMRI indicated that P300 amplitudes were predominantly associated with neural responses in the anterior cingulate cortex, the putamen and temporal brain areas. Taken together, the results indicate diminished neural responses in older compared to younger subjects especially in frontal, temporo-parietal and subcortical brain regions.
► Indication of age effect on the P300 amplitude on amplitude and latency. ► Age-dependent decreased BOLD responses in frontal, temporo-parietal and subcortical brain regions. ► P300 amplitudes predominantly associated with neural responses in the anterior cingulate and temporal cortex.
Objective Recently published studies describe neural correlates of vestibular stimulation by means of evoked potentials. While some groups use loud click sounds or taps to the forehead we use passive ...body movements to study vestibular evoked potentials (VestEPs). Here, we investigated the impact of the acceleration intensity on the latency and amplitudes of the previously discovered VestEPs. Methods The EEG of eleven healthy subjects was recorded while they were seated in a racing chair mounted on a motion platform (hexapod). During the experiment the platform performed 216 translational movements using three different acceleration intensities. The EEG was analyzed in order to study the evoked potentials and the scalp topographies. Results We could replicate the characteristic potentials of vestibular stimulation as observed by our group in previous experiments. Additionally, we could show that the amplitudes of the VstEPs increased with higher accelerations. Conclusions Our data revealed that as in other sensory systems, e.g., the auditory, the stimulus intensity modulates the VestEPs amplitudes. Acknowledgements The work was supported by Deutsche Stiftung Neurologie, Graduate School for Systemic Neuroscience (GSN) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF Grant code 01EO1401 ).
Ocular color-coded duplex sonography (OCCS), when performed within the safety limits of diagnostic ultrasonography, is an easy noninvasive technique with high potential for diagnosis and therapy in ...diseases with raised intracranial pressure and vascular diseases affecting the eye. Despite the capabilities of modern ultrasound systems and its scientific validation, OCCS has not gained widespread use in neurological practice. In this review, the authors describe the technique and main parameter settings of OCCS systems to reduce potential risks as thermal or cavitational effects for sensitive orbital structures. Applications of OCCS are the determination of intracranial pressure in emergency medicine, and follow-up evaluations of idiopathic intracranial hypertension and ventricular shunting by measuring the optic nerve sheath diameter. A diameter of 5.7 - 6.0 mm corresponds well with symptomatically increased intracranial pressure (> 20 cmH2O). OCCS also helps to discriminate between different etiologies of central retinal artery occlusion - by visualization of a "spot sign" and Doppler flow analysis of the central retinal artery - and aids the differential diagnosis of papilledema. At the end perspectives are illustrated that combine established ultrasound methods such as transcranial color-coded sonography with OCCS.
Marianismo beliefs, or traditional female gender role beliefs among Latinas, have been found to serve as risk or protective factors linked with health risk behaviors in prior studies, including ...alcohol and drug misuse. However, limited research has examined potential factors that may contribute to or explain these associations. Sexist discrimination, which can serve as a significant stressor that may contribute to substance misuse, is one potential factor that may link marianismo beliefs and substance misuse among Latina young adult women.
This study examined sexism as a potential mediator of hypothesized negative associations between five marianismo beliefs (Family Pillar, Virtuous and Chaste, Subordinate to Others, Silencing Self to Maintain Harmony, and Spiritual Pillar) and alcohol and drug misuse using structural equation modeling.
Participants included 611 cisgender Latina full-time college student young adult women in the U.S. ages 18–26 who participated in an online cross-sectional survey about their health and behaviors.
Results delineated experiences of sexism as a significant risk factor for alcohol and drug misuse and as a potential explanatory factor that may partly explain associations between certain marianismo beliefs (i.e., Virtuous and Chaste beliefs) and substance misuse. Specifically, experiences of sexism partially accounted for the negative association between endorsement of the Virtuous and Chaste belief and increased alcohol and drug misuse among Latina young adults.
Prevention and intervention efforts should take a culturally responsive, gender-informed approach to address substance misuse among Latina young adults and address the negative influence of sexism on health.
•Sexism is a risk factor for alcohol and drug misuse among Latina college students.•Sexism partly explained certain links between gender roles and substance misuse.•Culturally responsive substance use prevention and intervention efforts are needed.•Interventions should address gendered experiences in relation to substance misuse.
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