Transfer of perceptual learning of depth discrimination between local and global stereograms

Several previous studies reported differences when stereothresholds are assessed with local-contour stereograms vs. complex random-dot stereograms (RDSs). Dissimilar thresholds may be due to differences in the properties of the stereograms (e.g. spatial frequency content, contrast, inter-element separation, area) or to different underlying processing mechanisms. This study examined the transfer of perceptual learning of depth discrimination between local and global RDSs with similar properties, and vice versa. If global and local stereograms are processed by separate neural mechanisms, then the magnitude and rate of training for the two types of stimuli are likely to differ, and the transfer of training from one stimulus type to the other should be minimal. Based on previous results, we chose RDSs with element densities of 0.17% and 28.3% to serve as the local and global stereograms, respectively. Fourteen inexperienced subjects with normal binocular vision were randomly assigned to either a local- or global- RDS training group. Stereothresholds for both stimulus types were measured before and after 7700 training trials distributed over 10 sessions. Stereothresholds for the trained condition improve for approximately 3000 trials, by an average of 0.36 ± 0.08 for local and 0.29 ± 0.10 for global RDSs, and level off thereafter. Neither the rate nor the magnitude of improvement differ statistically between the local- and global-training groups. Further, no significant difference exists in the amount of improvement on the trained vs. the untrained targets for either training group. These results are consistent with the operation of a single mechanism to process both local and global stereograms.     

Maternal medical compromise during pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes

Objective: To examine the outcomes of pregnancy and newborn following an event of maternal medical compromise during pregnancy.

Methods: A retrospective study was performed on all patients hospitalized following an event of medical compromise during pregnancy. Medical compromise was divided to acute or chronic bleeding, major or complicated operations, and admission to intensive care unit (ICU). Data collected included maternal, fetal, neonatal and child’s follow-up.

Results: The study included 51 pregnant patients and 58 fetuses. The study group had increased risk of preterm deliveries (35.0 versus 6.5%, p?p?p?=?0.002). Patients with acute bleeding had higher rates of cesarean sections, preterm deliveries, admissions to neonatal ICU and neonatal mortality. Two cases of fetal abnormalities included brain abnormalities and pericardial effusion. Three terminations of pregnancies were performed: two in patients in ICU due to severe maternal medical condition and one in the fetus with brain abnormalities.

Conclusions: Maternal medical compromise during pregnancy increases the risk for preterm deliveries, cesarean delivery and low Apgar scores. Acute bleeding was the main cause of medical compromised and with the higher rates of adverse outcomes.     

Halichondramine,a new tetracyclic bipiperidine alkaloid from the marine sponge Halichondria sp

Halichondramine (1), a new tetracyclic alkylbipiperidine alkaloid, has been isolated from the marine sponge Halichondria sp., collected in the Dahlak archipelago (the Red Sea), Eritrea. The structure of halichondramine was elucidated by interpretation of MS, COSY, HMQC, HMBC, TOCSY, and HSQC-TOCSY data.     

Gender Differences in Deviance and Health Risk Behaviors Among Young-Adults Undergraduate Students

Background: Deviant and health risk behaviors among young-adults are associated with many adverse outcomes. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate a broad variety of behaviors by gender differences and their contribution to predicting cannabis use in undergraduate students. Method: This research is based on a structured, self-reported anonymous questionnaire distributed to 1,432 young adult undergraduate students at an Israeli University, 533 males and 899 females (mean age 27.4; SD 6.01).

Results: The findings demonstrate a significant proportion of sampled young adults reported to be involved in deviant and health risk behaviors and that all risky behaviors were more frequently significant in males than in females. Among drivers 72% reported speeding, 60% reported failure to keep distance, 44% reported being involved at a car accident as a driver, 40% reported not stopping at a stop sign, and quarter reported driving after drinking alcohol. These findings also expand how certain risk behaviors contribute to predicting cannabis use. Conclusions: The relatively high prevalence of some of these risky behaviors among normative young adults suggests that risky behaviors are considered as normative behavior for this group, especially among man, and therefore, policymakers need to consider prevention and harm reduction interventions relevant to this risk group.     

Cortical activity of children with dyslexia during natural speech processing: evidence of auditory processing deficiency

Children with dyslexia have difficulties with phonological processing. It is assumed that deficits in auditory temporal processing underlie the phonological difficulties of dyslectic subjects (i.e. the processing of rapid acoustic changes that occur in speech). In this study we assessed behavioral and electrophysiological evoked brain responses of dyslectic and skilled reading children while performing a set of hierarchically structured auditory tasks. Stimuli consisted of auditory natural unmodified speech that was controlled for the parameter of changing rate of main acoustic cues: vowels (slowly changing speech cues: /i/ versus /u/) and consonant-vowel (CV) syllables (rapidly changing speech cues: /da/ versus /ga/). Brain auditory processing differed significantly between groups: reaction time of dyslectic readers was prolonged in identifying speech stimuli and increased with increased phonological demand. Latencies of auditory evoked responses (auditory event related potentials [AERPs]) recorded during syllable identification of the dyslectic group were prolonged relative to those of skilled readers. Moreover, N1 amplitudes during vowel processing were larger for the dyslectic children and P3 amplitudes during CV processing were smaller for the dyslectic children. From the results of this study it is evident that the latency and amplitude of AERPs are sensitive measures of the complexity of phonological processing in skilled and dyslectic readers. These results may be signs of deficient auditory processing of natural speech under normal listening conditions as a contributing factor to reading difficulties in dyslexia. Detecting a dysfunction in the central auditory processing pathway might lead to early detection of children who may benefit from phonetic-acoustic training methods.     

Practical Strategies for Integrating Interprofessional Education and Collaboration into the Curriculum

Interprofessional collaboration is vital for the provision of quality patient care. Thoughtfully designed educational programs can help students of health professions develop interprofessional competencies and capacities, including values and ethics, roles and responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and teamwork (Interprofessional Education Collaborative Expert Panel, 2011). The authors were involved in developing Interprofessional Education (IPE) activities and simulations to be infused into the curriculums of the various health professions programs in their College. A review of the IPE experiences revealed students greatly benefited from involvement in a diverse set of IPE activities and simulations.     

Major motives in non-acceptance of A/H1N1 flu vaccination: the weight of rational assessment

Recent efforts of health authorities to promote vaccination against influenza A/H1N1 were met with low compliance rates in most industrialized countries. Here we analyzed the attitudes of the Israeli public towards A/H1N1 vaccination based on a telephone survey conducted several months after the peak of the outbreak. The findings attest to the low uptake of the A/H1N1 vaccine (17%) in Israel, and identify the socio-demographic characteristics associated with non-compliance. In addition, the survey reveals passiveness, fear and distrust as motives leading to non-compliance. Most importantly, the study identified the substantial weight of reflective assessment in the attitude of lay individuals towards the A/H1N1 vaccine. As many as 30% of the non-vaccinated responders provided reasoned arguments for rejecting the vaccine, based mainly on assessment of threat versus actual risk. These observations highlight the need to consider the opinion of the lay public when implementing new vaccination programs.     

Effect of second-formant transitions on the perception of Hebrew voiced stop consonants

Studies in English, Dutch, Danish and French show that of the possible acoustic cues that listeners use for the perception of place of articulation, the transition of the second formant (F2) appears to be a very important cue. Although the Hebrew language shares some similarities with the above languages, one cannot assume that it either has similar acoustic-articulatory patterns or uses the same cues for perception. The general goal of the present study was, therefore, to investigate the effect of the starting frequency of F2 transition on the perception of place of articulation of Hebrew voiced plosives in initial position. Sixteen Hebrew-speaking young normal-hearing adults served as subjects. Stimuli were generated by re-synthesizing a naturally spoken /ba/ syllable into 17 test syllables by varying only the starting frequency of F2. Listeners heard each stimulus six times (total of 102) at random and were required to label the stimuli as /ba/, /da/ or /ga/. Results showed that varying only F2 transitions caused a perceptual change of place of articulation for all listeners. There was, however, large inter-subject variability in the perceived category: 75% of the subjects identified /ba/ and /da/, half of them also identified /ga/, and 25% of the subjects were able to identify /ba/ and /ga/ only. These data suggest that while F2 transitions are important for perceiving place of articulation of Hebrew voiced stops, they cannot predict the perceived category. It also supports the notion that normal-hearing listeners differ in the relative importance they assign to the cues for the perception of place of articulation.     

The effect of training on frequency discrimination: generalization to untrained frequencies and to the untrained ear

While there is growing evidence that frequency discrimination improves with practice, there are, however, limited and inclusive reports regarding the generalization of learning to untrained conditions. The goals of the present study were therefore (1) to measure the effect of multi-session training on difference limen frequency (DLF) thresholds and evaluate the relative contribution of procedural and stimulus learning by comparison to a control (untrained) group; (2) to evaluate the extent of generalization of the trained frequency to two untrained frequencies known to be temporally coded; and (3) to estimate the generalization of the trained frequency to the untrained ear, for both trained and untrained frequencies. Two groups of subjects were included: a trained group (n = 5) and a control group (n = 5). For the trained group, DLF thresholds for 1 kHz (trained frequency) and 1.1 and 2.0 kHz (untrained frequencies) were obtained using a two-interval, two-alternative forced choice paradigm before and after an eight-session training. The control group was tested using the same stimuli only twice, with a 3-week interval between testing. Results showed that (1) multi-session training improves frequency discrimination in normal hearing young adults; (2) adding a control group to the study allowed estimation of the effect of limited exposure to the stimuli and task in na?ve listeners and evaluation of the magnitude of procedural learning; (3) learning was generalized across frequencies that are coded by similar mechanisms; (4) generalization of learning occurred in the untrained ear for trained and untrained frequencies. These results have important clinical and theoretical implications regarding the processes underlying perceptual learning and the effectiveness of auditory habilitation strategies.