Effect of compliance on haptic perception of curvature

The haptic sense of geometric properties such as the curvature of a contour is derived from somatosensory cues about the motions and forces experienced during exploratory actions. This study addressed the question of whether compliance, the relationship between force and displacement, influences haptic perception of curvature. Subjects traced a curved 30?cm long compliant contour by grasping the handle of a manipulandum and reported whether the contour curved towards or away from them. The contour at which there was equal probability of responding either way was taken to represent one that was sensed as being straight. The compliance of the contour was varied, being constant, greatest in the middle or greatest at the ends. Subjects exhibited a bias in what they sensed to be a straight edge. However, the actual handpath that was judged to be straight did not vary across the three compliance profiles. Our results rule out a hypothetical strategy in which an intended motion is planned and the actual trajectory is then inferred by sensing force feedback. Another strategy in which the force against the contour is controlled and the handpath is inferred from proprioceptive feedback is more consistent with the observations.     

Antennal mechanosensors mediate sex pheromone‐induced upwind orientation in the potato tuberworm moth

Males of the potato tuberworm moth Phthorimaea operculella (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) locate conspecific females by a series of short and straight flights, or ‘hops’. On the floor of a wind tunnel, P. operculella can change their heading angles in response to wind direction shift, suggesting that they detect wind direction and orient upwind when on the ground. It is unlikely that they navigate in wind by vision‐induced optomotor anemotaxis as in many flying moths. To investigate the mechanism of wind direction detection in this species, their orientation behaviour in response to pheromone pulses is observed in a wind tunnel. Intact male moths orient upwind even in complete darkness. After the flagellum of one antenna is amputated, male moths still successfully orient upwind. However, they fail to head upwind when the basal segments of both of their antennae are immobilized with glue. The ability to surge upwind is restored by removing the glue from the antennae. Thus, the results of the present study indicate that males of P. operculella orient upwind in response to mechanoreceptive cues from mechanosensory organs on their antennae. In Lepidoptera, two distinct anemotactic mechanisms of different sensory modalities appear to coexist: optomotor anemotaxis when airborne and the aim‐then‐shoot anemotactic system mediated by antennal mechanoreception when on the ground.     

The true trigger of shame: social devaluation is sufficient,wrongdoing is unnecessary

What is the trigger of shame? The information threat theory holds that shame is an evolved adaptation that is designed to limit the likelihood and costs of others forming negative beliefs about the self. By contrast, attributional theories posit that concerns over others' evaluations are irrelevant to shame. Instead, shame is triggered when a person attributes a negative outcome to their self, rather than to a particular act or circumstance. We conduct a strong test of the information threat hypothesis. In Study 1, participants imagined taking an action that, though morally unimpeachable, could be interpreted unfavorably by others. As predicted by the information threat theory, shame increased with the publicity of this act. In Study 2, participants played a public good game and then learned that the other participants either chose to keep interacting with them (inclusion) or not (exclusion)—ostensibly because of their contributions, but in fact randomly determined by the experimenter. Exclusion increased shame. Under-contribution did not. In fact, even the highest contributors tended to feel shame when excluded. These findings strongly suggest that the true trigger of shame is the prospect or actuality of being devalued by others.     

Morphogenesis of sense organs and behavioural changes in larvae of the brown-marbled grouper Epinephelus fuscoguttatus (Forsskål)

The morphogenesis of sense organs and related behavioural changes in the hatchery-reared brown-marbled grouper Epinephelus fuscoguttatus larvae were examined to gain better understanding of its early life history because ecological field observations for grouper species is difficult. The newly hatched larvae (2.1 mm total length) had developing eyes and otic vesicles, a pair of free neuromast on the head and ciliated olfactory epithelium. At 3 days post hatching (dph), the eyes became fully pigmented with pure-cone retinae, the semicircular canals formed in the inner ear, and the larvae (2.8 mm) were able to swim horizontally, preying on rotifers. Retinal rods and the intra-oral taste buds at pharyngeal appeared next. The olfactory lamellae and the head lateral line system then formed, and the inner ears developed completely in the larvae during the metamorphosis period (15–40 dph; 5.1–18.1 mm). At settlement (50 dph; 32.8 mm), the fish possessed taste buds in the mouth entrance region, and the lateral line system developed completely. The sensory development correlates well with the known aspects of its life history at sea whereby the larvae can feed early and avoid predators during the passive drift, are able to swim shoreward to search nursery ground along the metamorphosis stage and survive in seagrass beds at settlement.     

对执行护航任务舰艇官兵的情绪研究

目的:近年来,随着执行护航任务的日趋常态化,舰艇官兵要面临一系列的身心考验,可能会出现一定的情绪问题。本文的目的是为了更清楚的了解护航任务期间官兵的情绪变化和情绪问题,以便更好为官兵服务。方法:本文通过使用SAS、SDS及POMS量表对执行护航的舰艇官兵情绪进行跟踪研究。结果:结果表明,执行任务官兵的焦虑、抑郁体验及心境纷乱程度得分均显著高于军人常模,从时间变量来看,护航焦虑体验最高的是护航初期,抑郁体验最高的是护航中期,护航后期的心境纷乱程度最低。结论:护航任务官兵焦虑、抑郁情绪明显,心境状态受任务影响显著,并且随任务执行的时间,在任务的不同阶段存在不同的表现。     

Blue light insertion at night is involved in sleep and arousal-promoting response delays and depressive-like emotion in mice

Light plays a direct crucial role in the switch between sleep and arousal and the regulation of physiology and behaviour, such as circadian rhythms and emotional change. Artificial lights, which are different from natural light sources with a continuous light spectrum, are composed of three single-colour lights and are increasingly applied in modern society. However, in vivo research on the mechanisms of blue light-regulated sleep and arousal is still insufficient. In this work, we detected the effects of inserting white or blue light for 1 h during the dark period on the wheel-running activity and sucrose preference of C57 mice. The results showed that blue light could induce delays in sleep and arousal-promoting responses. Furthermore, this lighting pattern, including blue light alone, induced depressive-like emotions. The c-fos expression in the blue light group was significantly higher in the arcuate hypothalamic nucleus (Arc) and significantly lower in the cingulate cortex (Cg) and anterior part of the paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PVA) than in the white light group. Compared with the white light group, the phospho-ERK expression in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) and PVA was lower in the blue light group. These molecular changes indicated that certain brain regions are involved in blue light-induced response processes. This study may provide useful information to explore the specific mechanism of special light-regulated physiological function.     

温带地区表土植硅体对温度的响应

植硅体的现代过程研究是利用植硅体这一指标精准恢复区域古植被、古气候的前提和关键环节,探讨表土植硅体组合的空间分布特征及其对环境因子的响应尤为重要。本研究在东北地区沿着年降水量为600 mm等降水线采集54块表土样品,研究单一温度控制下表土植硅体的空间分布规律,以期寻找对温度比较敏感的植硅体类型。结果表明: 54块表土样品中植硅体类型相同,共鉴定出15类,分别是棒型、尖型、块状、扇型、扁平状、帽型、鞍型、哑铃型、齿型、三棱柱型、硅化气孔、导管型、硅质突起、弓型、椎骨状,且主要以棒型、尖型为主,短细胞、块状、扁平状次之,其他类型植硅体的平均百分含量不足1.0%。小兴安岭、松辽平原和辽西低山丘陵3个区域的表土植硅体组合特征存在差异,判别分析结果能够将3个区域样点有效区分开,总的判别正确率为94.4%,其中棒型、尖型、三棱柱型的平均含量在小兴安岭最大,在辽西低山丘陵最小;而鞍型、哑铃型、硅质突起与之相反;块状、扁平状、扇型则主要是在松辽平原最大,且棒型、尖型、三棱柱型、鞍型、哑铃型、硅质突起、块状、扁平状和扇型的百分含量在3个区域之间存在显著差异。棒型、尖型、三棱柱型的百分含量与年均温之间存在显著负相关,块状、扁平状、扇型、哑铃型、硅质突起的百分含量与年均温呈显著正相关,而鞍型、帽型、齿型的百分含量与年均温没有显著相关性。     

Sense of coherence in people with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus: an observational study from Greece

Background Antonovsky''s concept of sense of coherence (SOC) has been suggested to relate to health, especially mental health and preventive health behaviours. Psychological distress has been identified as a risk factor for pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The study of SOC and diabetes has not received much attention in Greece. This study aims to explore the extent to which type 2 diabetes mellitus can affect the SOC score.Methods An observational design was used to test the study hypothesis that individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus would have a lower SOC than those without diabetes mellitus. A total of 202 individuals were studied, consisting of 100 people with diabetes mellitus (the study group) and 102 people with non-chronic orthopaedic conditions (the control group). All of the participants were patients of the Diabetic Clinic or the Orthopaedic Clinic of Livadia Hospital in Central Greece. SOC was assessed using a 29-item SOC questionnaire that had been translated into Greek and validated.Results Patients without type 2 diabetes mellitus had 2.4 times higher odds of having a high SOC score than patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (P = 0.036; odds ratio [OR] = 2.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06–5.23). Male patients had 3.9 times higher odds of having a high SOC score (P < 0.001; OR = 3.85, 95% CI = 1.71–8.67) than female patients. With regard to education, patients with a lower level of education had almost three times higher odds of having a high SOC score than patients with a higher level of education (P = 0.024; OR = 2.97, 95% CI = 1.15–7.67).Conclusions This study adds to the existing literature and indicates that SOC is a health asset. A study with an experimental design would clarify the interesting hypothesis of this study.     

Chirality: A Relational Geometric‐Physical Property

The definition of the term chirality by Lord Kelvin in 1893 and 1904 is analyzed by taking crystallography at that time into account. This shows clearly that chirality is a relational geometric‐physical property, i.e., two relations between isometric objects are possible: homochiral or heterochiral. In scientific articles the relational term chirality is often mistaken for the two valued measure for the individual (absolute) sense of chirality, an arbitrary attributive term. Chirality 25:684–685, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals Inc.