Facial emotion recognition and alexithymia in adults with somatoform disorders

The primary aim of this study was to investigate facial emotion recognition (FER) in patients with somatoform disorders (SFD). Also of interest was the extent to which concurrent alexithymia contributed to any changes in emotion recognition accuracy. Twenty patients with SFD and 20 healthy, age, sex and education matched, controls were assessed with the Facially Expressed Emotion Labelling Test of FER and the 26-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Patients withSFD exhibited elevated alexithymia symptoms relative to healthy controls.Patients with SFD also recognized significantly fewer emotional expressions than did the healthy controls. However, the group difference in emotion recognition accuracy became nonsignificant once the influence of alexithymia was controlled for statistically. This suggests that the deficit in FER observed in the patients with SFD was most likely a consequence of concurrent alexithymia. It should be noted that neither depression nor anxiety was significantly related to emotion recognition accuracy, suggesting that these variables did not contribute the emotion recognition deficit. Impaired FER observed in the patients with SFD could plausibly have a negative influence on these individuals’ social functioning.

Studies of recognition and selectivity by fluorescent polymers imprinted with N1-benzylidene pyridine-2-carboxamidrazones

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Live 3D shape reconstruction, recognition and registration

We present a video-based system which interactively captures the geometry of a 3D object in the form of a point cloud, then recognizes and registers known objects in this point cloud in a matter of seconds (fig. 1). In order to achieve interactive speed, we exploit both efficient inference algorithms and parallel computation, often on a GPU. The system can be broken down into two distinct phases: geometry capture, and object inference. We now discuss these in further detail. © 2011 IEEE.

Emotion recognition and alexithymia in females with non-clinical disordered eating

Objectives: The aims were to determine if emotion recognition deficits observed in eating disorders generalise to non-clinical disordered eating and to establish if other psychopathological and personality factors contributed to, or accounted for, these deficits. Design: Females with high (n=23) and low (n=22) scores on the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) were assessed on their ability to recognise emotion from videotaped social interactions. Participants also completed a face memory task, a Stroop task, and self-report measures of alexithymia, depression and anxiety. Results: Relative to the low EDI group, high EDI participants exhibited a general deficit in recognition of emotion, which was related to their scores on the alexithymia measure and the bulimia subscale of the EDI. They also exhibited a specific deficit in the recognition of anger, which was related to their scores on the body dissatisfaction subscale of the EDI. Conclusions: In line with clinical eating disorders, non-clinical disordered eating is associated with emotion recognition deficits. However, the nature of these deficits appears to be dependent upon the type of eating psychopathology and the degree of co-morbid alexithymia.

Attentional shifting and the role of the dorsal pathway in visual word recognition

A substantial amount of evidence has been collected to propose an exclusive role for the dorsal visual pathway in the control of guided visual search mechanisms, specifically in the preattentive direction of spatial selection [Vidyasagar, T. R. (1999). A neuronal model of attentional spotlight: Parietal guiding the temporal. Brain Research and Reviews, 30, 66-76; Vidyasagar, T. R. (2001). From attentional gating in macaque primary visual cortex to dyslexia in humans. Progress in Brain Research, 134, 297-312]. Moreover, it has been suggested recently that the dorsal visual pathway is specifically involved in the spatial selection and sequencing required for orthographic processing in visual word recognition. In this experiment we manipulate the demands for spatial processing in a word recognition, lexical decision task by presenting target words in a normal spatial configuration, or where the constituent letters of each word are spatially shifted relative to each other. Accurate word recognition in the Shifted-words condition should demand higher spatial encoding requirements, thereby making greater demands on the dorsal visual stream. Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) neuroimaging revealed a high frequency (35-40 Hz) right posterior parietal activation consistent with dorsal stream involvement occurring between 100 and 300 ms post-stimulus onset, and then again at 200-400 ms. Moreover, this signal was stronger in the shifted word condition, compared to the normal word condition. This result provides neurophysiological evidence that the dorsal visual stream may play an important role in visual word recognition and reading. These results further provide a plausible link between early stage theories of reading, and the magnocellular-deficit theory of dyslexia, which characterises many types of reading difficulty. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dimensions of perception and recognition of danger

Despite abundant literature on human behaviour in the face of danger, much remains to be discovered. Some descriptive models of behaviour in the face of danger are reviewed in order to identify areas where documentation is lacking. It is argued that little is known about recognition and assessment of danger and yet, these are important aspects of cognitive processes. Speculative arguments about hazard assessment are reviewed and tested against the results of previous studies. Once hypotheses are formulated, the reason for retaining the reportory grid as the main research instrument are outlined, and the choice of data analysis techniques is described. Whilst all samples used repertory grids, the rating scales were different between samples; therefore, an analysis is performed of the way in which rating scales were used in the various samples and of some reasons why the scales were used differently. Then, individual grids are looked into and compared between respondents within each sample; consensus grids are also discussed. the major results from all samples are then contrasted and compared. It was hypothesized that hazard assessment would encompass three main dimensions, i.e. 'controllability', 'severity of consequences' and 'likelihood of occurrence', which would emerge in that order. the results suggest that these dimensions are but facets of two broader dimensions labelled 'scope of human intervention' and 'dangerousness'. It seems that these two dimensions encompass a number of more specific dimensions some of which can be further fragmented. Thus, hazard assessment appears to be a more complex process about which much remains to be discovered. Some of the ways in which further discovery might proceed are discussed.

False recognition of objects in visual scenes:findings from a combined direct and indirect memory test

We report an extension of the procedure devised by Weinstein and Shanks (Memory & Cognition 36:1415-1428, 2008) to study false recognition and priming of pictures. Participants viewed scenes with multiple embedded objects (seen items), then studied the names of these objects and the names of other objects (read items). Finally, participants completed a combined direct (recognition) and indirect (identification) memory test that included seen items, read items, and new items. In the direct test, participants recognized pictures of seen and read items more often than new pictures. In the indirect test, participants' speed at identifying those same pictures was improved for pictures that they had actually studied, and also for falsely recognized pictures whose names they had read. These data provide new evidence that a false-memory induction procedure can elicit memory-like representations that are difficult to distinguish from "true" memories of studied pictures. © 2012 Psychonomic Society, Inc.

How different are the visual representations used for object recognition in middle childhood and adulthood?

Recent experimental studies have shown that development towards adult performance levels in configural processing in object recognition is delayed through middle childhood. Whilst partchanges to animal and artefact stimuli are processed with similar to adult levels of accuracy from 7 years of age, relative size changes to stimuli result in a significant decrease in relative performance for participants aged between 7 and 10. Two sets of computational experiments were run using the JIM3 artificial neural network with adult and 'immature' versions to simulate these results. One set progressively decreased the number of neurons involved in the representation of view-independent metric relations within multi-geon objects. A second set of computational experiments involved decreasing the number of neurons that represent view-dependent (nonrelational) object attributes in JIM3's Surface Map. The simulation results which show the best qualitative match to empirical data occurred when artificial neurons representing metric-precision relations were entirely eliminated. These results therefore provide further evidence for the late development of relational processing in object recognition and suggest that children in middle childhood may recognise objects without forming structural description representations.

Visual signs and symptoms of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common disorder of middle-aged and elderly people, in which there is degeneration of the extra-pyramidal motor system. In some patients, the disease is associated with a range of visual signs and symptoms, including defects in visual acuity, colour vision, the blink reflex, pupil reactivity, saccadic and smooth pursuit movements and visual evoked potentials. In addition, there may be psychophysical changes, disturbances of complex visual functions such as visuospatial orientation and facial recognition, and chronic visual hallucinations. Some of the treatments associated with PD may have adverse ocular reactions. If visual problems are present, they can have an important effect on overall motor function, and quality of life of patients can be improved by accurate diagnosis and correction of such defects. Moreover, visual testing is useful in separating PD from other movement disorders with visual symptoms, such as dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), multiple system atrophy (MSA) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Although not central to PD, visual signs and symptoms can be an important though obscure aspect of the disease and should not be overlooked.

Human resource management systems and organizational performance:a test of a mediating model in the Greek manufacturing context

This paper investigates the relationship between systems of HRM policies and organizational performance. The research is based on a sample of 178 organizations operating in the Greek manufacturing sector. A mediation model is tested to examine the link between HRM and organizational performance. The results of this study support the hypothesis that the relationship between the HRM systems of resourcing-development and reward-relations, and organizational performance, is mediated through the HRM outcomes of skills and attitudes. The paper not only supports the theory that HRM systems have a positive impact on organizational performance but also explains the mechanisms through which HRM systems improve organizational performance.

Evidence and implications of multiple paradigms in accounting knowledge production

This paper uses evidence gathered in two perception studies ofAustralasian and British accounting academics to reflect on aspects of the knowledge production systemwithin accounting academe. We provide evidence of the representation of multiple paradigms in many journals that are scored by participants as being of high quality. Indeed most of the journals we surveyed are perceived by accounting academics as incorporating research from more than one paradigm. It is argued that this ‘catholic’ approach by journal editors and the willingness of many respondents in our surveys to score journals highly on material they publish from both paradigm categories reflects a balanced acceptance of the multi-paradigmatic state of accounting research. Our analysis is set within an understanding of systems of accounting knowledge production as socially constructed and as playing an important role in the distribution of power and reward in the academy. We explore the impact of our results on concerns emerging from the work of a number of authors who carefully expose localised 'elites'. The possibilities for a closer relationship between research emerging from a multi-paradigm discipline and policy setting and practice are also discussed. The analysis provides a sense of optimism that the broad constituency of accounting academics operates within an environment conducive for the exchange of ideas. That optimism is dampened by concerns about the impact of local 'elites' and the need for more research on their impact on accounting academe.

The lateral and ventromedial prefrontal cortex work as a dynamic integrated system:evidence from FMRI connectivity analysis

Recent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) investigations of the interaction between cognition and reward processing have found that the lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) areas are preferentially activated to both increasing cognitive demand and reward level. Conversely, ventromedial PFC (VMPFC) areas show decreased activation to the same conditions, indicating a possible reciprocal relationship between cognitive and emotional processing regions. We report an fMRI study of a rewarded working memory task, in which we further explore how the relationship between reward and cognitive processing is mediated. We not only assess the integrity of reciprocal neural connections between the lateral PFC and VMPFC brain regions in different experimental contexts but also test whether additional cortical and subcortical regions influence this relationship. Psychophysiological interaction analyses were used as a measure of functional connectivity in order to characterize the influence of both cognitive and motivational variables on connectivity between the lateral PFC and the VMPFC. Psychophysiological interactions revealed negative functional connectivity between the lateral PFC and the VMPFC in the context of high memory load, and high memory load in tandem with a highly motivating context, but not in the context of reward alone. Physiophysiological interactions further indicated that the dorsal anterior cingulate and the caudate nucleus modulate this pathway. These findings provide evidence for a dynamic interplay between lateral PFC and VMPFC regions and are consistent with an emotional gating role for the VMPFC during cognitively demanding tasks. Our findings also support neuropsychological theories of mood disorders, which have long emphasized a dysfunctional relationship between emotion/motivational and cognitive processes in depression.

Apoptotic cell-derived ICAM-3 promotes both macrophage chemoattraction to and tethering of apoptotic cells

Damaged, aged or unwanted cells are removed from the body by an active process known as apoptosis. This highly orchestrated programme results in cell disassembly and the exposure of ‘flags’ at the dying cell surface that permit recognition and removal by viable cells (phagocytes). Efficient phagocytic removal of dying cells is essential to prevent inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. Relatively little is known of the molecular mechanisms underlying changes at the apoptotic cell surface. We have previously shown that ICAM-3 (a heavily glycosylated, leukocyte-restricted Immunoglobulin Super-Family member) undergoes a change of function as cells die so that it acts as a molecular ‘flag’ to mediate corpse removal. Our work seeks to characterise apoptosis-associated changes in ICAM-3 and define their role in ICAM-3’s novel function in apoptotic cell clearance. Here we extend earlier studies to show that apoptotic cell-associated ICAM-3 functions, at least minimally, to tether apoptotic leukocytes to macrophages via an undefined receptor. Whilst CD14 has been suggested as a possible innate immune receptor for apoptotic cell-associated ICAM-3, we demonstrate ICAM-3 functions for apoptotic cell clearance in the absence of CD14. Our data additionally indicate, that during apoptosis, leukocytes display early changes in cell surface glycosylation and a marked reduction in ICAM-3, a change that correlates with a reduction in cell volume. This reduction in ICAM-3 is explained by cell surface shedding of microparticles (‘apoptotic bodies’) that contain ICAM-3. Such microparticles, released from apoptotic leukocytes, are strongly chemoattractive for macrophages. In addition, microparticles from ICAM-3-deficient leukocytes are significantly less chemoattractive than microparticles from their ICAM-3-replete counterparts. Taken together these data support the hypothesis that ICAM-3 acts as an apoptotic cell-associated ligand to tether dying cells to phagocytes in a CD14-independent manner. Furthermore our data suggest that released ICAM-3 may promote the recruitment of phagocytes to sites of leukocyte apoptosis.

The innate immune system and the clearance of apoptotic cells

Apoptosis, programmed cell death, is used by multicellular organisms to remove cells that are in excess, damaged or diseased. Activation of the apoptosis programme generates "eat me" signals on the surface of the apoptotic cell that mediate recognition and clearance by the innate immune system. CD14, a pattern recognition receptor expressed on macrophages, is widely known for its ability to recognise the pathogen-associated molecular pattern lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and promote inflammation. However, CD14 has also been shown to mediate binding and removal of apoptotic cells in a process that is anti-inflammatory suggesting CD14 is capable of producing two distinct, ligand-dependent macrophage responses. Whilst the molecular basis for this dichotomy has yet to be defined it is clear that CD14 defines a point of interest on the macrophage surface where we may study ligand-specific responses of macrophages. Our work seeks to define the molecular mechanisms underlying the involvement of CD14 in the non-inflammatory clearance of apoptotic cells. Here we used three different differentiation strategies to generate macrophages from the monocytic cell line THP-1. The resultant macrophage models were characterised to assess the expression and function of CD14 within each model system. Whilst each macrophage model shows increased levels of surface CD14 expression, our results demonstrate significant differences in the various models’ abilities to respond to LPS and clear apoptotic cells in a CD14-dependent manner. TLR4 levels correlated positively with LPS responsiveness but not CD14-dependent apoptotic cell clearance or anti-inflammatory responses to apoptotic cells. These observations suggest CD14-dependent apoptotic cell clearance is not dependent on TLR4. Taken together our data support the notion that the CD14 ligand-dependent responses to LPS and apoptotic cells derive from changes at the macrophage surface. The nature and composition of the CD14-co-receptor complex for LPS and apoptotic cell binding and responses is the subject of further study.

Apoptotic cell-derived ICAM-3 promotes both macrophage chemoattraction to and tethering of apoptotic cells

Damaged, aged or unwanted cells are removed from the body by an active process known as apoptosis. This highly orchestrated programme results in cell disassembly and the exposure of ‘flags’ at the dying cell surface that permit recognition and removal by viable cells (phagocytes). Efficient phagocytic removal of dying cells is essential to prevent inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. Relatively little is known of the molecular mechanisms underlying changes at the apoptotic cell surface. We have previously shown that ICAM-3 (a heavily glycosylated, leukocyte-restricted Immunoglobulin Super-Family member) undergoes a change of function as cells die so that it acts as a molecular ‘flag’ to mediate corpse removal. Our work seeks to characterise apoptosis-associated changes in ICAM-3 and define their role in ICAM-3’s novel function in apoptotic cell clearance. Here we extend earlier studies to show that apoptotic cell-associated ICAM-3 functions, at least minimally, to tether apoptotic leukocytes to macrophages via an undefined receptor. Whilst CD14 has been suggested as a possible innate immune receptor for apoptotic cell-associated ICAM-3, we demonstrate ICAM-3 functions for apoptotic cell clearance in the absence of CD14. Our data additionally indicate, that during apoptosis, leukocytes display early changes in cell surface glycosylation and a marked reduction in ICAM-3, a change that correlates with a reduction in cell volume. This reduction in ICAM-3 is explained by cell surface shedding of microparticles (‘apoptotic bodies’) that contain ICAM-3. Such microparticles, released from apoptotic leukocytes, are strongly chemoattractive for macrophages. In addition, microparticles from ICAM-3-deficient leukocytes are significantly less chemoattractive than microparticles from their ICAM-3-replete counterparts. Taken together these data support the hypothesis that ICAM-3 acts as an apoptotic cell-associated ligand to tether dying cells to phagocytes in a CD14-independent manner. Furthermore our data suggest that released ICAM-3 may promote the recruitment of phagocytes to sites of leukocyte apoptosis.