Effect of dietary sodium restriction on taste perception of sodium chloride

The effect of dietary sodium restriction on perceived intensity of and preference for the taste of salt was evaluated in 76 adults, 25-49 years, with diastolic blood pressure between 79-90 mmHg. Participants were volunteers from clinical Hypertension Prevention Trials (HPT), at the University of California, Davis and the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Participants followed one of four HPT diets: 1600 mg Na+/day (NA, n=lS), 1600 mg Na+ plus 3200 mg K+/day (NK, n=lS), 1600 mg Na+/day plus energy restriction to achieve weight loss (NW, n=l3) and weight loss only (WT, n=l3). All participants attended regularly scheduled nutri­tion intervention meetings designed to help them achieve the HPT dietary goals. A fifth, no-intervention group, consisted of 20, no-diet-change controls CCN). Sodium, potassium and energy intakes were monitored by analysis of single, 24-hour food records and corresponding overnight urine speci­mens, obtained at baseline and after 12 and 24 weeks of intervention. Hedonic responses to sodium chloride in a prepared cream of green bean soup were assessed by two methods : 1) scaling of like/dislike for an NaCl concentration series on 10-cm graphie line scales and 2) ad libitum mixing of unsalted and salted soups to maximum level of liking. Salt content of the mixes was analyzed by sodium ion-selective electrode. The concentration series was also rated for perceived saltiness­intensity on similar graphie line scales. Tests were conducted at base­line and after approximately 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 13 and 24 weeks of intervention. Reduction in sodium intake and excretion in NA, NK and NW partici­pants was accompanied by a shift in preference toward less saltiness in soup. The pattern of hedonic responses changed over time: scores for high NaCl concentrations decreased progressively while scores for low concentrations increased. Hedonic maxima shifted fran a concentration of 0.55% at the onset to 0.1-0.2% added NaCl at week 24. During the same time period, the preferred concentration of ad libitum mixes declined 50%. These shifts occurred independently of changes in salti­ness intensity ratings, potassium or energy intakes, and were consistent across the two participating study sites. Like/dislike and sd. libitum responses were similar after 13 and 24 weeks of diet, as were measures of sodium intake and excretion. These findings suggest that after three months of sodium restriction, preference for salt had readjusted to a lower level, reflective of lower sodium intake. Mechanisms underlying the change in preference are unclear, but may include sensory, context, physiological as well as behavioral effects. In contrast, few changes were noted within WT and CN groups. The pattern of hedonic responses varied little in controls while the WT group showed increased liking for mid-range NaCl concentrations. Small, but significant fluctuations in ad libitum mix concentration occurred in both of these groups, but the differences appeared to be random rather than systematic. The results of this study indicate that preference for the taste of salt declines progressively toward a new baseline following reductions in sodium intake. These alterations may enhance maintenance of low­sodium diets for the treatment and prevention of hypertension. Further investigation is needed to establish the degree to which long-term com­pliance is contingent upon variation in salt taste preference.

Romantic attachment and perception of partner support to explain psychological aggression perpetrated in couples seeking couples therapy

Essai doctoral présenté à la Faculté des études supérieures en vue de l’obtention du grade de Docteur en psychologie (D.Psy.), option clinique

Perception of quality in certified organic pineapples by farmers in Kayunga district, Central Uganda: Implications for food security

In East Africa, Uganda is one of the major producers of organic pineapples for export. These pineapples are mainly produced in central Uganda and have to meet stringent quality standards before they can be allowed on international markets. These quality standards may put considerable strain on farmers and may not be wholly representative of their quality interpretation. The aim of this paper is therefore, to determine the Ugandan organic pineapple farmers’ quality perception, the activities they carry out in order to attain that quality and challenges (production, postharvest & marketing) faced on the same. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were carried out among 28 organic pineapple farmers in Kayunga district, central Uganda. Findings suggest that quality of organic pineapples is mainly perceived in terms of product attributes particularly appearance followed by food security provision. Certification plays a minor role in what farmers describe as organic quality. High production input costs (labour and coffee husks) coupled with a stagnant premium are some of the major challenges faced by farmers in attaining organic quality. The paper argues that currently there are concealed negative food security effects embroiled in these pineapple schemes. It is recommended that the National Organic Agricultural Movement of Uganda (NOGAMU) works with all relevant stakeholders to have the farmer premium price raised and an official organic policy enacted.

Direction Estimation of Pedestrian from Images

The capability of estimating the walking direction of people would be useful in many applications such as those involving autonomous cars and robots. We introduce an approach for estimating the walking direction of people from images, based on learning the correct classification of a still image by using SVMs. We find that the performance of the system can be improved by classifying each image of a walking sequence and combining the outputs of the classifier. Experiments were performed to evaluate our system and estimate the trade-off between number of images in walking sequences and performance.

The Perception of Subjective Surfaces

It is proposed that subjective contours are an artifact of the perception of natural three-dimensional surfaces. A recent theory of surface interpolation implies that "subjective surfaces" are constructed in the visual system by interpolation between three-dimensional values arising from interpretation of a variety of surface cues. We show that subjective surfaces can take any form, including singly and doubly curved surfaces, as well as the commonly discussed fronto-parallel planes. In addition, it is necessary in the context of computational vision to make explicit the discontinuities, both in depth and in surface orientation, in the surfaces constructed by interpolation. It is proposed that subjective surfaces and subjective contours are demonstrated. The role played by figure completion and enhanced brightness contrast in the determination of subjective surfaces is discussed. All considerations of surface perception apply equally to subjective surfaces.

Perception of personal identity at home

Resumen tomado de la publicaci??n

Foreign perception of sovereign risk : an event study of the colombian armed conflict

Este paper estudia la relación entre algunos de los eventos más importantes del conflicto colombiano con la percepción extranjera de riesgo soberano, medido por los Credit Default Swaps (CDS) de los bonos del Gobierno Colombiano. Usando dos metodologías relativamente recientes, yo estimo el efecto causal de los eventos de conflicto ampliamente cubierto por los medios internacionales. En primer lugar construyo un grupo de control sintético que funciona como contra factual de la serie real de los CDS colombianos pero en ausencia de eventos de conflicto. Segundo, estimo el efecto acumulado del evento bajo la metodología de retornos anormales acumulados. Los resultados sugieren que los efectos de los eventos de conflicto sobre la percepción extranjera de riesgo soberano dependen de las especificaciones de cada evento.

Citizen safety at local level: fieldwork notes on performance and perception of the ‘Quadrant Plan’ in Cali (Colombia)

This article summarizes field notes related to the study of the actions performed by the Metropolitan Police of Santiago de Cali in the context of its ‘Plan Cuadrante’ (a micro-local security action plan) and the citizen’s perception towards it. Taking an ethnographic approach, it places special emphasis on the actions that imply identifying the main criminal and violent actors and activities. The study focuses on four local districts of the city: El Cortijo, Mariano Ramos, Terrón Colorado y Villa del Lago.

Relationship among children’s perception of parental relationship and parental empathy and prosocial behaviour during childhood

The objective of this work is to study if children’s perception of parental relationship and parental empathy can predict prosocial behaviour during childhood. The sample was composed of 934 Argentine children, aged 9 to 12, of middle socio-economical level. The participants completed Argentine scale of Children Perception of Parental relationship (richaud de Minzi, 2007), an Argentine adaptation of scale of Prosocial Behaviour (Caprara and Pastorelli, 1993) and a questionnaire to measure children’s perception of parental empathy (richaud de Minzi, 2006). structural equations modelling (sEM) analyses were conducted to explore our hypotheses. Six theoretical models fit the data very well. The results showed that parental styles of acceptance and pathological control impact on children prosocial behavior. Children’s perception of parental empathy was positively associated with children prosocial behavior. Finally, parental acceptance and pathological control were associated with children’s perception of parental empathy, but negligent parental behaviour did not.  

Distortions and gender-related differences in the perception of mechanical engineering in high school students

Resumen tomado de la publicación

Gender and cultural effects on perception of psychological violence in the partner

Resumen tomado de la publicaci??n

Influence of social motivation, self-perception of social efficacy and normative adjustment in the peer setting

Resumen tomado de la publicaci??n

Caregivers??? perception of patients??? cognitive deficit in schizophrenia and its influence on their quality of life

Resumen tomado de la publicaci??n

Teachers??? perception of disruptive behaviour in the classrooms

Resumen tomado de la publicaci??n

The mediating role of emotional symptomatology between anticipatory fatigue and the perception of fatigue

Resumen tomado de la publicaci??n