Embodied thermal environments: an examination of older-people's sensory experiences in a variety of residential types

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henshaw, Victoria; Guy, Simon

2015-01-01

Thermal sensations of space, namely temperature, humidity and the movement of air, can be difficult to separate from other sensory information such as the sound of fans or ventilation equipment, or the smell of damp or cool fresh air. Despite this factor, efforts to reduce the consumption of energy through the installation of low-carbon technologies including sealed whole-building systems frequently isolate the thermal environment and fail to recognise and respond to the influence of other sensory information on personal preferences and behaviours. Older people represent an increasing proportion of the UK's population, can be faced with a range of physiological challenges associated with ageing, and sometimes have long-established personal preferences. Drawing from data collected across the Conditioning Demand Project, this paper explores the embodied nature of older people's experiences of low-carbon and more traditional thermal technologies in private residences, extra-care housing and residential care-homes, focussing specifically upon auditory and olfactory stimulus. Exploring the management of the sensory experience across these settings, we analyse each case to inform the development of new design and policy approaches to tackling housing for older people. In doing so, we further build connections between energy research and debates around sensory urbanism. -- Highlights: •Some thermal technologies present particular sensory issues and problems for older people. •Older people use a range of sensory stimuli in evaluating and controlling thermal environments. •Older people use non-thermal sensory information when selecting between thermal technologies. •Sensory information plays an important role in thermal technology maintenance

Quantitative sensory testing predicts pregabalin efficacy in painful chronic pancreatitis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Olesen, S.S.; Graversen, C.; Bouwense, S.A.W.; Goor, H. van; Wilder-Smith, O.H.G.; Drewes, A.M.

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: A major problem in pain medicine is the lack of knowledge about which treatment suits a specific patient. We tested the ability of quantitative sensory testing to predict the analgesic effect of pregabalin and placebo in patients with chronic pancreatitis. METHODS: Sixty-four patients

Can quantitative sensory testing predict responses to analgesic treatment?

Science.gov (United States)

Grosen, K; Fischer, I W D; Olesen, A E; Drewes, A M

2013-10-01

The role of quantitative sensory testing (QST) in prediction of analgesic effect in humans is scarcely investigated. This updated review assesses the effectiveness in predicting analgesic effects in healthy volunteers, surgical patients and patients with chronic pain. A systematic review of English written, peer-reviewed articles was conducted using PubMed and Embase (1980-2013). Additional studies were identified by chain searching. Search terms included 'quantitative sensory testing', 'sensory testing' and 'analgesics'. Studies on the relationship between QST and response to analgesic treatment in human adults were included. Appraisal of the methodological quality of the included studies was based on evaluative criteria for prognostic studies. Fourteen studies (including 720 individuals) met the inclusion criteria. Significant correlations were observed between responses to analgesics and several QST parameters including (1) heat pain threshold in experimental human pain, (2) electrical and heat pain thresholds, pressure pain tolerance and suprathreshold heat pain in surgical patients, and (3) electrical and heat pain threshold and conditioned pain modulation in patients with chronic pain. Heterogeneity among studies was observed especially with regard to application of QST and type and use of analgesics. Although promising, the current evidence is not sufficiently robust to recommend the use of any specific QST parameter in predicting analgesic response. Future studies should focus on a range of different experimental pain modalities rather than a single static pain stimulation paradigm. © 2013 European Federation of International Association for the Study of Pain Chapters.

Subthalamic deep brain stimulation modulates small fiber-dependent sensory thresholds in Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciampi de Andrade, Daniel; Lefaucheur, Jean-Pascal; Galhardoni, Ricardo; Ferreira, Karine S L; Brandão Paiva, Anderson Rodrigues; Bor-Seng-Shu, Edson; Alvarenga, Luciana; Myczkowski, Martin L; Marcolin, Marco Antonio; de Siqueira, Silvia R D T; Fonoff, Erich; Barbosa, Egberto Reis; Teixeira, Manoel Jacobsen

2012-05-01

The effects of deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus on nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) rarely have been investigated. Among these, sensory disturbances, including chronic pain (CP), are frequent in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes induced by deep brain stimulation in the perception of sensory stimuli, either noxious or innocuous, mediated by small or large nerve fibers. Sensory detection and pain thresholds were assessed in 25 PD patients all in the off-medication condition with the stimulator turned on or off (on- and off-stimulation conditions, respectively). The relationship between the changes induced by surgery on quantitative sensory testing, spontaneous CP, and motor abilities were studied. Quantitative sensory test results obtained in PD patients were compared with those of age-matched healthy subjects. Chronic pain was present in 72% of patients before vs 36% after surgery (P=.019). Compared with healthy subjects, PD patients had an increased sensitivity to innocuous thermal stimuli and mechanical pain, but a reduced sensitivity to innocuous mechanical stimuli. In addition, they had an increased pain rating when painful thermal stimuli were applied, particularly in the off-stimulation condition. In the on-stimulation condition, there was an increased sensitivity to innocuous thermal stimuli but a reduced sensitivity to mechanical or thermal pain. Pain provoked by thermal stimuli was reduced when the stimulator was turned on. Motor improvement positively correlated with changes in warm detection and heat pain thresholds. Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation contributes to relieve pain associated with PD and specifically modulates small fiber-mediated sensations. Copyright © 2012 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantitative sensory testing and pain-evoked cytokine reactivity: comparison of patients with sickle cell disease to healthy matched controls.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Claudia M; Carroll, C Patrick; Kiley, Kasey; Han, Dingfen; Haywood, Carlton; Lanzkron, Sophie; Swedberg, Lauren; Edwards, Robert R; Page, Gayle G; Haythornthwaite, Jennifer A

2016-04-01

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder associated with significant morbidity, which includes severe episodic pain, and, often, chronic pain. Compared to healthy individuals, patients with SCD report enhanced sensitivity to thermal detection and pain thresholds and have altered inflammatory profiles, yet no studies to date have examined biomarker reactivity after laboratory-induced pain. We sought to examine this relationship in patients with SCD compared to healthy control participants. We completed quantitative sensory testing in 83 patients with SCD and sequential blood sampling in 27 of them, whom we matched (sex, age, race, body mass index, and education) to 27 healthy controls. Surprisingly, few quantitative sensory testing differences emerged between groups. Heat pain tolerance, pressure pain threshold at the trapezius, thumb, and quadriceps, and thermal temporal summation at 45°C differed between groups in the expected direction, whereas conditioned pain modulation and pain ratings to hot water hand immersion were counterintuitive, possibly because of tailoring the water temperature to a perceptual level; patients with SCD received milder temperatures. In the matched subsample, group differences and group-by-time interactions were observed in biomarkers including tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1ß, interleukin-4, and neuropeptide Y. These findings highlight the utility of laboratory pain testing methods for understanding individual differences in inflammatory cytokines. Our findings suggest amplified pain-evoked proinflammatory cytokine reactivity among patients with SCD relative to carefully matched controls. Future research is warranted to evaluate the impact of enhanced pain-related cytokine response and whether it is predictive of clinical characteristics and the frequency/severity of pain crises in patients with SCD.

Pre-operative pain and sensory function in groin hernia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aasvang, Eske K; Hansen, Jeanette B; Kehlet, Henrik

2009-01-01

(rho=-0.413, p=0.049), indicating a paradoxical association between level of mechanical pain threshold and magnitude of spontaneous pain. No other sensory modality was significantly correlated to pain intensity. New/increased pain during repetitive pinprick stimulation (wind-up) was seen in 3 patients...... mechanism. AIMS: To investigate the correlation between pre-operative pain intensity and sensory functions in the groin hernia area. METHODS: Patients with unilateral groin hernia were examined preoperatively by quantitative sensory testing (thermal, mechanical, and pressure [detection and pain thresholds...... pain is not related to findings of hyperalgesia or other changes in sensory function that may support pain-induced pre-operative neuroplasticity as a pathogenic mechanism for the development of persistent postherniotomy pain....

Quantitative descriptive analysis and principal component analysis for sensory characterization of Indian milk product cham-cham.

Science.gov (United States)

Puri, Ritika; Khamrui, Kaushik; Khetra, Yogesh; Malhotra, Ravinder; Devraja, H C

2016-02-01

Promising development and expansion in the market of cham-cham, a traditional Indian dairy product is expected in the coming future with the organized production of this milk product by some large dairies. The objective of this study was to document the extent of variation in sensory properties of market samples of cham-cham collected from four different locations known for their excellence in cham-cham production and to find out the attributes that govern much of variation in sensory scores of this product using quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) and principal component analysis (PCA). QDA revealed significant (p sensory attributes of cham-cham among the market samples. PCA identified four significant principal components that accounted for 72.4 % of the variation in the sensory data. Factor scores of each of the four principal components which primarily correspond to sweetness/shape/dryness of interior, surface appearance/surface dryness, rancid and firmness attributes specify the location of each market sample along each of the axes in 3-D graphs. These findings demonstrate the utility of quantitative descriptive analysis for identifying and measuring attributes of cham-cham that contribute most to its sensory acceptability.

Characteristics of the local cutaneous sensory thermoneutral zone

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hui; Arens, Edward A.

2017-01-01

Skin temperature detection thresholds have been used to measure human cold and warm sensitivity across the temperature continuum. They exhibit a sensory zone within which neither warm nor cold sensations prevail. This zone has been widely assumed to coincide with steady-state local skin temperatures between 32 and 34°C, but its underlying neurophysiology has been rarely investigated. In this study we employ two approaches to characterize the properties of sensory thermoneutrality, testing for each whether neutrality shifts along the temperature continuum depending on adaptation to a preceding thermal state. The focus is on local spots of skin on the palm. Ten participants (age: 30.3 ± 4.8 yr) underwent two experiments. Experiment 1 established the cold-to-warm inter-detection threshold range for the palm’s glabrous skin and its shift as a function of 3 starting skin temperatures (26, 31, or 36°C). For the same conditions, experiment 2 determined a thermally neutral zone centered around a thermally neutral point in which thermoreceptors’ activity is balanced. The zone was found to be narrow (~0.98 to ~1.33°C), moving with the starting skin temperature over the temperature span 27.5–34.9°C (Pearson r = 0.94; P cold-to-warm inter-threshold range (~2.25 to ~2.47°C) but is only half as wide. These findings provide the first quantitative analysis of the local sensory thermoneutral zone in humans, indicating that it does not occur only within a specific range of steady-state skin temperatures (i.e., it shifts across the temperature continuum) and that it differs from the inter-detection threshold range both quantitatively and qualitatively. These findings provide insight into thermoreception neurophysiology. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Contrary to a widespread concept in human thermoreception, we show that local sensory thermoneutrality is achievable outside the 32–34°C skin temperature range. We propose that sensory adaption underlies a new mechanism of temperature

Laboratory technique for quantitative thermal emissivity ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Emission of radiation from a sample occurs due to thermal vibration of its .... Quantitative thermal emissivity measurements of geological samples. 393. Figure 1. ...... tral mixture modeling: A new analysis of rock and soil types at the Viking ...

Sensorial differences according to sex and ages.

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, L A; Lin, S M; Teixeira, M J; de Siqueira, J T T; Jacob Filho, W; de Siqueira, S R D T

2014-04-01

To investigate age and sex differences in orofacial sensory detection. One hundred and twenty-six (126) healthy subjects were divided into five groups according to their ages. They were assessed with a quantitative sensory testing protocol for gustative, olfactory, thermal (cold/warm), mechanical (tactile/vibration/electric), and pain (deep/superficial) detection thresholds. The corneal reflex was also evaluated. Data were analyzed with the one-way ANOVA, chi-squared, Fisher's exact, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The groups of subjects over 61 years old had higher olfactory (P sweet P = 0.004, salty P = 0.007, sour P = 0.006), thermal (warm P sweet P = 0.020, salty P = 0.002, sour P < 0.001, and bitter P = 0.002), olfactory (P = 0.010), warm (P < 0.001) and deep (P < 0.001), and superficial pain (P = 0.008) detection thresholds than men, and men from all age groups had lower vibratory detection thresholds (P = 0.006) than women. High sensory detection thresholds were observed in subjects over the 6th decade of life, and women had a more accurate sensory perception than men. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Quantitative Sensory Testing and Current Perception Threshold Testing in Patients With Chronic Pain Following Lower Extremity Fracture.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffioen, Mari A; Greenspan, Joel D; Johantgen, Meg; Von Rueden, Kathryn; O'Toole, Robert V; Dorsey, Susan G; Renn, Cynthia L

2018-01-01

Chronic pain is a significant problem for patients with lower extremity injuries. While pain hypersensitivity has been identified in many chronic pain conditions, it is not known whether patients with chronic pain following lower extremity fracture report pain hypersensitivity in the injured leg. To quantify and compare peripheral somatosensory function and sensory nerve activation thresholds in persons with chronic pain following lower extremity fractures with a cohort of persons with no history of lower extremity fractures. This was a cross-sectional study where quantitative sensory testing and current perception threshold testing were conducted on the injured and noninjured legs of cases and both legs of controls. A total of 14 cases and 28 controls participated in the study. Mean time since injury at the time of testing for cases was 22.3 (standard deviation = 12.1) months. The warmth detection threshold ( p = .024) and nerve activation thresholds at 2,000 Hz ( p sensory nerve function at the site of injury in patients with chronic pain following lower extremity fractures using quantitative sensory testing and current perception threshold testing.

Measurement error of a simplified protocol for quantitative sensory tests in chronic pain patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Müller, Monika; Biurrun Manresa, José; Limacher, Andreas

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Large-scale application of Quantitative Sensory Tests (QST) is impaired by lacking standardized testing protocols. One unclear methodological aspect is the number of records needed to minimize measurement error. Traditionally, measurements are repeated 3 to 5 times...

Pain when walking: individual sensory profiles in the foot soles of torture victims - a controlled study using quantitative sensory testing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prip Karen

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background With quantitative sensory testing (QST we recently found no differences in sensory function of the foot soles between groups of torture victims with or without exposure to falanga (beatings under the feet. Compared to matched controls the torture victims had hyperalgesia to deep mechano-nociceptive stimuli and hypoesthesia to non-noxious cutaneous stimuli. The purpose of the present paper was to extend the group analysis into individual sensory profiles of victims’ feet to explore possible relations between external violence (torture, reported pain, sensory symptoms and QST data to help clarify the underlying mechanisms. Methods We employed interviews and assessments of the pain and sensory symptoms and QST by investigators blinded to whether the patients, 32 male torture victims from the Middle East, had (n=15, or had not (n=17 been exposed to falanga. Pain intensity, area and stimulus dependence were used to characterize the pain. QST included thresholds for touch, cold, warmth, cold-pain, heat-pain, deep pressure pain and wind-up to cutaneous noxious stimuli. An ethnically matched control group was available.The normality criterion, from our control group data, was set as the mean +/− 1.28SD, thus including 80% of all values.QST data were transformed into three categories in relation to our normality range; hypoesthesia, normoesthesia or hyperesthesia/hyperalgesia. Results Most patients, irrespective of having been exposed to falanga or not, reported severe pain when walking. This was often associated with hyperalgesia to deep mechanical pressure. Hypoesthesia to mechanical stimuli co-occurred with numbness, burning and with deep mechanical hyperalgesia more often than not, but otherwise, a hypoesthesia to cutaneous sensory modalities did not co-occur systematically to falanga, pain or sensory symptoms. Conclusion In torture victims, there seem to be overriding mechanisms, manifested by hyperalgesia to pressure pain

Quantitative sensory testing of temperature, pain, and touch in adults with Down syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

de Knegt, Nanda; Defrin, Ruth; Schuengel, Carlo; Lobbezoo, Frank; Evenhuis, Heleen; Scherder, Erik

2015-12-01

The spinothalamic pathway mediates sensations of temperature, pain, and touch. These functions seem impaired in children with Down syndrome (DS), but have not been extensively examined in adults. The objective of the present study was to compare the spinothalamic-mediated sensory functions between adults with DS and adults from the general population and to examine in the DS group the relationship between the sensory functions and level of intellectual functioning. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) was performed in 188 adults with DS (mean age 37.5 years) and 142 age-matched control participants (median age 40.5 years). Temperature, pain, and touch were evaluated with tests for cold-warm discrimination, sharp-dull discrimination (pinprick), and tactile threshold, respectively. Level of intellectual functioning was estimated with the Social Functioning Scale for Intellectual Disability (intellectual disability level) and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence--Revised (intelligence level). Overall, the difference in spinothalamic-mediated sensory functions between the DS and control groups was not statistically significant. However, DS participants with a lower intelligence level had a statistically significant lower performance on the sharp-dull discrimination test than DS participants with higher intelligence level (adjusted p=.006) and control participants (adjusted p=.017). It was concluded that intellectual functioning level is an important factor to take into account for the assessment of spinothalamic-mediated sensory functioning in adults with DS: a lower level could coincide with impaired sensory functioning, but could also hamper QST assessment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Repeatability of quantitative sensory testing in healthy cats in a clinical setting with comparison to cats with osteoarthritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Addison, Elena S; Clements, Dylan N

2017-12-01

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the repeatability of quantitative sensory tests (QSTs) in a group of healthy untrained cats (n = 14) and to compare the results with those from cats with osteoarthritis (n = 7). Methods Peak vertical force (PVF) and vertical impulse were measured on a pressure plate system. Thermal sensitivity was assessed using a temperature-controlled plate at 7°C and 40°C. Individual paw lifts and overall duration of paw lifts were counted and measured for each limb. Paw withdrawal thresholds were measured using manual and electronic von Frey monofilaments (MVF and EVF, respectively) applied to the metacarpal or metatarsal pads. All measurements were repeated twice to assess repeatability of the tests. Results In healthy cats all tests were moderately repeatable. When compared with cats with osteoarthritis the PVF was significantly higher in healthy hindlimbs in repeat 1 but not in repeat 2. Cats with osteoarthritis of the forelimbs showed a decrease in the frequency of paw lifts on the 7°C plate compared with cats with healthy forelimbs, and the duration of paw lifts was significantly less than healthy forelimbs in the first repeat but not in the second repeat. Osteoarthritic limbs had significantly lower paw withdrawal thresholds with both MVF and EVF than healthy limbs. Conclusions and relevance QSTs are moderately repeatable in untrained cats. Kinetic gait analysis did not permit differentiation between healthy limbs and those with osteoarthritis, but thermal sensitivity testing (cold) does. Sensory threshold testing can differentiate osteoarthritic and healthy limbs, and may be useful in the diagnosis and monitoring of this condition in cats in the clinical setting.

Quantitative sensory testing using DFNS protocol in Europe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vollert, Jan; Attal, Nadine; Baron, Ralf

2016-01-01

Quantitative sensory testing (QST) in accordance with the DFNS (German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain) protocol assesses the function of afferent nerve fibers on the basis of 13 parameters. Within the consortia IMI (Innovative Medicines Initiative) Europain and Neuropain, QST results from...... pain research units experienced in QST across Europe can be compared for the first time. Aim of this analysis was to identify possible biases in the QST assessment between 10 centers from 8 different European countries. In total, 188 healthy subjects, 217 patients with painful polyneuropathy, and 150...... patients with painful peripheral nerve injury were included in the analysis. Mixed effects models were constructed for each of the 11 normally distributed QST parameters with z-value as the dependent variable, and center as the random effect. The I statistic for heterogeneity was calculated, an index...

Pre-operative pain and sensory function in groin hernia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aasvang, Eske K; Hansen, Jeanette B; Kehlet, Henrik

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND: Although persistent postherniotomy occurs in 5-10% of patients, pathogenic mechanisms remain debatable. Since pre-operative pain has been demonstrated to be a risk factor for persistent postherniotomy pain, pre-operative alterations in nociceptive function may be a potential pathogenic...... mechanism. AIMS: To investigate the correlation between pre-operative pain intensity and sensory functions in the groin hernia area. METHODS: Patients with unilateral groin hernia were examined preoperatively by quantitative sensory testing (thermal, mechanical, and pressure [detection and pain thresholds...... (7%), all whom experienced no pain or pain less than weekly. Only cool detection thresholds were significantly lower between the hernia vs. contralateral side (poperative groin hernia...

Characterization of persistent postoperative pain by quantitative sensory testing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Werner, Mads U.; Kehlet, Henrik

2010-01-01

Postoperative pain remains inadequately treated, and it has been estimated that 5-10% undergoing surgery will develop moderate to severe persistent pain leading to chronic physical disability and psychosocial distress. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is a graded, standardized activation...... research tool in studies investigating the correlation between responses to preoperatively applied experimental pain stimuli and clinical postoperative pain. Second, the use of QST as a valuable prognostic, sequential assessment tool in surgical procedure specific research is presented. Third......, the implications of these findings for use of QST in future research are discussed. More rational design of predictive studies in PPP, based on surgical procedure specific approaches, is needed in order to improve our understanding of prevention and management of this debilitating postsurgical condition....

Characterization of persistent postoperative pain by quantitative sensory testing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Werner, Mads U.; Kehlet, Henrik

2010-01-01

, the implications of these findings for use of QST in future research are discussed. More rational design of predictive studies in PPP, based on surgical procedure specific approaches, is needed in order to improve our understanding of prevention and management of this debilitating postsurgical condition.......Postoperative pain remains inadequately treated, and it has been estimated that 5-10% undergoing surgery will develop moderate to severe persistent pain leading to chronic physical disability and psychosocial distress. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is a graded, standardized activation...... research tool in studies investigating the correlation between responses to preoperatively applied experimental pain stimuli and clinical postoperative pain. Second, the use of QST as a valuable prognostic, sequential assessment tool in surgical procedure specific research is presented. Third...

Quantitative sensory testing of neuropathic pain patients: potential mechanistic and therapeutic implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Pfau, Doreen B; Geber, Christian; Birklein, Frank; Treede, Rolf-Detlef

2012-06-01

Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is a widely accepted tool to investigate somatosensory changes in pain patients. Many different protocols have been developed in clinical pain research within recent years. In this review, we provide an overview of QST and tested neuroanatomical pathways, including peripheral and central structures. Based on research studies using animal and human surrogate models of neuropathic pain, possible underlying mechanisms of chronic pain are discussed. Clinically, QST may be useful for 1) the identification of subgroups of patients with different underlying pain mechanisms; 2) prediction of therapeutic outcomes; and 3) quantification of therapeutic interventions in pain therapy. Combined with sensory mapping, QST may provide useful information on the site of neural damage and on mechanisms of positive and negative somatosensory abnormalities. The use of QST in individual patients for diagnostic purposes leading to individualized therapy is an interesting concept, but needs further validation.

Pain-related anxiety influences pain perception differently in men and women: a quantitative sensory test across thermal pain modalities.

Science.gov (United States)

Thibodeau, Michel A; Welch, Patrick G; Katz, Joel; Asmundson, Gordon J G

2013-03-01

The sexes differ with respect to perception of experimental pain. Anxiety influences pain perception more in men than in women; however, there lacks research exploring which anxiety constructs influence pain perception differentially between men and women. Furthermore, research examining whether depression is associated with pain perception differently between the sexes remains scant. The present investigation was designed to examine how trait anxiety, pain-related anxiety constructs (ie, fear of pain, pain-related anxiety, anxiety sensitivity), and depression are associated with pain perception between the sexes. A total of 95 nonclinical participants (55% women) completed measures assessing the constructs of interest and participated in quantitative sensory testing using heat and cold stimuli administered by a Medoc Pathway Pain and Sensory Evaluation System. The findings suggest that pain-related anxiety constructs, but not trait anxiety, are associated with pain perception. Furthermore, these constructs are associated with pain intensity ratings in men and pain tolerance levels in women. This contrasts with previous research suggesting that anxiety influences pain perception mostly or uniquely in men. Depression was not systematically associated with pain perception in either sex. Systematic relationships were not identified that allow conclusions regarding how fear of pain, pain-related anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity may contribute to pain perception differentially in men and women; however, anxiety sensitivity was associated with increased pain tolerance, a novel finding needing further examination. The results provide directions for future research and clinical endeavors and support that fear and anxiety are important features associated with hyperalgesia in both men and women. Copyright © 2012 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantitative Method to Measure Thermal Conductivity of One-Dimensional Nanostructures Based on Scanning Thermal Wave Microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Kyung Bae; Chung, Jae Hun; Hwang, Gwang Seok; Jung, Eui Han; Kwon, Oh Myoung [Korea University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2014-12-15

We present a method to quantitatively measure the thermal conductivity of one-dimensional nanostructures by utilizing scanning thermal wave microscopy (STWM) at a nanoscale spatial resolution. In this paper, we explain the principle for measuring the thermal diffusivity of one-dimensional nanostructures using STWM and the theoretical analysis procedure for quantifying the thermal diffusivity. The SWTM measurement method obtains the thermal conductivity by measuring the thermal diffusivity, which has only a phase lag relative to the distance corresponding to the transferred thermal wave. It is not affected by the thermal contact resistances between the heat source and nanostructure and between the nanostructure and probe. Thus, the heat flux applied to the nanostructure is accurately obtained. The proposed method provides a very simple and quantitative measurement relative to conventional measurement techniques.

A quantitative sensory analysis of peripheral neuropathy in colorectal cancer and its exacerbation by oxaliplatin chemotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

de Carvalho Barbosa, Mariana; Kosturakis, Alyssa K; Eng, Cathy; Wendelschafer-Crabb, Gwen; Kennedy, William R; Simone, Donald A; Wang, Xin S; Cleeland, Charles S; Dougherty, Patrick M

2014-11-01

Peripheral neuropathy caused by cytotoxic chemotherapy, especially platins and taxanes, is a widespread problem among cancer survivors that is likely to continue to expand in the future. However, little work to date has focused on understanding this challenge. The goal in this study was to determine the impact of colorectal cancer and cumulative chemotherapeutic dose on sensory function to gain mechanistic insight into the subtypes of primary afferent fibers damaged by chemotherapy. Patients with colorectal cancer underwent quantitative sensory testing before and then prior to each cycle of oxaliplatin. These data were compared with those from 47 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. Patients showed significant subclinical deficits in sensory function before any therapy compared with healthy volunteers, and they became more pronounced in patients who received chemotherapy. Sensory modalities that involved large Aβ myelinated fibers and unmyelinated C fibers were most affected by chemotherapy, whereas sensory modalities conveyed by thinly myelinated Aδ fibers were less sensitive to chemotherapy. Patients with baseline sensory deficits went on to develop more symptom complaints during chemotherapy than those who had no baseline deficit. Patients who were tested again 6 to 12 months after chemotherapy presented with the most numbness and pain and also the most pronounced sensory deficits. Our results illuminate a mechanistic connection between the pattern of effects on sensory function and the nerve fiber types that appear to be most vulnerable to chemotherapy-induced toxicity, with implications for how to focus future work to ameloirate risks of peripheral neuropathy. ©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.

Quantitative subsurface analysis using frequency modulated thermal wave imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Subhani, S. K.; Suresh, B.; Ghali, V. S.

2018-01-01

Quantitative depth analysis of the anomaly with an enhanced depth resolution is a challenging task towards the estimation of depth of the subsurface anomaly using thermography. Frequency modulated thermal wave imaging introduced earlier provides a complete depth scanning of the object by stimulating it with a suitable band of frequencies and further analyzing the subsequent thermal response using a suitable post processing approach to resolve subsurface details. But conventional Fourier transform based methods used for post processing unscramble the frequencies with a limited frequency resolution and contribute for a finite depth resolution. Spectral zooming provided by chirp z transform facilitates enhanced frequency resolution which can further improves the depth resolution to axially explore finest subsurface features. Quantitative depth analysis with this augmented depth resolution is proposed to provide a closest estimate to the actual depth of subsurface anomaly. This manuscript experimentally validates this enhanced depth resolution using non stationary thermal wave imaging and offers an ever first and unique solution for quantitative depth estimation in frequency modulated thermal wave imaging.

Assessment of the clinical relevance of quantitative sensory testing with Von Frey monofilaments in patients with allodynia and neuropathic pain. A pilot study

OpenAIRE

Keizer, D.; van Wijhe, M.; Post, W.J.; Uges, D.R.A.; Wierda, J.M.K.H.

2007-01-01

Background: Allodynia is a common and disabling symptom in many patients with neuropathic pain. Whereas quantification of pain mostly depends on subjective pain reports, allodynia can also be measured objectively with quantitative sensory testing. In this pilot study, we investigated the clinical relevance of quantitative sensory testing with Von Frey monofilaments in patients with allodynia as a consequence of a neuropathic pain syndrome, by means of correlating subjective pain scores with p...

Test-retest and interobserver reliability of quantitative sensory testing according to the protocol of the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain (DFNS): a multi-centre study.

Science.gov (United States)

Geber, Christian; Klein, Thomas; Azad, Shahnaz; Birklein, Frank; Gierthmühlen, Janne; Huge, Volker; Lauchart, Meike; Nitzsche, Dorothee; Stengel, Maike; Valet, Michael; Baron, Ralf; Maier, Christoph; Tölle, Thomas; Treede, Rolf-Detlef

2011-03-01

Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is an instrument to assess positive and negative sensory signs, helping to identify mechanisms underlying pathologic pain conditions. In this study, we evaluated the test-retest reliability (TR-R) and the interobserver reliability (IO-R) of QST in patients with sensory disturbances of different etiologies. In 4 centres, 60 patients (37 male and 23 female, 56.4±1.9years) with lesions or diseases of the somatosensory system were included. QST comprised 13 parameters including detection and pain thresholds for thermal and mechanical stimuli. QST was performed in the clinically most affected test area and a less or unaffected control area in a morning and an afternoon session on 2 consecutive days by examiner pairs (4 QSTs/patient). For both, TR-R and IO-R, there were high correlations (r=0.80-0.93) at the affected test area, except for wind-up ratio (TR-R: r=0.67; IO-R: r=0.56) and paradoxical heat sensations (TR-R: r=0.35; IO-R: r=0.44). Mean IO-R (r=0.83, 31% unexplained variance) was slightly lower than TR-R (r=0.86, 26% unexplained variance, Ptest area (TR-R: r=0.86; IO-R: r=0.83) than in the control area (TR-R: r=0.79; IO-R: r=0.71, each Preliability of QST. We conclude that standardized QST performed by trained examiners is a valuable diagnostic instrument with good test-retest and interobserver reliability within 2days. With standardized training, observer bias is much lower than random variance. Quantitative sensory testing performed by trained examiners is a valuable diagnostic instrument with good interobserver and test-retest reliability for use in patients with sensory disturbances of different etiologies to help identify mechanisms of neuropathic and non-neuropathic pain. Copyright © 2010 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chronic Widespread Back Pain is Distinct From Chronic Local Back Pain: Evidence From Quantitative Sensory Testing, Pain Drawings, and Psychometrics.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerhardt, Andreas; Eich, Wolfgang; Janke, Susanne; Leisner, Sabine; Treede, Rolf-Detlef; Tesarz, Jonas

2016-07-01

Whether chronic localized pain (CLP) and chronic widespread pain (CWP) have different mechanisms or to what extent they overlap in their pathophysiology is controversial. The study compared quantitative sensory testing profiles of nonspecific chronic back pain patients with CLP (n=48) and CWP (n=29) with and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) patients (n=90) and pain-free controls (n = 40). The quantitative sensory testing protocol of the "German-Research-Network-on-Neuropathic-Pain" was used to measure evoked pain on the painful area in the lower back and the pain-free hand (thermal and mechanical detection and pain thresholds, vibration threshold, pain sensitivity to sharp and blunt mechanical stimuli). Ongoing pain and psychometrics were captured with pain drawings and questionnaires. CLP patients did not differ from pain-free controls, except for lower pressure pain threshold (PPT) on the back. CWP and FMS patients showed lower heat pain threshold and higher wind-up ratio on the back and lower heat pain threshold and cold pain threshold on the hand. FMS showed lower PPT on back and hand, and higher comorbidity of anxiety and depression and more functional impairment than all other groups. Even after long duration CLP presents with a local hypersensitivity for PPT, suggesting a somatotopically specific sensitization of nociceptive processing. However, CWP patients show widespread ongoing pain and hyperalgesia for different stimuli that is generalized in space, suggesting the involvement of descending control systems, as also suggested for FMS patients. Because mechanisms in nonspecific chronic back pain with CLP and CWP differ, these patients should be distinguished in future research and allocated to different treatments.

Type III Nrg1 back signaling enhances functional TRPV1 along sensory axons contributing to basal and inflammatory thermal pain sensation.

Science.gov (United States)

Canetta, Sarah E; Luca, Edlira; Pertot, Elyse; Role, Lorna W; Talmage, David A

2011-01-01

Type III Nrg1, a member of the Nrg1 family of signaling proteins, is expressed in sensory neurons, where it can signal in a bi-directional manner via interactions with the ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases (ErbB RTKs). Type III Nrg1 signaling as a receptor (Type III Nrg1 back signaling) can acutely activate phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PtdIns3K) signaling, as well as regulate levels of α7* nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, along sensory axons. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is a cation-permeable ion channel found in primary sensory neurons that is necessary for the detection of thermal pain and for the development of thermal hypersensitivity to pain under inflammatory conditions. Cell surface expression of TRPV1 can be enhanced by activation of PtdIns3K, making it a potential target for regulation by Type III Nrg1. We now show that Type III Nrg1 signaling in sensory neurons affects functional axonal TRPV1 in a PtdIns3K-dependent manner. Furthermore, mice heterozygous for Type III Nrg1 have specific deficits in their ability to respond to noxious thermal stimuli and to develop capsaicin-induced thermal hypersensitivity to pain. Cumulatively, these results implicate Type III Nrg1 as a novel regulator of TRPV1 and a molecular mediator of nociceptive function.

Type III Nrg1 back signaling enhances functional TRPV1 along sensory axons contributing to basal and inflammatory thermal pain sensation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah E Canetta

Full Text Available Type III Nrg1, a member of the Nrg1 family of signaling proteins, is expressed in sensory neurons, where it can signal in a bi-directional manner via interactions with the ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases (ErbB RTKs. Type III Nrg1 signaling as a receptor (Type III Nrg1 back signaling can acutely activate phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PtdIns3K signaling, as well as regulate levels of α7* nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, along sensory axons. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1 is a cation-permeable ion channel found in primary sensory neurons that is necessary for the detection of thermal pain and for the development of thermal hypersensitivity to pain under inflammatory conditions. Cell surface expression of TRPV1 can be enhanced by activation of PtdIns3K, making it a potential target for regulation by Type III Nrg1. We now show that Type III Nrg1 signaling in sensory neurons affects functional axonal TRPV1 in a PtdIns3K-dependent manner. Furthermore, mice heterozygous for Type III Nrg1 have specific deficits in their ability to respond to noxious thermal stimuli and to develop capsaicin-induced thermal hypersensitivity to pain. Cumulatively, these results implicate Type III Nrg1 as a novel regulator of TRPV1 and a molecular mediator of nociceptive function.

[Research progress and development trend of quantitative assessment techniques for urban thermal environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Tie Gang; Xiao, Rong Bo; Cai, Yun Nan; Wang, Yao Wu; Wu, Chang Guang

2016-08-01

Quantitative assessment of urban thermal environment has become a focus for urban climate and environmental science since the concept of urban heat island has been proposed. With the continual development of space information and computer simulation technology, substantial progresses have been made on quantitative assessment techniques and methods of urban thermal environment. The quantitative assessment techniques have been developed to dynamics simulation and forecast of thermal environment at various scales based on statistical analysis of thermal environment on urban-scale using the historical data of weather stations. This study reviewed the development progress of ground meteorological observation, thermal infrared remote sensing and numerical simulation. Moreover, the potential advantages and disadvantages, applicability and the development trends of these techniques were also summarized, aiming to add fundamental knowledge of understanding the urban thermal environment assessment and optimization.

Central sensitization phenomena after third molar surgery: A quantitative sensory testing study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, T.S.; Norholt, S.E.; Svensson, P.

2008-01-01

Background: Surgical removal of third molars may carry a risk of developing persistent orofacial pain, and central sensitization appears to play an important role in the transition from acute to chronic pain. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate sensitization (primarily central sensitiza......Background: Surgical removal of third molars may carry a risk of developing persistent orofacial pain, and central sensitization appears to play an important role in the transition from acute to chronic pain. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate sensitization (primarily central...... sensitization) after orofacial trauma using quantitative sensory testing (QST). Methods: A total of 32 healthy men (16 patients and 16 age-matched control subjects) underwent a battery of quantitative tests adapted to the trigeminal area at baseline and 2, 7, and 30 days following surgical removal of a lower...... impacted third molar. Results: Central sensitization for at least one week was indicated by significantly increased pain intensity evoked by intraoral repetitive pinprick and electrical stimulation (p

Effect of addition of thermally modified cowpea protein on sensory acceptability and textural properties of wheat bread and sponge cake.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Lydia; Euston, Stephen R; Ahmed, Mohamed A

2016-03-01

This paper investigates the sensory acceptability and textural properties of leavened wheat bread and sponge cake fortified with cow protein isolates that had been denatured and glycated by thermal treatment. Defatted cowpea flour was prepared from cow pea beans and the protein isolate was prepared (CPI) and thermally denatured (DCPI). To prepare glycated cowpea protein isolate (GCPI) the cowpea flour slurry was heat treated before isolation of the protein. CPI was more susceptible to thermal denaturation than GCPI as determined by turbidity and sulphydryl groups resulting in greater loss of solubility. This is attributed to the higher glycation degree and higher carbohydrate content of GCPI as demonstrated by glycoprotein staining of SDS PAGE gels. Water absorption of bread dough was significantly enhanced by DCPI and to a larger extent GCPI compared to the control, resulting in softer texture. CPI resulted in significantly increased crumb hardness in baked bread than the control whereas DCPI or GCPI resulted in significantly softer crumb. Bread fortified with 4% DCPI or GCPI was similar to control as regards sensory and textural properties whereas 4% CPI was significantly different, limiting its inclusion level to 2%. There was a trend for higher sensory acceptability scores for GCPI containing bread compared DCPI. Whole egg was replaced by 20% by GCPI (3.5%) in sponge cake without affecting the sensory acceptability, whereas CPI and DCPI supplemented cakes were significantly different than the control. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Objective and quantitative definitions of modified food textures based on sensory and rheological methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Wendin, Karin; Ekman, Susanne; Bülow, Margareta; Ekberg, Olle; Johansson, Daniel; Rothenberg, Elisabet; Stading, Mats

2010-06-28

Patients who suffer from chewing and swallowing disorders, i.e. dysphagia, may have difficulties ingesting normal food and liquids. In these patients a texture modified diet may enable that the patient maintain adequate nutrition. However, there is no generally accepted definition of 'texture' that includes measurements describing different food textures. Objectively define and quantify categories of texture-modified food by conducting rheological measurements and sensory analyses. A further objective was to facilitate the communication and recommendations of appropriate food textures for patients with dysphagia. About 15 food samples varying in texture qualities were characterized by descriptive sensory and rheological measurements. Soups were perceived as homogenous; thickened soups were perceived as being easier to swallow, more melting and creamy compared with soups without thickener. Viscosity differed between the two types of soups. Texture descriptors for pâtés were characterized by high chewing resistance, firmness, and having larger particles compared with timbales and jellied products. Jellied products were perceived as wobbly, creamy, and easier to swallow. Concerning the rheological measurements, all solid products were more elastic than viscous (G'>G''), belonging to different G' intervals: jellied products (low G') and timbales together with pâtés (higher G'). By combining sensory and rheological measurements, a system of objective, quantitative, and well-defined food textures was developed that characterizes the different texture categories.

Association between preoperative magnetic resonance imaging, pain intensity and quantitative sensory testing in patients awaiting lumbar diskectomy.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Hegarty, Dominic

2011-02-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers important information regarding the morphology, location and size of a herniated disc, which influences the decision to offer lumbar diskectomy (LD). This study aims to examine the association between clinical neurophysiologic indices including pain intensity and quantitative sensory testing (QST), and the degree of lumbar nerve root compromise depicted on magnetic resonance (MR) in patients awaiting LD.

The Effect of High-Frequency Stimulation on Sensory Thresholds in Chronic Pain Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Youn, Youngwon; Smith, Heather; Morris, Brian; Argoff, Charles; Pilitsis, Julie G

2015-01-01

High-frequency stimulation (HFS) has recently gained attention as an alternative to parameters used in traditional spinal cord stimulation (SCS). Because HFS is paresthesia free, the gate theory of pain control as a basis of SCS has been called into question. The mechanism of action of HFS remains unclear. We compare the effects of HFS and traditional SCS on quantitative sensory testing parameters to provide insight into how HFS modulates the nervous system. Using quantitative sensory testing, we measured thermal detection and pain thresholds and mechanical detection and pressure pain thresholds, as well as vibratory detection, in 20 SCS patients off stimulation (OFF), on traditional stimulation (ON) and on HFS in a randomized order. HFS significantly increased the mechanical detection threshold compared to OFF stimulation (p < 0.001) and traditional SCS (p = 0.01). Pressure pain detection and vibratory detection thresholds also significantly increased with HFS compared to ON states (p = 0.04 and p = 0.01, respectively). In addition, HFS significantly decreased 10- and 40-gram pinprick detection compared to OFF states (both p = 0.01). No significant differences between OFF, ON and HFS states were seen in thermal and thermal pain detection. HFS is a new means of modulating chronic pain. The mechanism by which HFS works seems to differ from that of traditional SCS, offering a new platform for innovative advancements in treatment and a greater potential to treat patients by customizing waveforms. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Prevalence of distal diabetic polyneuropathy using quantitative sensory methods in a population with diabetes of more than 10 years' disease duration.

Science.gov (United States)

Miralles-García, José M; de Pablos-Velasco, Pedro; Cabrerizo, Lucio; Pérez, María; López-Gómez, Vanessa

2010-11-01

Results of studies on the prevalence of distal diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) are contradictory. Conventional methods used for the diagnosis of DPN in clinical practice have limited effectiveness. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of DPN in a population with long-standing diabetes (more than 10 years disease duration) by measuring vibratory, thermal and tactile sensitivities with quantitative sensory devices, as well as their relationship with associated clinical risk factors. A total of 1011 diabetic patients were evaluated in a multicenter, cross-sectional, observational study. The three sensitivities were assessed by ultrabiothesiometer, aesthesiometer and thermoskin devices, respectively. The prevalence of neuropathic pain was validated by the DN4 questionnaire. Of the 1011 cases included, 400 (39.6%) met the diagnostic criteria of DPN, while no DPN was found in the remaining 611 (60.4%). Of the 400 patients with DPN, 253 (63.2%) showed clinical manifestations, while 147 (36.8%) were diagnosed as subclinical DPN. The prevalence of DPN increased with disease duration. There was a progressive loss of the three sensitivities with increased disease duration, particularly thermal and vibratory sensitivities. This loss was statistically significant for the latter two sensitivities. Among patients with clinical DPN, 84.2% had painful neuropathic symptoms. The prevalence of DPN was positively related to micro- and macroangiopathic complications and with dyslipidemia. This study reveals a high degree of underdiagnosis of DPN, most likely due to the asymptomatic nature of the disease in a considerable proportion of patients. Our observations provide evidence of the usefulness of specific equipment for quantitative and objective assessment of polyneuropathy. Copyright © 2010 SEEN. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Thermal and mechanical quantitative sensory testing in Chinese patients with burning mouth syndrome--a probable neuropathic pain condition?

Science.gov (United States)

Mo, Xueyin; Zhang, Jinglu; Fan, Yuan; Svensson, Peter; Wang, Kelun

2015-01-01

To explore the hypothesis that burning mouth syndrome (BMS) probably is a neuropathic pain condition, thermal and mechanical sensory and pain thresholds were tested and compared with age- and gender-matched control participants using a standardized battery of psychophysical techniques. Twenty-five BMS patients (men: 8, women: 17, age: 49.5 ± 11.4 years) and 19 age- and gender-matched healthy control participants were included. The cold detection threshold (CDT), warm detection threshold (WDT), cold pain threshold (CPT), heat pain threshold (HPT), mechanical detection threshold (MDT) and mechanical pain threshold (MPT), in accordance with the German Network of Neuropathic Pain guidelines, were measured at the following four sites: the dorsum of the left hand (hand), the skin at the mental foramen (chin), on the tip of the tongue (tongue), and the mucosa of the lower lip (lip). Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA with repeated measures to compare the means within and between groups. Furthermore, Z-score profiles were generated, and exploratory correlation analyses between QST and clinical variables were performed. Two-tailed tests with a significance level of 5 % were used throughout. CDTs (P < 0.02) were significantly lower (less sensitivity) and HPTs (P < 0.001) were significantly higher (less sensitivity) at the tongue and lip in BMS patients compared to control participants. WDT (P = 0.007) was also significantly higher at the tongue in BMS patients compared to control subjects . There were no significant differences in MDT and MPT between the BMS patients and healthy subjects at any of the four test sites. Z-scores showed that significant loss of function can be identified for CDT (Z-scores = -0.9±1.1) and HPT (Z-scores = 1.5±0.4). There were no significant correlations between QST and clinical variables (pain intensity, duration, depressions scores). BMS patients had a significant loss of thermal function but not

Effect of medical cannabis on thermal quantitative measurements of pain in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Shohet, A; Khlebtovsky, A; Roizen, N; Roditi, Y; Djaldetti, R

2017-03-01

Cannabis can alleviate pain of various etiologies. This study assessed the effect of cannabis on motor symptoms and pain parameters in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Twenty patients with PD who were licensed to use cannabis underwent evaluation before and 30 min after cannabis consumption and again after long-term use. Motor function was assessed with the Unified PD Rating scale (UPDRS) by two raters, one blinded. Pain was assessed with the Pain Rating Index (PRI) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of the short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire. Thermal quantitative sensory testing (QST) was performed in 18 patients. The two consecutive QST measurements were validated in 12 cannabis-naïve patients with PD. There was a significant decrease from baseline to 30 min after cannabis consumption in mean motor UPDRS score (38.1 ± 18 to 30.4 ± 15.6, p patients who consumed cannabis by vaporizer rather than smoking (19.5 ± 5.2 to 15.6 ± 8.7 °C, p = 0.02). After long-term (median 14 weeks) exposure, mean heat pain threshold decreased significantly in the more affected limb in all treated patients (43.6 ± 3.5 to 40.9 ± 3.3 °C, p = 0.05) and in cannabis smokers (43.7 ± 3.6 to 40.3 ± 2.5 °C, p = 0.008). Cannabis improved motor scores and pain symptoms in PD patients, together with a dissociate effect on heat and cold pain thresholds. Peripheral and central pathways are probably modulated by cannabis. Quantitative sensory test results are significantly altered following cannabis consumption in patients with PD. Cannabis probably acts on pain in PD via peripheral and central pathways. © 2016 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.

Quantitative sensory testing in the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain (DFNS): reference data for the trunk and application in patients with chronic postherpetic neuralgia.

Science.gov (United States)

Pfau, Doreen B; Krumova, Elena K; Treede, Rolf-Detlef; Baron, Ralf; Toelle, Thomas; Birklein, Frank; Eich, Wolfgang; Geber, Christian; Gerhardt, Andreas; Weiss, Thomas; Magerl, Walter; Maier, Christoph

2014-05-01

Age- and gender-matched reference values are essential for the clinical use of quantitative sensory testing (QST). To extend the standard test sites for QST-according to the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain-to the trunk, we collected QST profiles on the back in 162 healthy subjects. Sensory profiles for standard test sites were within normal interlaboratory differences. QST revealed lower sensitivity on the upper back than the hand, and higher sensitivity on the lower back than the foot, but no systematic differences between these trunk sites. Age effects were significant for most parameters. Females exhibited lower pressure pain thresholds (PPT) than males, which was the only significant gender difference. Values outside the 95% confidence interval of healthy subjects (considered abnormal) required temperature changes of >3.3-8.2 °C for thermal detection. For cold pain thresholds, confidence intervals extended mostly beyond safety cutoffs, hence only relative reference data (left-right differences, hand-trunk differences) were sufficiently sensitive. For mechanical detection and pain thresholds, left-right differences were 1.5-2.3 times more sensitive than absolute reference data. The most sensitive parameter was PPT, where already side-to-side differences >35% were abnormal. Compared to trunk reference data, patients with postherpetic neuralgia exhibited thermal and tactile deficits and dynamic mechanical allodynia, mostly without reduced mechanical pain thresholds. This pattern deviates from other types of neuropathic pain. QST reference data for the trunk will also be useful for patients with postthoracotomy pain or chronic back pain. Copyright © 2014 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crocodylians evolved scattered multi-sensory micro-organs

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background During their evolution towards a complete life cycle on land, stem reptiles developed both an impermeable multi-layered keratinized epidermis and skin appendages (scales) providing mechanical, thermal, and chemical protection. Previous studies have demonstrated that, despite the presence of a particularly armored skin, crocodylians have exquisite mechanosensory abilities thanks to the presence of small integumentary sensory organs (ISOs) distributed on postcranial and/or cranial scales. Results Here, we analyze and compare the structure, innervation, embryonic morphogenesis and sensory functions of postcranial, cranial, and lingual sensory organs of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) and the spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus). Our molecular analyses indicate that sensory neurons of crocodylian ISOs express a large repertoire of transduction channels involved in mechano-, thermo-, and chemosensory functions, and our electrophysiological analyses confirm that each ISO exhibits a combined sensitivity to mechanical, thermal and pH stimuli (but not hyper-osmotic salinity), making them remarkable multi-sensorial micro-organs with no equivalent in the sensory systems of other vertebrate lineages. We also show that ISOs all exhibit similar morphologies and modes of development, despite forming at different stages of scale morphogenesis across the body. Conclusions The ancestral vertebrate diffused sensory system of the skin was transformed in the crocodylian lineages into an array of discrete multi-sensory micro-organs innervated by multiple pools of sensory neurons. This discretization of skin sensory expression sites is unique among vertebrates and allowed crocodylians to develop a highly-armored, but very sensitive, skin. PMID:23819918

Quantitative measurement of productivity loss due to thermal discomfort

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lan, Li; Wargocki, Pawel; Lian, Zhiwei

2011-01-01

discomfort caused by elevated air temperature had a negative effect on performance. A quantitative relationship was established between thermal sensation votes and task performance. It can be used for economic calculations pertaining to building design and operation when occupant productivity is considered...

Sensory characteristics of different cod products

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sveinsdottir, K.; Martinsdottir, E.; Hyldig, Grethe

2010-01-01

atmosphere) were evaluated with quantitative descriptive analysis by a trained sensory panel. Signal-to-noise analysis, p*MSE (discrimination and repeatability) and line plots proved to be very useful in studying panelists' performance. Most sensory attributes described significant differences between...... the products, and principal component analysis provided an overview of the differences and similarities between the products with regard to sensory characteristics. Farmed cod had different sensory characteristics compared with wild cod, such as more meat flavor, and rubbery and meaty texture. Different...... storage methods had minor influence on sensory characteristics of cod fillets after short storage time, but after extended storage, the groups were different with regard to most attributes. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS This paper presents different ways of analyzing sensory data. The process of analysis...

Quantitative sensory testing measures individual pain responses in emergency department patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Duffy KJ

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Kevin J Duffy, Katharyn L Flickinger, Jeffrey T Kristan, Melissa J Repine, Alexandro Gianforcaro, Rebecca B Hasley, Saad Feroz, Jessica M Rupp, Jumana Al-Baghli, Maria L Pacella, Brian P Suffoletto, Clifton W Callaway Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Background: Refining and individualizing treatment of acute pain in the emergency department (ED is a high priority, given that painful complaints are the most common reasons for ED visits. Few tools exist to objectively measure pain perception in the ED setting. We speculated that variation in perception of fixed painful stimuli would explain individual variation in reported pain and response to treatment among ED patients. Materials and methods: In three studies, we 1 describe performance characteristics of brief quantitative sensory testing (QST in 50 healthy volunteers, 2 test effects of 10 mg oxycodone versus placebo on QST measures in 18 healthy volunteers, and 3 measure interindividual differences in nociception and treatment responses in 198 ED patients with a painful complaint during ED treatment. QST measures adapted for use in the ED included pressure sensation threshold, pressure pain threshold (PPT, pressure pain response (PPR, and cold pain tolerance (CPT tests. Results: First, all QST measures had high inter-rater reliability and test–retest reproducibility. Second, 10 mg oxycodone reduced PPR, increased PPT, and prolonged CPT. Third, baseline PPT and PPR revealed hyperalgesia in 31 (16% ED subjects relative to healthy volunteers. In 173 (88% ED subjects who completed repeat testing 30 minutes after pain treatment, PPT increased and PPR decreased (Cohen’s dz 0.10–0.19. Verbal pain scores (0–10 for the ED complaint decreased by 2.2 (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.9, 2.6 (Cohen’s dz 0.97 but did not covary with the changes in PPT and PPR (r=0.05–0.13. Treatment effects were greatest in ED subjects

Sensory Evaluation and Oxidative Stability of a Suncream Formulated with Thermal Spring Waters from Ourense (NW Spain and Sargassum muticum Extracts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Balboa

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this work was to evaluate four thermal spring waters from Ourense and a Sargassum muticum extract as cosmetic ingredients for the preparation of a suncream. The thermal spring waters were tested for their suitability as an aqueous phase main component, and the algal extract was added as an antioxidant instead of using synthetic preservatives in the cosmetic formula. The emulsion was tested for lipid oxidation during a period of 9 months and for consumer acceptance by performing a sensory test on controls and blanks. Further, color parameters were considered, and a pH determination was performed. The S. muticum extract protected from primary and secondary oxidation as efficiently as Fucus sp. or α-tocopherol extracts. In addition, the sensorial test revealed that consumers preferred suncreams prepared with the S. muticum extract and with thermal spring water from O Tinteiro and A Chavasqueira. The pH of the suncreams varied with the selection of the ingredients, and no oscillations in colorimetric values were visually observed. Our results indicate that the algal extract and the thermal spring waters from Ourense are potential cosmetic ingredients, since they showed effectiveness as antioxidant ingredients, and the suncreams were well accepted by consumers.

Analyzing sensory data with R

CERN Document Server

Le, Sebastien

2014-01-01

Quantitative Descriptive Approaches When panelists rate products according to one single list of attributes Data, sensory issues, notations In practice For experienced users: Measuring the impact of the experimental design on the perception of the products? When products are rated according to one single list of attributesData, sensory issues, notations In practice For experienced users: Adding supplementary information to the product space When products are rated according to several lists

Assessment of the clinical relevance of quantitative sensory testing with Von Frey monofilaments in patients with allodynia and neuropathic pain. A pilot study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Keizer, D.; van Wijhe, M.; Post, W.J.; Uges, D.R.A.; Wierda, J.M.K.H.

Background: Allodynia is a common and disabling symptom in many patients with neuropathic pain. Whereas quantification of pain mostly depends on subjective pain reports, allodynia can also be measured objectively with quantitative sensory testing. In this pilot study, we investigated the clinical

Comparison of LEP and QST and their contribution to standard sensory diagnostic assessment of spinal lesions: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Geber, Christian; Baumgärtner, Ulf; Fechir, Marcel; Vogt, Thomas; Birklein, Frank; Treede, Rolf-Detlef

2011-06-01

This study evaluates the additional use of laser-evoked potentials (LEP) and quantitative sensory testing (QST) in the sensory assessment of spinal lesions. Four consecutive patients with spinal lesions verified by MRI and clinical evidence for mild spinothalamic tract involvement were included. The electrophysiological workup [somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) and LEP] was compared to QST. Electrophysiology and QST were reassessed after about 6 months. LEP detected impaired spinothalamic tract function in 7/8 examinations. QST pointed to spinothalamic tract lesions by loss of thermal function (3/8); most frequent positive sensory signs (3/8) were paradoxical heat sensations. LEP and QST results were concordant in 6/8 examinations. SEPs were abnormal in 2/8 examinations. Congruent results between SEP and both LEP and QST were obtained in 3/8 examinations. LEP detected more deficits than any single QST parameter or their combination but additional QST allows the detection of positive sensory signs. The diagnostic gain of SEP was limited.

Characterization of Sensory Differences in Mixing and Premium Rums Through the Use of Descriptive Sensory Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ickes, Chelsea M; Cadwallader, Keith R

2017-11-01

This study identified and quantitated perceived sensory differences between 7 premium rums and 2 mixing rums using a hybrid of the Quantitative Descriptive Analysis and Spectrum methods. In addition, the results of this study validated the previously developed rum flavor wheel created from web-based materials. Results showed that the use of the rum flavor wheel aided in sensory term generation, as 17 additional terms were generated after the wheel was provided to panelists. Thirty-eight sensory terms encompassing aroma, aroma-by-mouth, mouthfeel, taste and aftertaste modalities, were generated and evaluated by the panel. Of the finalized terms, only 5 did not exist previously on the rum flavor wheel. Twenty attributes were found to be significantly different among rums. The majority of rums showed similar aroma profiles with the exception of 2 rums, which were characterized by higher perceived intensities of brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, and chocolate aroma, caramel, maple, and vanilla aroma-by-mouth and caramel aftertaste. These results demonstrate the previously developed rum flavor wheel can be used to adequately describe the flavor profile of rum. Additionally, results of this study document the sensory differences among premium rums and may be used to correlate with analytical data to better understand how changes in chemical composition of the product affect sensory perception. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Some selected quantitative methods of thermal image analysis in Matlab.

Science.gov (United States)

Koprowski, Robert

2016-05-01

The paper presents a new algorithm based on some selected automatic quantitative methods for analysing thermal images. It shows the practical implementation of these image analysis methods in Matlab. It enables to perform fully automated and reproducible measurements of selected parameters in thermal images. The paper also shows two examples of the use of the proposed image analysis methods for the area of ​​the skin of a human foot and face. The full source code of the developed application is also provided as an attachment. The main window of the program during dynamic analysis of the foot thermal image. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Sensory symptom profiles and co-morbidities in painful radiculopathy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Friederike Mahn

Full Text Available Painful radiculopathies (RAD and classical neuropathic pain syndromes (painful diabetic polyneuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia show differences how the patients express their sensory perceptions. Furthermore, several clinical trials with neuropathic pain medications failed in painful radiculopathy. Epidemiological and clinical data of 2094 patients with painful radiculopathy were collected within a cross sectional survey (painDETECT to describe demographic data and co-morbidities and to detect characteristic sensory abnormalities in patients with RAD and compare them with other neuropathic pain syndromes. Common co-morbidities in neuropathic pain (depression, sleep disturbance, anxiety do not differ considerably between the three conditions. Compared to other neuropathic pain syndromes touch-evoked allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia are relatively uncommon in RAD. One distinct sensory symptom pattern (sensory profile, i.e., severe painful attacks and pressure induced pain in combination with mild spontaneous pain, mild mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, was found to be characteristic for RAD. Despite similarities in sensory symptoms there are two important differences between RAD and other neuropathic pain disorders: (1 The paucity of mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia might be explained by the fact that the site of the nerve lesion in RAD is often located proximal to the dorsal root ganglion. (2 The distinct sensory profile found in RAD might be explained by compression-induced ectopic discharges from a dorsal root and not necessarily by nerve damage. These differences in pathogenesis might explain why medications effective in DPN and PHN failed to demonstrate efficacy in RAD.

Perfil sensorial de vinhos brancos varietais brasileiros através de análise descritiva quantitativa Sensory profile of brazilian varietal white wines by quantitative descriptive analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge Herman BEHRENS

2000-04-01

Full Text Available Terminologia descritiva e perfil sensorial de três variedades de vinhos brancos varietais brasileiros (Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer e Riesling foram desenvolvidos através de metodologia fundamentada na Análise Descritiva Quantitativa (ADQ. Em consenso, a equipe sensorial definiu os descritores, materiais de referência e a ficha de avaliação das amostras. Após treinamento, dez indivíduos foram selecionados para compor a equipe final de provadores, utilizando-se como critérios o poder discriminativo, reprodutibilidade dos julgamentos e consenso do indivíduo com a equipe. Doze termos descritores definindo as similaridades e diferenças entre as amostras foram gerados. A intensidade de cada descritor foi avaliada em cada amostra através de uma escala não estruturada de nove centímetros, com termos de intensidade ancorados em seus extremos. Os dados foram analisados por ANOVA, Teste de Tukey e Análise de Componentes Principais (ACP. Os resultados indicaram moderada variação entre os perfis sensoriais das amostras dos varietais Gewürztraminer e Riesling e pouca variação entre os perfis sensoriais dos vinhos Chardonnay. A ACP separou as amostras em dois grupos: um primeiro grupo caracterizado por vinhos com maior intensidade de doçura, sabor e aroma frutado e corpo, e um segundo grupo de amostras de maior acidez, adstringência, amargor, sabor alcoólico e sabor fermentado.Descriptive terminology and sensory profile of three varieties of brazilian varietal white wines (cultivars Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Chardonnay were developed by a methodology based on the Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA. The sensory panel consensually defined the sensory descriptors, their respective reference materials and the descriptive evaluation ballot. Ten individuals were selected as judges based on their discrimination, reproducibility and individual consensus with the sensory panel. Twelve descriptors were generated showing similarities and

Quality stability and sensory attributes of apple juice processed by thermosonication, pulsed electric field and thermal processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Sulaiman, Alifdalino; Farid, Mohammed; Silva, Filipa Vm

2017-04-01

Worldwide, apple juice is the second most popular juice, after orange juice. It is susceptible to enzymatic browning spoilage by polyphenoloxidase, an endogenous enzyme. In this study, Royal Gala apple juice was treated by thermosonication (TS: 1.3 W/mL, 58 ℃, 10 min), pulsed electric field (PEF: 24.8 kV/cm, 60 pulses, 169 µs treatment time, 53.8 ℃) and heat (75 ℃, 20 min) and stored at 3.0 ℃ and 20.0 ℃ for 30 days. A sensory analysis was carried out after processing. The polyphenoloxidase activity, antioxidant activity and total color difference of the apple juice were determined before and after processing and during storage. The sensory analysis revealed that thermosonication and pulsed electric field juices tasted differently from the thermally treated juice. Apart from the pulsed electric field apple juice stored at room temperature, the processed juice was stable during storage, since the pH and soluble solids remained constant and fermentation was not observed. Polyphenoloxidase did not reactivate during storage. Along storage, the juices' antioxidant activity decreased and total color difference increased (up to 6.8). While the antioxidant activity increased from 86 to 103% with thermosonication and was retained after pulsed electric field, thermal processing reduced it to 67%. The processing increased the total color difference slightly. No differences in the total color difference of the juices processed by the three methods were registered after storage. Thermosonication and pulsed electric field could possibly be a better alternative to thermal preservation of apple juice, but refrigerated storage is recommended for pulsed electric field apple juice.

A quantitative index for classification of plantar thermal changes in the diabetic foot

Science.gov (United States)

Hernandez-Contreras, D.; Peregrina-Barreto, H.; Rangel-Magdaleno, J.; Gonzalez-Bernal, J. A.; Altamirano-Robles, L.

2017-03-01

One of the main complications caused by diabetes mellitus is the development of diabetic foot, which in turn, can lead to ulcerations. Because ulceration risks are linked to an increase in plantar temperatures, recent approaches analyze thermal changes. These approaches try to identify spatial patterns of temperature that could be characteristic of a diabetic group. However, this is a difficult task since thermal patterns have wide variations resulting on complex classification. Moreover, the measurement of contralateral plantar temperatures is important to determine whether there is an abnormal difference but, this only provides information when thermal changes are asymmetric and in absence of ulceration or amputation. Therefore, in this work is proposed a quantitative index for measuring the thermal change in the plantar region of participants diagnosed diabetes mellitus regards to a reliable reference (control) or regards to the contralateral foot (as usual). Also, a classification of the thermal changes based on a quantitative index is proposed. Such classification demonstrate the wide diversity of spatial distributions in the diabetic foot but also demonstrate that it is possible to identify common characteristics. An automatic process, based on the analysis of plantar angiosomes and image processing, is presented to quantify these thermal changes and to provide valuable information to the medical expert.

Sensory functions in the foot soles in victims of generalized torture, in victims also beaten under the feet (falanga and in healthy controls – A blinded study using quantitative sensory testing

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Prip Karen

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Falanga torture (beatings on the foot soles produces local chronic pain and severe walking difficulties. We have previously reported signs of neuropathic pain in the feet of falanga victims. The objective here was to clarify underlying pain mechanisms by quantifying sensory impairments in the feet of torture victims who had experienced both generalized torture and those who had been exposed to falanga in addition. An ethnically matched control group was available. Methods We employed quantitative sensory testing (QST by investigators blinded to whether the patients, 32 male torture victims from the Middle East, had (n=15, or had not (n=17 been exposed to falanga. Pain intensity, area and stimulus dependence were used to characterize the pain as were interview data on sensory symptoms. QST included thresholds for touch, cold, warmth, cold-pain, heat-pain, deep pressure pain and wind-up to cutaneous noxious stimuli in the foot soles. Clinical data on anxiety and depression were retrieved. Results Almost all falanga victims had moderate or strong pain in their feet and in twice as large an area of their foot soles as other torture victims. One-third of the latter had no pain in their feet and many reported slight pain; in spite of this, there were no differences in foot sole QST data between the tortured groups. A comparison with normal data indicated that both tortured groups had hypoesthesia for all cutaneous sensory fibre groups except those transmitting cold and heat pain, in addition to deep mechano-nociceptive hyperalgesia. Conclusion A comparison of the QST data between victims having been exposed to generalized torture and victims who in addition had been exposed to falanga, showed no differences on the group level. The sensory disturbances in relation to our control group are compatible with central sensitization and de-sensitization, pointing to a core role of central mechanisms. A further analysis to create individual

Comparative effect of high pressure processing and traditional thermal treatment on the physicochemical, microbiology, and sensory analysis of olive jam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Delgado-Adamez, J.

2013-09-01

Full Text Available In the present work the effect of the processing by high hydrostatic pressures (HPP was assessed as an alternative to the thermal treatment of pasteurization in olive jam. The effects of both treatments on the product after processing were compared and stability during storage under refrigeration was assessed through the characterization of physicochemical, microbiological and sensory aspects. To assess the effect of processing, two HPP treatments (450 and 600MPa and thermal pasteurization (80 °C for 20 min were applied, comparing them with the unprocessed product. HPP 600MPa versus the rest of treatments showed a reduction in microorganisms, greater clarity and less browning, and sensory acceptance. The shelf-life of the refrigerated product would indicate the feasibility of the application of the HPP technology for food with similar shelf-life to that obtained with the traditional treatment of pasteurization, but with a better sensory quality.En el presente trabajo se valoró el efecto del procesado por altas presiones hidrostáticas (HPP como método alternativo al tratamiento térmico de pasteurización en la mermelada de aceitunas. Para ello se comparó el efecto de ambos tratamientos sobre el producto procesado y se evaluó su estabilidad durante el almacenamiento en refrigeración, mediante la caracterización de los aspectos físico-químicos, microbiológicos, y sensoriales. Para evaluar el efecto del procesado, se aplicaron dos tratamientos de HPP (450 y 600MPa y otro de pasteurización térmica (80 °C durante 20 min, comparándose con el producto no procesado. Las muestras tratadas con HPP 600MPa presentaron, frente al resto de tratamientos una reducción en la presencia de microorganismos, mayor claridad y menor pardeamiento, y una mayor aceptación sensorial. El estudio de la vida útil del producto en refrigeración, indicaría la viabilidad de la aplicación de la tecnología de HPP para obtener alimentos con vida útil similar

Sensory profile of eleven peach cultivars

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Francine Lorena Cuquel

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The goal of this study was to evaluate the sensory profile of eleven peach cultivars grown in an experimental orchard located in the city of Lapa (PR, Brazil in two seasons. The peach cultivars analyzed were Aurora I, Chimarrita, Chiripá, Coral, Eldorado, Granada, Leonense, Maciel, Marli, Premier, and Vanguarda. The sensory analysis was performed by previously trained panelists; 20 of them in the first season and 10 in the second season. The sensory evaluation was performed using Quantitative Descriptive Analysis, in which the following attributes were measured: appearance, aroma, flesh color, flesh firmness, flavor, and juiciness. The results showed preference for sweet, soft, and juicy fruits. Chimarrita, Chiripá, and Coral fruits showed better sensorial performance than the other peach cultivars. It was also verified that the analysis of the attributes aroma, flesh firmness, and flavor is enough for performing the sensory profile of peach fruits for in natura consumption.

Thermal and mechanical pain sensitization in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Science.gov (United States)

Bevilaqua-Grossi, Debora; Zanin, Marilia; Benedetti, Camila; Florencio, Lidiane; Oliveira, Anamaria

2018-02-26

The aim was to assess sensitization using quantitative sensory testing in mechanical and thermal modes in individuals with and without osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Pain thresholds were correlated with functionality, symptoms of depression and intensity of pain. Thirty control volunteers and 30 patients with OA of the knee were assessed. Punctate pain thresholds using Von Frey filaments and thermal pain thresholds using a Thermal Sensory Analyzer were evaluated in the periarticular region of the knee and forearm. Using a digital pressure algometer, pressure pain thresholds were assessed in the periarticular region of the knee and on the root exit zone on the lumbar and sacral spine. Punctate, pressure, and thermal pain thresholds differed significantly between participants with and without OA (p pain sensitization. Pressure pain thresholds also showed moderate and negative correlations with data on functionality, symptoms of depression and intensity of pain (-0.36  -0.56), contributing up to 30% of their variability. Allodynia and hyperalgesia were demonstrated in the OA group, suggesting central sensitization in patients with mild to moderate severity of joint damage. Correlation between mechanical hypersensitivity and psychosocial factors seems to be small, despite of its significance.

Effects of acupuncture on sensory perception: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Baeumler, Petra I; Fleckenstein, Johannes; Takayama, Shin; Simang, Michael; Seki, Takashi; Irnich, Dominik

2014-01-01

The effect of acupuncture on sensory perception has never been systematically reviewed; although, studies on acupuncture mechanisms are frequently based on the idea that changes in sensory thresholds reflect its effect on the nervous system. Pubmed, EMBASE and Scopus were screened for studies investigating the effect of acupuncture on thermal or mechanical detection or pain thresholds in humans published in English or German. A meta-analysis of high quality studies was performed. Out of 3007 identified articles 85 were included. Sixty five studies showed that acupuncture affects at least one sensory threshold. Most studies assessed the pressure pain threshold of which 80% reported an increase after acupuncture. Significant short- and long-term effects on the pressure pain threshold in pain patients were revealed by two meta-analyses including four and two high quality studies, respectively. In over 60% of studies, acupuncture reduced sensitivity to noxious thermal stimuli, but measuring methods might influence results. Few but consistent data indicate that acupuncture reduces pin-prick like pain but not mechanical detection. Results on thermal detection are heterogeneous. Sensory threshold changes were equally frequent reported after manual acupuncture as after electroacupuncture. Among 48 sham-controlled studies, 25 showed stronger effects on sensory thresholds through verum than through sham acupuncture, but in 9 studies significant threshold changes were also observed after sham acupuncture. Overall, there is a lack of high quality acupuncture studies applying comprehensive assessments of sensory perception. Our findings indicate that acupuncture affects sensory perception. Results are most compelling for the pressure pain threshold, especially in pain conditions associated with tenderness. Sham acupuncture can also cause such effects. Future studies should incorporate comprehensive, standardized assessments of sensory profiles in order to fully characterize its

Receptors for sensory neuropeptides in human inflammatory diseases: Implications for the effector role of sensory neurons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mantyh, P.W.; Catton, M.D.; Boehmer, C.G.; Welton, M.L.; Passaro, E.P. Jr.; Maggio, J.E.; Vigna, S.R.

1989-01-01

Glutamate and several neuropeptides are synthesized and released by subpopulations of primary afferent neurons. These sensory neurons play a role in regulating the inflammatory and immune responses in peripheral tissues. Using quantitative receptor autoradiography we have explored what changes occur in the location and concentration of receptor binding sites for sensory neurotransmitters in the colon in two human inflammatory diseases, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. The sensory neurotransmitter receptors examined included bombesin, calcitonin gene related peptide-alpha, cholecystokinin, galanin, glutamate, somatostatin, neurokinin A (substance K), substance P, and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. Of the nine receptor binding sites examined only substance P binding sites associated with arterioles, venules and lymph nodules were dramatically up-regulated in the inflamed tissue. These data suggest that substance P is involved in regulating the inflammatory and immune responses in human inflammatory diseases and indicate a specificity of efferent action for each sensory neurotransmitter in peripheral tissues

Influence of attention focus on neural activity in the human spinal cord during thermal sensory stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Stroman, Patrick W; Coe, Brian C; Munoz, Doug P

2011-01-01

Perceptions of sensation and pain in healthy people are believed to be the net result of sensory input and descending modulation from brainstem and cortical regions depending on emotional and cognitive factors. Here, the influence of attention on neural activity in the spinal cord during thermal sensory stimulation of the hand was investigated with functional magnetic resonance imaging by systematically varying the participants' attention focus across and within repeated studies. Attention states included (1) attention to the stimulus by rating the sensation and (2) attention away from the stimulus by performing various mental tasks of watching a movie and identifying characters, detecting the direction of coherently moving dots within a randomly moving visual field and answering mentally-challenging questions. Functional MRI results spanning the cervical spinal cord and brainstem consistently demonstrated that the attention state had a significant influence on the activity detected in the cervical spinal cord, as well as in brainstem regions involved with the descending analgesia system. These findings have important implications for the detection and study of pain, and improved characterization of the effects of injury or disease. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interaction of hyperalgesia and sensory loss in complex regional pain syndrome type I (CRPS I).

Science.gov (United States)

Huge, Volker; Lauchart, Meike; Förderreuther, Stefanie; Kaufhold, Wibke; Valet, Michael; Azad, Shahnaz Christina; Beyer, Antje; Magerl, Walter

2008-07-23

Sensory abnormalities are a key feature of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). In order to characterise these changes in patients suffering from acute or chronic CRPS I, we used Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) in comparison to an age and gender matched control group. 61 patients presenting with CRPS I of the upper extremity and 56 healthy subjects were prospectively assessed using QST. The patients' warm and cold detection thresholds (WDT; CDT), the heat and cold pain thresholds (HPT; CPT) and the occurrence of paradoxical heat sensation (PHS) were observed. In acute CRPS I, patients showed warm and cold hyperalgesia, indicated by significant changes in HPT and CPT. WDT and CDT were significantly increased as well, indicating warm and cold hypoaesthesia. In chronic CRPS, thermal hyperalgesia declined, but CDT as well as WDT further deteriorated. Solely patients with acute CRPS displayed PHS. To a minor degree, all QST changes were also present on the contralateral limb. We propose three pathomechanisms of CRPS I, which follow a distinct time course: Thermal hyperalgesia, observed in acute CRPS, indicates an ongoing aseptic peripheral inflammation. Thermal hypoaesthesia, as detected in acute and chronic CRPS, signals a degeneration of A-delta and C-fibres, which further deteriorates in chronic CRPS. PHS in acute CRPS I indicates that both inflammation and degeneration are present, whilst in chronic CRPS I, the pathomechanism of degeneration dominates, signalled by the absence of PHS. The contralateral changes observed strongly suggest the involvement of the central nervous system.

Complete functional characterization of sensory neurons by system identification.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Michael C-K; David, Stephen V; Gallant, Jack L

2006-01-01

System identification is a growing approach to sensory neurophysiology that facilitates the development of quantitative functional models of sensory processing. This approach provides a clear set of guidelines for combining experimental data with other knowledge about sensory function to obtain a description that optimally predicts the way that neurons process sensory information. This prediction paradigm provides an objective method for evaluating and comparing computational models. In this chapter we review many of the system identification algorithms that have been used in sensory neurophysiology, and we show how they can be viewed as variants of a single statistical inference problem. We then review many of the practical issues that arise when applying these methods to neurophysiological experiments: stimulus selection, behavioral control, model visualization, and validation. Finally we discuss several problems to which system identification has been applied recently, including one important long-term goal of sensory neuroscience: developing models of sensory systems that accurately predict neuronal responses under completely natural conditions.

Sensory evaluation of commercial fat spreads based on oilseeds and walnut

OpenAIRE

Dimić, Etelka B.; Vujasinović, Vesna B.; Radočaj, Olga F.; Borić, Bojan D.

2013-01-01

The main focus of this study was on the sensory evaluation of commercial oilseeds spreads, as the most significant characteristic of this type of product from the consumers’ point of view. Sensory analysis was conducted by five experts using a quantitative descriptive and sensory profile test, applying a scoring method according to the standard procedure. Five different spreads were evaluated: sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, peanut, and walnut. Oil content and ...

Quantitative study of FORC diagrams in thermally corrected Stoner– Wohlfarth nanoparticles systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Biasi, E.; Curiale, J.; Zysler, R.D.

2016-01-01

The use of FORC diagrams is becoming increasingly popular among researchers devoted to magnetism and magnetic materials. However, a thorough interpretation of this kind of diagrams, in order to achieve quantitative information, requires an appropriate model of the studied system. For that reason most of the FORC studies are used for a qualitative analysis. In magnetic systems thermal fluctuations 'blur' the signatures of the anisotropy, volume and particle interactions distributions, therefore thermal effects in nanoparticles systems conspire against a proper interpretation and analysis of these diagrams. Motivated by this fact, we have quantitatively studied the degree of accuracy of the information extracted from FORC diagrams for the special case of single-domain thermal corrected Stoner– Wohlfarth (easy axes along the external field orientation) nanoparticles systems. In this work, the starting point is an analytical model that describes the behavior of a magnetic nanoparticles system as a function of field, anisotropy, temperature and measurement time. In order to study the quantitative degree of accuracy of our model, we built FORC diagrams for different archetypical cases of magnetic nanoparticles. Our results show that from the quantitative information obtained from the diagrams, under the hypotheses of the proposed model, is possible to recover the features of the original system with accuracy above 95%. This accuracy is improved at low temperatures and also it is possible to access to the anisotropy distribution directly from the FORC coercive field profile. Indeed, our simulations predict that the volume distribution plays a secondary role being the mean value and its deviation the only important parameters. Therefore it is possible to obtain an accurate result for the inversion and interaction fields despite the features of the volume distribution. - Highlights: • Quantify the degree of accuracy of the information obtained using the FORC diagrams. �

Quantitative study of bundle size effect on thermal conductivity of single-walled carbon nanotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Ya; Inoue, Taiki; An, Hua; Xiang, Rong; Chiashi, Shohei; Maruyama, Shigeo

2018-05-01

Compared with isolated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), thermal conductivity is greatly impeded in SWNT bundles; however, the measurement of the bundle size effect is difficult. In this study, the number of SWNTs in a bundle was determined based on the transferred horizontally aligned SWNTs on a suspended micro-thermometer to quantitatively study the effect of the bundle size on thermal conductivity. Increasing the bundle size significantly degraded the thermal conductivity. For isolated SWNTs, thermal conductivity was approximately 5000 ± 1000 W m-1 K-1 at room temperature, three times larger than that of the four-SWNT bundle. The logarithmical deterioration of thermal conductivity resulting from the increased bundle size can be attributed to the increased scattering rate with neighboring SWNTs based on the kinetic theory.

Sensory subtypes in children with autism spectrum disorder: latent profile transition analysis using a national survey of sensory features.

Science.gov (United States)

Ausderau, Karla K; Furlong, Melissa; Sideris, John; Bulluck, John; Little, Lauren M; Watson, Linda R; Boyd, Brian A; Belger, Aysenil; Dickie, Virginia A; Baranek, Grace T

2014-08-01

Sensory features are highly prevalent and heterogeneous among children with ASD. There is a need to identify homogenous groups of children with ASD based on sensory features (i.e., sensory subtypes) to inform research and treatment. Sensory subtypes and their stability over 1 year were identified through latent profile transition analysis (LPTA) among a national sample of children with ASD. Data were collected from caregivers of children with ASD ages 2-12 years at two time points (Time 1 N = 1294; Time 2 N = 884). Four sensory subtypes (Mild; Sensitive-Distressed; Attenuated-Preoccupied; Extreme-Mixed) were identified, which were supported by fit indices from the LPTA as well as current theoretical models that inform clinical practice. The Mild and Extreme-Mixed subtypes reflected quantitatively different sensory profiles, while the Sensitive-Distressed and Attenuated-Preoccupied subtypes reflected qualitatively different profiles. Further, subtypes reflected differential child (i.e., gender, developmental age, chronological age, autism severity) and family (i.e., income, mother's education) characteristics. Ninety-one percent of participants remained stable in their subtypes over 1 year. Characterizing the nature of homogenous sensory subtypes may facilitate assessment and intervention, as well as potentially inform biological mechanisms. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. © 2014 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Pain Modulation after Oromucosal Cannabinoid Spray (SATIVEX® in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Study with Quantitative Sensory Testing and Laser-Evoked Potentials

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Mara Turri

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Background. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC/cannabidiol (CBD (nabiximols or Sativex® is an oromucosal spray formulation containing THC and CBD at an approximately 1:1 fixed ratio. Its administration for the treatment of pain in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS has been established. MS patients generally complain of different kinds of pain, including spasticity-related and neuropathic pain. In this study, we compared and evaluated pain modulation and thermal/pain threshold of MS patients before and after THC/CBD administration. Methods. 19 MS patients underwent clinical examination, numerical rating scale (NRS, quantitative sensory testing (QST, and laser-evoked potentials (LEPs before and after 1 month of therapy. Psychophysiological and neurophysiological data were compared to sex- and age-matched controls. Results. Patients reported a significant reduction in pain. We found statistically significant differences in LEP parameters between patients and controls but no significant change in LEP measures after THC/CBD therapy. Cold and heat detection thresholds were altered in patients but did not change after THC/CBD therapy. There was a significant increase in cold pain threshold by hand stimulation and a significant reduction in abnormal cold perception thresholds. Conclusions. Our results indicate that Sativex® therapy provides pain relief in MS patients and suggest that it might modulate peripheral cold-sensitive TRP channels.

Heterogeneous sensory processing in persistent postherniotomy pain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aasvang, Eske Kvanner; Brandsborg, Birgitte; Jensen, Troels Staehelin

2010-01-01

hinders evaluation of potential subgroups for further investigation and/or treatment allocation. Thus we used a standardized QST protocol to evaluate sensory functions in PPP and pain-free control patients, to allow individual sensory characterization of pain patients from calculated Z-values. Seventy PPP...... patients with pain related impairment of everyday activities were compared with normative data from 40 pain-free postherniotomy patients operated>1 year previously. Z-values showed a large variation in sensory disturbances ranging from pronounced detection hypoesthesia (Z=6, cold) to pain hyperalgesia (Z......=-8, pressure). Hyperalgesia for various modalities were found in 80% of patients, with pressure hyperalgesia in approximately 65%, and cutaneous (mechanical or thermal) hyperalgesia in approximately 35% of patients. The paradoxical combination of tactile hypoesthesia and hyperalgesia was seen...

Sensory sub-attributes of creamy mouthfeel in commercial mayonnaises, custard desserts and sauces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weenen, H.; Jellema, R.H.; Wijk, R.A. de

2005-01-01

The sensory components of creamy mouthfeel in commercial mayonnaises, custard desserts and sauces were determined, using multi-variate analysis of the mean sensory ratings obtained from a quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) panel. Creamy is a particularly interesting attribute, as it is

Interaction of hyperalgesia and sensory loss in complex regional pain syndrome type I (CRPS I.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Volker Huge

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Sensory abnormalities are a key feature of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS. In order to characterise these changes in patients suffering from acute or chronic CRPS I, we used Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST in comparison to an age and gender matched control group. METHODS: 61 patients presenting with CRPS I of the upper extremity and 56 healthy subjects were prospectively assessed using QST. The patients' warm and cold detection thresholds (WDT; CDT, the heat and cold pain thresholds (HPT; CPT and the occurrence of paradoxical heat sensation (PHS were observed. RESULTS: In acute CRPS I, patients showed warm and cold hyperalgesia, indicated by significant changes in HPT and CPT. WDT and CDT were significantly increased as well, indicating warm and cold hypoaesthesia. In chronic CRPS, thermal hyperalgesia declined, but CDT as well as WDT further deteriorated. Solely patients with acute CRPS displayed PHS. To a minor degree, all QST changes were also present on the contralateral limb. CONCLUSIONS: We propose three pathomechanisms of CRPS I, which follow a distinct time course: Thermal hyperalgesia, observed in acute CRPS, indicates an ongoing aseptic peripheral inflammation. Thermal hypoaesthesia, as detected in acute and chronic CRPS, signals a degeneration of A-delta and C-fibres, which further deteriorates in chronic CRPS. PHS in acute CRPS I indicates that both inflammation and degeneration are present, whilst in chronic CRPS I, the pathomechanism of degeneration dominates, signalled by the absence of PHS. The contralateral changes observed strongly suggest the involvement of the central nervous system.

Thermal comfort in twentieth-century architectural heritage: Two houses of Le Corbusier and André Wogenscky

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ignacio Requena-Ruiz

2016-06-01

This article aims to develop a balanced understanding of the approach of Modernist architecture to climate, indoor atmospheres and inhabitants׳ thermal comfort. To do so, we complement the quantitative approach of environmental assessment methods with the qualitative angle of the history of sensory and architecture. The goal is to understand the environmental performance of architecture for dealing nowadays with thermal comfort issues while respecting its cultural and historical values. Two modernist houses have been selected as case studies: the Villa Curutchet of the master Le Corbusier and the Villa Chupin of his disciple André Wogenscky. As a result, the article reveals potentialities and constraints in terms of thermal comfort when working with Modern Architecture.

Quantitative sensory testing in classical trigeminal neuralgia-a blinded study in patients with and without concomitant persistent pain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Younis, Samaira; Maarbjerg, Stine; Reimer, Maren

2016-01-01

The diagnostic criteria of the third International Classification of Headache Disorders state that there should be no neurological deficits in patients with classical trigeminal neuralgia (TN) at clinical examination. However, studies demonstrating sensory abnormalities at bedside examination in TN...... scores were calculated to process frequency analyses and Z-profiles. We found increased mechanical detection threshold on the symptomatic side (47.2% vs 0%, P = 0.008), asymptomatic side (33.3% vs 0%, P = 0.011), and hand (36% vs 0%, P ... increased mechanical detection threshold on the symptomatic side compared with the asymptomatic side (-2.980 vs -2.166, P = 0.040). Thermal and mechanical hyperalgesia was detected bilaterally in the face and the hand. Trigeminal neuralgia patients with concomitant persistent pain tended to have higher mean...

New simultaneous thermogravimetry and modulated molecular beam mass spectrometry apparatus for quantitative thermal decomposition studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Behrens, R. Jr.

1987-01-01

A new type of instrument has been designed and constructed to measure quantitatively the gas phase species evolving during thermal decompositions. These measurements can be used for understanding the kinetics of thermal decomposition, determining the heats of formation and vaporization of high-temperature materials, and analyzing sample contaminants. The new design allows measurements to be made on the same time scale as the rates of the reactions being studied, provides a universal detection technique to study a wide range of compounds, gives quantitative measurements of decomposition products, and minimizes interference from the instrument on the measurements. The instrument design is based on a unique combination of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and modulated beam mass spectroscopy (MBMS) which are brought together into a symbiotic relationship through the use of differentially pumped vacuum systems, modulated molecular beam techniques, and computer control and data-acquisition systems. A data analysis technique that calculates partial pressures in the reaction cell from the simultaneous microbalance force measurements and the modulated mass spectrometry measurements has been developed. This eliminates the need to know the ionization cross section, the ion dissociation channels, the quadrupole transmission, and the ion detector sensitivity for each thermal decomposition product prior to quantifying the mass spectral data. The operation of the instrument and the data analysis technique are illustrated with the thermal decomposition of contaminants from a precipitated palladium powder

A dual-trace model for visual sensory memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Cappiello, Marcus; Zhang, Weiwei

2016-11-01

Visual sensory memory refers to a transient memory lingering briefly after the stimulus offset. Although previous literature suggests that visual sensory memory is supported by a fine-grained trace for continuous representation and a coarse-grained trace of categorical information, simultaneous separation and assessment of these traces can be difficult without a quantitative model. The present study used a continuous estimation procedure to test a novel mathematical model of the dual-trace hypothesis of visual sensory memory according to which visual sensory memory could be modeled as a mixture of 2 von Mises (2VM) distributions differing in standard deviation. When visual sensory memory and working memory (WM) for colors were distinguished using different experimental manipulations in the first 3 experiments, the 2VM model outperformed Zhang and Luck (2008) standard mixture model (SM) representing a mixture of a single memory trace and random guesses, even though SM outperformed 2VM for WM. Experiment 4 generalized 2VM's advantages of fitting visual sensory memory data over SM from color to orientation. Furthermore, a single trace model and 4 other alternative models were ruled out, suggesting the necessity and sufficiency of dual traces for visual sensory memory. Together these results support the dual-trace model of visual sensory memory and provide a preliminary inquiry into the nature of information loss from visual sensory memory to WM. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Evaluation of solar thermal storages with quantitative flow visualisation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Logie, W.; Frank, E.; Luzzi, A.

2008-07-15

The non-intrusive Quantitative Flow Visualisation (QFV) Techniques of Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV) and Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) have been evaluated in the context of experimental investigations on solar Thermal Energy Storages (TES). Much competence and experience has been gained in the integration of these powerful yet complex and time consuming flow analysis methods into the realm of laboratory experimentation. In addition to gathering experience in the application of QFV techniques, a number of charging and discharging variations were considered in light of exergetic evaluation for the influence they have on the ability of a TES to stratify. The contemporary awareness that poorly chosen pitch to diameter ratios by the design of immersed coil heat exchangers leads to a reduction in heat exchange and an increase in mixing phenomenon has been confirmed. The observation of two combitank (combined domestic hot water and space heating) configurations has shown that free convective heat transfer forces in the form of mixing energy play a significant role in the stratification efficiency of thermal energy storages. (author)

The sensory system of the esophagus--what do we know?

Science.gov (United States)

Brock, Christina; Gregersen, Hans; Gyawali, C Prakash; Lottrup, Christian; Furnari, Manuele; Savarino, Edoardo; Novais, Luis; Frøkjaer, Jens Brøndum; Bor, Serhat; Drewes, Asbjørn Mohr

2016-09-01

The nervous innervation and complex mechanical function of the esophagus make sensory evaluation difficult. However, during the last decades, several new techniques have made it possible to gain insight into pain processing of nociceptive signals. The current review highlights the sensory innervation and possibilities for quantitative sensory testing, the mechanosensory properties, the potential of high-resolution manometry and imaging, and the sensory system in special conditions, such as Barrett's esophagus. It is mandatory to understand the complex pathophysiology of the esophagus to enhance our understanding of esophageal disorders, but it also increases the complexity of future experimental and clinical studies. The new methods, as outlined in the current review, provide the possibility for researchers to enhance the quality of interdisciplinary research and to gain more knowledge about sensory symptoms and treatment possibilities. © 2016 New York Academy of Sciences.

Minimizing the source of nociception and its concurrent effect on sensory hypersensitivity: An exploratory study in chronic whiplash patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stratford Paul

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The cervical zygapophyseal joints may be a primary source of pain in up to 60% of individuals with chronic whiplash associated disorders (WAD and may be a contributing factor for peripheral and centrally mediated pain (sensory hypersensitivity. Sensory hypersensitivity has been associated with a poor prognosis. The purpose of the study was to determine if there is a change in measures indicative of sensory hypersensitivity in patients with chronic WAD grade II following a medial branch block (MBB procedure in the cervical spine. Methods Measures of sensory hypersensitivity were taken via quantitative sensory testing (QST consisting of pressure pain thresholds (PPT's and cold pain thresholds (CPT's. In patients with chronic WAD (n = 18, the measures were taken at three sites bilaterally, pre- and post- MBB. Reduced pain thresholds at remote sites have been considered an indicator of central hypersensitivity. A healthy age and gender matched comparison group (n = 18 was measured at baseline. An independent t-test was applied to determine if there were any significant differences between the WAD and normative comparison groups at baseline with respect to cold pain and pressure pain thresholds. A dependent t-test was used to determine whether there were any significant differences between the pre and post intervention cold pain and pressure pain thresholds in the patients with chronic WAD. Results At baseline, PPT's were decreased at all three sites in the WAD group (p Conclusions The patients with chronic WAD showed evidence of widespread sensory hypersensitivity to mechanical and thermal stimuli. The WAD group revealed decreased sensory hypersensitivity following a decrease in their primary source of pain stemming from the cervical zygapophyseal joints.

Thermal evaluation for exposed stone house with quantitative and qualitative approach in mountainous area, Wonosobo, Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Hermawan, Hermawan; Prianto, Eddy

2017-12-01

A building can be considered as having a good thermal performance if it can make the occupant comfortable. Thermal comfort can be seen from the occupant's respond toward the architectural elements and the environment, such as lighting, the room crowding, air temperature, humidity, oxygen level, and occupant's behaviours. The objective of this research is to analyse the thermal performance of four different orientation houses in mountainous area. The research was conducted on the four expose stone houses with four different orientations in the slope of Sindoro Mountain which has relative cool temperature, about 26°C. The measurement of the elements above was done quantitatively and qualitatively for 24 hours. The results are as follows. First, the most comfortable house is west-orientation house. Second, based on the quantitative and qualitative observation, there is no significant difference (±5 %). Third, the occupant's behaviours (caring and genen) also become factors influencing occupant's comfort.

Quantitative analysis of the thermal damping of coherent axion oscillations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, M.S.

1985-01-01

Unruh and Wald have recently discussed a new mechanism for damping coherent axion oscillations, ''thermal damping,'' which occurs due to the temperature dependence of the axion mass and neutrino viscosity. We investigate the effect quantitatively and find that the present energy density in axions can be written as rho/sub a/ = rho/sub a0//(1+J/sub UW/), where rho/sub a/0 is what the axion energy density would be in the absence of the thermal-damping effect and J/sub UW/ is an integral whose integrand depends upon (dm/sub a//dT) 2 . As a function of f(equivalentPeccei-Quinn symmetry-breaking scale) J/sub UW/ achieves its maximum value for f/sub PQ/approx. =3 x 10 12 GeV; unless the axion mass turn-on is very sudden, Vertical Bar(T/m/sub a/)(dm/sub a//dT)Vertical Bar>>1, J/sub UW/ is <<1, implying that this damping mechanism is not significant

Sensory profile of eleven peach cultivars Perfil sensorial de onze cultivares de pêssegos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francine Lorena Cuquel

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The goal of this study was to evaluate the sensory profile of eleven peach cultivars grown in an experimental orchard located in the city of Lapa (PR, Brazil in two seasons. The peach cultivars analyzed were Aurora I, Chimarrita, Chiripá, Coral, Eldorado, Granada, Leonense, Maciel, Marli, Premier, and Vanguarda. The sensory analysis was performed by previously trained panelists; 20 of them in the first season and 10 in the second season. The sensory evaluation was performed using Quantitative Descriptive Analysis, in which the following attributes were measured: appearance, aroma, flesh color, flesh firmness, flavor, and juiciness. The results showed preference for sweet, soft, and juicy fruits. Chimarrita, Chiripá, and Coral fruits showed better sensorial performance than the other peach cultivars. It was also verified that the analysis of the attributes aroma, flesh firmness, and flavor is enough for performing the sensory profile of peach fruits for in natura consumption.Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o perfil sensorial de onze cultivares de pêssego produzidos em duas safras em um pomar experimental implantado na Lapa (PR, Brasil. Os cultivares analisados foram Aurora I, Chimarrita, Chiripá, Coral, Eldorado, Granada, Leonense, Maciel, Marli, Premier e Vanguarda. As análises sensoriais foram realizadas por julgadores previamente treinados, sendo 20 julgadores na primeira safra e 10 na segunda. O método de avaliação empregado foi a Análise Descritiva Quantitativa na qual foram mensurados os atributos aparência, aroma, cor de polpa, firmeza de polpa, sabor e suculência dos frutos. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram a preferência por frutos de sabor adocicado, com polpa macia e suculenta. Os cultivares Chimarrita, Chiripá e Coral obtiveram o melhor desempenho nas análises sensoriais. Foi verificado ainda que os atributos aroma, firmeza de polpa e sabor são considerados suficientes para a avaliação do perfil sensorial de

Involvement of sensory neurons in bone defect repair in rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henmi, Akiko; Nakamura, Megumi; Echigo, Seishi; Sasano, Yasuyuki

2011-01-01

We investigated bone repair in sensory-denervated rats, compared with controls, to elucidate the involvement of sensory neurons. Nine-week-old male Wistar rats received subcutaneous injections of capsaicin to denervate sensory neurons. Rats treated with the same amount of vehicle served as controls. A standardized bone defect was created on the parietal bone. We measured the amount of repaired bone with quantitative radiographic analysis and the mRNA expressions of osteocalcin and cathepsin K with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Quantitative radiographic analysis showed that the standard deviations and coefficients of variation for the amount of repaired bone were much higher in the capsaicin-treated group than in the control group at any time point, which means that larger individual differences in the amount of repaired bone were found in capsaicin-treated rats than controls. Furthermore, radiographs showed radiolucency in pre-existing bone surrounding the standardized defect only in the capsaicin-treated group, and histological observation demonstrated some multinuclear cells corresponding to the radiolucent area. Real-time PCR indicated that there was no significant difference in the mRNA expression levels of osteocalcin and cathepsin K between the control group and the capsaicin-treated group. These results suggest that capsaicin-induced sensory denervation affects the bone defect repair. (author)

Sensory Neuropathy Due to Loss of Bcl-w

Science.gov (United States)

Courchesne, Stephanie L.; Karch, Christoph; Pazyra-Murphy, Maria F.; Segal, Rosalind A.

2010-01-01

Small fiber sensory neuropathy is a common disorder in which progressive degeneration of small diameter nociceptors causes decreased sensitivity to thermal stimuli and painful sensations in the extremities. In the majority of patients, the cause of small fiber sensory neuropathy is unknown, and treatment options are limited. Here, we show that Bcl-w (Bcl-2l2) is required for the viability of small fiber nociceptive sensory neurons. Bcl-w −/− mice demonstrate an adult-onset progressive decline in thermosensation and a decrease in nociceptor innervation of the epidermis. This denervation occurs without cell body loss, indicating that lack of Bcl-w results in a primary axonopathy. Consistent with this phenotype, we show that Bcl-w, in contrast to the closely related Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, is enriched in axons of sensory neurons and that Bcl-w prevents the dying back of axons. Bcl-w −/− sensory neurons exhibit mitochondrial abnormalities, including alterations in axonal mitochondrial size, axonal mitochondrial membrane potential, and cellular ATP levels. Collectively, these data establish bcl-w −/− mice as an animal model of small fiber sensory neuropathy, and provide new insight regarding the role of bcl-w and of mitochondria in preventing axonal degeneration. PMID:21289171

Complex interaction of sensory and motor signs and symptoms in chronic CRPS.

Science.gov (United States)

Huge, Volker; Lauchart, Meike; Magerl, Walter; Beyer, Antje; Moehnle, Patrick; Kaufhold, Wibke; Schelling, Gustav; Azad, Shahnaz Christina

2011-04-29

Spontaneous pain, hyperalgesia as well as sensory abnormalities, autonomic, trophic, and motor disturbances are key features of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). This study was conceived to comprehensively characterize the interaction of these symptoms in 118 patients with chronic upper limb CRPS (duration of disease: 43±23 months). Disease-related stress, depression, and the degree of accompanying motor disability were likewise assessed. Stress and depression were measured by Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Score and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Test. Motor disability of the affected hand was determined by Sequential Occupational Dexterity Assessment and Michigan Hand Questionnaire. Sensory changes were assessed by Quantitative Sensory Testing according to the standards of the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain. Almost two-thirds of all patients exhibited spontaneous pain at rest. Hand force as well as hand motor function were found to be substantially impaired. Results of Quantitative Sensory Testing revealed a distinct pattern of generalized bilateral sensory loss and hyperalgesia, most prominently to blunt pressure. Patients reported substantial motor complaints confirmed by the objective motor disability testings. Interestingly, patients displayed clinically relevant levels of stress and depression. We conclude that chronic CRPS is characterized by a combination of ongoing pain, pain-related disability, stress and depression, potentially triggered by peripheral nerve/tissue damage and ensuing sensory loss. In order to consolidate the different dimensions of disturbances in chronic CRPS, we developed a model based on interaction analysis suggesting a complex hierarchical interaction of peripheral (injury/sensory loss) and central factors (pain/disability/stress/depression) predicting motor dysfunction and hyperalgesia.

Complex interaction of sensory and motor signs and symptoms in chronic CRPS.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Volker Huge

Full Text Available Spontaneous pain, hyperalgesia as well as sensory abnormalities, autonomic, trophic, and motor disturbances are key features of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS. This study was conceived to comprehensively characterize the interaction of these symptoms in 118 patients with chronic upper limb CRPS (duration of disease: 43±23 months. Disease-related stress, depression, and the degree of accompanying motor disability were likewise assessed. Stress and depression were measured by Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Score and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Test. Motor disability of the affected hand was determined by Sequential Occupational Dexterity Assessment and Michigan Hand Questionnaire. Sensory changes were assessed by Quantitative Sensory Testing according to the standards of the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain. Almost two-thirds of all patients exhibited spontaneous pain at rest. Hand force as well as hand motor function were found to be substantially impaired. Results of Quantitative Sensory Testing revealed a distinct pattern of generalized bilateral sensory loss and hyperalgesia, most prominently to blunt pressure. Patients reported substantial motor complaints confirmed by the objective motor disability testings. Interestingly, patients displayed clinically relevant levels of stress and depression. We conclude that chronic CRPS is characterized by a combination of ongoing pain, pain-related disability, stress and depression, potentially triggered by peripheral nerve/tissue damage and ensuing sensory loss. In order to consolidate the different dimensions of disturbances in chronic CRPS, we developed a model based on interaction analysis suggesting a complex hierarchical interaction of peripheral (injury/sensory loss and central factors (pain/disability/stress/depression predicting motor dysfunction and hyperalgesia.

Sensory analysis of cosmetic powders: personal care ingredients and emulsions.

Science.gov (United States)

Moussour, M; Lavarde, M; Pensé-Lhéritier, A-M; Bouton, F

2017-02-01

The powders are ingredients increasingly used in the formulation of cosmetic products for the sensory qualities they give. The objective of this study was the development of a lexicon and a referential for sensory characterization of these pure raw materials as well as formulations which contain them. Eleven expert panellists from Ecole de biologie industrielle de Cergy (France) developed a lexicon and a referential based on 12 powders of different chemical natures. The selected attributes were then used for performing a quantitative descriptive profile of two powders and an emulsion containing or not one of these two powders. A lexicon has been established through a consensus approach of the panel. It contains seven attributes that allow the evaluation of the powders in four phases: the appearance, the pickup, the application and the after-feel. This lexicon contains definitions and assessment protocols and provides references products. The quantitative descriptive profile of two powders of the same chemical nature, but different in physical quality showed significant differences in sensory level between products. These same attributes used to evaluate an emulsion containing the powder or not allowed to prove the contribution of these raw materials on the sensory specificities of the emulsion. The lexicon developed in this study can be used for assessment of other powders but also to define the quantities necessary to put in the formulation to meet the sensory characteristics of these raw materials powder. © 2016 Society of Cosmetic Scientists and the Société Française de Cosmétologie.

Sensory and chemical interactions of food pairings (basmati rice, bacon and extra virgin olive oil) with banana

OpenAIRE

Traynor, Mark; Burke, Roisin; O'Sullivan, Maurice G; Hannon, John; Barry-Ryan, Catherine

2013-01-01

The aim of this study aimed to investigate food pairings as an important sensory phenomenon in order to determine how different components in the selected food pairings affect and interact with other components. Three novel food pairings (banana and bacon, banana and olive oil, and banana and rice) were selected. A conjoint approach utilising qualitative (organic volatile analysis and descriptive sensory analysis) and quantitative (comparable semi quantitative organic volatile analysis and af...

Sensory-directed identification of taste-active ellagitannins in American (Quercus alba L.) and European oak wood (Quercus robur L.) and quantitative analysis in bourbon whiskey and oak-matured red wines.

Science.gov (United States)

Glabasnia, Arne; Hofmann, Thomas

2006-05-03

Aimed at increasing our knowledge on the sensory-active nonvolatiles migrating from oak wood into alcoholic beverages upon cooperaging, an aqueous ethanolic extract prepared from oak wood chips (Quercus alba L.) was screened for its key taste compounds by application of the taste dilution analysis. Purification of the compounds perceived with the highest sensory impacts, followed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry as well as one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR experiments, revealed the ellagitannins vescalagin, castalagin, and grandinin, the roburins A-E, and 33-deoxy-33-carboxyvescalagin as the key molecules imparting an astringent oral sensation. To the best of our knowledge, 33-deoxy-33-carboxyvescalagin has as yet not been reported as a phytochemical in Q. alba L. In addition, the sensory activity of these ellagitannins was determined for the first time on the basis of their human threshold concentrations and dose/response functions. Furthermore, the ellagitannins have been quantitatively determined in extracts prepared from Q. alba L. and Quercus robur L., respectively, as well as in bourbon whiskey and oak-matured red wines, and the sensory contribution of the individual compounds has been evaluated for the first time on the basis of dose/activity considerations.

Influence and comparison of thermal, ultrasonic and thermo-sonic treatments on microbiological quality and sensory properties of rennet cheese whey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajka Božanić

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Ultrasonication and thermo-sonication belong to alternative, non-thermal food processing methods. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of different ultrasound power inputs (240 W, 320 W, 400 W without and in combination with heat pre-treatment on microbial inactivation and sensory properties of rennet cheese whey in comparison with conventional pasteurization batch processes. Ultrasonication treatments had no impact on reduction of any group of studied microorganisms. Microbial inactivation caused by thermo-sonication treatments with pre-heating to 35 °C or 45 °C increased with nominal power input and/or exposure times and was probably due to the heat improved ultrasonic cavitation. Thermo-sonication treatments at nominal power input (400 W and preheating to 55 °C were the most effective resulting in greater microbial reduction compared to that observed by simulating pasteurization processes, but occurred probably due to developed heat solely. Sensory properties after ultrasonication and thermo-sonication were considerably improved in comparison with that after simulated pasteurization processes. Mouth feel of whey samples was considerably better, there was no occurrence of sediment and colour remained unchanged in almost all samples.

Sensory dissociation in chronic low back pain: Two case reports.

Science.gov (United States)

Adamczyk, Wacław M; Luedtke, Kerstin; Saulicz, Oskar; Saulicz, Edward

2018-08-01

Patients with chronic low back pain often report that they do not perceive their painful back accurately. Previous studies confirmed that sensory dissociation and/or discrepancy between perceived body image and actual size is one of the specific traits of patients with chronic pain. Current approaches for measuring sensory dissociation are limited to two-point-discrimination or rely on pain drawings not allowing for quantitative analysis. This case study reports the sensory dissociation of two cases with chronic low back pain using a recently published test (point-to-point-test (PTP)) and a newly developed test (two-point-estimation (TPE)). Both patients mislocalized tactile stimuli delivered to the painful location compared to non-painful locations (PTP test). In addition, both patients perceived their painful lumbar region differently from non-painful sites above and below and contralateral to the painful site. TPE data showed two distinct clinical patterns of sensory dissociation: one patient perceived the two-point distance in the painful area as expanded, while the other patient perceived it as shrunk. The latter pattern of sensory dissociation (i.e., pattern shrunk) is likely to respond to sensory training. Whether enlarged patterns of sensory dissociation are more resistant to treatment remains unknown but would explain the low effectiveness of previous studies using sensory training in chronic low back pain populations. Subgrouping patients according to their sensory discrimination pattern could contribute to the choice and effectiveness of the treatment approach.

Mapping Sensory Spots for Moderate Temperatures on the Back of Hand

OpenAIRE

Fan Yang; Guixu Chen; Sikai Zhou; Danhong Han; Jingjing Xu; Shengyong Xu

2017-01-01

Thermosensation with thermoreceptors plays an important role in maintaining body temperature at an optimal state and avoiding potential damage caused by harmful hot or cold environmental temperatures. In this work, the locations of sensory spots for sensing moderate temperatures of 40–50 °C on the back of the hands of young Chinese people were mapped in a blind-test manner with a thermal probe of 1.0 mm spatial resolution. The number of sensory spots increased along with the testing temperatu...

Cross-Excitation in Peripheral Sensory Ganglia Associated with Pain Transmission

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katsuhiro Omoto

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Despite the absence of synaptic contacts, cross-excitation of neurons in sensory ganglia during signal transmission is considered to be chemically mediated and appears increased in chronic pain states. In this study, we modulated neurotransmitter release in sensory neurons by direct application of type A botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT/A to sensory ganglia in an animal model of neuropathic pain and evaluated the effect of this treatment on nocifensive. Unilateral sciatic nerve entrapment (SNE reduced the ipsilateral hindpaw withdrawal threshold to mechanical stimulation and reduced hindpaw withdrawal latency to thermal stimulation. Direct application of BoNT/A to the ipsilateral L4 dorsal root ganglion (DRG was localized in the cell bodies of the DRG and reversed the SNE-induced decreases in withdrawal thresholds within 2 days of BoNT/A administration. Results from this study suggest that neurotransmitter release within sensory ganglia is involved in the regulation of pain-related signal transmission.

NMR spectrometers as "magnetic tongues": prediction of sensory descriptors in canned tomatoes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Malmendal, Anders; Amoresano, Claudia; Trotta, Roberta

2011-01-01

The perception of odor and flavor of food is a complicated physiological and psychological process that cannot be explained by simple models. Quantitative descriptive analysis is a technique used to describe sensory features. Nevertheless, the availability of a number of instrumental techniques has...... opened up the possibility to calibrate the sensory perception. In this frame, we have tested the potentiality of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy as a predictive tool to measure sensory descriptors. In particular, we have used an NMR metabolomic approach that allowed us to differentiate...... the analyzed samples based on their chemical composition. We were able to correlate the NMR metabolomic fingerprints recorded for canned tomato samples to the sensory descriptors bitterness, sweetness, sourness, saltiness, tomato and metal taste, redness, and density, suggesting that NMR might be a very useful...

Thermal Processing Alters the Chemical Quality and Sensory Characteristics of Sweetsop (Annona squamosa L.) and Soursop (Annona muricata L.) Pulp and Nectar.

Science.gov (United States)

Baskaran, Revathy; Ravi, Ramasamy; Rajarathnam, Somasundaram

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of thermal processing on the chemical quality and sensory characteristics of Annona squamosa L. and Annona muricata L. fruit pulps and nectar. The fruit pulps were pasteurized at 85 °C for 20 min and nectar prepared as per Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) specifications. The chemical composition of fresh and heated pulps of A. squamosa and A. muricata showed that compared to fresh, the chemical profile and sensory profile changed in heated samples and nectar. The free and bound phenolics of A. squamosa increased in heated pulp (127.61 to 217.22 mg/100 g and 150.34 to 239.74 mg/100 g, respectively), while in A. muricata, free phenolics increased very marginally from 31.73 to 33.74 mg/100 g and bound phenolics decreased from 111.11 to 86.91 mg/100 g. This increase in phenolic content may be attributed to the perception of bitterness and astringency in A. squamosa pulp on heating. In electronic tongue studies, principal component analysis (PCA) confirmed that the fresh and heated pulps had different scores, as indicated by sensory analysis using qualitative descriptive analysis (QDA). E-tongue analysis of samples discriminated the volatile compounds released from the heated A. squamosa and A. muricata fruit pulps and nectar in their respective PCA plots by forming different clusters. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

Desenvolvimento do perfil sensorial e avaliação sensorial/instrumental de suco de maracujá Sensory profile development and sensory/instrumental passion fruit juice evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Regina C. Della Modesta

2005-06-01

Full Text Available As mais importantes frutas tropicais na categoria de sucos são maracujá e manga, especialmente desejadas por sua impressão aromática e intensa. O aroma e o sabor são resultados da presença de numerosos constituintes que se encontram em concentrações variáveis, extremamente sensíveis às mudanças durante o tratamento térmico na produção de suco. Há a necessidade do desenvolvimento dos perfis sensorial e de cor, que podem ser alterados durante o processamento do suco. O objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver esses perfis e avaliar os sucos de maracujá entamborado: despolpado, pasteurizado, entamborado e congelado; pronto para beber (formulado com açúcar e água; e pasteurizado. Treze atributos compuseram o perfil sensorial. O experimento de Análise Descritiva Quantitativa foi delineado com 2 fatores, sucos e provadores. Os resultados foram também submetidos a uma análise de componentes principais. Houve diferença significativa entre os três sucos nos atributos sensoriais, exceto para aromas de maracujá e doce. O aroma artificial, e os aromas e os sabores de cozido e fermentado aumentaram significativamente no suco processado. Os dois primeiros componentes principais concentraram 57% da variação nos atributos sensoriais. Os parâmetros de cor, à exceção do turbidez, apresentaram variações significativas entre os sucos. O suco entamborado foi o mais escuro. A intensidade de vermelho nos sucos entamborado e formulado foi similar, menos acentuada no pasteurizado, enquanto a intensidade de amarelo foi mais acentuada no formulado, decrescendo nos pasteurizado e entamborado.The most important tropical fruits used in juice production are passion fruit and mango. They are especially liked due to their intense aromas. Aroma and flavor are results of many constituents that are present in different concentrations, which are very sensitive to changes during thermal treatment used in the juice production. This work aimed at

Sensory evaluation of heating and air conditioning systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Evin, F.; Siekierski, E. [Electricite de France, Research and Development Division, Les Renardieres, Moret Sur Loing (France)

2002-07-01

Existing standards and models, such as ISO 7730 or the work of Fanger [Thermal Comfort], are not sufficient to characterise the satisfaction and pleasantness of end-users provided by heating or air conditioning systems. For this reason Electricite de France (EDF) has initiated a project with the aim of using sensory evaluation techniques in the design of HVAC systems. Sensory evaluation has been used for more than 30 years in the food industry, and now involves the cosmetics, the phone and the automotive industries. It is based on a dual evaluation: sensation measurements carried out by a small panel of trained expert assessors; preference studies performed by a large panel of representative consumers. A correlation between the data of both studies is then used to explain the preferences in terms of sensations (preference mapping). The first experiments performed in 1999 and 2000 have provided lists of descriptors of thermal sensation and acoustic sensation associated with heating and air conditioning appliances. They show that it is possible to define discriminative descriptors, to train a panel and to reliably quantify these descriptors. It is then possible to draw the sensory profiles of different heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The future experimental laboratory that EDF has decided to build is also presented, where the trained panels and end-users will evaluate the sensations and the preferences of real systems in eight 'realistic environmental chambers' designed, furnished and decorated like offices and flats. (author)

Minimizing the source of nociception and its concurrent effect on sensory hypersensitivity: an exploratory study in chronic whiplash patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Geoff M; Smith, Ashley D; Hooper, Allen; Stratford, Paul; Schneider, Kathryn J; Westaway, Michael D; Frizzell, Bevan; Olson, Lee

2010-02-09

The cervical zygapophyseal joints may be a primary source of pain in up to 60% of individuals with chronic whiplash associated disorders (WAD) and may be a contributing factor for peripheral and centrally mediated pain (sensory hypersensitivity). Sensory hypersensitivity has been associated with a poor prognosis. The purpose of the study was to determine if there is a change in measures indicative of sensory hypersensitivity in patients with chronic WAD grade II following a medial branch block (MBB) procedure in the cervical spine. Measures of sensory hypersensitivity were taken via quantitative sensory testing (QST) consisting of pressure pain thresholds (PPT's) and cold pain thresholds (CPT's). In patients with chronic WAD (n = 18), the measures were taken at three sites bilaterally, pre- and post- MBB. Reduced pain thresholds at remote sites have been considered an indicator of central hypersensitivity. A healthy age and gender matched comparison group (n = 18) was measured at baseline. An independent t-test was applied to determine if there were any significant differences between the WAD and normative comparison groups at baseline with respect to cold pain and pressure pain thresholds. A dependent t-test was used to determine whether there were any significant differences between the pre and post intervention cold pain and pressure pain thresholds in the patients with chronic WAD. At baseline, PPT's were decreased at all three sites in the WAD group (p < 0.001). Cold pain thresholds were increased in the cervical spine in the WAD group (p < 0.001). Post-MBB, the WAD group showed significant increases in PPT's at all sites (p < 0.05), and significant decreases in CPT's at the cervical spine (p < 0.001). The patients with chronic WAD showed evidence of widespread sensory hypersensitivity to mechanical and thermal stimuli. The WAD group revealed decreased sensory hypersensitivity following a decrease in their primary source of pain stemming from the cervical

Aromatic profile of ciders by chemical quantitative, gas chromatography-olfactometry, and sensory analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Antón, María José; Suárez Valles, Belén; García Hevia, Ana; Picinelli Lobo, Anna

2014-01-01

Nine samples of Asturias cider have been analyzed for volatile, olfactometric, and sensorial profiles. The aromatic composition was mainly constituted by fusel alcohols and ethyl esters. Among the minor volatile compounds, fatty acids, volatile phenols, and alcohols were the main components. The olfactometric analysis revealed the existence of 55 aromatic areas, exhibiting a wide range of intensities. Components like amyl alcohols, 2-phenylethanol, ethyl esters such as 2-methylbutyrate, hexanoate and octanoate, hexanoic and octanoic acids 2-phenylethyl acetate, 4-ethyl guaiacol, and 4-ethyl phenol could be considered as being part of the structure of cider aroma. The extract dilution analysis of one extract identified 2 volatile phenols (4-ethyl guaiacol and 4-ethyl phenol) among the most powerful odorants in cider. These components gave significant correlations with the sensory attributes sweet, spicy, and lees. © 2013 Institute of Food Technologists®

Mapping Sensory Spots for Moderate Temperatures on the Back of Hand.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Fan; Chen, Guixu; Zhou, Sikai; Han, Danhong; Xu, Jingjing; Xu, Shengyong

2017-12-04

Thermosensation with thermoreceptors plays an important role in maintaining body temperature at an optimal state and avoiding potential damage caused by harmful hot or cold environmental temperatures. In this work, the locations of sensory spots for sensing moderate temperatures of 40-50 °C on the back of the hands of young Chinese people were mapped in a blind-test manner with a thermal probe of 1.0 mm spatial resolution. The number of sensory spots increased along with the testing temperature; however, the surface density of sensory spots was remarkably lower than those reported previously. The locations of the spots were irregularly distributed and subject-dependent. Even for the same subject, the number and location of sensory spots were unbalanced and asymmetric between the left and right hands. The results may offer valuable information for designing artificial electronic skin and wearable devices, as well as for clinical applications.

Sensory and Physical Effects of Sugar Reduction in a Caramel Coating System.

Science.gov (United States)

Mayhew, Emily J; Schmidt, Shelly J; Lee, Soo-Yeun

2017-08-01

Sugar reduction in processed foods is a pressing and complex problem, as sugars contribute important sensory and physical properties to foods. Composed of sugars and lipids, caramel coating systems, like the coating in caramel popcorns, exemplify this challenge. In order to probe the feasibility and consequences of sugar reduction, both sensory and physical properties were measured for 3 types of caramel coating systems. Four commonly used sugar alcohols, isomalt, maltitol, mannitol, and sorbitol, with different thermal properties and relative sweetness values were chosen to replace sugar in the caramel coating systems at 25% and 50% sugar reduction levels. Full sugar (control) and reduced sugar caramel coating samples were prepared in duplicate. Ten trained panelists participated in a 6-wk descriptive analysis panel to define and quantify the intensity of important sensory characteristics. All 24 sensory terms generated by the panel differed significantly across caramel type and sugar replacer. Thermal properties were measured through differential scanning calorimetry, and textural properties were measured through texture profile analysis. Replacement of sugar with sugar alcohols was found to decrease the glass transition temperature and systematically alter the hardness and resilience of caramel samples. Principal component analysis of sensory and physical data revealed that caramel coating type dictates caramel aroma, aroma by mouth, taste, and aftertaste, while sugar replacer and replacement level dictate texture. This research represents the first comprehensive study of the effects of sugar reduction in a caramel coating system and suggests successful strategies for sugar reduction and key parameters to control in reduced sugar systems. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Sensory profiling of Dalmatian dry-cured ham under different temperature conditions

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Zlatko Janječić

2010-01-01

Full Text Available To investigate the influence of the Dalmatian ham processing conditions on weight loss and sensory characteristics, 20 hams were processed following different temperature conditions during salting and ripening. For that purpose, hams were evaluated using quantitative descriptive analysis. The weight loss was higher and all sensory traits except presence of tyrosine and phenylalanine crystals were higher rated for hams processed at higher temperatures. The most significant (P<0.0001 influence of temperature was established on subcutaneous fat color, muscle color and presence of tyrosine and phenylalanine, whereas no influence was established on appearance, marbling, flavor and melting. This concludes that there is overall significant effect of higher temperature on sensory characteristics most likely due to the more intense proteolysis and lipolysis.

Quantitative sensory testing of temperature, pain, and touch in adults with Down syndrome

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Knegt, N.C.; Defrin, R.; Schuengel, C.; Lobbezoo, F.; Evenhuis, H.M.; Scherder, E.J.A.

2015-01-01

The spinothalamic pathway mediates sensations of temperature, pain, and touch. These functions seem impaired in children with Down syndrome (DS), but have not been extensively examined in adults. The objective of the present study was to compare the spinothalamic-mediated sensory functions between

Electrical stimulation enhances sensory recovery: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Joshua N; Olson, Jaret L; Morhart, Michael J; Chan, K Ming

2015-06-01

Brief postsurgical electrical stimulation (ES) has been shown to enhance peripheral nerve regeneration in animal models following axotomy and crush injury. However, whether this treatment is beneficial in humans with sensory nerve injury has not been tested. The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that ES would enhance sensory nerve regeneration following digital nerve transection compared to surgery alone. Patients with complete digital nerve transection underwent epineurial nerve repair. After coaptation of the severed nerve ends, fine wire electrodes were implanted before skin closure. Postoperatively, patients were randomized to receiving either 1 hour of 20Hz continuous ES or sham stimulation in a double-blinded manner. Patients were followed monthly for 6 months by a blinded evaluator to monitor physiological recovery of spatial discrimination, pressure threshold, and quantitative small fiber sensory testing. Functional disability was measured using the Disability of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire. A total of 36 patients were recruited, with 18 in each group. Those in the ES group showed consistently greater improvements in all sensory modalities by 5 to 6 months postoperatively compared to the controls. Although there was a trend of greater functional improvements in the ES group, it was not statistically significant (p > 0.01). Postsurgical ES enhanced sensory reinnervation in patients who sustained complete digital nerve transection. The conferred benefits apply to a wide range of sensory functions. © 2015 American Neurological Association.

Quantitative analysis of thermal insulation coatings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kiil, Søren

2014-01-01

This work concerns the development of simulation tools for mapping of insulation properties of thermal insulation coatings based on selected functional filler materials. A mathematical model, which includes the underlying physics (i.e. thermal conductivity of a heterogeneous two-component coating...

SENSORY PROCESSING DURING CHILDHOOD IN PRETERM INFANTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW.

Science.gov (United States)

Machado, Ana Carolina Cabral de Paula; Oliveira, Suelen Rosa de; Magalhães, Lívia de Castro; Miranda, Débora Marques de; Bouzada, Maria Cândida Ferrarez

2017-01-01

To conduct a systematic search for grounded and quality evidence of sensory processing in preterm infants during childhood. The search of the available literature on the theme was held in the following electronic databases: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline)/PubMed, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (Lilacs)/Virtual Library in Health (BVS), Índice Bibliográfico Español de Ciencias de la Salud (IBECS)/BVS, Scopus, and Web of Science. We included only original indexed studies with a quantitative approach, which were available in full text on digital media, published in Portuguese, English, or Spanish between 2005 and 2015, involving children aged 0-9years. 581 articles were identified and eight were included. Six studies (75%) found high frequency of dysfunction in sensory processing in preterm infants. The association of sensory processing with developmental outcomes was observed in three studies (37.5%). The association of sensory processing with neonatal characteristics was observed in five studies (62.5%), and the sensory processing results are often associated with gestational age, male gender, and white matter lesions. The current literature suggests that preterm birth affects the sensory processing, negatively. Gestational age, male gender, and white matter lesions appear as risk factors for sensoryprocessing disorders in preterm infants. The impairment in the ability to receivesensory inputs, to integrateand to adapt to them seems to have a negative effect on motor, cognitive, and language development of these children. We highlight the feasibility of identifying sensory processing disorders early in life, favoring early clinical interventions.

Passion fruit juice with different sweeteners: sensory profile by descriptive analysis and acceptance.

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Rocha, Izabela Furtado de Oliveira; Bolini, Helena Maria André

2015-03-01

This study evaluated the effect of different sweeteners on the sensory profile, acceptance, and drivers of preference of passion fruit juice samples sweetened with sucrose, aspartame, sucralose, stevia, cyclamate/saccharin blend 2:1, and neotame. Sensory profiling was performed by 12 trained assessors using quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA). Acceptance tests (appearance, aroma, flavor, texture and overall impression) were performed with 124 consumers of tropical fruit juice. Samples with sucrose, aspartame and sucralose showed similar sensory profile (P Passion fruit flavor affected positively and sweet aftertaste affected negatively the acceptance of the samples. Samples sweetened with aspartame, sucralose, and sucrose presented higher acceptance scores for the attributes flavor, texture, and overall impression, with no significant (P passion fruit juice.

Quantitative one-dimensional thermal-wave cavity measurements of fluid thermophysical properties through equivalence studies with three-dimensional geometries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matvienko, Anna; Mandelis, Andreas

2006-01-01

The thermal-wave field in a photopyroelectric thermal-wave cavity was calculated with two theoretical approaches: a computationally straightforward, conventional, one-dimensional approach and a three-dimensional experimentally more realistic approach. The calculations show that the dimensionality of the thermal-wave field in the cavity depends on the lateral heat transfer boundary conditions and the relation between the beam size of the laser impinging on the thermal-wave generating metallic film and the diameter of the film itself. The theoretical calculations and the experimental data on the photopyroelectric signal in the cavity were compared. The study resulted in identifying ranges of heat transfer rates, beam sizes, and cavity radii for which accurate quantitative measurements of the thermal diffusivity of intracavity fluids can be made within the far simpler, but only approximate, one-dimensional approach conventionally adopted by users of thermal-wave cavities. It was shown that the major parameters affecting the dimensionality of thermal-wave cavities are the laser beam spot size and the Biot number of the medium comprising the sidewalls of the (cylindrical) cavity

Epidermal photonic devices for quantitative imaging of temperature and thermal transport characteristics of the skin

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Gao, Li; Zhang, Yihui; Malyarchuk, Viktor; Jia, Lin; Jang, Kyung-In; Chad Webb, R.; Fu, Haoran; Shi, Yan; Zhou, Guoyan; Shi, Luke; Shah, Deesha; Huang, Xian; Xu, Baoxing; Yu, Cunjiang; Huang, Yonggang; Rogers, John A.

2014-09-01

Characterization of temperature and thermal transport properties of the skin can yield important information of relevance to both clinical medicine and basic research in skin physiology. Here we introduce an ultrathin, compliant skin-like, or ‘epidermal’, photonic device that combines colorimetric temperature indicators with wireless stretchable electronics for thermal measurements when softly laminated on the skin surface. The sensors exploit thermochromic liquid crystals patterned into large-scale, pixelated arrays on thin elastomeric substrates; the electronics provide means for controlled, local heating by radio frequency signals. Algorithms for extracting patterns of colour recorded from these devices with a digital camera and computational tools for relating the results to underlying thermal processes near the skin surface lend quantitative value to the resulting data. Application examples include non-invasive spatial mapping of skin temperature with milli-Kelvin precision (±50 mK) and sub-millimetre spatial resolution. Demonstrations in reactive hyperaemia assessments of blood flow and hydration analysis establish relevance to cardiovascular health and skin care, respectively.

Sensory profiles of chocolates produced from cocoa cultivars resistant to Moniliophtora Perniciosa

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Paula Bacelar Leite

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The present study evaluated the sensory quality of chocolates obtained from two cocoa cultivars (PH16 and SR162 resistant to Moniliophtora perniciosa mould comparing to a conventional cocoa that is not resistant to the disease. The acceptability of the chocolates was assessed and the promising cultivars with relevant sensory and commercial attributes could be indicated to cocoa producers and chocolate manufacturers. The descriptive terminology and the sensory profile of chocolates were developed by Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA. Ten panelists, selected on the basis of their discriminatory capacity and reproducibility, defined eleven sensory descriptors, their respective reference materials and the descriptive evaluation ballot. The data were analyzed using ANOVA, Principal Component Analysis (PCA and Tukey's test to compare the means. The results revealed significant differences among the sensory profiles of the chocolates. Chocolates from the PH16 cultivar were characterized by a darker brown color, more intense flavor and odor of chocolate, bitterness and a firmer texture, which are important sensory and commercial attributes. Chocolates from the SR162 cultivar were characterized by a greater sweetness and melting quality and chocolates from the conventional treatment presented intermediate sensory characteristics between those of the other two chocolates. All samples indicated high acceptance, but chocolates from the PH16 and conventional cultivars obtained higher purchase intention scores.

BMP4 signaling is involved in the generation of inner ear sensory epithelia

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Wang Yucheng

2005-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The robust expression of BMP4 in the incipient sensory organs of the inner ear suggests possible roles for this signaling protein during induction and development of auditory and vestibular sensory epithelia. Homozygous BMP4-/- animals die before the inner ear's sensory organs develop, which precludes determining the role of BMP4 in these organs with simple gene knockout experiments. Results Here we use a chicken otocyst culture system to perform quantitative studies on the development of inner ear cell types and show that hair cell and supporting cell generation is remarkably reduced when BMP signaling is blocked, either with its antagonist noggin or by using soluble BMP receptors. Conversely, we observed an increase in the number of hair cells when cultured otocysts were treated with exogenous BMP4. BMP4 treatment additionally prompted down-regulation of Pax-2 protein in proliferating sensory epithelial progenitors, leading to reduced progenitor cell proliferation. Conclusion Our results implicate BMP4 in two events during chicken inner ear sensory epithelium formation: first, in inducing the switch from proliferative sensory epithelium progenitors to differentiating epithelial cells and secondly, in promoting the differentiation of hair cells within the developing sensory epithelia.

Localization of SSeCKS in unmyelinated primary sensory neurons

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Siegel Sandra M

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background SSeCKS (Src SupprEssed C Kinase Substrate is a proposed protein kinase C substrate/A kinase anchoring protein (AKAP that has recently been characterized in the rat peripheral nervous system. It has been shown that approximately 40% of small primary sensory neurons contain SSeCKS-immunoreactivity in a population largely separate from substance P (95.2%, calcitonin gene related peptide (95.3%, or fluoride resistant acid phosphatase (55.0% labeled cells. In the spinal cord, it was found that SSeCKS-immunoreactive axon collaterals terminate in the dorsal third of lamina II outer in a region similar to that of unmyelinated C-, or small diameter myelinated Aδ-, fibers. However, the precise characterization of the anatomical profile of the primary sensory neurons containing SSeCKS remains to be determined. Here, immunohistochemical labeling at the light and ultrastructural level is used to clarify the myelination status of SSeCKS-containing sensory neuron axons and to further clarify the morphometric, and provide insight into the functional, classification of SSeCKS-IR sensory neurons. Methods Colocalization studies of SSeCKS with myelination markers, ultrastructural localization of SSeCKS labeling and ablation of largely unmyelinated sensory fibers by neonatal capsaicin administration were all used to establish whether SSeCKS containing sensory neurons represent a subpopulation of unmyelinated primary sensory C-fibers. Results Double labeling studies of SSeCKS with CNPase in the dorsal horn and Pzero in the periphery showed that SSeCKS immunoreactivity was observed predominantly in association with unmyelinated primary sensory fibers. At the ultrastructural level, SSeCKS immunoreactivity was most commonly associated with axonal membrane margins of unmyelinated fibers. In capsaicin treated rats, SSeCKS immunoreactivity was essentially obliterated in the dorsal horn while in dorsal root ganglia quantitative analysis revealed a 43

Sensory dysfunction in fibromyalgia patients with implications for pathogenic mechanisms.

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Kosek, E; Ekholm, J; Hansson, P

1996-12-01

This study, addressing etiologic and pathogenic aspects of fibromyalgia (FM), aimed at examining whether sensory abnormalities in FM patients are generalized or confined to areas with spontaneous pain. Ten female FM patients and 10 healthy, age-matched females participated. The patients were asked to rate the intensity of ongoing pain using a visual analogue scale (VAS) at the site of maximal pain, the homologous contralateral site and two homologous sites with no or minimal pain. Quantitative sensory testing was performed for assessment of perception thresholds in these four sites. Von Frey filaments were used to test low-threshold mechanoreceptive function. Pressure pain sensitivity was assessed with a pressure algometer and thermal sensitivity with a Thermotest. In addition the stimulus-response curve of pain intensity as a function of graded nociceptive heat stimulation was studied at the site of maximal pain and at the homologous contralateral site. FM patients had increased sensitivity to non-painful warmth (P painful sites and a tendency to increased sensitivity to non-painful cold (P pain (P pain (P pain (P tested sites. The stimulus-response curve was parallely shifted to the left of the curve obtained from controls (P pain (P pain compared to the homologous contralateral site. These findings could be explained in terms of sensitization of primary afferent pathways or as a dysfunction of endogenous systems modulating afferent activity. However, the generalized increase in sensitivity found in FM patients was unrelated to spontaneous pain and thus most likely due to a central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction. The additional hyperphenomena related to spontaneous pain are probably dependent on disinhibition/facilitation of nociceptive afferent input from normal (or ischemic) muscles.

A computational approach for functional mapping of quantitative trait loci that regulate thermal performance curves.

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John Stephen Yap

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Whether and how thermal reaction norm is under genetic control is fundamental to understand the mechanistic basis of adaptation to novel thermal environments. However, the genetic study of thermal reaction norm is difficult because it is often expressed as a continuous function or curve. Here we derive a statistical model for dissecting thermal performance curves into individual quantitative trait loci (QTL with the aid of a genetic linkage map. The model is constructed within the maximum likelihood context and implemented with the EM algorithm. It integrates the biological principle of responses to temperature into a framework for genetic mapping through rigorous mathematical functions established to describe the pattern and shape of thermal reaction norms. The biological advantages of the model lie in the decomposition of the genetic causes for thermal reaction norm into its biologically interpretable modes, such as hotter-colder, faster-slower and generalist-specialist, as well as the formulation of a series of hypotheses at the interface between genetic actions/interactions and temperature-dependent sensitivity. The model is also meritorious in statistics because the precision of parameter estimation and power of QTLdetection can be increased by modeling the mean-covariance structure with a small set of parameters. The results from simulation studies suggest that the model displays favorable statistical properties and can be robust in practical genetic applications. The model provides a conceptual platform for testing many ecologically relevant hypotheses regarding organismic adaptation within the Eco-Devo paradigm.

Sensory stability of whole mango juice: influence of temperature and storage time

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Anderson do Nascimento Oliveira

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the degradation kinetics of the sensory attributes of commercial whole mango (cv. Ubá juice and evaluated its sensory acceptability during storage. Samples of the product were stored in a BOD incubator at 25, 35, and 45 ºC under 24 hours light (650 lux for 120 days. Sensory analyses (Quantitative Descriptive Analysis - QDA were conducted with trained panel and consumers. The correlations between sensory and physicochemical characteristics (instrumental color and vitamin C content were also assessed. Flavor, aroma, and color vary with temperature and time of storage. Aroma and flavor were most affected by temperature with values of Q10 and Ea equal to 4.16 and 25.31 kcal.mol-1; and 3.61 and 22.80 kcal.mol-1, respectively. The sensory changes observed by the trained panel are related to the degradation of vitamin C and changes in the color coordinates (L* and ΔE* of mango juice. However, consumers were unable to detect changes in the overall quality of the juices. It was observed that the QDA can be a useful tool to assess shelf-life.

Sensory characteristics of different cod products related to consumer preferences and attitudes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sveinsdottir, K.; Martinsdottir, E.; Green-Petersen, D.; Hyldig, G.; Schelvis-Smit, A.A.M.

2009-01-01

Quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) was used to analyse the sensory quality of eight cod products, different with regard to origin (wild/farmed), storage time (short/extended) and storage method (fresh/frozen/packed in modified atmosphere). At the same time, 378 consumers in four European

Subthalamic deep brain stimulation modulates conscious perception of sensory function in Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Cury, Rubens G; Galhardoni, Ricardo; Teixeira, Manoel J; Dos Santos Ghilardi, Maria G; Silva, Valquiria; Myczkowski, Martin L; Marcolin, Marco A; Barbosa, Egberto R; Fonoff, Erich T; Ciampi de Andrade, Daniel

2016-12-01

Subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) is used to treat refractory motor complications in Parkinson disease (PD), but its effects on nonmotor symptoms remain uncertain. Up to 80% of patients with PD may have pain relief after STN-DBS, but it is unknown whether its analgesic properties are related to potential effects on sensory thresholds or secondary to motor improvement. We have previously reported significant and long-lasting pain relief after DBS, which did not correlate with motor symptomatic control. Here we present secondary data exploring the effects of DBS on sensory thresholds in a controlled way and have explored the relationship between these changes and clinical pain and motor improvement after surgery. Thirty-seven patients were prospectively evaluated before STN-DBS and 12 months after the procedure compared with healthy controls. Compared with baseline, patients with PD showed lower thermal and mechanical detection and higher cold pain thresholds after surgery. There were no changes in heat and mechanical pain thresholds. Compared with baseline values in healthy controls, patients with PD had higher thermal and mechanical detection thresholds, which decreased after surgery toward normalization. These sensory changes had no correlation with motor or clinical pain improvement after surgery. These data confirm the existence of sensory abnormalities in PD and suggest that STN-DBS mainly influenced the detection thresholds rather than painful sensations. However, these changes may depend on the specific effects of DBS on somatosensory loops with no correlation to motor or clinical pain improvement.

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and food sensory properties: potential and challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Cordero, Chiara; Kiefl, Johannes; Schieberle, Peter; Reichenbach, Stephen E; Bicchi, Carlo

2015-01-01

Modern omics disciplines dealing with food flavor focus the analytical efforts on the elucidation of sensory-active compounds, including all possible stimuli of multimodal perception (aroma, taste, texture, etc.) by means of a comprehensive, integrated treatment of sample constituents, such as physicochemical properties, concentration in the matrix, and sensory properties (odor/taste quality, perception threshold). Such analyses require detailed profiling of known bioactive components as well as advanced fingerprinting techniques to catalog sample constituents comprehensively, quantitatively, and comparably across samples. Multidimensional analytical platforms support comprehensive investigations required for flavor analysis by combining information on analytes' identities, physicochemical behaviors (volatility, polarity, partition coefficient, and solubility), concentration, and odor quality. Unlike other omics, flavor metabolomics and sensomics include the final output of the biological phenomenon (i.e., sensory perceptions) as an additional analytical dimension, which is specifically and exclusively triggered by the chemicals analyzed. However, advanced omics platforms, which are multidimensional by definition, pose challenging issues not only in terms of coupling with detection systems and sample preparation, but also in terms of data elaboration and processing. The large number of variables collected during each analytical run provides a high level of information, but requires appropriate strategies to exploit fully this potential. This review focuses on advances in comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and analytical platforms combining two-dimensional gas chromatography with olfactometry, chemometrics, and quantitative assays for food sensory analysis to assess the quality of a given product. We review instrumental advances and couplings, automation in sample preparation, data elaboration, and a selection of applications.

Using hardware models to quantify sensory data acquisition across the rat vibrissal array.

Science.gov (United States)

Gopal, Venkatesh; Hartmann, Mitra J Z

2007-12-01

Our laboratory investigates how animals acquire sensory data to understand the neural computations that permit complex sensorimotor behaviors. We use the rat whisker system as a model to study active tactile sensing; our aim is to quantitatively describe the spatiotemporal structure of incoming sensory information to place constraints on subsequent neural encoding and processing. In the first part of this paper we describe the steps in the development of a hardware model (a 'sensobot') of the rat whisker array that can perform object feature extraction. We show how this model provides insights into the neurophysiology and behavior of the real animal. In the second part of this paper, we suggest that sensory data acquisition across the whisker array can be quantified using the complete derivative. We use the example of wall-following behavior to illustrate that computing the appropriate spatial gradients across a sensor array would enable an animal or mobile robot to predict the sensory data that will be acquired at the next time step.

Quantitative analysis of thermal diffuse X-ray scattering on single crystals. Communication 2. FCC metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Najsh, V.E.; Novoselova, T.V.; Sagaradze, I.V.; Kvyatkovskij, B.E.; Fedorov, V.I.; Chernenkov, Yu.P.

1994-01-01

With the use of X-ray diffractometer a study was made into the intensity of diffuse scattering in Ni crystals with FCC lattice. Earlier accomplished quantitative analysis for BCC crystals was extended to FCC lattices. Comparative evaluation was made for cooperative thermal oscillation patterns and corresponding diffuse scattering in crystals of various structures. Measurements on FCC crystals were carried out at room temperature using AgK a lpha-radiation in 96 points of Ni crystal. 8 refs., 4 figs

Characterization and diagnostic evaluation of chronic polyneuropathies induced by oxaliplatin and docetaxel comparing skin biopsy to quantitative sensory testing and nerve conduction studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krøigård, T; Schrøder, H D; Qvortrup, C

2014-01-01

was to characterize the neuropathies with regard to symptoms, neurological signs and objective evidence of damage to the structure and function of the peripheral nerves. Furthermore, the diagnostic values of skin biopsy, quantitative sensory testing (QST) and nerve conduction studies (NCS) were compared. METHODS......: Patients complaining of neuropathy symptoms at least 3 months after completion of treatment with oxaliplatin (n = 20) or docetaxel (n = 20) were recruited from the Department of Oncology or using hospital records. Neuropathy scores were determined along with the intraepidermal nerve fibre density in skin....... Mechanical detection threshold was most often affected in the QST. NCS, QTS and skin biopsy were abnormal in 11, 13 and 17 and 7, 11 and 15 of the oxaliplatin-treated patients and docetaxel-treated patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy after oxaliplatin or docetaxel...

Sensory profile and acceptability for pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.) nectar with different sweeteners.

Science.gov (United States)

Freitas, Mírian Luisa Faria; Dutra, Mariana Borges de Lima; Bolini, Helena Maria André

2016-12-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensory properties and acceptability of pitanga nectar samples prepared with sucrose and different sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame, stevia with 40% rebaudioside A, stevia with 95% rebaudioside A, neotame, and a 2:1 cyclamate/saccharin blend). A total of 13 assessors participated in a quantitative descriptive analysis and evaluated the samples in relation to the descriptor terms. The acceptability test was carried out by 120 fruit juice consumers. The results of the quantitative descriptive analysis of pitanga nectar showed that samples prepared with sucralose, aspartame, and the 2:1 cyclamate/saccharin blend had sensory profiles similar to that of the sample prepared with sucrose. Consumers' most accepted samples were prepared with sucrose, sucralose, aspartame, and neotame. The sweeteners that have the greatest potential to replace sucrose in pitanga nectar are sucralose and aspartame. © The Author(s) 2016.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Quantitative Sensory Testing to Discriminate Inflammatory Toothache and Intraoral Neuropathic Pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Porporatti, André Luís; Costa, Yuri Martins; Stuginski-Barbosa, Juliana; Bonjardim, Leonardo Rigoldi; Duarte, Marco Antônio Hungaro; Conti, Paulo César Rodrigues

2015-10-01

A differential diagnosis between inflammatory toothache (IT) and intraoral neuropathic pain is challenging. The aim of this diagnostic study was to quantify somatosensory function of subjects with IT (acute pulpitis) and atypical odontalgia (AO, intraoral neuropathic pain) and healthy volunteers and to quantify how accurately quantitative sensory testing (QST) discriminates an IT or AO diagnosis. The sample consisted of 60 subjects equally divided (n = 20) into 3 groups: (1) IT, (2) AO, and (3) control. A sequence of 4 QST methods was performed over the dentoalveolar mucosa in the apical maxillar or mandibular area: mechanical detection threshold, pain detection threshold (PDT), dynamic mechanical allodynia, and temporal summation. One-way analysis of variance, Tukey post hoc analyses, and z score transformation were applied to the data. In addition, the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, and diagnostic odds ratio of the QST methods were calculated (α = 5%). Somatosensory abnormalities were found for the AO group, which is consistent with a low detection threshold to touch and pain and the presence of mechanical allodynia. For the IT group, no somatosensory abnormality was observed when compared with the control group. The most accurate QST to discriminate the diagnostic differences between IT and healthy individuals is the PDT. The diagnostic differences between AO and healthy individuals and between IT and AO are best discriminated with the mechanical detection threshold, PDT, and dynamic mechanical allodynia. The proposed QST methods may aid in the differential diagnosis between IT and AO with strong accuracy and may be used as complementary diagnostic tests. Copyright © 2015 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sensory reactivity, empathizing and systemizing in autism spectrum conditions and sensory processing disorder

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Teresa Tavassoli

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Although the DSM-5 added sensory symptoms as a criterion for ASC, there is a group of children who display sensory symptoms but do not have ASC; children with sensory processing disorder (SPD. To be able to differentiate these two disorders, our aim was to evaluate whether children with ASC show more sensory symptomatology and/or different cognitive styles in empathy and systemizing compared to children with SPD and typically developing (TD children. The study included 210 participants: 68 children with ASC, 79 with SPD and 63 TD children. The Sensory Processing Scale Inventory was used to measure sensory symptoms, the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ to measure autistic traits, and the Empathy Quotient (EQ and Systemizing Quotient (SQ to measure cognitive styles. Across groups, a greater sensory symptomatology was associated with lower empathy. Further, both the ASC and SPD groups showed more sensory symptoms than TD children. Children with ASC and SPD only differed on sensory under-reactivity. The ASD group did, however, show lower empathy and higher systemizing scores than the SPD group. Together, this suggest that sensory symptoms alone may not be adequate to differentiate children with ASC and SPD but that cognitive style measures could be used for differential diagnosis. Keywords: Autism spectrum conditions, Sensory processing disorder, Sensory symptoms, Empathy, Systemizing

Probabilistic sensory recoding.

Science.gov (United States)

Jazayeri, Mehrdad

2008-08-01

A hallmark of higher brain functions is the ability to contemplate the world rather than to respond reflexively to it. To do so, the nervous system makes use of a modular architecture in which sensory representations are dissociated from areas that control actions. This flexibility however necessitates a recoding scheme that would put sensory information to use in the control of behavior. Sensory recoding faces two important challenges. First, recoding must take into account the inherent variability of sensory responses. Second, it must be flexible enough to satisfy the requirements of different perceptual goals. Recent progress in theory, psychophysics, and neurophysiology indicate that cortical circuitry might meet these challenges by evaluating sensory signals probabilistically.

Flexibility and Stability in Sensory Processing Revealed Using Visual-to-Auditory Sensory Substitution

Science.gov (United States)

Hertz, Uri; Amedi, Amir

2015-01-01

The classical view of sensory processing involves independent processing in sensory cortices and multisensory integration in associative areas. This hierarchical structure has been challenged by evidence of multisensory responses in sensory areas, and dynamic weighting of sensory inputs in associative areas, thus far reported independently. Here, we used a visual-to-auditory sensory substitution algorithm (SSA) to manipulate the information conveyed by sensory inputs while keeping the stimuli intact. During scan sessions before and after SSA learning, subjects were presented with visual images and auditory soundscapes. The findings reveal 2 dynamic processes. First, crossmodal attenuation of sensory cortices changed direction after SSA learning from visual attenuations of the auditory cortex to auditory attenuations of the visual cortex. Secondly, associative areas changed their sensory response profile from strongest response for visual to that for auditory. The interaction between these phenomena may play an important role in multisensory processing. Consistent features were also found in the sensory dominance in sensory areas and audiovisual convergence in associative area Middle Temporal Gyrus. These 2 factors allow for both stability and a fast, dynamic tuning of the system when required. PMID:24518756

Sensory analysis of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanz-Calvo M.

1999-01-01

Full Text Available The methodology of sensory profiling constitutes the basis of a descriptive quantitative analysis, defining a product with the minimum number of words and with maximum efficiency, using a precise tasting sheet, which can be reproduced and is understood by all. In this work, the texture profiling for different bean varieties that are characteristic of the Spanish market was carried out. Optimum conditions for samples and a tasting card were established, and a panel was trained. The texture profile results show significant differences amongst varieties and even amongst different origins for the same variety.

Finite Element Analysis of Active and Sensory Thermopiezoelectric Composite Materials. Degree awarded by Northwestern Univ., Dec. 2000

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ho-Jun

2001-01-01

Analytical formulations are developed to account for the coupled mechanical, electrical, and thermal response of piezoelectric composite materials. The coupled response is captured at the material level through the thermopiezoelectric constitutive equations and leads to the inherent capability to model both the sensory and active responses of piezoelectric materials. A layerwise laminate theory is incorporated to provide more accurate analysis of the displacements, strains, stresses, electric fields, and thermal fields through-the-thickness. Thermal effects which arise from coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch, pyroelectric effects, and temperature dependent material properties are explicitly accounted for in the formulation. Corresponding finite element formulations are developed for piezoelectric beam, plate, and shell elements to provide a more generalized capability for the analysis of arbitrary piezoelectric composite structures. The accuracy of the current formulation is verified with comparisons from published experimental data and other analytical models. Additional numerical studies are also conducted to demonstrate additional capabilities of the formulation to represent the sensory and active behaviors. A future plan of experimental studies is provided to characterize the high temperature dynamic response of piezoelectric composite materials.

Aroma profile of malbec red wines from La Mancha region: Chemical and sensory characterization.

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Palomo, E; Trujillo, M; García Ruiz, A; González Viñas, M A

2017-10-01

The aroma of La Mancha Malbec red wines over four consecutive vintages was characterized by chemical and sensory analysis. Solid phase extraction (SPE) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to isolate and analyze free volatile compounds. Quantitative Descriptive Sensory Analysis (QDA) was carried out to characterize the sensory aroma profile. A total of 79 free volatile compounds were identified and quantified in the wines over these four vintages. Volatile aroma compounds were classified into seven aromatic series and their odour activity values were calculated in order to determine the aroma impact compounds in these wines. The aroma sensory profile of these wines was characterized by red fruit, fresh, prune, liquorice, clove, caramel, leather, tobacco and coffee aromas. This study provides a complete aroma characterization of La Mancha Malbec red wines and it is proposed that these wines can be considered as an alternative to wines from traditional grape varieties of this region. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

UNCOMMON SENSORY METHODOLOGIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladimír Vietoris

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Sensory science is the young but the rapidly developing field of the food industry. Actually, the great emphasis is given to the production of rapid techniques of data collection, the difference between consumers and trained panel is obscured and the role of sensory methodologists is to prepare the ways for evaluation, by which a lay panel (consumers can achieve identical results as a trained panel. Currently, there are several conventional methods of sensory evaluation of food (ISO standards, but more sensory laboratories are developing methodologies that are not strict enough in the selection of evaluators, their mechanism is easily understandable and the results are easily interpretable. This paper deals with mapping of marginal methods used in sensory evaluation of food (new types of profiles, CATA, TDS, napping.

Sensory description of marine oils through development of a sensory wheel and vocabulary.

Science.gov (United States)

Larssen, W E; Monteleone, E; Hersleth, M

2018-04-01

The Omega-3 industry lacks a defined methodology and a vocabulary for evaluating the sensory quality of marine oils. This study was conducted to identify the sensory descriptors of marine oils and organize them in a sensory wheel for use as a tool in quality assessment. Samples of marine oils were collected from six of the largest producers of omega-3 products in Norway. The oils were selected to cover as much variation in sensory characteristics as possible, i.e. oils with different fatty acid content originating from different species. Oils were evaluated by six industry expert panels and one trained sensory panel to build up a vocabulary through a series of language sessions. A total of 184 aroma (odor by nose), flavor, taste and mouthfeel descriptors were generated. A sensory wheel based on 60 selected descriptors grouped together in 21 defined categories was created to form a graphical presentation of the sensory vocabulary. A selection of the oil samples was also evaluated by a trained sensory panel using descriptive analysis. Chemical analysis showed a positive correlation between primary and secondary oxidation products and sensory properties such as rancidity, chemical flavor and process flavor and a negative correlation between primary oxidation products and acidic. This research is a first step towards the broader objective of standardizing the sensory terminology related to marine oils. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sensory conflict in motion sickness: An observer theory approach

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Oman, Charles M.

1989-01-01

Motion sickness is the general term describing a group of common nausea syndromes originally attributed to motion-induced cerebral ischemia, stimulation of abdominal organ afferent, or overstimulation of the vestibular organs of the inner ear. Sea-, car-, and airsicknesses are the most commonly experienced examples. However, the discovery of other variants such as Cinerama-, flight simulator-, spectacle-, and space sickness in which the physical motion of the head and body is normal or absent has led to a succession of sensory conflict theories which offer a more comprehensive etiologic perspective. Implicit in the conflict theory is the hypothesis that neutral and/or humoral signals originate in regions of the brain subversing spatial orientation, and that these signals somehow traverse to other centers mediating sickness symptoms. Unfortunately, the present understanding of the neurophysiological basis of motion sickness is far from complete. No sensory conflict neuron or process has yet been physiologically identified. To what extent can the existing theory be reconciled with current knowledge of the physiology and pharmacology of nausea and vomiting. The stimuli which causes sickness, synthesizes a contemporary Observer Theory view of the Sensory Conflict hypothesis are reviewed, and a revised model for the dynamic coupling between the putative conflict signals and nausea magnitude estimates is presented. The use of quantitative models for sensory conflict offers a possible new approach to improving the design of visual and motion systems for flight simulators and other virtual environment display systems.

Relationships among Sensory Responsiveness, Anxiety, and Ritual Behaviors in Children with and without Atypical Sensory Responsiveness.

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Bart, Orit; Bar-Shalita, Tami; Mansour, Hanin; Dar, Reuven

2017-08-01

To explore relationships between sensory responsiveness, anxiety, and ritual behaviors in boys with typical and atypical sensory responsiveness. Forty-eight boys, ages 5-9 participated in the study (28 boys with atypical sensory responsiveness and 20 controls). Atypical sensory responsiveness was defined as a score of ≤154 on the Short Sensory Profile. Parents completed the Sensory Profile, the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders, and the Childhood Routines Inventory. Children with atypical sensory responsiveness had significantly higher levels of anxiety and a higher frequency of ritual behaviors than controls. Atypical sensory responsiveness was significantly related to both anxiety and ritual behaviors, with anxiety mediating the relationship between sensory modulation and ritual behaviors. The findings elucidate the potential consequences of atypical sensory responsiveness and could support the notion that ritual behaviors develop as a coping mechanism in response to anxiety stemming from primary difficulty in modulating sensory input.

The neuroecology of cartilaginous fishes: sensory strategies for survival.

Science.gov (United States)

Collin, Shaun P

2012-01-01

As apex predators, chondrichthyans, or cartilaginous fishes, hold an important position within a range of aquatic ecosystems and influence the balance between species' abundance and biodiversity. Having been in existence for over 400 million years and representing the earliest stages of the evolution of jawed vertebrates, this group also covers a diverse range of eco-morphotypes, occupying both marine and freshwater habitats. The class Chondrichthyes is divided into two subclasses: the Elasmobranchii (sharks, skates, and rays) and the Holocephali (elephant sharks and chimaeras). However, many of their life history traits, such as low fecundity, the production of small numbers of highly precocious young, slow growth rates, and late maturity, make them highly susceptible to human exploitation. To mitigate the negative effects of human impacts, it is important that we understand the sensory strategies that elasmobranchs use for navigating within their environment, forming reproductive aggregations, feeding, and even communicating. One approach to investigate the sensory bases of their behavior is to examine the peripheral sense organs mediating vision, olfaction, gustation, lateral line, electroreception, and audition in a large range of species in order to identify specific adaptations, the range of sensitivity thresholds, and the compromise between sensory spatial resolution and sensitivity. In addition, we can quantitatively assess the convergence of sensory input to the central nervous system and the relative importance of different sensory modalities. Using a comparative approach and often a combination of anatomical, electrophysiological, and molecular techniques, significant variation has been identified in the spatial and chromatic sampling of the photoreceptors in the eye, the surface area and the number of olfactory lamellae within the nasal cavity, the level of gustatory sampling within the oral cavity, the type and innervation of neuromasts of the lateral

Oscillatory neural representations in the sensory thalamus predict neuropathic pain relief by deep brain stimulation.

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Huang, Yongzhi; Green, Alexander L; Hyam, Jonathan; Fitzgerald, James; Aziz, Tipu Z; Wang, Shouyan

2018-01-01

Understanding the function of sensory thalamic neural activity is essential for developing and improving interventions for neuropathic pain. However, there is a lack of investigation of the relationship between sensory thalamic oscillations and pain relief in patients with neuropathic pain. This study aims to identify the oscillatory neural characteristics correlated with pain relief induced by deep brain stimulation (DBS), and develop a quantitative model to predict pain relief by integrating characteristic measures of the neural oscillations. Measures of sensory thalamic local field potentials (LFPs) in thirteen patients with neuropathic pain were screened in three dimensional feature space according to the rhythm, balancing, and coupling neural behaviours, and correlated with pain relief. An integrated approach based on principal component analysis (PCA) and multiple regression analysis is proposed to integrate the multiple measures and provide a predictive model. This study reveals distinct thalamic rhythms of theta, alpha, high beta and high gamma oscillations correlating with pain relief. The balancing and coupling measures between these neural oscillations were also significantly correlated with pain relief. The study enriches the series research on the function of thalamic neural oscillations in neuropathic pain and relief, and provides a quantitative approach for predicting pain relief by DBS using thalamic neural oscillations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sensory nerve action potentials and sensory perception in women with arthritis of the hand.

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Calder, Kristina M; Martin, Alison; Lydiate, Jessica; MacDermid, Joy C; Galea, Victoria; MacIntyre, Norma J

2012-05-10

Arthritis of the hand can limit a person's ability to perform daily activities. Whether or not sensory deficits contribute to the disability in this population remains unknown. The primary purpose of this study was to determine if women with osteoarthritis (OA) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA) of the hand have sensory impairments. Sensory function in the dominant hand of women with hand OA or RA and healthy women was evaluated by measuring sensory nerve action potentials (SNAPs) from the median, ulnar and radial nerves, sensory mapping (SM), and vibratory and current perception thresholds (VPT and CPT, respectively) of the second and fifth digits. All SNAP amplitudes were significantly lower for the hand OA and hand RA groups compared with the healthy group (p sensory fibers in the median, ulnar and radial nerves. Less apparent were losses in conduction speed or sensory perception.

Variable sensory perception in autism.

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Haigh, Sarah M

2018-03-01

Autism is associated with sensory and cognitive abnormalities. Individuals with autism generally show normal or superior early sensory processing abilities compared to healthy controls, but deficits in complex sensory processing. In the current opinion paper, it will be argued that sensory abnormalities impact cognition by limiting the amount of signal that can be used to interpret and interact with environment. There is a growing body of literature showing that individuals with autism exhibit greater trial-to-trial variability in behavioural and cortical sensory responses. If multiple sensory signals that are highly variable are added together to process more complex sensory stimuli, then this might destabilise later perception and impair cognition. Methods to improve sensory processing have shown improvements in more general cognition. Studies that specifically investigate differences in sensory trial-to-trial variability in autism, and the potential changes in variability before and after treatment, could ascertain if trial-to-trial variability is a good mechanism to target for treatment in autism. © 2017 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Caracterização sensorial de amêndoas de castanha-de-caju fritas e salgadas Sensory characterization of cashew nut kernels

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Janice R. LIMA

1999-01-01

Full Text Available Amêndoas de castanha-de-caju fritas e salgadas foram acondicionadas em três embalagens flexíveis (PP/PE=polipropileno/polietileno; PETmet/PE= polietileno tereftalato metalizado/polietileno; PET/Al/PEBD= polietileno tereftalato/alumínio/polietileno de baixa densidade com diferentes propriedades de barreira ao vapor de água e ao oxigênio. As amêndoas foram armazenadas durante 1 ano, a 30° C e 80% de umidade relativa. No final do período de 1 ano de armazenamento, realizou-se análise sensorial descritiva quantitativa (ADQ. Os termos descritivos levantados para caracterização sensorial das amêndoas foram, para aparência: cor torrada, uniformidade de cor e rugosidade; para aroma: castanha torrada, doce, ranço e velho; para sabor: castanha torrada, doce, ranço, velho, sal e amargo; para textura: crocância. Observou-se que os fatores mais diretamente responsáveis pela perda de qualidade sensorial das amêndoas de castanha-de-caju foram desenvolvimento de aroma e sabor de velho e de ranço, perda de sabor e aroma de castanha torrada e perda de crocância. Após o período de armazenamento, estes fatores foram observados com maior intensidade nas amêndoas embaladas em PP/PE.Shelled, roasted and salted cashew nut kernels were packaged in three different flexible materials (PP/PE= polypropylene / polyethylene; PETmet/PE= metallized polyethylene terephthalate / polyethylene; PET/Al/LDPE= polyethylene terephthalate / aluminum foil / low density polyethylene , with different barrier properties. Kernels were stored for one year at 30° C and 80% relative humidity. Quantitative descriptive sensory analysis (QDA were performed at the end of storage time. Descriptive terms obtained for kernels characterization were brown color, color uniformity and rugosity for appearance; toasted kernel, sweet, old and rancidity for odor; toasted kernel, sweet, old rancidity, salt and bitter for taste, crispness for texture. QDA showed that factors responsible

Quality of sour cherry juice of different clones and cultivars (Prunus cerasus L.) determined by a combined sensory and NMR spectroscopic approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Morten Rahr; Pedersen, Bjarne Hjelmsted; Bertram, Hanne Christine S.

2011-01-01

Juice was manufactured from seven different sour cherry clones/cultivars and evaluated by quantitative descriptive sensory analysis and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The sensory evaluation showed a large variation in several sensory attributes between the sour cherry clones/cultivars, which could be divided...... into two groups on the basis of both the sensory data and the NMR spectroscopic data. These groups were closely related to the genetic background of the clones. Kelleris clones were distinctly different from Stevnsberry and Fanal clones. Hence, 1H NMR spectroscopic data seem to correlate with sensory...... quality of different sour cherry clones. In addition, malic acid was the most important metabolite for modeling the two highly correlated sensory attributes sweetness and sourness, whereas the glucose content had a slight effect and the fructose content had no impact on sweetness/sourness. Other...

Immunization Elicits Antigen-Specific Antibody Sequestration in Dorsal Root Ganglia Sensory Neurons

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Gunasekaran, Manojkumar; Chatterjee, Prodyot K.; Shih, Andrew; Imperato, Gavin H.; Addorisio, Meghan; Kumar, Gopal; Lee, Annette; Graf, John F.; Meyer, Dan; Marino, Michael; Puleo, Christopher; Ashe, Jeffrey; Cox, Maureen A.; Mak, Tak W.; Bouton, Chad; Sherry, Barbara; Diamond, Betty; Andersson, Ulf; Coleman, Thomas R.; Metz, Christine N.; Tracey, Kevin J.; Chavan, Sangeeta S.

2018-01-01

The immune and nervous systems are two major organ systems responsible for host defense and memory. Both systems achieve memory and learning that can be retained, retrieved, and utilized for decades. Here, we report the surprising discovery that peripheral sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) of immunized mice contain antigen-specific antibodies. Using a combination of rigorous molecular genetic analyses, transgenic mice, and adoptive transfer experiments, we demonstrate that DRGs do not synthesize these antigen-specific antibodies, but rather sequester primarily IgG1 subtype antibodies. As revealed by RNA-seq and targeted quantitative PCR (qPCR), dorsal root ganglion (DRG) sensory neurons harvested from either naïve or immunized mice lack enzymes (i.e., RAG1, RAG2, AID, or UNG) required for generating antibody diversity and, therefore, cannot make antibodies. Additionally, transgenic mice that express a reporter fluorescent protein under the control of Igγ1 constant region fail to express Ighg1 transcripts in DRG sensory neurons. Furthermore, neural sequestration of antibodies occurs in mice rendered deficient in neuronal Rag2, but antibody sequestration is not observed in DRG sensory neurons isolated from mice that lack mature B cells [e.g., Rag1 knock out (KO) or μMT mice]. Finally, adoptive transfer of Rag1-deficient bone marrow (BM) into wild-type (WT) mice or WT BM into Rag1 KO mice revealed that antibody sequestration was observed in DRG sensory neurons of chimeric mice with WT BM but not with Rag1-deficient BM. Together, these results indicate that DRG sensory neurons sequester and retain antigen-specific antibodies released by antibody-secreting plasma cells. Coupling this work with previous studies implicating DRG sensory neurons in regulating antigen trafficking during immunization raises the interesting possibility that the nervous system collaborates with the immune system to regulate antigen-mediated responses. PMID:29755449

Immunization Elicits Antigen-Specific Antibody Sequestration in Dorsal Root Ganglia Sensory Neurons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manojkumar Gunasekaran

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The immune and nervous systems are two major organ systems responsible for host defense and memory. Both systems achieve memory and learning that can be retained, retrieved, and utilized for decades. Here, we report the surprising discovery that peripheral sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs of immunized mice contain antigen-specific antibodies. Using a combination of rigorous molecular genetic analyses, transgenic mice, and adoptive transfer experiments, we demonstrate that DRGs do not synthesize these antigen-specific antibodies, but rather sequester primarily IgG1 subtype antibodies. As revealed by RNA-seq and targeted quantitative PCR (qPCR, dorsal root ganglion (DRG sensory neurons harvested from either naïve or immunized mice lack enzymes (i.e., RAG1, RAG2, AID, or UNG required for generating antibody diversity and, therefore, cannot make antibodies. Additionally, transgenic mice that express a reporter fluorescent protein under the control of Igγ1 constant region fail to express Ighg1 transcripts in DRG sensory neurons. Furthermore, neural sequestration of antibodies occurs in mice rendered deficient in neuronal Rag2, but antibody sequestration is not observed in DRG sensory neurons isolated from mice that lack mature B cells [e.g., Rag1 knock out (KO or μMT mice]. Finally, adoptive transfer of Rag1-deficient bone marrow (BM into wild-type (WT mice or WT BM into Rag1 KO mice revealed that antibody sequestration was observed in DRG sensory neurons of chimeric mice with WT BM but not with Rag1-deficient BM. Together, these results indicate that DRG sensory neurons sequester and retain antigen-specific antibodies released by antibody-secreting plasma cells. Coupling this work with previous studies implicating DRG sensory neurons in regulating antigen trafficking during immunization raises the interesting possibility that the nervous system collaborates with the immune system to regulate antigen-mediated responses.

Sensory perception: lessons from synesthesia: using synesthesia to inform the understanding of sensory perception.

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Harvey, Joshua Paul

2013-06-01

Synesthesia, the conscious, idiosyncratic, repeatable, and involuntary sensation of one sensory modality in response to another, is a condition that has puzzled both researchers and philosophers for centuries. Much time has been spent proving the condition's existence as well as investigating its etiology, but what can be learned from synesthesia remains a poorly discussed topic. Here, synaesthesia is presented as a possible answer rather than a question to the current gaps in our understanding of sensory perception. By first appreciating the similarities between normal sensory perception and synesthesia, one can use what is known about synaesthesia, from behavioral and imaging studies, to inform our understanding of "normal" sensory perception. In particular, in considering synesthesia, one can better understand how and where the different sensory modalities interact in the brain, how different sensory modalities can interact without confusion - the binding problem - as well as how sensory perception develops.

Neuromorphic sensory systems.

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Liu, Shih-Chii; Delbruck, Tobi

2010-06-01

Biology provides examples of efficient machines which greatly outperform conventional technology. Designers in neuromorphic engineering aim to construct electronic systems with the same efficient style of computation. This task requires a melding of novel engineering principles with knowledge gleaned from neuroscience. We discuss recent progress in realizing neuromorphic sensory systems which mimic the biological retina and cochlea, and subsequent sensor processing. The main trends are the increasing number of sensors and sensory systems that communicate through asynchronous digital signals analogous to neural spikes; the improved performance and usability of these sensors; and novel sensory processing methods which capitalize on the timing of spikes from these sensors. Experiments using these sensors can impact how we think the brain processes sensory information. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantitative model of the effects of contamination and space environment on in-flight aging of thermal coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Vanhove, Emilie; Roussel, Jean-François; Remaury, Stéphanie; Faye, Delphine; Guigue, Pascale

2014-09-01

The in-orbit aging of thermo-optical properties of thermal coatings critically impacts both spacecraft thermal balance and heating power consumption. Nevertheless, in-flight thermal coating aging is generally larger than the one measured on ground and the current knowledge does not allow making reliable predictions1. As a result, a large oversizing of thermal control systems is required. To address this issue, the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales has developed a low-cost experiment, called THERME, which enables to monitor the in-flight time-evolution of the solar absorptivity of a large variety of coatings, including commonly used coatings and new materials by measuring their temperature. This experiment has been carried out on sunsynchronous spacecrafts for more than 27 years, allowing thus the generation of a very large set of telemetry measurements. The aim of this work was to develop a model able to semi-quantitatively reproduce these data with a restraint number of parameters. The underlying objectives were to better understand the contribution of the different involved phenomena and, later on, to predict the thermal coating aging at end of life. The physical processes modeled include contamination deposition, UV aging of both contamination layers and intrinsic material and atomic oxygen erosion. Efforts were particularly focused on the satellite leading wall as this face is exposed to the highest variations in environmental conditions during the solar cycle. The non-monotonous time-evolution of the solar absorptivity of thermal coatings is shown to be due to a succession of contamination and contaminant erosion by atomic oxygen phased with the solar cycle.

Performance of flash profile and napping with and without training for describing small sensory differences in a model wine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Jing; Grønbeck, Marlene Schou; Di Monaco, Rosella

2016-01-01

. In this study different variations of two rapid sensory methods, one based on holistic assessment – Napping, and one based on attribute evaluation – Flash Profile, were tested for the evaluation of the flavour in wine. Model wines were developed with control over the sensory differences in terms of sensory...... to arrange samples on the sheet) or the product (familiarisation with the sensory properties of the wines) improved the outcome compared to the classical Napping protocol. The classical Flash Profile protocol and its modified version including a Napping with subsequent attributes generation as the word...... generation step and limiting the number of attributes for ranking gave a similar sample space. The Napping method could best highlight qualitative sample differences, whereas the Flash Profile provided a more precise product mapping on quantitative differences between model wines....

Cutaneous lesions sensory impairment recovery and nerve regeneration in leprosy patients

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Ximena Illarramendi

2012-12-01

Full Text Available It is important to understand the mechanisms that enable peripheral neurons to regenerate after nerve injury in order to identify methods of improving this regeneration. Therefore, we studied nerve regeneration and sensory impairment recovery in the cutaneous lesions of leprosy patients (LPs before and after treatment with multidrug therapy (MDT. The skin lesion sensory test results were compared to the histopathological and immunohistochemical protein gene product (PGP 9.5 and the p75 nerve growth factor receptors (NGFr findings. The cutaneous neural occupation ratio (CNOR was evaluated for both neural markers. Thermal and pain sensations were the most frequently affected functions at the first visit and the most frequently recovered functions after MDT. The presence of a high cutaneous nerve damage index did not prevent the recovery of any type of sensory function. The CNOR was calculated for each biopsy, according to the presence of PGP and NGFr-immunostained fibres and it was not significantly different before or after the MDT. We observed a variable influence of MDT in the recovery from sensory impairment in the cutaneous lesions of LPs. Nociception and cold thermosensation were the most recovered sensations. The recovery of sensation in the skin lesions appeared to be associated with subsiding inflammation rather than with the regenerative activity of nerve fibres.

Automated tracking of animal posture and movement during exploration and sensory orientation behaviors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alex Gomez-Marin

Full Text Available The nervous functions of an organism are primarily reflected in the behavior it is capable of. Measuring behavior quantitatively, at high-resolution and in an automated fashion provides valuable information about the underlying neural circuit computation. Accordingly, computer-vision applications for animal tracking are becoming a key complementary toolkit to genetic, molecular and electrophysiological characterization in systems neuroscience.We present Sensory Orientation Software (SOS to measure behavior and infer sensory experience correlates. SOS is a simple and versatile system to track body posture and motion of single animals in two-dimensional environments. In the presence of a sensory landscape, tracking the trajectory of the animal's sensors and its postural evolution provides a quantitative framework to study sensorimotor integration. To illustrate the utility of SOS, we examine the orientation behavior of fruit fly larvae in response to odor, temperature and light gradients. We show that SOS is suitable to carry out high-resolution behavioral tracking for a wide range of organisms including flatworms, fishes and mice.Our work contributes to the growing repertoire of behavioral analysis tools for collecting rich and fine-grained data to draw and test hypothesis about the functioning of the nervous system. By providing open-access to our code and documenting the software design, we aim to encourage the adaptation of SOS by a wide community of non-specialists to their particular model organism and questions of interest.

Application of principal component analysis (PCA) as a sensory assessment tool for fermented food products.

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Ghosh, Debasree; Chattopadhyay, Parimal

2012-06-01

The objective of the work was to use the method of quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) to describe the sensory attributes of the fermented food products prepared with the incorporation of lactic cultures. Panellists were selected and trained to evaluate various attributes specially color and appearance, body texture, flavor, overall acceptability and acidity of the fermented food products like cow milk curd and soymilk curd, idli, sauerkraut and probiotic ice cream. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified the six significant principal components that accounted for more than 90% of the variance in the sensory attribute data. Overall product quality was modelled as a function of principal components using multiple least squares regression (R (2) = 0.8). The result from PCA was statistically analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA). These findings demonstrate the utility of quantitative descriptive analysis for identifying and measuring the fermented food product attributes that are important for consumer acceptability.

Motor-sensory confluence in tactile perception.

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Saig, Avraham; Gordon, Goren; Assa, Eldad; Arieli, Amos; Ahissar, Ehud

2012-10-03

Perception involves motor control of sensory organs. However, the dynamics underlying emergence of perception from motor-sensory interactions are not yet known. Two extreme possibilities are as follows: (1) motor and sensory signals interact within an open-loop scheme in which motor signals determine sensory sampling but are not affected by sensory processing and (2) motor and sensory signals are affected by each other within a closed-loop scheme. We studied the scheme of motor-sensory interactions in humans using a novel object localization task that enabled monitoring the relevant overt motor and sensory variables. We found that motor variables were dynamically controlled within each perceptual trial, such that they gradually converged to steady values. Training on this task resulted in improvement in perceptual acuity, which was achieved solely by changes in motor variables, without any change in the acuity of sensory readout. The within-trial dynamics is captured by a hierarchical closed-loop model in which lower loops actively maintain constant sensory coding, and higher loops maintain constant sensory update flow. These findings demonstrate interchangeability of motor and sensory variables in perception, motor convergence during perception, and a consistent hierarchical closed-loop perceptual model.

Quantitative descriptive analysis of Italian polenta produced with different corn cultivars.

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Zeppa, Giuseppe; Bertolino, Marta; Rolle, Luca

2012-01-30

Polenta is a porridge-like dish, generally made by mixing cornmeal with salt water and stirring constantly while cooking over a low heat. It can be eaten plain, straight from the pan, or topped with various foods (cheeses, meat, sausages, fish, etc.). It is most popular in northern Italy but can also be found in Switzerland, Austria, Croatia, Argentina and other countries in Eastern Europe and South America. Despite this diffusion, there are no data concerning the sensory characteristics of this product. A research study was therefore carried out to define the lexicon for a sensory profile of polenta and relationships with corn cultivars. A lexicon with 13 sensory parameters was defined and validated before references were determined. After panel training, the sensory profiles of 12 autochthonous maize cultivars were defined. The results of this research highlighted that quantitative descriptive analysis can also be used for the sensory description of polenta, and that the defined lexicon can be used to describe the sensory qualities of polenta for both basic research, such as maize selection, and product development. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

A comparative study of aroma-active compounds between dark and milk chocolate: relationship to sensory perception.

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Liu, Jianbin; Liu, Mengya; He, Congcong; Song, Huanlu; Guo, Jia; Wang, Ye; Yang, Haiying; Su, Xiaoxia

2015-04-01

The most important aroma-active compounds of two types of chocolate and cocoa liquor used for their production were analysed by gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry (GC-O-MS) and aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA). Furthermore, the relationship between odorants and sensory perception of chocolate was measured by quantitative analysis, sensory evaluation and correlation analysis. In addition, some chemicals were added to the original dark or milk chocolate to validate their roles in the aroma property of chocolate. A total of 32 major aroma-active compounds were identified in the chocolate with the flavour dilution factors of 27-729 by AEDA, including seven aldehydes, six pyrazines, three pyrroles, four carboxylic acids, four lactones, two alcohols, two ketones, one ester, one pyrone, one furan and one sulfur-containing compound. Further quantitative analysis showed that dark chocolate had higher contents of pyrazine, pyrrole, carboxylic acids, alcohols and Strecker aldehydes, whereas the concentration of lactones, esters, long chain aldehydes and ketones were higher in the milk type. Differences in volatile composition and descriptive flavour attributes between the dark and milk chocolate were observed. The relationship between aroma-active compounds and sensory perception in the chocolate was verified. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Quantitative X-ray Diffraction (QXRD) analysis for revealing thermal transformations of red mud.

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Chang-Zhong; Zeng, Lingmin; Shih, Kaimin

2015-07-01

Red mud is a worldwide environmental problem, and many authorities are trying to find an economic solution for its beneficial application or/and safe disposal. Ceramic production is one of the potential waste-to-resource strategies for using red mud as a raw material. Before implementing such a strategy, an unambiguous understanding of the reaction behavior of red mud under thermal conditions is essential. In this study, the phase compositions and transformation processes were revealed for the Pingguo red mud (PRM) heat-treated at different sintering temperatures. Hematite, perovskite, andradite, cancrinite, kaolinite, diaspore, gibbsite and calcite phases were observed in the samples. However, unlike those red mud samples from the other regions, no TiO2 (rutile or anatase) or quartz were observed. Titanium was found to exist mainly in perovskite and andradite while the iron mainly existed in hematite and andradite. A new silico-ferrite of calcium and aluminum (SFCA) phase was found in samples treated at temperatures above 1100°C, and two possible formation pathways for SFCA were suggested. This is the first SFCA phase to be reported in thermally treated red mud, and this finding may turn PRM waste into a material resource for the iron-making industry. Titanium was found to be enriched in the perovskite phase after 1200°C thermal treatment, and this observation indicated a potential strategy for the recovery of titanium from PRM. In addition to noting these various resource recovery opportunities, this is also the first study to quantitatively summarize the reaction details of PRM phase transformations at various temperatures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sensory modulation disorders in childhood epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

van Campen, Jolien S; Jansen, Floor E; Kleinrensink, Nienke J; Joëls, Marian; Braun, Kees Pj; Bruining, Hilgo

2015-01-01

Altered sensory sensitivity is generally linked to seizure-susceptibility in childhood epilepsy but may also be associated to the highly prevalent problems in behavioral adaptation. This association is further suggested by the frequent overlap of childhood epilepsy with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conditions in which altered behavioral responses to sensory stimuli have been firmly established. A continuum of sensory processing defects due to imbalanced neuronal inhibition and excitation across these disorders has been hypothesizedthat may lead to common symptoms of inadequate modulation of behavioral responses to sensory stimuli. Here, we investigated the prevalence of sensory modulation disorders among children with epilepsy and their relation with symptomatology of neurodevelopmental disorders. We used the Sensory Profile questionnaire to assess behavioral responses to sensory stimuli and categorize sensory modulation disorders in children with active epilepsy (aged 4-17 years). We related these outcomes to epilepsy characteristics and tested their association with comorbid symptoms of ASD (Social Responsiveness Scale) and ADHD (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire). Sensory modulation disorders were reported in 49 % of the 158 children. Children with epilepsy reported increased behavioral responses associated with sensory "sensitivity," "sensory avoidance," and "poor registration" but not "sensory seeking." Comorbidity of ASD and ADHD was associated with more severe sensory modulation problems, although 27 % of typically developing children with epilepsy also reported a sensory modulation disorder. Sensory modulation disorders are an under-recognized problem in children with epilepsy. The extent of the modulation difficulties indicates a substantial burden on daily functioning and may explain an important part of the behavioral distress associated with childhood epilepsy.

Sensory shelf-life limiting factor of high hydrostatic pressure processed avocado paste.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobo-Velázquez, D A; Hernández-Brenes, C

2011-08-01

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) processing pasteurizes avocado paste without a significant impact on flavor. Although HHP-treated avocado paste stored under refrigeration is safe for human consumption for months, sensory changes taking place during storage cause the rejection of the product by consumers within days. Although it is known that the shelf life of the product ends before its microbial counts are high, its sensory shelf life limiting factor remains unknown. The present study focused on the use of a trained panel and a consumer panel to determine the sensory shelf life limiting factor of HHP-treated avocado paste. The trained panel identified sour and rancid flavors as the main sensory descriptors (critical descriptors) that differentiated stored from freshly processed samples. Further data obtained from consumers identified sour flavor as the main cause for a significant decrease in the acceptability (shelf life limiting factor) of refrigerated HHP-treated avocado paste. The study allowed the elucidation of a proposed deterioration mechanism for HHP-treated avocado paste during its refrigerated shelf life. The information through this work enhances scientific knowledge of the product and proposes the sour flavor development during storage as a relevant sensory attribute that needs to be improved in order to enhance the product shelf life. At present, HHP is the most effective commercial nonthermal technology to process avocado paste when compared to thermal and chemical alternatives. HHP-treated avocado paste is a microbiologically stable food for a period of at least 45 d stored under refrigeration. However, previous published work indicated that consumers rejected the product after approximately 19 d of storage due to sensory changes. This manuscript presents a sensory study that permitted the identification of the critical sensory descriptor that is acting as the sensory shelf life limiting factor of the product. The data presented herein along with

The power of projectomes: genetic mosaic labeling in the larval zebrafish brain reveals organizing principles of sensory circuits.

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Robles, Estuardo

2017-09-01

In no vertebrate species do we possess an accurate, comprehensive tally of neuron types in the brain. This is in no small part due to the vast diversity of neuronal types that comprise complex vertebrate nervous systems. A fundamental goal of neuroscience is to construct comprehensive catalogs of cell types defined by structure, connectivity, and physiological response properties. This type of information will be invaluable for generating models of how assemblies of neurons encode and distribute sensory information and correspondingly alter behavior. This review summarizes recent efforts in the larval zebrafish to construct sensory projectomes, comprehensive analyses of axonal morphologies in sensory axon tracts. Focusing on the olfactory and optic tract, these studies revealed principles of sensory information processing in the olfactory and visual systems that could not have been directly quantified by other methods. In essence, these studies reconstructed the optic and olfactory tract in a virtual manner, providing insights into patterns of neuronal growth that underlie the formation of sensory axon tracts. Quantitative analysis of neuronal diversity revealed organizing principles that determine information flow through sensory systems in the zebrafish that are likely to be conserved across vertebrate species. The generation of comprehensive cell type classifications based on structural, physiological, and molecular features will lead to testable hypotheses on the functional role of individual sensory neuron subtypes in controlling specific sensory-evoked behaviors.

Sensory determinants of the autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR): Understanding the triggers

OpenAIRE

Barratt, EL; Spence, CJ; Davis, NJ

2017-01-01

The autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is an atypical sensory phenomenon involving electrostatic-like tingling sensations in response to certain sensory, primarily audio-visual, stimuli. The current study used an online questionnaire, completed by 130 people who self-reported experiencing ASMR. We aimed to extend preliminary investigations into the experience, and establish key multisensory factors contributing to the successful induction of ASMR through online media. Aspects such as...

PROFIL AROMA DAN MUTU SENSORI CITARASA PASTA KAKAO UNGGULAN DARI BEBERAPA DAERAH DI INDONESIA [Aroma and Flavor Sensory Profiles of Superior Cocoa Liquors from Different Regions in Indonesia

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Intan Kusumaningrum*

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of this research was to compare the aroma profiles and flavor sensory qualities of three cocoa liquors obtained from different regions in Indonesia, namely East Java, South Sulawesi and Bali. The Ghanaian cocoa liquor was used as the reference. The aroma of cocoa liquors was extracted by using a Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME, followed by detection with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/Olfactometry (GC-MS/O with the Nassal Impact Frequency (NIF method. A total of 28 aroma active compounds in the cocoa liquors were identified, where in 21, 19, 22 and 18 compounds were detected in East Java, Bali, South Sulawesi and Ghana liquors, respectively. The profiles of these three liquors were not only different from one another but were also different from the reference. East Java liquor had a specific aroma of strong chocolate, enriched with creamy, caramel and coffee bean aroma, whileBali liquor was dominated by creamy, caramel and sweet, and South Sulawesi liquor was specified by its sweet green aroma. The aroma sensory characteristic was evaluated by descriptive test, presenting the aroma of nutty, acid, caramel, earthy and chocolate, while the taste sensory attributes included astringency, bitterness and acidity. The sensory profile analysis was carried out by applying a Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA method. Accompired with preference and ranking tests were also conducted. Among the three cocoa liquors, the sensory profile of South Sulawesi was the most similar to that of Ghanaian cocoa liquor. However, the cocoa liquor from Bali and East Java cocoa were more preferred comparing to the liquor from South Sulawesi.

Perfil sensorial de iogurte light, sabor pêssego Sensory profile of peach flavored light yogurt

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Ligia R. R. Santana

2006-09-01

Full Text Available Foi determinado o perfil sensorial descritivo de três amostras de iogurte light, sabor pêssego, pela metodologia fundamentada na Análise Descritiva Quantitativa (ADQ. A equipe sensorial definiu os termos descritores, os materiais de referência para o treinamento das qualidades e quantificações de cada um dos termos e a ficha de avaliação das amostras, de forma consensual. Dez provadores foram selecionados e rigorosamente treinados para compor a equipe definitiva, utilizando-se como critérios o poder discriminativo, reprodutibilidade e consenso dos provadores entre si. Foram gerados doze termos descritores pelo método de rede. A intensidade de cada descritor foi avaliada em cada amostra por escala não estruturada de nove centímetros, com termos de intensidade ancorados em seus extremos, sendo o mínimo à esquerda e o máximo à direita. Os dados foram analisados por ANOVA, Teste de Tukey e Análise de Componentes Principais (ACP. Os resultados indicaram que as amostras comerciais apresentaram grande variação em seus perfis sensoriais. Na ACP, ficou evidenciado que a amostra A foi caracterizada principalmente pelos atributos gosto doce, sabor pêssego e firmeza dos pedaços de fruta. A amostra B foi caracterizada pelos atributos brilho, cor pêssego e cremosidade, e a amostra C foi caracterizada pela maior intensidade dos atributos gosto ácido, adstringência, textura farinácea e aroma artificial de pêssego. De acordo com o teste de aceitação, todas as amostras apresentaram boa aceitação em todos os atributos avaliados. Desta maneira, a análise do perfil sensorial da amostra C, que contém proteína de soja na sua formulação, revelou que este ingrediente não foi percebido pelos provadores, e não interferiu na sua aceitação.The descriptive terminology and sensory profile of three samples of peach flavored light yogurt were determined using methodology based on the Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA. A sensory panel

Relationship between sensory results and compliance scores in grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

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Mario Zannoni

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The regulations for Protected Designation of Origin require a certification body to verify compliance with the provisions of the product specification. The grated Parmigiano-Reggiano is evaluated with a scorecard containing 21 quantitative descriptors and 4 qualitative evaluations of compliance with the regulations. To better understand the relationship between sensory compliance and quantitative descriptors we have tested 24 samples of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Correlations and Partial Least Squares gave us a better understanding of compliance evaluation. The work allowed us to define the most important descriptors in relationship with compliance and showed that it is possible to predict compliance values using descriptor values.

Refuge behaviour from outdoor thermal environmental stress and seasonal differences of thermal sense in tropical urban climate

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Kurazumi, Y.; Ishii, J.; Fukagawa, K.; Kondo, E.; Aruninta, A.

2017-12-01

Thermal sensation affects body temperature regulation. As a starting point for behavioral body temperature regulation taken to improve from a poor thermal environment to a more pleasant environment, thermal sense of thermal environment stimulus is important. The poupose of this sutudy is to use the outdoor thermal environment evaluation index ETFe to quantify effects on thermal sensations of the human body of a tropical region climate with small annual temperature differences, and to examine seasonal differences in thermal sensation. It was found temperature preferences were lower in the winter season than in the dry season, and that a tolerance for higher temperatures in the dry season than in the winter season. It was found effects of seasonal differences of the thermal environment appear in quantitative changes in thermal sensations. It was found that effects of seasonal differences of the thermal environment do not greatly affect quantitative changes in thermal comfort.

Sensory profiling: a method for describing the sensory characteristics of virgin olive oil

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Lyon, David H.

1994-04-01

Full Text Available Sensory profiling is an objective, descriptive technique which uses a panel of trained assessors. It was used at Campden to differentiate olive oil which differed in terms of the country of origin, variety, ripeness and extraction techniques. The data were related to similar results from the Netherlands and Italy. The results indicated that all three sensory panels perceived the samples in the same way, however, the differed in the way the oils were described.
The new European legislation on olive oil is partially concerned with the sensory aspects of the oil. The sensory grading takes into account the 'positive' and 'negative' attributes in the oil before giving an overall quality grade. These attributes do not reflect the consumer requirements, therefore, the grading should be restricted to the assessment of the presence or absence of sensory defects.

Imaging sensory effects of occipital nerve stimulation: a new computer-based method in neuromodulation.

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Göbel, Anna; Göbel, Carl H; Heinze, Axel; Heinze-Kuhn, Katja; Petersen, Inga; Meinecke, Christoph; Clasen, Svenja; Niederberger, Uwe; Rasche, Dirk; Mehdorn, Hubertus M; Göbel, Hartmut

2015-01-01

Within the last years, occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) has proven to be an important method in the treatment of severe therapy-resistant neurological pain disorders. The correspondence between lead placement as well as possible stimulation parameters and the resulting stimulation effects remains unclear. The method aims to directly relate the neuromodulatory mechanisms with the clinical treatment results, to achieve insight in the mode of action of neuromodulation, to identify the most effective stimulation sets and to optimize individual treatment effects. We describe a new computer-based imaging method for mapping the spatial, cognitive and affective sensory effects of ONS. The procedure allows a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the relationship between lead positioning, the stimulation settings as well as the sensory and clinical stimulation effects. A regular mapping of stimulation and sensory parameters allows a coordinated monitoring. The stimulation results can be reviewed and compared with regards to clinical effectiveness. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A novel approach to assess temporal sensory perception of muscle foods: application of a time-intensity technique to diverse Iberian meat products.

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Lorido, Laura; Estévez, Mario; Ventanas, Sonia

2014-01-01

Although dynamic sensory techniques such as time-intensity (TI) have been applied to certain meat products, existing knowledge regarding the temporal sensory perception of muscle foods is still limited. The objective of the present study was to apply TI to the flavour and texture perception of three different Iberian meat products: liver pâté, dry-cured sausages ("salchichon") and dry-cured loin. Moreover, the advantages of using dynamic versus static sensory techniques were explored by subjecting the same products to a quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA). TI was a suitable technique to assess the impact of composition and structure of the three meat products on flavour and texture perception from a dynamic perspective. TI parameters extracted from the TI-curves and related to temporal perception enabled the detection of clear differences in sensory temporal perception between the meat products and provided additional insight on sensory perception compared to the conventional static sensory technique (QDA). © 2013.

Assessing sensory versus optogenetic network activation by combining (o)fMRI with optical Ca2+ recordings.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmid, Florian; Wachsmuth, Lydia; Schwalm, Miriam; Prouvot, Pierre-Hugues; Jubal, Eduardo Rosales; Fois, Consuelo; Pramanik, Gautam; Zimmer, Claus; Faber, Cornelius; Stroh, Albrecht

2016-11-01

Encoding of sensory inputs in the cortex is characterized by sparse neuronal network activation. Optogenetic stimulation has previously been combined with fMRI (ofMRI) to probe functional networks. However, for a quantitative optogenetic probing of sensory-driven sparse network activation, the level of similarity between sensory and optogenetic network activation needs to be explored. Here, we complement ofMRI with optic fiber-based population Ca 2+ recordings for a region-specific readout of neuronal spiking activity in rat brain. Comparing Ca 2+ responses to the blood oxygenation level-dependent signal upon sensory stimulation with increasing frequencies showed adaptation of Ca 2+ transients contrasted by an increase of blood oxygenation level-dependent responses, indicating that the optical recordings convey complementary information on neuronal network activity to the corresponding hemodynamic response. To study the similarity of optogenetic and sensory activation, we quantified the density of cells expressing channelrhodopsin-2 and modeled light propagation in the tissue. We estimated the effectively illuminated volume and numbers of optogenetically stimulated neurons, being indicative of sparse activation. At the functional level, upon either sensory or optogenetic stimulation we detected single-peak short-latency primary Ca 2+ responses with similar amplitudes and found that blood oxygenation level-dependent responses showed similar time courses. These data suggest that ofMRI can serve as a representative model for functional brain mapping. © The Author(s) 2015.

Effect of barium sulfate contrast medium on rheology and sensory texture attributes in a model food.

Science.gov (United States)

Ekberg, O; Bulow, M; Ekman, S; Hall, G; Stading, M; Wendin, K

2009-03-01

The swallowing process can be visualized using videoradiography, by mixing food with contrast medium, e.g., barium sulfate (BaSO(4)), making it radiopaque. The sensory properties of foods may be affected by adding this medium. To evaluate if and to what extent sensory and rheological characteristics of mango purée were altered by adding barium sulfate to the food. This study evaluated four food samples based on mango purée, with no or added barium sulfate contrast medium (0%, 12.5%, 25.0%, and 37.5%), by a radiographic method, and measured sensory texture properties and rheological characteristics. The sensory evaluation was performed by an external trained panel using quantitative descriptive analysis. The ease of swallowing the foods was also evaluated. The sensory texture properties of mango purée were significantly affected by the added barium in all evaluated attributes, as was the perception of particles. Moreover, ease of swallowing was significantly higher in the sample without added contrast medium. All samples decreased in extensional viscosity with increasing extension rate, i.e., all samples were tension thinning. Shear viscosity was not as dependent on the concentration of BaSO(4) as extensional viscosity. Addition of barium sulfate to a model food of mango purée has a major impact on perceived sensory texture attributes as well as on rheological parameters.

Assessing sensory versus optogenetic network activation by combining (o)fMRI with optical Ca2+ recordings

Science.gov (United States)

Schmid, Florian; Wachsmuth, Lydia; Schwalm, Miriam; Prouvot, Pierre-Hugues; Jubal, Eduardo Rosales; Fois, Consuelo; Pramanik, Gautam; Zimmer, Claus; Stroh, Albrecht

2015-01-01

Encoding of sensory inputs in the cortex is characterized by sparse neuronal network activation. Optogenetic stimulation has previously been combined with fMRI (ofMRI) to probe functional networks. However, for a quantitative optogenetic probing of sensory-driven sparse network activation, the level of similarity between sensory and optogenetic network activation needs to be explored. Here, we complement ofMRI with optic fiber-based population Ca2+ recordings for a region-specific readout of neuronal spiking activity in rat brain. Comparing Ca2+ responses to the blood oxygenation level-dependent signal upon sensory stimulation with increasing frequencies showed adaptation of Ca2+ transients contrasted by an increase of blood oxygenation level-dependent responses, indicating that the optical recordings convey complementary information on neuronal network activity to the corresponding hemodynamic response. To study the similarity of optogenetic and sensory activation, we quantified the density of cells expressing channelrhodopsin-2 and modeled light propagation in the tissue. We estimated the effectively illuminated volume and numbers of optogenetically stimulated neurons, being indicative of sparse activation. At the functional level, upon either sensory or optogenetic stimulation we detected single-peak short-latency primary Ca2+ responses with similar amplitudes and found that blood oxygenation level-dependent responses showed similar time courses. These data suggest that ofMRI can serve as a representative model for functional brain mapping. PMID:26661247

Sensory adaptation for timing perception.

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Roseboom, Warrick; Linares, Daniel; Nishida, Shin'ya

2015-04-22

Recent sensory experience modifies subjective timing perception. For example, when visual events repeatedly lead auditory events, such as when the sound and video tracks of a movie are out of sync, subsequent vision-leads-audio presentations are reported as more simultaneous. This phenomenon could provide insights into the fundamental problem of how timing is represented in the brain, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we show that the effect of recent experience on timing perception is not just subjective; recent sensory experience also modifies relative timing discrimination. This result indicates that recent sensory history alters the encoding of relative timing in sensory areas, excluding explanations of the subjective phenomenon based only on decision-level changes. The pattern of changes in timing discrimination suggests the existence of two sensory components, similar to those previously reported for visual spatial attributes: a lateral shift in the nonlinear transducer that maps relative timing into perceptual relative timing and an increase in transducer slope around the exposed timing. The existence of these components would suggest that previous explanations of how recent experience may change the sensory encoding of timing, such as changes in sensory latencies or simple implementations of neural population codes, cannot account for the effect of sensory adaptation on timing perception.

What is Sensory about Multi-Sensory Enhancement of Vision by Sounds?

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Alexis Pérez-Bellido

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Can auditory input influence the sensory processing of visual information? Many studies have reported cross-modal enhancement in visual tasks, but the nature of such gain is still unclear. Some authors argue for ‘high-order’ expectancy or attention effects, whereas others propose ‘low-order’ stimulus-driven multisensory integration. The present study applies a psychophysical analysis of reaction time distributions in order to disentangle sensory changes from other kind of high-order (not sensory-specific effects. Observers performed a speeded simple detection task on Gabor patches of different spatial frequencies and contrasts, with and without accompanying sounds. The data were adjusted using chronometric functions in order to separate changes is sensory evidence from changes in decision or motor times. The results supported the existence of a stimulus unspecific auditory-induced enhancement in RTs across all types of visual stimuli, probably mediated by higher-order effects (eg, reduction of temporal uncertainty. Critically, we also singled out a sensory gain that was selective to low spatial frequency stimuli, highlighting the role of the magno-cellular visual pathway in multisensory integration for fast detection. The present findings help clarify previous mixed findings in the area, and introduce a novel form to evaluate cross-modal enhancement.

Sensory perception in autism.

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Robertson, Caroline E; Baron-Cohen, Simon

2017-11-01

Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental condition, and little is known about its neurobiology. Much of autism research has focused on the social, communication and cognitive difficulties associated with the condition. However, the recent revision of the diagnostic criteria for autism has brought another key domain of autistic experience into focus: sensory processing. Here, we review the properties of sensory processing in autism and discuss recent computational and neurobiological insights arising from attention to these behaviours. We argue that sensory traits have important implications for the development of animal and computational models of the condition. Finally, we consider how difficulties in sensory processing may relate to the other domains of behaviour that characterize autism.

Industrial application of thermal image processing and thermal control

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Lingxue

2001-09-01

Industrial application of infrared thermography is virtually boundless as it can be used in any situations where there are temperature differences. This technology has particularly been widely used in automotive industry for process evaluation and system design. In this work, thermal image processing technique will be introduced to quantitatively calculate the heat stored in a warm/hot object and consequently, a thermal control system will be proposed to accurately and actively manage the thermal distribution within the object in accordance with the heat calculated from the thermal images.

Single frequency thermal wave radar: A next-generation dynamic thermography for quantitative non-destructive imaging over wide modulation frequency ranges.

Science.gov (United States)

Melnikov, Alexander; Chen, Liangjie; Ramirez Venegas, Diego; Sivagurunathan, Koneswaran; Sun, Qiming; Mandelis, Andreas; Rodriguez, Ignacio Rojas

2018-04-01

Single-Frequency Thermal Wave Radar Imaging (SF-TWRI) was introduced and used to obtain quantitative thickness images of coatings on an aluminum block and on polyetherketone, and to image blind subsurface holes in a steel block. In SF-TWR, the starting and ending frequencies of a linear frequency modulation sweep are chosen to coincide. Using the highest available camera frame rate, SF-TWRI leads to a higher number of sampled points along the modulation waveform than conventional lock-in thermography imaging because it is not limited by conventional undersampling at high frequencies due to camera frame-rate limitations. This property leads to large reduction in measurement time, better quality of images, and higher signal-noise-ratio across wide frequency ranges. For quantitative thin-coating imaging applications, a two-layer photothermal model with lumped parameters was used to reconstruct the layer thickness from multi-frequency SF-TWR images. SF-TWRI represents a next-generation thermography method with superior features for imaging important classes of thin layers, materials, and components that require high-frequency thermal-wave probing well above today's available infrared camera technology frame rates.

Single frequency thermal wave radar: A next-generation dynamic thermography for quantitative non-destructive imaging over wide modulation frequency ranges

Science.gov (United States)

Melnikov, Alexander; Chen, Liangjie; Ramirez Venegas, Diego; Sivagurunathan, Koneswaran; Sun, Qiming; Mandelis, Andreas; Rodriguez, Ignacio Rojas

2018-04-01

Single-Frequency Thermal Wave Radar Imaging (SF-TWRI) was introduced and used to obtain quantitative thickness images of coatings on an aluminum block and on polyetherketone, and to image blind subsurface holes in a steel block. In SF-TWR, the starting and ending frequencies of a linear frequency modulation sweep are chosen to coincide. Using the highest available camera frame rate, SF-TWRI leads to a higher number of sampled points along the modulation waveform than conventional lock-in thermography imaging because it is not limited by conventional undersampling at high frequencies due to camera frame-rate limitations. This property leads to large reduction in measurement time, better quality of images, and higher signal-noise-ratio across wide frequency ranges. For quantitative thin-coating imaging applications, a two-layer photothermal model with lumped parameters was used to reconstruct the layer thickness from multi-frequency SF-TWR images. SF-TWRI represents a next-generation thermography method with superior features for imaging important classes of thin layers, materials, and components that require high-frequency thermal-wave probing well above today's available infrared camera technology frame rates.

The effect of acupuncture duration on analgesia and peripheral sensory thresholds

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Schulteis Gery

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Acupuncture provides a means of peripheral stimulation for pain relief. However, the detailed neuronal mechanisms by which acupuncture relieves pain are still poorly understood and information regarding optimal treatment settings is still inadequate. Previous studies with a short burst of unilateral electroacupuncture (EA in the Tendinomuscular Meridians (TMM treatment model for pain demonstrated a transient dermatomally correlated bilateral analgesic effect with corresponding peripheral modality-specific sensory threshold alterations. However, the impact of EA duration on the analgesic effect in this particular treatment model is unknown. To obtain mechanistically and clinically important information regarding EA analgesia, this current prospective cross-over study assesses the effects of EA duration on analgesia and thermal sensory thresholds in the TMM treatment model. Methods Baseline peripheral sensory thresholds were measured at pre-marked testing sites along the medial aspects (liver and spleen meridians of bilateral lower extremities. A 5-second hot pain stimulation was delivered to the testing sites and the corresponding pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS scores were recorded. Three different EA (5Hz stimulation durations (5, 15 and 30 minutes were randomly tested at least one week apart. At the last 10 seconds of each EA session, 5 seconds of subject specific HP stimulation was delivered to the testing sites. The corresponding pain and EA VAS scores of de qi sensation (tingling during and after the EA were recorded. The measurements were repeated immediately, 30 and 60 minutes after the EA stimulation. A four-factor repeat measures ANOVA was used to assess the effect of stimulation duration, time, location (thigh vs. calf and side (ipsilateral vs. contralateral of EA on sensory thresholds and HP VAS scores. Results A significant (P Conclusion Longer durations of EA stimulation provide a more sustainable analgesic benefit

Quantitative assessment of pain-related thermal dysfunction through clinical digital infrared thermal imaging

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Frize Monique

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The skin temperature distribution of a healthy human body exhibits a contralateral symmetry. Some nociceptive and most neuropathic pain pathologies are associated with an alteration of the thermal distribution of the human body. Since the dissipation of heat through the skin occurs for the most part in the form of infrared radiation, infrared thermography is the method of choice to study the physiology of thermoregulation and the thermal dysfunction associated with pain. Assessing thermograms is a complex and subjective task that can be greatly facilitated by computerised techniques. Methods This paper presents techniques for automated computerised assessment of thermal images of pain, in order to facilitate the physician's decision making. First, the thermal images are pre-processed to reduce the noise introduced during the initial acquisition and to extract the irrelevant background. Then, potential regions of interest are identified using fixed dermatomal subdivisions of the body, isothermal analysis and segmentation techniques. Finally, we assess the degree of asymmetry between contralateral regions of interest using statistical computations and distance measures between comparable regions. Results The wavelet domain-based Poisson noise removal techniques compared favourably against Wiener and other wavelet-based denoising methods, when qualitative criteria were used. It was shown to improve slightly the subsequent analysis. The automated background removal technique based on thresholding and morphological operations was successful for both noisy and denoised images with a correct removal rate of 85% of the images in the database. The automation of the regions of interest (ROIs delimitation process was achieved successfully for images with a good contralateral symmetry. Isothermal division complemented well the fixed ROIs division based on dermatomes, giving a more accurate map of potentially abnormal regions. The measure

Postural Stability of Patients with Schizophrenia during Challenging Sensory Conditions: Implication of Sensory Integration for Postural Control.

Science.gov (United States)

Teng, Ya-Ling; Chen, Chiung-Ling; Lou, Shu-Zon; Wang, Wei-Tsan; Wu, Jui-Yen; Ma, Hui-Ing; Chen, Vincent Chin-Hung

2016-01-01

Postural dysfunctions are prevalent in patients with schizophrenia and affect their daily life and ability to work. In addition, sensory functions and sensory integration that are crucial for postural control are also compromised. This study intended to examine how patients with schizophrenia coordinate multiple sensory systems to maintain postural stability in dynamic sensory conditions. Twenty-nine patients with schizophrenia and 32 control subjects were recruited. Postural stability of the participants was examined in six sensory conditions of different level of congruency of multiple sensory information, which was based on combinations of correct, removed, or conflicting sensory inputs from visual, somatosensory, and vestibular systems. The excursion of the center of pressure was measured by posturography. Equilibrium scores were derived to indicate the range of anterior-posterior (AP) postural sway, and sensory ratios were calculated to explore ability to use sensory information to maintain balance. The overall AP postural sway was significantly larger for patients with schizophrenia compared to the controls [patients (69.62±8.99); controls (76.53±7.47); t1,59 = -3.28, pmaintain balance compared to the controls.

The active electric sense of weakly electric fish: from electric organ discharge to sensory processing and behaviour

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Krahe Rüdiger

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Sensory systems have been shaped by evolution to extract information that is relevant for decision making. In order to understand the mechanisms used by sensory systems for filtering the incoming stream of sensory input, it is important to have a quantitative understanding of the natural sensory scenes that are to be processed. Weakly electric fish lead a rather cryptic nocturnal life in often turbid tropical rainforest streams. They produce electric discharges and sense perturbations of their selfgenerated electric field for prey detection and navigation, and also use their active sense for communication in the context of courtship and aggression. The fact that they produce their electric signals throughout day and night permits the use of electrode arrays to track the movements of multiple individual fish and monitor their communication interactions, thus offering a window into their electrosensory world. This approach yields unprecedented access to information on the biology of these fishes and also on the statistical properties of the sensory scenes that are to be processed by their electrosensory system. The electrosensory system shares many organizational features with other sensory systems, in particular, the use of multiple topographic maps. In fact, the sensory surface (the skin is represented in three parallel maps in the hindbrain, with each map covering the receptor organ array with six different cell types that project to the next higher level of processing. Thus, the electroreceptive body surface is represented a total of 18 times in the hindbrain, with each representation having its specific filter properties and degree of response plasticity. Thus, the access to the sensory world of these fish as well as the manifold filtering of the sensory input makes these fish an excellent model system for exploring the cell-intrinsic and network characteristics underlying the extraction of behaviourally relevant sensory information.

Bread making properties of wheat flour supplemented with thermally processed hypoallergenic lupine flour

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guillamon, E.; Cuadrado, C.; Pedrosa, M. M.; Varela, A.; Cabellos, B.

2010-07-01

In recent years there has been increased interest in using lupine for human nutrition due to its nutritional properties and health benefits. Moreover, lupine is used as an ingredient in bread making because of its functional and technological properties. However, a higher number of allergic reactions to this legume have recently been reported as a consequence of a more widespread consumption of lupine-based foods. In a previous study, several thermal treatments were applied to lupine seeds and flours resulting in reduced allergenicity. In order to study how this thermal processing (autoclaving and boiling) affects the bread making properties, raw and thermally processed lupine flours were used to replace 10% of wheat flour. The effect of supplementing wheat flour with lupine flour on physical dough properties, bread structure and sensory characteristics were analysed. The results indicated that thermally-treated lupine flours, had similar bread making and sensorial properties as untreated lupine flour. These thermal treatments could increase the potential use of lupine flour as a food ingredient while reducing the risk to provoke allergic reactions. (Author) 36 refs.

Soup Cooking by Thermal Insulation Method

OpenAIRE

佐藤, 辰江; 根本, 勢子; サトウ, タツエ; ネモト, セイコ; TATSUE, SATO; SEIKO, NEMOTO

1992-01-01

In order to examine the thermal insulation method of soup cooking, we cooked two kinds of soup. The soup cooked by thermal insulation method was compared with the soup cooked by standard boiling method. ln sensory test, it was more aromatic and palatable than the soup by boiling, and some panels commented that it was rather mild. The measured values of pH, specific gravity, acidity and amount of dry weight of souble solids, total-N, formal-N of the soup cooked by the two methods mentioned abo...

The Chemical Background for Sensory Quality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Shujuan

compounds and consequently change the sensory quality in wine which provide the useful information of wine quality management to winemakers to as well as knowledge on the behaviour of wine oxidation. Additional, studies focused on understanding the development of volatiles during accelerated cheese ripening......In the food industry, high sensory quality and stability of products are crucial factors for consumer satisfaction and market shares. Sensory quality is normally being evaluated by two major approaches: instrumental (volatile and nonvolatile compounds) approach and sensory approach by trained...... and sensory methods in understanding the pre-fermentation treatment on sensory quality of wine (Study 3). In Study 4, the RATA method was used to provide the intensity of significant sensory descriptors that discriminate the significant differences between chocolate samples. Part three step by step moves...

The antioxidative activity of plant extracts in cooked pork patties as evaluated by descriptive sensory profiling and chemical analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Nissen, Lise R; Byrne, Derek V; Bertelsen, Grete; Skibsted, Leif H

2004-11-01

Antioxidative efficiency of extracts of rosemary, green tea, coffee and grape skin in precooked pork patties was investigated during storage under retail conditions (10 days, 4 °C, atmospheric air), using descriptive sensory profiling following reheating and quantitative measurements of hexanal, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and vitamin E as indicators of lipid oxidation. The initial oxidative status of pork patties (evaluated by ANOVA) showed a significant lower level of secondary oxidation products and higher levels of vitamin E in patties with extracts incorporated, indicating that the extracts retarded lipid oxidation during processing of the meat. Data analysis for the storage study was based on qualitative overview of sensory/chemical variation by principal component analysis (PCA) and quantitative ANOVA-PLSR for determination of the relationship between design variables (days of chill-storage, extract treatment) versus sensory-chemical variables and PLSR for elucidating the predictive ability of the chemical methods for sensory terms. Lipid oxidation was seen to involve a decrease in perception of meat flavour/odour and a concomitant increase in the off-flavour/odours linseed, rancid. TBARS, hexanal and vitamin E were all significant predictive indices (Pfresh meat flavour/odour. The effect of the various extracts incorporated in the product was clearly related to the degree of lipid oxidation and an overall ranking of the antioxidative efficiency of extracts in declining order became apparent: Rosemary>Grape skin>Tea>Coffee>Reference. Furthermore, the relation between extracts and vitamin E indicated that the extracts, to some extent, interacted with the vitamin and prevented it from degrading. In conclusion, the rosemary extract displayed potential for maintaining sensory eating quality in processed pork products.

Evaluating Sensory Processing in Fragile X Syndrome: Psychometric Analysis of the Brain Body Center Sensory Scales (BBCSS).

Science.gov (United States)

Kolacz, Jacek; Raspa, Melissa; Heilman, Keri J; Porges, Stephen W

2018-06-01

Individuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS), especially those co-diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), face many sensory processing challenges. However, sensory processing measures informed by neurophysiology are lacking. This paper describes the development and psychometric properties of a parent/caregiver report, the Brain-Body Center Sensory Scales (BBCSS), based on Polyvagal Theory. Parents/guardians reported on 333 individuals with FXS, 41% with ASD features. Factor structure using a split-sample exploratory-confirmatory design conformed to neurophysiological predictions. Internal consistency, test-retest, and inter-rater reliability were good to excellent. BBCSS subscales converged with the Sensory Profile and Sensory Experiences Questionnaire. However, data also suggest that BBCSS subscales reflect unique features related to sensory processing. Individuals with FXS and ASD features displayed more sensory challenges on most subscales.

MR imaging of Minamata disease. Qualitative and quantitative analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korogi, Yukunori; Takahashi, Mutsumasa; Sumi, Minako; Hirai, Toshinori; Okuda, Tomoko; Shinzato, Jintetsu; Okajima, Toru.

1994-01-01

Minamata disease (MD), a result of methylmercury poisoning, is a neurological illness caused by ingestion of contaminated seafood. We evaluated MR findings of patients with MD qualitatively and quantitatively. Magnetic resonance imaging at 1.5 Tesla was performed in seven patients with MD and in eight control subjects. All of our patients showed typical neurological findings like sensory disturbance, constriction of the visual fields, and ataxia. In the quantitative image analysis, inferior and middle parts of the cerebellar vermis and cerebellar hemispheres were significantly atrophic in comparison with the normal controls. There were no significant differences in measurements of the basis pontis, middle cerebellar peduncles, corpus callosum, or cerebral hemispheres between MD and the normal controls. The calcarine sulci and central sulci were significantly dilated, reflecting atrophy of the visual cortex and postcentral cortex, respectively. The lesions located in the calcarine area, cerebellum, and postcentral gyri were related to three characteristic manifestations of this disease, constriction of the visual fields, ataxia, and sensory disturbance, respectively. MR imaging has proved to be useful in evaluating the CNS abnormalities of methylmercury poisoning. (author)

Sensory impacts of food-packaging interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Duncan, Susan E; Webster, Janet B

2009-01-01

Sensory changes in food products result from intentional or unintentional interactions with packaging materials and from failure of materials to protect product integrity or quality. Resolving sensory issues related to plastic food packaging involves knowledge provided by sensory scientists, materials scientists, packaging manufacturers, food processors, and consumers. Effective communication among scientists and engineers from different disciplines and industries can help scientists understand package-product interactions. Very limited published literature describes sensory perceptions associated with food-package interactions. This article discusses sensory impacts, with emphasis on oxidation reactions, associated with the interaction of food and materials, including taints, scalping, changes in food quality as a function of packaging, and examples of material innovations for smart packaging that can improve sensory quality of foods and beverages. Sensory evaluation is an important tool for improved package selection and development of new materials.

Why do unusual novel foods like insects lack sensory appeal? Investigating the underlying sensory perceptions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tan Hui Shan, Grace; Tibboel, Claudia Joyce; Stieger, Markus

2017-01-01

Unusual novel foods like insects generally hold little sensory appeal for consumers, but little is known about the underlying sensory perceptions and how the properties of the food contribute to acceptance. This study examined the sensory perceptions of 3 unusual novel foods (lamb brain, frog

Assessment of paclitaxel induced sensory polyneuropathy with "Catwalk" automated gait analysis in mice.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petra Huehnchen

Full Text Available Neuropathic pain as a symptom of sensory nerve damage is a frequent side effect of chemotherapy. The most common behavioral observation in animal models of chemotherapy induced polyneuropathy is the development of mechanical allodynia, which is quantified with von Frey filaments. The data from one study, however, cannot be easily compared with other studies owing to influences of environmental factors, inter-rater variability and differences in test paradigms. To overcome these limitations, automated quantitative gait analysis was proposed as an alternative, but its usefulness for assessing animals suffering from polyneuropathy has remained unclear. In the present study, we used a novel mouse model of paclitaxel induced polyneuropathy to compare results from electrophysiology and the von Frey method to gait alterations measured with the Catwalk test. To mimic recently improved clinical treatment strategies of gynecological malignancies, we established a mouse model of dose-dense paclitaxel therapy on the common C57Bl/6 background. In this model paclitaxel treated animals developed mechanical allodynia as well as reduced caudal sensory nerve action potential amplitudes indicative of a sensory polyneuropathy. Gait analysis with the Catwalk method detected distinct alterations of gait parameters in animals suffering from sensory neuropathy, revealing a minimized contact of the hind paws with the floor. Treatment of mechanical allodynia with gabapentin improved altered dynamic gait parameters. This study establishes a novel mouse model for investigating the side effects of dose-dense paclitaxel therapy and underlines the usefulness of automated gait analysis as an additional easy-to-use objective test for evaluating painful sensory polyneuropathy.

Sensory Gain Outperforms Efficient Readout Mechanisms in Predicting Attention-Related Improvements in Behavior

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Ester, Edward F.; Deering, Sean

2014-01-01

Spatial attention has been postulated to facilitate perceptual processing via several different mechanisms. For instance, attention can amplify neural responses in sensory areas (sensory gain), mediate neural variability (noise modulation), or alter the manner in which sensory signals are selectively read out by postsensory decision mechanisms (efficient readout). Even in the context of simple behavioral tasks, it is unclear how well each of these mechanisms can account for the relationship between attention-modulated changes in behavior and neural activity because few studies have systematically mapped changes between stimulus intensity, attentional focus, neural activity, and behavioral performance. Here, we used a combination of psychophysics, event-related potentials (ERPs), and quantitative modeling to explicitly link attention-related changes in perceptual sensitivity with changes in the ERP amplitudes recorded from human observers. Spatial attention led to a multiplicative increase in the amplitude of an early sensory ERP component (the P1, peaking ∼80–130 ms poststimulus) and in the amplitude of the late positive deflection component (peaking ∼230–330 ms poststimulus). A simple model based on signal detection theory demonstrates that these multiplicative gain changes were sufficient to account for attention-related improvements in perceptual sensitivity, without a need to invoke noise modulation. Moreover, combining the observed multiplicative gain with a postsensory readout mechanism resulted in a significantly poorer description of the observed behavioral data. We conclude that, at least in the context of relatively simple visual discrimination tasks, spatial attention modulates perceptual sensitivity primarily by modulating the gain of neural responses during early sensory processing PMID:25274817

Avaliação sensorial do queijo: Definição dos atributos de qualidade Sensory evaluation of cheese: Definition of quality attributes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Pinheiro

2007-01-01

texture. A trained panel carried out the sensory evaluation of 126 Serpa cheese samples with sixty days of ripening, in fourteen sessions. The panellists also performed a quantitative and also a hedonic assessment. The trained panel defined the Serpa cheese sensory profile, as well as was established correlations between the sensory attributes and cheese ´ quality.

Tic Modulation Using Sensory Tricks

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Rebecca W. Gilbert

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Background: A sensory trick, or geste antagoniste, is defined as a physical gesture (such as a touch on a particular body part that mitigates the production of an involuntary movement. This phenomenon is most commonly described as a feature of dystonia. Here we present a case of successful modulation of tics using sensory tricks.Case Report:: A case report and video are presented. The case and video demonstrate a 19-year-old male who successfully controlled his tics with various sensory tricks.Discussion: It is underappreciated by movement disorder physicians that sensory tricks can play a role in tics. Introducing this concept to patients could potentially help in tic control. In addition, understanding the pathophysiological underpinnings of sensory tricks could help in the understanding of the pathophysiology of tics.

Development of sensorial experiments and their implementation into undergraduate laboratories

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Bromfield Lee, Deborah Christina

"Visualization" of chemical phenomena often has been limited in the teaching laboratories to the sense of sight. We have developed chemistry experiments that rely on senses other than eyesight to investigate chemical concepts, make quantitative determinations, and familiarize students with chemical techniques traditionally designed using only eyesight. Multi-sensory learning can benefit all students by actively engaging them in learning through stimulation or an alternative way of experiencing a concept or ideas. Perception of events or concepts usually depends on the information from the different sensory systems combined. The use of multi-sensory learning can take advantage of all the senses to reinforce learning as each sense builds toward a more complete experience of scientific data. Research has shown that multi-sensory representations of scientific phenomena is a valuable tool for enhancing understanding of chemistry as well as displacing misconceptions through experience. Multi-sensory experiences have also been shown to enrich memory performance. There are few experiments published which utilize multiple senses in the teaching laboratory. The sensorial experiments chosen were conceptually similar to experiments currently performed in undergraduate laboratories; however students collect different types of data using multi-sensory observations. The experiments themselves were developed by using chemicals that would provide different sensory changes or capitalizing on sensory observations that were typically overlooked or ignored and obtain similar and precise results as in traditional experiments. Minimizing hazards and using safe practices are especially essential in these experiments as students utilize senses traditionally not allowed to be used in the laboratories. These sensorial experiments utilize typical equipment found in the teaching laboratories as well as inexpensive chemicals in order to aid implementation. All experiments are rigorously tested

Sensory quality of Camembert-type cheese: Relationship between starter cultures and ripening molds.

Science.gov (United States)

Galli, Bruno Domingues; Martin, José Guilherme Prado; da Silva, Paula Porrelli Moreira; Porto, Ernani; Spoto, Marta Helena Fillet

2016-10-03

Starter cultures and ripening molds used in the manufacture of moldy cheese aimed at obtaining characteristic flavors and textures considerably differ among dairy industries. Thus, the study of variables inherent to the process and their influence on sensory patterns in cheese can improve the standardization and control of the production process. The aim of this work was to study the influence of three different variables on the sensory quality of Camembert-type cheese: type of lactic bacteria, type of ripener molds and inoculation method. Batches of Camembert-type cheese were produced using O or DL-type mesophilic starter culture, ripened with Penicillium camemberti or Penicillium candidum and mold inoculation was made directly into the milk or by spraying. All batches were sensorially evaluated using Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) with panelists trained for various attributes. Among the combinations analyzed, those resulting in more typical Camembert-type cheese were those using O-type mesophilic starter culture and P. candidum maturation mold directly applied into the milk or sprayed and those using DL-type mesophilic starter and P. camemberti ripener mold applied by surface spraying. These results demonstrate, therefore, that the combination of different ripener molds, inoculation methods and starter cultures directly influences the sensory quality of Camembert-type cheese, modifying significantly its texture, appearance, aroma and taste. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Postural Stability of Patients with Schizophrenia during Challenging Sensory Conditions: Implication of Sensory Integration for Postural Control.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ya-Ling Teng

Full Text Available Postural dysfunctions are prevalent in patients with schizophrenia and affect their daily life and ability to work. In addition, sensory functions and sensory integration that are crucial for postural control are also compromised. This study intended to examine how patients with schizophrenia coordinate multiple sensory systems to maintain postural stability in dynamic sensory conditions. Twenty-nine patients with schizophrenia and 32 control subjects were recruited. Postural stability of the participants was examined in six sensory conditions of different level of congruency of multiple sensory information, which was based on combinations of correct, removed, or conflicting sensory inputs from visual, somatosensory, and vestibular systems. The excursion of the center of pressure was measured by posturography. Equilibrium scores were derived to indicate the range of anterior-posterior (AP postural sway, and sensory ratios were calculated to explore ability to use sensory information to maintain balance. The overall AP postural sway was significantly larger for patients with schizophrenia compared to the controls [patients (69.62±8.99; controls (76.53±7.47; t1,59 = -3.28, p<0.001]. The results of mixed-model ANOVAs showed a significant interaction between the group and sensory conditions [F5,295 = 5.55, p<0.001]. Further analysis indicated that AP postural sway was significantly larger for patients compared to the controls in conditions containing unreliable somatosensory information either with visual deprivation or with conflicting visual information. Sensory ratios were not significantly different between groups, although small and non-significant difference in inefficiency to utilize vestibular information was also noted. No significant correlations were found between postural stability and clinical characteristics. To sum up, patients with schizophrenia showed increased postural sway and a higher rate of falls during challenging sensory

Mapping the sensory perception of apple using descriptive sensory evaluation in a genome wide association study.

Science.gov (United States)

Amyotte, Beatrice; Bowen, Amy J; Banks, Travis; Rajcan, Istvan; Somers, Daryl J

2017-01-01

Breeding apples is a long-term endeavour and it is imperative that new cultivars are selected to have outstanding consumer appeal. This study has taken the approach of merging sensory science with genome wide association analyses in order to map the human perception of apple flavour and texture onto the apple genome. The goal was to identify genomic associations that could be used in breeding apples for improved fruit quality. A collection of 85 apple cultivars was examined over two years through descriptive sensory evaluation by a trained sensory panel. The trained sensory panel scored randomized sliced samples of each apple cultivar for seventeen taste, flavour and texture attributes using controlled sensory evaluation practices. In addition, the apple collection was subjected to genotyping by sequencing for marker discovery. A genome wide association analysis suggested significant genomic associations for several sensory traits including juiciness, crispness, mealiness and fresh green apple flavour. The findings include previously unreported genomic regions that could be used in apple breeding and suggest that similar sensory association mapping methods could be applied in other plants.

Mapping the sensory perception of apple using descriptive sensory evaluation in a genome wide association study

Science.gov (United States)

Amyotte, Beatrice; Bowen, Amy J.; Banks, Travis; Rajcan, Istvan; Somers, Daryl J.

2017-01-01

Breeding apples is a long-term endeavour and it is imperative that new cultivars are selected to have outstanding consumer appeal. This study has taken the approach of merging sensory science with genome wide association analyses in order to map the human perception of apple flavour and texture onto the apple genome. The goal was to identify genomic associations that could be used in breeding apples for improved fruit quality. A collection of 85 apple cultivars was examined over two years through descriptive sensory evaluation by a trained sensory panel. The trained sensory panel scored randomized sliced samples of each apple cultivar for seventeen taste, flavour and texture attributes using controlled sensory evaluation practices. In addition, the apple collection was subjected to genotyping by sequencing for marker discovery. A genome wide association analysis suggested significant genomic associations for several sensory traits including juiciness, crispness, mealiness and fresh green apple flavour. The findings include previously unreported genomic regions that could be used in apple breeding and suggest that similar sensory association mapping methods could be applied in other plants. PMID:28231290

Vagus nerve stimulation paired with tactile training improved sensory function in a chronic stroke patient.

Science.gov (United States)

Kilgard, Michael P; Rennaker, Robert L; Alexander, Jen; Dawson, Jesse

2018-01-01

Recent studies indicate that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) paired with rehabilitation can enhance neural plasticity in the primary sensory and motor cortices, improve forelimb function after stroke in animal models and improve motor function in patients with arm weakness after stroke. To gain "first-in-man" experience of VNS paired with tactile training in a patient with severe sensory impairment after stroke. During the long-term follow-up phase of a clinical trial of VNS paired with motor rehabilitation, a 71-year-old man who had made good motor recovery had ongoing severe sensory loss in his left hand and arm. He received VNS paired with tactile therapy in an attempt to improve his sensory function. During twenty 2-hour sessions, each passive and active tactile event was paired with a 0.5 second burst of 0.8 mA VNS. Sensory function was measured before, halfway through, and after this therapy. The patient did not report any side effects during or following VNS+Tactile therapy. Quantitative measures revealed lasting and clinically meaningful improvements in tactile threshold, proprioception, and stereognosis. After VNS+Tactile therapy, the patient was able to detect tactile stimulation to his affected hand that was eight times less intense, identify the joint position of his fingers in the affected hand three times more often, and identify everyday objects using his affected hand seven times more often, compared to baseline. Sensory function significantly improved in this man following VNS paired with tactile stimulation. This approach merits further study in controlled clinical trials.

Correlation between sensory and instrumental measurements of standard and crisp-texture southern highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L. interspecific hybrids).

Science.gov (United States)

Blaker, Kendra M; Plotto, Anne; Baldwin, Elizabeth A; Olmstead, James W

2014-10-01

Fruit texture is a primary selection trait in southern highbush blueberry (SHB) breeding to increase fresh fruit postharvest quality and consumer acceptance. A novel crisp fruit texture has recently been identified among SHB germplasm. In this study, we developed a common set of descriptors that align sensory evaluation of blueberry fruit texture with instrumental measures that could be used for quantitative measurements during pre- and postharvest evaluation. Sensory and instrumental characteristics were measured in 36 and 49 genotypes in 2010 and 2011, respectively. A trained sensory panel evaluated fresh fruit based on five common textural attributes in 2010 and 2011: bursting energy, flesh firmness, skin toughness, juiciness and mealiness. Instrumental measures of compression and bioyield forces were significantly different among cultivars and correlated with sensory scores for bursting energy, flesh firmness and skin toughness (R > 0.7, except skin toughness in 2011), but correlations with sensory scores for juiciness and mealiness were low (R < 0.4). The results of sensory and instrumental measures supported the use of both compression and bioyield force measures in distinguishing crisp from standard-texture genotypes, and suggest that crisp texture in SHB is related to the sensory perception of bursting energy, flesh firmness and skin toughness. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by JohnWiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Accessibility and sensory experiences

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ryhl, Camilla

2010-01-01

and accessibility. Sensory accessibility accommodates aspects of a sensory disability and describes architectural design requirements needed to ensure access to architectural experiences. In the context of architecture accessibility has become a design concept of its own. It is generally described as ensuring...... physical access to the built environment by accommodating physical disabilities. While the existing concept of accessibility ensures the physical access of everyone to a given space, sensory accessibility ensures the choice of everyone to stay and be able to participate and experience....

The Sensory Perception Quotient (SPQ): development and validation of a new sensory questionnaire for adults with and without autism.

Science.gov (United States)

Tavassoli, Teresa; Hoekstra, Rosa A; Baron-Cohen, Simon

2014-01-01

Questionnaire-based studies suggest atypical sensory perception in over 90% of individuals with autism spectrum conditions (ASC). Sensory questionnaire-based studies in ASC mainly record parental reports of their child's sensory experience; less is known about sensory reactivity in adults with ASC. Given the DSM-5 criteria for ASC now include sensory reactivity, there is a need for an adult questionnaire investigating basic sensory functioning. We aimed to develop and validate the Sensory Perception Quotient (SPQ), which assesses basic sensory hyper- and hyposensitivity across all five modalities. A total of 359 adults with (n = 196) and without (n = 163) ASC were asked to fill in the SPQ, the Sensory Over-Responsivity Inventory (SensOR) and the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) online. Adults with ASC reported more sensory hypersensitivity on the SPQ compared to controls (P sensory hypersensitivity. The SPQ showed high internal consistency for both the total SPQ (Cronbach's alpha = .92) and the reduced 35-item version (alpha = .93). The SPQ was significantly correlated with the SensOR across groups (r = -.46) and within the ASC (r = -.49) and control group (r = -.21). The SPQ shows good internal consistency and concurrent validity and differentiates between adults with and without ASC. Adults with ASC report more sensitivity to sensory stimuli on the SPQ. Finally, greater sensory sensitivity is associated with more autistic traits. The SPQ provides a new tool to measure individual differences on this dimension.

Oropharyngeal and laryngeal sensory innervation in the pathophysiology of swallowing disorders and sensory stimulation treatments.

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarez-Berdugo, Daniel; Rofes, Laia; Casamitjana, J Francesc; Padrón, Andreína; Quer, Miquel; Clavé, Pere

2016-09-01

Oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) affects older and neurological patients, causing malnutrition and dehydration and increasing the risk for aspiration pneumonia. There is evidence that sensory deficits in those populations are closely related to swallowing disorders, and several research groups are developing new therapies based on sensory stimulation of this area. More information on the sensory innervation participating in the swallow response is needed to better understand the pathophysiology of OD and to develop new treatments. This review focuses on the sensory innervation of the human oropharynx and larynx in healthy people compared with patients with swallowing disorders in order to unravel the abnormalities that may lead to the loss of sensitivity in patients with OD. We also hypothesize the pathway through which active sensory-enhancement treatments may elicit their therapeutic effect on patients with swallowing dysfunctions. As far as we know, this is the first time a review covers the anatomy, histology, ultrastructure, and molecular biology of the sensory innervation of the swallowing function. © 2016 New York Academy of Sciences.

Passive thermal infrared hyperspectral imaging for quantitative imaging of shale gas leaks

Science.gov (United States)

Gagnon, Marc-André; Tremblay, Pierre; Savary, Simon; Farley, Vincent; Guyot, Éric; Lagueux, Philippe; Morton, Vince; Giroux, Jean; Chamberland, Martin

2017-10-01

There are many types of natural gas fields including shale formations that are common especially in the St-Lawrence Valley (Canada). Since methane (CH4), the major component of shale gas, is odorless, colorless and highly flammable, in addition to being a greenhouse gas, methane emanations and/or leaks are important to consider for both safety and environmental reasons. Telops recently launched on the market the Hyper-Cam Methane, a field-deployable thermal infrared hyperspectral camera specially tuned for detecting methane infrared spectral features under ambient conditions and over large distances. In order to illustrate the benefits of this novel research instrument for natural gas imaging, the instrument was brought on a site where shale gas leaks unexpectedly happened during a geological survey near the Enfant-Jesus hospital in Quebec City, Canada, during December 2014. Quantitative methane imaging was carried out based on methane's unique infrared spectral signature. Optical flow analysis was also carried out on the data to estimate the methane mass flow rate. The results show how this novel technique could be used for advanced research on shale gases.

Investigation and Sensory Characterization of 1,4-Cineole: A Potential Aromatic Marker of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon Wine.

Science.gov (United States)

Antalick, Guillaume; Tempère, Sophie; Šuklje, Katja; Blackman, John W; Deloire, Alain; de Revel, Gilles; Schmidtke, Leigh M

2015-10-21

This work reports the quantitation and sensory characterization of 1,4-cineole in red wine for the first time. A headspace-solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) method was developed to quantitate 1,4-cineole and 1,8-cineole in 104 commercial Australian red wines. 1,4-Cineole was detected in all of the wines analyzed, with concentrations ranging from 0.023 to 1.6 μg/L. An important varietal effect was observed, with concentrations of 1,4-cineole in Cabernet Sauvignon wines (mean of 0.6 ± 0.3 μg/L) significantly higher than in Shiraz (0.07 ± 0.04 μg/L) and Pinot Noir (0.2 ± 0.2 μg/L) wines. Regional variations of both cineole isomer concentrations have been measured between wines originating from different Australian regions. Sensory studies demonstrated that the addition of 0.54 μg/L 1,4-cineole in a Cabernet Sauvignon wine, to produce a final concentration of 0.63 μg/L, was perceived significantly by a sensory panel (p < 0.05). Descriptive analyses revealed that 1,4-cineole and 1,8-cineole may contribute to the hay, dried herbs, and blackcurrant aromas reported in Australian Cabernet Sauvignon wines and may be potential markers of regional typicality of these wines.

Diagnostic value of the near-nerve needle sensory nerve conduction in sensory inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Odabasi, Zeki; Oh, Shin J

2018-03-01

In this study we report the diagnostic value of the near-nerve needle sensory nerve conduction study (NNN-SNCS) in sensory inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (IDP) in which the routine nerve conduction study was normal or non-diagnostic. The NNN-SNCS was performed to identify demyelination in the plantar nerves in 14 patients and in the median or ulnar nerve in 2 patients with sensory IDP. In 16 patients with sensory IDP, routine NCSs were either normal or non-diagnostic for demyelination. Demyelination was identified by NNN-SNCS by dispersion and/or slow nerve conduction velocity (NCV) below the demyelination marker. Immunotherapy was initiated in 11 patients, 10 of whom improved or remained stable. NNN-SNCS played an essential role in identifying demyelinaton in 16 patients with sensory IDP, leading to proper treatment. Muscle Nerve 57: 414-418, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Reliability of intra-oral quantitative sensory testing (QST) in patients with atypical odontalgia and healthy controls - a multicentre study.

Science.gov (United States)

Baad-Hansen, L; Pigg, M; Yang, G; List, T; Svensson, P; Drangsholt, M

2015-02-01

The reliability of comprehensive intra-oral quantitative sensory testing (QST) protocol has not been examined systematically in patients with chronic oro-facial pain. The aim of the present multicentre study was to examine test-retest and interexaminer reliability of intra-oral QST measures in terms of absolute values and z-scores as well as within-session coefficients of variation (CV) values in patients with atypical odontalgia (AO) and healthy pain-free controls. Forty-five patients with AO and 68 healthy controls were subjected to bilateral intra-oral gingival QST and unilateral extratrigeminal QST (thenar) on three occasions (twice on 1 day by two different examiners and once approximately 1 week later by one of the examiners). Intra-class correlation coefficients and kappa values for interexaminer and test-retest reliability were computed. Most of the standardised intra-oral QST measures showed fair to excellent interexaminer (9-12 of 13 measures) and test-retest (7-11 of 13 measures) reliability. Furthermore, no robust differences in reliability measures or within-session variability (CV) were detected between patients with AO and the healthy reference group. These reliability results in chronic orofacial pain patients support earlier suggestions based on data from healthy subjects that intra-oral QST is sufficiently reliable for use as a part of a comprehensive evaluation of patients with somatosensory disturbances or neuropathic pain in the trigeminal region. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Chemical characterization of the aroma of Grenache rosé wines: aroma extract dilution analysis, quantitative determination, and sensory reconstitution studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, Vicente; Ortín, Natalia; Escudero, Ana; López, Ricardo; Cacho, Juan

2002-07-03

The aroma of a Grenache rosé wine from Calatayud (Zaragoza, Spain) has been elucidated following a strategy consisting of an aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA), followed by the quantitative analysis of the main odorants and the determination of odor activities values (OAVs) and, finally, by a series of reconstitution and omission tests with synthetic aroma models. Thirty-eight aroma compounds were found in the AEDA study, 35 of which were identified. Twenty-one compounds were at concentrations higher than their corresponding odor thresholds. An aroma model prepared by mixing the 24 compounds with OAV > 0.5 in a synthetic wine showed a high qualitative similarity with the aroma of the rosé wine. The addition of compounds with OAV 10 was very different from that of the wine. Omission tests revealed that the most important odorant of this Grenache rosé wine was 3-mercapto-1-hexanol, with a deep impact on the wine fruity and citric notes. The synergic action of Furaneol and homofuraneol also had an important impact on wine aroma, particularly in its fruity and caramel notes. The omission of beta-damascenone, which had the second highest OAV, caused only a slight decrease on the intensity of the aroma model. Still weaker was the sensory effect caused by the omission of 10 other compounds, such as fatty acids and their ethyl esters, isoamyl acetate, and higher alcohols.

The effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on conscious perception of sensory inputs from hand palm and dorsum.

Science.gov (United States)

Westgeest, Annette; Morales, Merche; Cabib, Christopher; Valls-Sole, Josep

2014-12-01

Conscious perception of sensory signals depends in part on stimulus salience, relevance and topography. Letting aside differences at skin receptor level and afferent fibres, it is the CNS that makes a contextual selection of relevant sensory inputs. We hypothesized that subjective awareness (AW) of the time at which a sensory stimulus is perceived, a cortical function, may be differently modified by cortical stimulation, according to site and type of the stimulus. In 24 healthy volunteers, we examined the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the assessment of AW to heat pain or weak electrical stimuli applied to either the hand palm or dorsum. We also recorded the vertex-evoked potentials to the same stimuli. The assessment was done before, during and after cathodal or anodal tDCS over the parietal cortex contralateral to the hand receiving the stimuli. At baseline, AW to thermal stimuli was significantly longer for palm than for dorsum (P sensory inputs. © 2014 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sensory Substitution and Multimodal Mental Imagery.

Science.gov (United States)

Nanay, Bence

2017-09-01

Many philosophers use findings about sensory substitution devices in the grand debate about how we should individuate the senses. The big question is this: Is "vision" assisted by (tactile) sensory substitution really vision? Or is it tactile perception? Or some sui generis novel form of perception? My claim is that sensory substitution assisted "vision" is neither vision nor tactile perception, because it is not perception at all. It is mental imagery: visual mental imagery triggered by tactile sensory stimulation. But it is a special form of mental imagery that is triggered by corresponding sensory stimulation in a different sense modality, which I call "multimodal mental imagery."

Improved vertical displacements induced by a refined thermal expansion model and its quantitative analysis in GPS height time series

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Kaihua; Chen, Hua; Jiang, Weiping; Li, Zhao; Ma, Yifang; Deng, Liansheng

2018-04-01

There are apparent seasonal variations in GPS height time series, and thermal expansion is considered to be one of the potential geophysical contributors. The displacements introduced by thermal expansion are usually derived without considering the annex height and underground part of the monument (e.g. located on roof or top of the buildings), which may bias the geophysical explanation of the seasonal oscillation. In this paper, the improved vertical displacements are derived by a refined thermal expansion model where the annex height and underground depth of the monument are taken into account, and then 560 IGS stations are adopted to validate the modeled thermal expansion (MTE) displacements. In order to evaluate the impact of thermal expansion on GPS heights, the MTE displacements of 80 IGS stations with less data discontinuities are selected to compare with their observed GPS vertical (OGV) displacements with the modeled surface loading (MSL) displacements removed in advance. Quantitative analysis results show the maximum annual and semiannual amplitudes of the MTE are 6.65 mm (NOVJ) and 0.51 mm (IISC), respectively, and the maximum peak-to-peak oscillation of the MTE displacements can be 19.4 mm. The average annual amplitude reductions are 0.75 mm and 1.05 mm respectively after removing the MTE and MSL displacements from the OGV, indicating the seasonal oscillation induced by thermal expansion is equivalent to >75% of the impact of surface loadings. However, there are rarely significant reductions for the semiannual amplitude. Given the result in this study that thermal expansion can explain 17.3% of the annual amplitude in GPS heights on average, it must be precisely modeled both in GPS precise data processing and GPS time series analysis, especially for those stations located in the middle and high latitudes with larger annual temperature oscillation, or stations with higher monument.

Measurement of thermal conductivity of Bi2Te3 nanowire using high-vacuum scanning thermal wave microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Kyungbae; Hwang, Gwangseok; Kim, Hayeong; Kim, Jungwon; Kim, Woochul; Kim, Sungjin; Kwon, Ohmyoung

2016-02-01

With the increasing application of nanomaterials in the development of high-efficiency thermoelectric energy conversion materials and electronic devices, the measurement of the intrinsic thermal conductivity of nanomaterials in the form of nanowires and nanofilms has become very important. However, the current widely used methods for measuring thermal conductivity have difficulties in eliminating the influence of interfacial thermal resistance (ITR) during the measurement. In this study, by using high-vacuum scanning thermal wave microscopy (HV-STWM), we propose a quantitative method for measuring the thermal conductivity of nanomaterials. By measuring the local phase lag of high-frequency (>10 kHz) thermal waves passing through a nanomaterial in a high-vacuum environment, HV-STWM eliminates the measurement errors due to ITR and the distortion due to heat transfer through air. By using HV-STWM, we measure the thermal conductivity of a Bi2Te3 nanowire. Because HV-STWM is quantitatively accurate and its specimen preparation is easier than in the thermal bridge method, we believe that HV-STWM will be widely used for measuring the thermal properties of various types of nanomaterials.

Physicochemical characterization and sensory analysis of yeast-leavened and sourdough soy breads.

Science.gov (United States)

Yezbick, Gabrielle; Ahn-Jarvis, Jennifer; Schwartz, Steven J; Vodovotz, Yael

2013-10-01

Sourdough fermentation has been shown to have numerous beneficial effects on bread quality, and nutritionally enhance soy-supplemented bread by altering isoflavone chemical forms. Given this, the objective of this study was to compare the loaf quality and shelf life of sourdough and yeast-leavened soy breads by various physical, thermal, and sensorial methods, and to assess the effects of fermentation by various microorganisms on isoflavone profile in dough and breads using high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. Sourdough fermentation yielded a less extensible dough compared to yeast-leavened soy dough (P bread crumb (P yeast-leavened soy bread (Y-B). Sensory analysis revealed a significantly higher overall liking of Y-B compared to sourdough soy bread (SD-B) (P bread consumption frequency may be determinants of Y-B or SD-B preference. SD-B and Y-B exhibited similar shelf-life properties. Despite significantly different enthalpies associated with the melting of amylose-lipid complexes, thermal analysis of the 2 soy breads stored for 10 d (ambient conditions) demonstrated no significant difference in water distribution and starch retrogradation (P < 0.05). Lastly, SD-B was determined to have 32% of total isoflavones occurring in the aglycone form compared to 17% in Y-B. These findings warrant further investigation of sourdough fermentation as a processing technique for quality and nutritional enhancement of soy-based baked goods. © 2013 Institute of Food Technologists®

Objective sensory evaluation of the spread of complex regional pain syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Edinger, Lara; Schwartzman, Robert J; Ahmad, Ayesha; Erwin, Kirsten; Alexander, Guillermo M

2013-01-01

The spread of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) has been well documented. Many severe refractory long-standing patients have total body pain (TBP) that evolved from a single extremity injury. The purpose of this study was to document by objective sensory threshold testing the extent of body area involvement in 20 long-standing patients with CRPS who have TBP. A comparison of sensory threshold testing parameters between 20 long-standing refractory patients with CRPS who have TBP versus 10 healthy participants. Twenty patients with CRPS who stated that they suffered from total body pain were chosen from the Drexel University College of Medicine CRPS database. They were compared to 10 healthy participants that were age and gender matched to the patients with CRPS. The sensory parameters tested were: skin temperature; static and mechanical allodynia; thermal allodynia; mechanical hyperalgesia; after sensations following all sensory tests. The sites chosen for testing in the patients with CRPS were the most painful area in each of 8 body regions that comprised the total body area. Five patients with CRPS had signs of CRPS over 100% of their body (20%). One patient had pain over 87% and another had pain over 90% of their body area. The average percentage of body involvement was 62% (range 37% - 100%). All patients with CRPS had at least one sensory parameter abnormality in all body regions. All patients with CRPS had lower pain thresholds for static allodynia in all body areas, while 50% demonstrated a lower threshold for dynamic allodynia in all body regions compared to the healthy participants. Cold allodynia had a higher median pain rating on the Likert pain scale in all body areas versus healthy participants except for the chest, abdomen, and back. Eighty-five percent of the patients with CRPS had a significantly lower pain threshold for mechanical hyperalgesia in all body areas compared to the healthy participants. After sensations occurred after all sensory

Sensory analysis of pet foods.

Science.gov (United States)

Koppel, Kadri

2014-08-01

Pet food palatability depends first and foremost on the pet and is related to the pet food sensory properties such as aroma, texture and flavor. Sensory analysis of pet foods may be conducted by humans via descriptive or hedonic analysis, pets via acceptance or preference tests, and through a number of instrumental analysis methods. Sensory analysis of pet foods provides additional information on reasons behind palatable and unpalatable foods as pets lack linguistic capabilities. Furthermore, sensory analysis may be combined with other types of information such as personality and environment factors to increase understanding of acceptable pet foods. Most pet food flavor research is proprietary and, thus, there are a limited number of publications available. Funding opportunities for pet food studies would increase research and publications and this would help raise public awareness of pet food related issues. This mini-review addresses current pet food sensory analysis literature and discusses future challenges and possibilities. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Irradiation of lettuce (Lactuca sativa. L.): microbiological and sensory aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuhako, Vanessa Provenzano

2005-01-01

The increasing demand for fresh foods have stimulated the marketing of minimally processed vegetables. However, these products maintain most of their natural microbiota even after being sanitized, including pathogenic microorganisms. Refrigerated storage allows the growth of psychotropic microorganisms and among them the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. The ingestion of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes may represent a risk to pregnant women and their fetuses and to immunocompromised people. Non-thermal alternative processes for food preservation, such as irradiation, can reduce pathogenic and spoilage microorganism populations without impairing substantial changes in sensory, physical or chemical attributes. The aims of this research were to evaluate the effect of gamma radiation on L. monocytogenes artificially inoculated on minimally processed lettuce, to evaluate its effect on lettuce leaves through acceptance sensory test and to determine the irradiated vegetable shelf life through sensory and microbiological tests. A mixture of 4 types of lettuce (Iceberg, Boston, Loose-leaf and Red loose-leaf) were artificially inoculated with L. monocytogenes (7 log UFC/g lettuce) and then exposed to 0.3; 0.6; 0.9 and 1.2 kGy, under refrigeration. The DlO values for L. monocytogenes varied fram 0.18 to 0.21 kGy. Sensory and microbiological tests indicated that the shelf life of Iceberg lettuce stored at 7 deg C was 5 and 7 days for the irradiated and non-irradiated samples, respectively, and for the irradiated and non-irradiated Loose-leaf lettuce samples were 10 days. For the non-irradiated Boston sample, the shelf life was 3 days and for the Irradiated 7 days. Red loose-leaf showed 5 and 4 days of shelf lives for the irradiated and non-irradiated, respectively. Irradiated samples presented better microbiological quality than non-irradiated ones. The irradiation is feasible process to improve quality and safety of lettuce leaves. (author)

Microbiological nutritional and sensorial changes in fresh carrot juice preserved by irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hammad, A. A. I.; Abd-El-kalek, H.; Abd-El-kader, R. M.; Youssef, K. H.

2012-12-01

Fresh carroll juice have perishable nature and very limited shelf-life, and may poses a microbiological hazard. Gamma irradiation (1.5, 3.0 and 4.0 kGy ) as non-thermal proceeding was performed to improve microbial quality, ensure safety and extending the refrigerated shelf-life of fresh carrot juice. Although irradiation dose of 1.5 kGy had no significant effect on total carotenoids, physicochemical and sensory properties of the juice, it significantly reduced ascorbic acid content and was not enough for reducing microbial content to great extend and for eliminating enterococcus fecal it.However, there was no significant difference in total carotene content between all irradiated samples and non-irradiated control. It was found that immediately after irradiation the sensory scores of irradiated (1.5 and 3.0 kGy) and non-irradiation samples were not significantly different. Irradiation dose of 4.0 kGy significantly reduced the nutrition content and the sensory quality attributes of the juice. Thus, irradiation dose of 3.0 kGy can be successfully used to improve the microbial quality and extend the refrigerated shelf-life of fresh carrot juice, where it extended the shelf-life to 8 days against only 2 day for non-irradiated control. (Author)

38 CFR 17.149 - Sensori-neural aids.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Sensori-neural aids. 17... Prosthetic, Sensory, and Rehabilitative Aids § 17.149 Sensori-neural aids. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, VA will furnish needed sensori-neural aids (i.e., eyeglasses, contact lenses...

Sensory feedback in upper limb prosthetics.

Science.gov (United States)

Antfolk, Christian; D'Alonzo, Marco; Rosén, Birgitta; Lundborg, Göran; Sebelius, Fredrik; Cipriani, Christian

2013-01-01

One of the challenges facing prosthetic designers and engineers is to restore the missing sensory function inherit to hand amputation. Several different techniques can be employed to provide amputees with sensory feedback: sensory substitution methods where the recorded stimulus is not only transferred to the amputee, but also translated to a different modality (modality-matched feedback), which transfers the stimulus without translation and direct neural stimulation, which interacts directly with peripheral afferent nerves. This paper presents an overview of the principal works and devices employed to provide upper limb amputees with sensory feedback. The focus is on sensory substitution and modality matched feedback; the principal features, advantages and disadvantages of the different methods are presented.

The significance of memory in sensory cortex

OpenAIRE

Muckli, Lars; Petro, Lucy S.

2017-01-01

Early sensory cortex is typically investigated in response to sensory stimulation, masking the contribution of internal signals. Recently, van Kerkoerle and colleagues reported that attention and memory signals segregate from sensory signals within specific layers of primary visual cortex, providing insight into the role of internal signals in sensory processing.

Modularity in Sensory Auditory Memory

OpenAIRE

Clement, Sylvain; Moroni, Christine; Samson, Séverine

2004-01-01

The goal of this paper was to review various experimental and neuropsychological studies that support the modular conception of auditory sensory memory or auditory short-term memory. Based on initial findings demonstrating that verbal sensory memory system can be dissociated from a general auditory memory store at the functional and anatomical levels. we reported a series of studies that provided evidence in favor of multiple auditory sensory stores specialized in retaining eit...

Qualidade física e sensorial de biscoitos doces com fécula de mandioca Physical and sensorial quality of sweet cookies with cassava starch

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jucyanne Carvalho Vieira

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Neste trabalho, foi avaliada a substituição de 5, 10 e 15% de farinha de trigo por fécula de mandioca na elaboração de biscoito doce. Ambas, farinha e fécula, foram submetidas à caracterização físico-química, reológica e análise térmica diferencial (DTA. Os biscoitos produzidos foram comparados por meio de análises sensoriais e microbiológicas. O resultado da análise térmica diferencial não mostrou qualquer alteração no comportamento de gelatinização do amido. O teste de aceitação sensorial mostrou que a crocância foi o único atributo que apresentou diferença significativa, indicando a viabilidade técnica de substituição da farinha de trigo por 15% de fécula de mandioca.This research evaluated the substitution of 5, 10 and 15% of wheat flour for cassava starch in sweet cookies production. Both, flour and starch were submitted to the physicochemical, rheological and differential thermal analysis (DTA. The produced cookies were compared through sensory and microbiological analyses. The DTA result didn´t show any alteration in the starch gelatinization behavior. The result of the sensory acceptance analysis showed that crispness is the unique attribute that presented significant difference, indicating the technical viability of wheat flour substitution for 15% of cassava starch.

Asymmetric localization of natural antisense RNA of neuropeptide sensorin in Aplysia sensory neurons during aging and activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Kadakkuzha, Beena M; Liu, Xin-An; Narvaez, Maria; Kaye, Alexandra; Akhmedov, Komolitdin; Puthanveettil, Sathyanarayanan V

2014-01-01

Despite the advances in our understanding of transcriptome, regulation and function of its non-coding components continue to be poorly understood. Here we searched for natural antisense transcript for sensorin (NAT-SRN), a neuropeptide expressed in the presynaptic sensory neurons of gill-withdrawal reflex of the marine snail Aplysia californica. Sensorin (SRN) has a key role in learning and long-term memory storage in Aplysia. We have now identified NAT-SRN in the central nervous system (CNS) and have confirmed its expression by northern blotting and fluorescent RNA in situ hybridization. Quantitative analysis of NAT-SRN in micro-dissected cell bodies and processes of sensory neurons suggest that NAT-SRN is present in the distal neuronal processes along with sense transcripts. Importantly, aging is associated with reduction in levels of NAT-SRN in sensory neuron processes. Furthermore, we find that forskolin, an activator of CREB signaling, differentially alters the distribution of SRN and NAT-SRN. These studies reveal novel insights into physiological regulation of natural antisense RNAs.

Asymmetric localization of natural antisense RNA of neuropeptide sensorin in Aplysia sensory neurons during aging and activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beena eKadakkuzha

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Despite the advances in our understanding of transcriptome, regulation and function of its noncoding components continue to be poorly understood. Here we searched for natural antisense transcript for sensorin (NAT-SRN, a neuropeptide expressed in the presynaptic sensory neurons of gill-withdrawal reflex of the marine snail Aplysia californica. Sensorin (SRN has a key role in learning and long-term memory storage in Aplysia. We have identified NAT-SRN in the central nervous system (CNS and have confirmed its expression by northern blotting and fluorescent RNA in situ hybridization. Quantitative analysis of NAT-SRN in micro dissected cell bodies and processes of sensory neurons suggest that NAT-SRN is present in the distal neuronal processes along with sense transcripts. Importantly, aging is associated with reduced levels of NAT-SRN in sensory neuron processes. Furthermore, we find that forskolin, an activator of CREB signaling, differentially alters the distribution of SRN and NAT-SRN. These studies reveal novel insights into physiological regulation of natural antisense RNAs.

The effect of Acacia karroo supplementation and thermal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of Acacia karroo supplementation and thermal preparation on consumer sensory scores of meat from indigenous Xhosa lop-eared goat breed. 18 castrated four-month-old Xhosa lop-eared kids were kept at the University of Fort Hare Farm until slaughter. Sample ...

Frequency of discriminative sensory loss in the hand after stroke in a rehabilitation setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Carey, Leeanne M; Matyas, Thomas A

2011-02-01

Somatosensory loss following stroke is common, with negative consequences for functional outcome. However, existing studies typically do not include quantitative measures of discriminative sensibility. The aim of this study was to quantify the proportion of stroke patients presenting with discriminative sensory loss of the hand in the post-acute rehabilitation phase. Prospective cohort study of stroke survivors presenting for rehabilitation. Fifty-one consecutive patients admitted to a metropolitan rehabilitation centre over a continuous 12-month period who met selection criteria. Quantitative measures of touch discrimination and limb position sense, with high re-test reliability, good discriminative test properties and objective criteria of abnormality, were employed. Both upper limbs were tested, in counterbalanced order. Impaired touch discrimination was identified in the hand contralateral to the lesion in 47% of patients, and in the ipsilesional hand in 16%. Forty-nine percent showed impaired limb position sense in the contralesional limb and 20% in the ipsilesional limb. Sixty-seven percent demonstrated impairment of at least one modality in the contralesional limb. Ipsilesional impairment was less severe. Discriminative sensory impairment was quantified in the contralesional hand in approximately half of stroke patients presenting for rehabilitation. A clinically significant number also experienced impairment in the ipsilesional "unaffected" hand.

Sensory functions in the foot soles in victims of generalized torture, in victims also beaten under the feet (falanga) and in healthy controls - A blinded study using quantitative sensory testing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Prip, K.; Persson, Anja; Sjolund, B. H.

2012-01-01

Background: Falanga torture (beatings on the foot soles) produces local chronic pain and severe walking difficulties. We have previously reported signs of neuropathic pain in the feet of falanga victims. The objective here was to clarify underlying pain mechanisms by quantifying sensory impairmen...

The Significance of Memory in Sensory Cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Muckli, Lars; Petro, Lucy S

2017-05-01

Early sensory cortex is typically investigated in response to sensory stimulation, masking the contribution of internal signals. Recently, van Kerkoerle and colleagues reported that attention and memory signals segregate from sensory signals within specific layers of primary visual cortex, providing insight into the role of internal signals in sensory processing. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Analysis of non-contact and contact probe-to-sample thermal exchange for quantitative measurements of thin film and nanostructure thermal conductivity by the scanning hot probe method

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Adam A.

The ability to measure thermal properties of thin films and nanostructured materials is an important aspect of many fields of academic study. A strategy especially well-suited for nanoscale investigations of these properties is the scanning hot probe technique, which is unique in its ability to non-destructively interrogate the thermal properties with high resolution, both laterally as well as through the thickness of the material. Strategies to quantitatively determine sample thermal conductivity depend on probe calibration. State of the art calibration strategies assume that the area of thermal exchange between probe and sample does not vary with sample thermal conductivity. However, little investigation has gone into determining whether or not that assumption is valid. This dissertation provides a rigorous study into the probe-to-sample heat transfer through the air gap at diffusive distances for a variety of values of sample thermal conductivity. It is demonstrated that the thermal exchange radius and gap/contact thermal resistance varies with sample thermal conductivity as well as tip-to-sample clearance in non-contact mode. In contact mode, it is demonstrated that higher thermal conductivity samples lead to a reduction in thermal exchange radius for Wollaston probe tips. Conversely, in non-contact mode and in contact mode for sharper probe tips where air contributes the most to probe-to-sample heat transfer, the opposite trend occurs. This may be attributed to the relatively strong solid-to-solid conduction occurring between probe and sample for the Wollaston probes. A three-dimensional finite element (3DFE) model was developed to investigate how the calibrated thermal exchange parameters vary with sample thermal conductivity when calibrating the probe via the intersection method in non-contact mode at diffusive distances. The 3DFE model was then used to explore the limits of sensitivity of the experiment for a range of simulated experimental conditions. It

Active inference, sensory attenuation and illusions.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Harriet; Adams, Rick A; Parees, Isabel; Edwards, Mark; Friston, Karl

2013-11-01

Active inference provides a simple and neurobiologically plausible account of how action and perception are coupled in producing (Bayes) optimal behaviour. This can be seen most easily as minimising prediction error: we can either change our predictions to explain sensory input through perception. Alternatively, we can actively change sensory input to fulfil our predictions. In active inference, this action is mediated by classical reflex arcs that minimise proprioceptive prediction error created by descending proprioceptive predictions. However, this creates a conflict between action and perception; in that, self-generated movements require predictions to override the sensory evidence that one is not actually moving. However, ignoring sensory evidence means that externally generated sensations will not be perceived. Conversely, attending to (proprioceptive and somatosensory) sensations enables the detection of externally generated events but precludes generation of actions. This conflict can be resolved by attenuating the precision of sensory evidence during movement or, equivalently, attending away from the consequences of self-made acts. We propose that this Bayes optimal withdrawal of precise sensory evidence during movement is the cause of psychophysical sensory attenuation. Furthermore, it explains the force-matching illusion and reproduces empirical results almost exactly. Finally, if attenuation is removed, the force-matching illusion disappears and false (delusional) inferences about agency emerge. This is important, given the negative correlation between sensory attenuation and delusional beliefs in normal subjects--and the reduction in the magnitude of the illusion in schizophrenia. Active inference therefore links the neuromodulatory optimisation of precision to sensory attenuation and illusory phenomena during the attribution of agency in normal subjects. It also provides a functional account of deficits in syndromes characterised by false inference

Identification of sensory attributes that drive consumer liking of commercial orange juice products in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Mina K; Lee, Young-Jin; Kwak, Han Sub; Kang, Myung-woo

2013-09-01

Orange juice is a well-accepted fruit juice, and its consumption increases steadily. Many studies have been conducted to understand the sensory characteristics of orange juice throughout its varying processing steps. Sensory language and consumer likings of food can be influenced by culture. The objective of this study is to evaluate the sensory characteristics of commercially available orange juices in Korea and identify drivers of liking for orange juices in Korea. A quantitative descriptive analysis was conducted using a trained panel (n = 10) to evaluate 7 orange juice samples in triplicates, followed by consumer acceptance tests (n = 103). Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were conducted for data analysis. The sensory characteristics of commercially available orange juice were documented and grouped: group 1 samples were characterized by high in natural citrus flavors such as orange peel, orange flesh, citrus fruit, and grape fruit, whereas group 2 samples were characterized by processed orange-like flavors such as over-ripe, cooked-orange, and yogurt. Regardless of orange flavor types, a high intensity of orange flavor in orange juice was identified as a driver of liking for orange juices in Korea. Three distinct clusters were segmented by varying sensory attributes that were evaluated by likes and dislikes. Overall, many similarities were noticed between Korean market segment and global orange juice market. By knowing the drivers of liking and understanding the distinct consumer clusters present in the Korean orange juice market, the orange juice industry could improve the strategic marketing of its products in Korea. © 2013 Institute of Food Technologists®

Thermal and structural study of guava (Psidium guajava L powders obtained by two dehydration methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Coralia Osorio

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Two food products (powders were obtained by hot-air drying or lyophilisation methods on the whole guava fruits. The powders were characterised by sensory and thermal analyses (TGA-DSC, infrared spectroscopy (IR, X-ray diffraction (XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM. Thermal, morphological and structural characterisations showed a similar behaviour for the two solids. TGA-DSC and IR showed the presence of pectin as the main constituent of solids. A semi-crystalline profile was evidenced by XRD, and lamellar/spherical morphologies were observed by SEM. Sensory analyses revealed an aroma highly related to guava. These value-added food products are an alternative to process guava and avoid loss during postharvest handling.

Effect of low-frequency deep brain stimulation on sensory thresholds in Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Belasen, Abigail; Rizvi, Khizer; Gee, Lucy E; Yeung, Philip; Prusik, Julia; Ramirez-Zamora, Adolfo; Hanspal, Era; Paiva, Priscilla; Durphy, Jennifer; Argoff, Charles E; Pilitsis, Julie G

2017-02-01

OBJECTIVE Chronic pain is a major distressing symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) that is often undertreated. Subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) delivers high-frequency stimulation (HFS) to patients with PD and has been effective in pain relief in a subset of these patients. However, up to 74% of patients develop new pain concerns while receiving STN DBS. Here the authors explore whether altering the frequency of STN DBS changes pain perception as measured through quantitative sensory testing (QST). METHODS Using QST, the authors measured thermal and mechanical detection and pain thresholds in 19 patients undergoing DBS via HFS, low-frequency stimulation (LFS), and off conditions in a randomized order. Testing was performed in the region of the body with the most pain and in the lower back in patients without chronic pain. RESULTS In the patients with chronic pain, LFS significantly reduced heat detection thresholds as compared with thresholds following HFS (p = 0.029) and in the off state (p = 0.010). Moreover, LFS resulted in increased detection thresholds for mechanical pressure (p = 0.020) and vibration (p = 0.040) compared with these thresholds following HFS. Neither LFS nor HFS led to changes in other mechanical thresholds. In patients without chronic pain, LFS significantly increased mechanical pain thresholds in response to the 40-g pinprick compared with thresholds following HFS (p = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS Recent literature has suggested that STN LFS can be useful in treating nonmotor symptoms of PD. Here the authors demonstrated that LFS modulates thermal and mechanical detection to a greater extent than HFS. Low-frequency stimulation is an innovative means of modulating chronic pain in PD patients receiving STN DBS. The authors suggest that STN LFS may be a future option to consider when treating Parkinson's patients in whom pain remains the predominant complaint.

Influence of particle size on physical and sensory attributes of mango pulp powder

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, M.; Kadam, D. M.; Chadha, S.; Wilson, R. A.; Gupta, R. K.

2013-09-01

The present investigation was aimed to observe the effect of particle size on physical, sensory and thermal properties of foam-mat dried mango pulp powder. Mango pulp of Dussehri variety was foam-mat dried using 3% egg white at 65ºC. Dried foam-mats were pulverized and passed through a sieve shaker for obtaining three grades of powder with 50, 60, and 85 mesh size sieves. The particle size of these samples measured using laser diffraction particle size analyzer ranged from 191.26 to 296.19 μm. The data was analysed statistically using ANOVA of SAS. There was a linear increase in lightness (`L' value) with a decrease in particle size, however, `a' value decreased with a decrease in particle size, indicating the decrease in redness. An increase in bulk density and decrease in water solubility index and water absorption index % were observed with a decrease in particle size. Particle size had a significant effect on sensory parameters. Particle size in the range of 258.01 to 264.60μmwas found most acceptable with respect to sensory characteristics. This finding can be exploited for various commercial applicationswhere powder quality is dependent on the particle size and has foremost priority for end users.

Avaliação do perfil sensorial de chá light sabor pêssego Sensory profile evaluation of light peach tea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cibele Cristina Osawa

2008-12-01

Full Text Available No presente estudo foi determinado o perfil sensorial e a aceitação de três marcas comerciais de chá light sabor pêssego, denominadas A, B e C, acondicionadas em embalagem PET e adquiridas no comércio local. O perfil sensorial foi determinado por Análise Descritiva Quantitativa (ADQ utilizando-se uma equipe de 11 provadores rigorosamente selecionados e treinados. A aceitação dos produtos foi avaliada por 33 consumidores representativos do público alvo. Os resultados da ADQ foram submetidos à Análise de Variância (ANOVA, Teste de Média de Tukey e Análise de Componentes Principais. As amostras comerciais apresentaram perfis semelhantes em alguns termos descritores e diferenças significativas em outros. A amostra A caracterizou-se principalmente pelos atributos aroma e sabor de banana passa; a amostra B por aroma artificial de pêssego e refrescância; e a amostra C por aroma natural de pêssego e doçura. O Teste Afetivo, analisado por ANOVA e Teste de Média de Tukey, indicou maior aceitação para a amostra C. A cor das amostras foi avaliada pelo método Cielab L*a*b*, sendo que a amostra C se destacou das demais pela cor vermelha.In this work, three different brands of light peach iced tea (A, B and C, purchased in a local market and packed in PET bottles were sensory analyzed. At first, Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA was conducted in order to obtain the sensorial profile, with eleven tasters, previously selected and trained. The product acceptance was evaluated by 33 consumers, representing the target public. The QDA results were submitted to ANOVA, Tukey's test and Principal Component Analysis (PCA. The sample A was mainly characterized by banana aroma and flavor; the sample B by artificial peach aroma and refreshment; while the sample C by sweetness and natural peach aroma. The acceptance test, analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey's test, showed a greater acceptance for the sample C. The colour of the samples was evaluated by

The sensory side of post-stroke motor rehabilitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bolognini, Nadia; Russo, Cristina; Edwards, Dylan J

2016-04-11

Contemporary strategies to promote motor recovery following stroke focus on repetitive voluntary movements. Although successful movement relies on efficient sensorimotor integration, functional outcomes often bias motor therapy toward motor-related impairments such as weakness, spasticity and synergies; sensory therapy and reintegration is implied, but seldom targeted. However, the planning and execution of voluntary movement requires that the brain extracts sensory information regarding body position and predicts future positions, by integrating a variety of sensory inputs with ongoing and planned motor activity. Neurological patients who have lost one or more of their senses may show profoundly affected motor functions, even if muscle strength remains unaffected. Following stroke, motor recovery can be dictated by the degree of sensory disruption. Consequently, a thorough account of sensory function might be both prognostic and prescriptive in neurorehabilitation. This review outlines the key sensory components of human voluntary movement, describes how sensory disruption can influence prognosis and expected outcomes in stroke patients, reports on current sensory-based approaches in post-stroke motor rehabilitation, and makes recommendations for optimizing rehabilitation programs based on sensory stimulation.

Sensory evaluation of commercial fat spreads based on oilseeds and walnut

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dimić Etelka B.

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The main focus of this study was on the sensory evaluation of commercial oilseeds spreads, as the most significant characteristic of this type of product from the consumers’ point of view. Sensory analysis was conducted by five experts using a quantitative descriptive and sensory profile test, applying a scoring method according to the standard procedure. Five different spreads were evaluated: sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, peanut, and walnut. Oil content and amounts of separated oil on the surface were determined for each spread. The results have shown that the color of spreads was very different, depending on the oilseed: gray for sunflower, brown for walnut, yellowish-brown for peanut butter, ivory for sesame and profoundly dark green for pumpkin seeds spread. The flavor and odor of the spreads were characteristic for the raw materials used; however, the sunflower and walnut spreads had a slight rancid flavor. Generally, the spreadability of all spreads was good, but their mouth feel was not acceptable. During the consumption, all of them were sticking immensely to the roof of the mouth, which made the swallowing harder. The highest total score of 16.20 points (max. 20 was obtained for the peanut butter, while the lowest (10.38 was achieved by the sunflower butter. Oil separation (various degrees was noticed in all spreads, which negatively influenced the appearance and entire sensorial quality of the products. The quantity of separated oil depended on the age and total amount of oil in the spreads, and was between 1.13% in the peanut butter and 12.15% in the walnut spread in reference to the net weight of the product. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 31014: Development of the new functional confectionery products based on oil crops

Sensory qualities of pastry products enriched with dietary fiber and polyphenolic substances.

Science.gov (United States)

Komolka, Patrycja; Górecka, Danuta; Szymandera-Buszka, Krystyna; Jędrusek-Golińska, Anna; Dziedzic, Krzysztof; Waszkowiak, Katarzyna

2016-01-01

Growing consumer demand for products with pro-health properties is forcing food manufacturers to introduce new food items onto the market, which will not only possess such health-enhancing properties but will also compete on the grounds of sensory attributes - taste, flavour, texture etc. The aim was to evaluate these sensory attributes of pastry products enhanced with biologically active compounds, such as inulin, buckwheat hull and buckwheat flour. For decreasing the energy value of the products tested (crispy cookies, muesli cookies, waffles and pancakes) some ingredients were replaced: vegetable butter or oil by inulin and wheat flour by roasted buckwheat flour and thermally processed buckwheat hull. The substances mentioned are rich sources of soluble and insoluble buckwheat fiber, and also polyphenolic substances. Dry chokeberry and mulberry leaf extract were added as a rich source of flavonoids and 1-deoxynorijimycin, respectively. These substances are recommended for people with obesity. The processing was carried out at 175°C for 15 minutes using a convection oven (Rational Combi-Steamer CCC). Pastry products with buckwheat flour, buckwheat hulls, mulberry extract, chokeberry and inulin had a lower food energy, a higher dietary fiber content and scored high on customer desirability. Pastry products which contain ingredients carrying biologically active substances are not only attractive from the sensory point of view, but also low in calories, and are thus recommendable for obesity people.

Relationship between sensory attributes and volatile compounds of polish dry-cured loin

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Górska, Ewa; Nowicka, Katarzyna; Jaworska, Danuta; Przybylski, Wiesław; Tambor, Krzysztof

2017-01-01

Objective The aim of this work was to determine the relationship between objective sensory descriptors and volatile flavour compound composition of Polish traditional dry-cured loin. Methods The volatile compounds were investigated by using solid phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). For sensory assessment, the quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) method was used. Results A total of 50 volatile compounds were found and assigned to 17 chemical families. Most of the detected volatile compounds derived from smoking, lipid oxidative reactions and seasoning (46.8%, 21.7%, and 18.9%, respectively). The dominant compounds were: aromatic hydrocarbon (toluene); alkanes (hexane, heptane, and 2,2,4-trimethylpentane); aldehyde (hexanal); alcohol (2-furanmethanol); ketone (3-hydroxy-2-butanone); phenol (guaiacol); and terpenes (eucalyptol, cymene, γ-terpinen, and limonene). Correlation analysis showed that some compounds derived from smoking were positively correlated with the intensity of cured meat odour and flavour and negatively with the intensity of dried meat odour and flavour, while terpenes were strongly correlated with odour and flavour of added spices. Conclusion The analysed dry-cured loins were characterized by specific and unique sensory profile. Odour and flavour of studied loins was mainly determined by volatile compounds originating from smoking, seasoning and lipid oxidation. Obtained results suggest that smoking process is a crucial stage during Polish traditional dry-cured loins production. PMID:27456422

Relationship between sensory attributes and volatile compounds of polish dry-cured loin

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Ewa Górska

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Objective The aim of this work was to determine the relationship between objective sensory descriptors and volatile flavour compound composition of Polish traditional dry-cured loin. Methods The volatile compounds were investigated by using solid phase microextraction (SPME and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS. For sensory assessment, the quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA method was used. Results A total of 50 volatile compounds were found and assigned to 17 chemical families. Most of the detected volatile compounds derived from smoking, lipid oxidative reactions and seasoning (46.8%, 21.7%, and 18.9%, respectively. The dominant compounds were: aromatic hydrocarbon (toluene; alkanes (hexane, heptane, and 2,2,4-trimethylpentane; aldehyde (hexanal; alcohol (2-furanmethanol; ketone (3-hydroxy-2-butanone; phenol (guaiacol; and terpenes (eucalyptol, cymene, γ-terpinen, and limonene. Correlation analysis showed that some compounds derived from smoking were positively correlated with the intensity of cured meat odour and flavour and negatively with the intensity of dried meat odour and flavour, while terpenes were strongly correlated with odour and flavour of added spices. Conclusion The analysed dry-cured loins were characterized by specific and unique sensory profile. Odour and flavour of studied loins was mainly determined by volatile compounds originating from smoking, seasoning and lipid oxidation. Obtained results suggest that smoking process is a crucial stage during Polish traditional dry-cured loins production.

Sensory matched filters.

Science.gov (United States)

Warrant, Eric J

2016-10-24

As animals move through their environments they are subjected to an endless barrage of sensory signals. Of these, some will be of utmost importance, such as the tell-tale aroma of a potential mate, the distinctive appearance of a vital food source or the unmistakable sound of an approaching predator. Others will be less important. Indeed some will not be important at all. There are, for instance, wide realms of the sensory world that remain entirely undetected, simply because an animal lacks the physiological capacity to detect and analyse the signals that characterise this realm. Take ourselves for example: we are completely insensitive to the Earth's magnetic field, a sensory cue of vital importance as a compass for steering the long distance migration of animals as varied as birds, lobsters and sea turtles. We are also totally oblivious to the rich palette of ultraviolet colours that exist all around us, colours seen by insects, crustaceans, birds, fish and lizards (in fact perhaps by most animals). Nor can we hear the ultrasonic sonar pulses emitted by bats in hot pursuit of flying insect prey. The simple reason for these apparent deficiencies is that we either lack the sensory capacity entirely (as in the case of magnetoreception) or that our existing senses are incapable of detecting specific ranges of the stimulus (such as the ultraviolet wavelength range of light). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Locomotor sensory organization test: a novel paradigm for the assessment of sensory contributions in gait.

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Chien, Jung Hung; Eikema, Diderik-Jan Anthony; Mukherjee, Mukul; Stergiou, Nicholas

2014-12-01

Feedback based balance control requires the integration of visual, proprioceptive and vestibular input to detect the body's movement within the environment. When the accuracy of sensory signals is compromised, the system reorganizes the relative contributions through a process of sensory recalibration, for upright postural stability to be maintained. Whereas this process has been studied extensively in standing using the Sensory Organization Test (SOT), less is known about these processes in more dynamic tasks such as locomotion. In the present study, ten healthy young adults performed the six conditions of the traditional SOT to quantify standing postural control when exposed to sensory conflict. The same subjects performed these six conditions using a novel experimental paradigm, the Locomotor SOT (LSOT), to study dynamic postural control during walking under similar types of sensory conflict. To quantify postural control during walking, the net Center of Pressure sway variability was used. This corresponds to the Performance Index of the center of pressure trajectory, which is used to quantify postural control during standing. Our results indicate that dynamic balance control during locomotion in healthy individuals is affected by the systematic manipulation of multisensory inputs. The sway variability patterns observed during locomotion reflect similar balance performance with standing posture, indicating that similar feedback processes may be involved. However, the contribution of visual input is significantly increased during locomotion, compared to standing in similar sensory conflict conditions. The increased visual gain in the LSOT conditions reflects the importance of visual input for the control of locomotion. Since balance perturbations tend to occur in dynamic tasks and in response to environmental constraints not present during the SOT, the LSOT may provide additional information for clinical evaluation on healthy and deficient sensory processing.

Sensory determinants of the autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR): understanding the triggers.

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Barratt, Emma L; Spence, Charles; Davis, Nick J

2017-01-01

The autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is an atypical sensory phenomenon involving electrostatic-like tingling sensations in response to certain sensory, primarily audio-visual, stimuli. The current study used an online questionnaire, completed by 130 people who self-reported experiencing ASMR. We aimed to extend preliminary investigations into the experience, and establish key multisensory factors contributing to the successful induction of ASMR through online media. Aspects such as timing and trigger load, atmosphere, and characteristics of ASMR content, ideal spatial distance from various types of stimuli, visual characteristics, context and use of ASMR triggers, and audio preferences are explored. Lower-pitched, complex sounds were found to be especially effective triggers, as were slow-paced, detail-focused videos. Conversely, background music inhibited the sensation for many respondents. These results will help in designing media for ASMR induction.

Sensory determinants of the autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR: understanding the triggers

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Emma L. Barratt

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR is an atypical sensory phenomenon involving electrostatic-like tingling sensations in response to certain sensory, primarily audio-visual, stimuli. The current study used an online questionnaire, completed by 130 people who self-reported experiencing ASMR. We aimed to extend preliminary investigations into the experience, and establish key multisensory factors contributing to the successful induction of ASMR through online media. Aspects such as timing and trigger load, atmosphere, and characteristics of ASMR content, ideal spatial distance from various types of stimuli, visual characteristics, context and use of ASMR triggers, and audio preferences are explored. Lower-pitched, complex sounds were found to be especially effective triggers, as were slow-paced, detail-focused videos. Conversely, background music inhibited the sensation for many respondents. These results will help in designing media for ASMR induction.

A combination of quantitative marinating and Maillard reaction to enhance volatile flavor in Chinese marinated chicken.

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Wei, Xiuli; Wang, Chunqing; Zhang, Chunhui; Li, Xia; Wang, Jinzhi; Li, Hai; Tang, Chunhong

2017-02-01

A combination of quantitative marinating and Maillard reaction was investigated by adding d-xylose, l-cysteine and thiamine to the marinated brine of quantitative marinating, which was expected to enhance the volatile flavor of Chinese marinated chicken. Response surface methodology was used to optimize parameters, in which response was sensory evaluation scores of marinated chicken. A Box-Behnken center design was applied to the optimized added contents. The optimized contents were d-xylose (1-5‰), l-cysteine (1-5‰) and thiamine (1-3‰). Analysis of variance indicated that a second-order polynomial equation could predict the experimental data well (R 2  = 0.94), and sensory evaluation scores were significantly affected by the added amount of d-xylose, l-cysteine and thiamine. The optimal conditions that maximized the sensory evaluation score of Chinese marinated chicken were found to be 4.96‰ d-xylose, 2.28‰ l-cysteine and 2.66‰ thiamine (w/w). Given these optimal conditions, a number of meat-like flavor compounds such as 2-pentyl-furan, benzothiazole and 4-methyl-5-thiazoleethanol were identified by gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis. Our results suggested that a combination of quantitative marinating and Maillard reaction might be a promising method to enhance the volatile flavor, especially meat-like flavor, of Chinese marinated chicken. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Study of the influence of high hydrostatic pressure on wine chemical and sensorial characteristics

OpenAIRE

Santos, Mickael da Costa

2015-01-01

During the last years, the use of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) as a non-thermal technology for preservation or aging of wine has increased substantially in the academic community. However, HHP treated wine has been only analysed after the pressure treatment, with no knowledge available on the effects of HHP during subsequent storage. The results presented in this thesis showed that HHP treatments influence the chemical and sensorial properties of wine during storage. The application of ...

Probiotic salami with fat and curing salts reduction: physicochemical, textural and sensory characteristics

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Mariana Nougalli ROSELINO

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract This work was evaluated the physicochemical, textural and the sensory properties of meat products fermented with traditional or probiotic cultures with lower fat and curing salt content. Chemical composition was evaluated in T30 and instrumental texture was determined during the experimental protocol. A sensory profile evaluation was carried out using the quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA and the acceptance test. The lowest fat content was found in the salamis processed with reduced pork fat. Texture profile analysis the F5 exhibited the lowest mean value of hardness. In QDA, the results showed that the F1 exhibited the highest mean value of regularity of the border, brightness, softness and smoked, due to the greater amount of fat in their composition. The results revealed that, in T30, there was good acceptance for all formulations and during the storage period, the mean values remained high. The consumers demonstrated a positive purchase intention for all formulations.

Comparison of performance and quantitative descriptive analysis sensory profiling and its relationship to consumer liking between the artisanal cheese producers panel and the descriptive trained panel.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramírez-Rivera, Emmanuel de Jesús; Díaz-Rivera, Pablo; Guadalupe Ramón-Canul, Lorena; Juárez-Barrientos, José Manuel; Rodríguez-Miranda, Jesús; Herman-Lara, Erasmo; Prinyawiwatkul, Witoon; Herrera-Corredor, José Andrés

2018-04-25

The aim of this research was to compare the performance and sensory profiling of a panel of artisanal cheese producers against a trained panel and their relationship to consumer liking (external preference mapping). Performance was analyzed statistically at an individual level using the Fisher's test (F) for discrimination, the mean square error for repeatability, and Manhattan plots for visualizing the intra-panel homogeneity. At group level, performance was evaluated using ANOVA. External preference mapping technique was applied to determine the efficiency of each sensory profile. Results showed that the producers panel was discriminant and repetitive with a performance similar to that of the trained panel. Manhattan plots showed that the performance of artisanal cheese producers was more homogeneous than trained panelists. The correlation between sensory profiles (Rv = 0.95) demonstrated similarities in the generation and use of sensory profiles. The external preference maps generated individually with the profiles of each panel were also similar. Recruiting individuals familiar with the production of artisanal cheeses as panelists is a viable strategy for sensory characterization of artisanal cheeses within their context of origin because their results were similar to those from the trained panel and can be correlated with consumer liking data. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Experienced Sensory Modalities in Dream Recall

OpenAIRE

岡田, 斉

2000-01-01

The purpose of the present study is to survey the frequency of visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, cutaneous, organic, gustatory, and olfactory experience in dream recall. A total of 1267 undergraduate students completed a dream recall frequency questionnaire, which contained a question about dream recall frequency and about recall frequency of seven sensory modalities. Results showed that seven sensory modalities were divided into two groups; normally perceived sensory modalities in dreaming, wh...

Different commercial yeast strains affecting the volatile and sensory profile of cava base wine.

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Torrens, Jordi; Urpí, Pilar; Riu-Aumatell, Montserrat; Vichi, Stefania; López-Tamames, Elvira; Buxaderas, Susana

2008-05-10

36 semi-industrial fermentations were carried out with 6 different yeast strains in order to assess differences in the wines' chemical and volatile profile. Two of the tested strains (Y3 and Y6) showed the fastest fermentation rates throughout 3 harvests and on 2 grape varieties. The wines fermented by three of the tested strains (Y5, Y3 and Y4) stand out for their high amounts of esters and possessed the highest fruity character. Wines from strains producing low amounts of esters and high concentrations of medium chain fatty acids, higher alcohols and six-carbon alcohols were the least appreciated at the sensory analysis. The data obtained in the present study show how the yeast strain quantitatively affects the final chemical and volatile composition of cava base wines and have repercussions on their sensory profile, independently of must variety and harvest year.

Sensory overload: A concept analysis.

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Scheydt, Stefan; Müller Staub, Maria; Frauenfelder, Fritz; Nielsen, Gunnar H; Behrens, Johann; Needham, Ian

2017-04-01

In the context of mental disorders sensory overload is a widely described phenomenon used in conjunction with psychiatric interventions such as removal from stimuli. However, the theoretical foundation of sensory overload as addressed in the literature can be described as insufficient and fragmentary. To date, the concept of sensory overload has not yet been sufficiently specified or analyzed. The aim of the study was to analyze the concept of sensory overload in mental health care. A literature search was undertaken using specific electronic databases, specific journals and websites, hand searches, specific library catalogues, and electronic publishing databases. Walker and Avant's method of concept analysis was used to analyze the sources included in the analysis. All aspects of the method of Walker and Avant were covered in this concept analysis. The conceptual understanding has become more focused, the defining attributes, influencing factors and consequences are described and empirical referents identified. The concept analysis is a first step in the development of a middle-range descriptive theory of sensory overload based on social scientific and stress-theoretical approaches. This specification may serve as a fundament for further research, for the development of a nursing diagnosis or for guidelines. © 2017 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

National Survey of Sensory Features in Children with ASD: Factor Structure of the Sensory Experience Questionnaire (3.0)

Science.gov (United States)

Ausderau, Karla; Sideris, John; Furlong, Melissa; Little, Lauren M.; Bulluck, John; Baranek, Grace T.

2014-01-01

This national online survey study characterized sensory features in 1,307 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) ages 2-12 years using the Sensory Experiences Questionnaire Version 3.0 (SEQ-3.0). Using the SEQ-3.0, a confirmatory factor analytic model with four substantive factors of hypothesized sensory response patterns (i.e.,…

Effects of Encapsulated Fish Oil by Polymerized Whey Protein on the Textural and Sensory Characteristics of Low-Fat Yogurt

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Liu Diru

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Five types of polymerized whey protein (PWP1, PWP2, PWP3, PWP4 and PWP5 containing different amounts of fish oil were added to low-fat yogurt as fat replacers. The texture, apparent viscosity, and sensory properties of the yogurts were analyzed in comparison with full-fat ( 3.0%, w/w, fat and low-fat (1.5%, w/w; and 1.2%, w/w milk yogurt controls. The majority (~85% of the particle size distribution was in the range of 1106±158 nm. Thermal property analysis indicated PWP was thermally stable between 50°C and 90°C. Yogurts formulated with 12% of PWP4 and 14% of PWP5 demonstrated higher firmness, springiness and adhesiveness (P<0.05, and lower cohesiveness (P<0.05 than the low-fat milk yogurt controls. There was no fat separation and they had less fishy smell. Yogurts incorporated with 12% of PWP4 had comparable sensory and textural characteristics to the full- -fat milk yogurt control.

Bioinspired sensory systems for local flow characterization

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Colvert, Brendan; Chen, Kevin; Kanso, Eva

2016-11-01

Empirical evidence suggests that many aquatic organisms sense differential hydrodynamic signals.This sensory information is decoded to extract relevant flow properties. This task is challenging because it relies on local and partial measurements, whereas classical flow characterization methods depend on an external observer to reconstruct global flow fields. Here, we introduce a mathematical model in which a bioinspired sensory array measuring differences in local flow velocities characterizes the flow type and intensity. We linearize the flow field around the sensory array and express the velocity gradient tensor in terms of frame-independent parameters. We develop decoding algorithms that allow the sensory system to characterize the local flow and discuss the conditions under which this is possible. We apply this framework to the canonical problem of a circular cylinder in uniform flow, finding excellent agreement between sensed and actual properties. Our results imply that combining suitable velocity sensors with physics-based methods for decoding sensory measurements leads to a powerful approach for understanding and developing underwater sensory systems.

Multivariate analysis of data in sensory science

CERN Document Server

Naes, T; Risvik, E

1996-01-01

The state-of-the-art of multivariate analysis in sensory science is described in this volume. Both methods for aggregated and individual sensory profiles are discussed. Processes and results are presented in such a way that they can be understood not only by statisticians but also by experienced sensory panel leaders and users of sensory analysis. The techniques presented are focused on examples and interpretation rather than on the technical aspects, with an emphasis on new and important methods which are possibly not so well known to scientists in the field. Important features of the book are discussions on the relationship among the methods with a strong accent on the connection between problems and methods. All procedures presented are described in relation to sensory data and not as completely general statistical techniques. Sensory scientists, applied statisticians, chemometricians, those working in consumer science, food scientists and agronomers will find this book of value.

Cognitive mechanisms associated with auditory sensory gating

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, L.A.; Hills, P.J.; Dick, K.M.; Jones, S.P.; Bright, P.

2016-01-01

Sensory gating is a neurophysiological measure of inhibition that is characterised by a reduction in the P50 event-related potential to a repeated identical stimulus. The objective of this work was to determine the cognitive mechanisms that relate to the neurological phenomenon of auditory sensory gating. Sixty participants underwent a battery of 10 cognitive tasks, including qualitatively different measures of attentional inhibition, working memory, and fluid intelligence. Participants additionally completed a paired-stimulus paradigm as a measure of auditory sensory gating. A correlational analysis revealed that several tasks correlated significantly with sensory gating. However once fluid intelligence and working memory were accounted for, only a measure of latent inhibition and accuracy scores on the continuous performance task showed significant sensitivity to sensory gating. We conclude that sensory gating reflects the identification of goal-irrelevant information at the encoding (input) stage and the subsequent ability to selectively attend to goal-relevant information based on that previous identification. PMID:26716891

Assessment of the sensory and physical limitations imposed by leprosy in a Brazilian Amazon Population

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Cintia Yolette Urbano Pauxis Aben-Athar

Full Text Available Abstract INTRODUCTION Leprosy often results in sensory and physical limitations. This study aimed to evaluate these limitations using a quantitative approach in leprosy patients in Belém (Pará, Brazil. METHODS This epidemiological, cross-sectional study measured the sensory impairment of smell and taste through the use of a questionnaire and evaluated activity limitations of daily life imposed by leprosy through the Screening of Activity Limitation and Safety Awareness (SALSA Scale. Data were collected from 84 patients and associations between the degree of disability and clinical and epidemiological characteristics were assessed. RESULTS The majority of patients were men (64.3%, married (52.4%, age 31-40 years old (26.2%, had primary education (50%, and were independent laborers (36.9%. The multibacillary operational classification (81%, borderline clinical form (57.1%, and 0 degrees of physical disability (41.7% were predominant. SALSA scores ranged from 17 to 59 points, and being without limitations was predominant (53.6%. The risk awareness score ranged from 0 to 8, with a score of 0 (no awareness of risk being the most common (56%. Evaluation of smell and taste sensory sensitivities revealed that 70.2% did not experience these sensory changes. Patients with leprosy reactions were 7 times more likely to develop activity limitations, and those who had physical disabilities were approximately four times more likely to develop a clinical picture of activity limitations. CONCLUSIONS Most patients showed no sensory changes, but patients with leprosy reactions were significantly more likely to develop activity limitations. Finally, further studies should be performed, assessing a higher number of patients to confirm the present results.

A Community-Based Sensory Training Program Leads to Improved Experience at a Local Zoo for Children with Sensory Challenges

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Michele Kong

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Sensory processing difficulties are common among many special needs children, especially those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD. The sensory sensitivities often result in interference of daily functioning and can lead to social isolation for both the individual and family unit. A quality improvement (QI project was undertaken within a local zoo to systematically implement a sensory training program targeted at helping special needs individuals with sensory challenges, including those with ASD, Down’s syndrome, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and speech delay. We piloted the program over a 2-year period. The program consisted of staff training, provision of sensory bags and specific social stories, as well as creation of quiet zones. Two hundred family units were surveyed before and after implementation of the sensory training program. In this pilot QI study, families reported increased visitation to the zoo, improved interactions with staff members, and the overall quality of their experience. In conclusion, we are able to demonstrate that a sensory training program within the community zoo is feasible, impactful, and has the potential to decrease social isolation for special needs individuals and their families.

Thalamic control of sensory selection in divided attention.

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Wimmer, Ralf D; Schmitt, L Ian; Davidson, Thomas J; Nakajima, Miho; Deisseroth, Karl; Halassa, Michael M

2015-10-29

How the brain selects appropriate sensory inputs and suppresses distractors is unknown. Given the well-established role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in executive function, its interactions with sensory cortical areas during attention have been hypothesized to control sensory selection. To test this idea and, more generally, dissect the circuits underlying sensory selection, we developed a cross-modal divided-attention task in mice that allowed genetic access to this cognitive process. By optogenetically perturbing PFC function in a temporally precise window, the ability of mice to select appropriately between conflicting visual and auditory stimuli was diminished. Equivalent sensory thalamocortical manipulations showed that behaviour was causally dependent on PFC interactions with the sensory thalamus, not sensory cortex. Consistent with this notion, we found neurons of the visual thalamic reticular nucleus (visTRN) to exhibit PFC-dependent changes in firing rate predictive of the modality selected. visTRN activity was causal to performance as confirmed by bidirectional optogenetic manipulations of this subnetwork. Using a combination of electrophysiology and intracellular chloride photometry, we demonstrated that visTRN dynamically controls visual thalamic gain through feedforward inhibition. Our experiments introduce a new subcortical model of sensory selection, in which the PFC biases thalamic reticular subnetworks to control thalamic sensory gain, selecting appropriate inputs for further processing.

Sensory quality criteria for five fish species

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Warm, Karin; Nielsen, Jette; Hyldig, Grethe

2000-01-01

Sensory profiling has been used to develop one sensory vocabulary for five fish species: cod (Gadus morhua), saithe (Pollachius virens), rainbow trout (Salmo gardineri), herring (Clupea harengus) and flounder (Platichthys flessus). A nine- member trained panel assessed 18 samples with variation i...... variation and by presenting references, panel discussions and interpreting plots from multivariate data analysis. The developed profile can be used as a sensory wheel for these species, and with minor changes it may be adapted to similar species......Sensory profiling has been used to develop one sensory vocabulary for five fish species: cod (Gadus morhua), saithe (Pollachius virens), rainbow trout (Salmo gardineri), herring (Clupea harengus) and flounder (Platichthys flessus). A nine- member trained panel assessed 18 samples with variation...

Fourier diffraction theorem for diffusion-based thermal tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baddour, Natalie

2006-01-01

There has been much recent interest in thermal imaging as a method of non-destructive testing and for non-invasive medical imaging. The basic idea of applying heat or cold to an area and observing the resulting temperature change with an infrared camera has led to the development of rapid and relatively inexpensive inspection systems. However, the main drawback to date has been that such an approach provides mainly qualitative results. In order to advance the quantitative results that are possible via thermal imaging, there is interest in applying techniques and algorithms from conventional tomography. Many tomography algorithms are based on the Fourier diffraction theorem, which is inapplicable to thermal imaging without suitable modification to account for the attenuative nature of thermal waves. In this paper, the Fourier diffraction theorem for thermal tomography is derived and discussed. The intent is for this thermal-diffusion based Fourier diffraction theorem to form the basis of tomographic reconstruction algorithms for quantitative thermal imaging

ASIC3 channels in multimodal sensory perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Wei-Guang; Xu, Tian-Le

2011-01-19

Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs), which are members of the sodium-selective cation channels belonging to the epithelial sodium channel/degenerin (ENaC/DEG) family, act as membrane-bound receptors for extracellular protons as well as nonproton ligands. At least five ASIC subunits have been identified in mammalian neurons, which form both homotrimeric and heterotrimeric channels. The highly proton sensitive ASIC3 channels are predominantly distributed in peripheral sensory neurons, correlating with their roles in multimodal sensory perception, including nociception, mechanosensation, and chemosensation. Different from other ASIC subunit composing ion channels, ASIC3 channels can mediate a sustained window current in response to mild extracellular acidosis (pH 7.3-6.7), which often occurs accompanied by many sensory stimuli. Furthermore, recent evidence indicates that the sustained component of ASIC3 currents can be enhanced by nonproton ligands including the endogenous metabolite agmatine. In this review, we first summarize the growing body of evidence for the involvement of ASIC3 channels in multimodal sensory perception and then discuss the potential mechanisms underlying ASIC3 activation and mediation of sensory perception, with a special emphasis on its role in nociception. We conclude that ASIC3 activation and modulation by diverse sensory stimuli represent a new avenue for understanding the role of ASIC3 channels in sensory perception. Furthermore, the emerging implications of ASIC3 channels in multiple sensory dysfunctions including nociception allow the development of new pharmacotherapy.

Thermal thresholds and catastrophizing in individuals with chronic pain after whiplash injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Raak, Ragnhild; Wallin, Mia

2006-10-01

Thermal sensitivity, thermal pain thresholds, and catastrophizing were examined in individuals with whiplash associated disorders (WAD) and in healthy pain-free participants. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) was used to measure skin sensitivity to cold and warmth and cold and heat pain thresholds over both the thenar eminence and the trapezius muscle (TrM) in 17 participants with WAD (age 50.8 +/- 11.3 years) and 18 healthy participants (age 44.8 +/- 10.2 years). The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) was used to determine pain coping strategies, and visual analogue scales were used for self-assessment of current background pain in individuals in the WAD group as well as experienced pain intensity and unpleasantness after QST and sleep quality in all participants. There were significant differences in warmth threshold and cold and heat pain thresholds of the TrM site between the WAD and pain-free groups. Significant differences between the two groups were also found for the catastrophizing dimension of helplessness in the PCS and in self-assessed quality of sleep. A correlational analysis showed that current background pain is significantly correlated with both cold discrimination and cold pain threshold in the skin over the TrM in individuals with WAD. These findings imply that thermal sensitivity is an important factor to consider in providing nursing care to individuals with WAD. Because biopsychosocial factors also influence the experience of pain in individuals with WAD, the role of nurses includes not only the description of the pain phenomenon but also the identification of relieving and aggravating factors.

The effect of bacon pump retention levels following thermal processing on bacon slice composition and sensory characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Sivendiran, T; Wang, L M; Huang, S; Bohrer, B M

2018-06-01

The objective was to evaluate the effect of belly pump uptake and cook yield during processing on bacon slice composition and sensory attributes. A total of forty-four bellies were commercially sourced and randomly assigned to two experiments. Each experiment consisted of one smokehouse cooking cycle. Within each experiment, bellies were separated at the medial point and one belly half was assigned to a high pump uptake treatment (HIGH; target of 30% uptake) and the remaining belly half was assigned to a normal pump uptake treatment (NORM; target of 15% uptake). In experiment-1, cook yields were 107.79% for the HIGH bellies and 101.52% for the NORM bellies. In experiment-2, cook yields were 97.41% for the HIGH bellies and 94.74% for the NORM bellies. Overall, bacon slice composition and sensory attributes of bacon from bellies with greater pump retention were largely unaffected, accordingly it was concluded that cook yields ranging in level of pump retention does not affect most attributes of bacon. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Variant p.(Arg183Trp) in SPTLC2 Causes Late-Onset Hereditary Sensory Neuropathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Suriyanarayanan, Saranya; Auranen, Mari; Toppila, Jussi; Paetau, Anders; Shcherbii, Maria; Palin, Eino; Wei, Yu; Lohioja, Tarja; Schlotter-Weigel, Beate; Schön, Ulrike; Abicht, Angela; Rautenstrauss, Bernd; Tyynismaa, Henna; Walter, Maggie C; Hornemann, Thorsten; Ylikallio, Emil

2016-03-01

Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy 1 (HSAN1) is an autosomal dominant disorder that can be caused by variants in SPTLC1 or SPTLC2, encoding subunits of serine palmitoyl-CoA transferase. Disease variants alter the enzyme's substrate specificity and lead to accumulation of neurotoxic 1-deoxysphingolipids. We describe two families with autosomal dominant HSAN1C caused by a new variant in SPTLC2, c.547C>T, p.(Arg183Trp). The variant changed a conserved amino acid and was not found in public variant databases. All patients had a relatively mild progressive distal sensory impairment, with onset after age 50. Small fibers were affected early, leading to abnormalities on quantitative sensory testing. Sural biopsy revealed a severe chronic axonal neuropathy with subtotal loss of myelinated axons, relatively preserved number of non-myelinated fibers and no signs for regeneration. Skin biopsy with PGP9.5 labeling showed lack of intraepidermal nerve endings early in the disease. Motor manifestations developed later in the disease course, but there was no evidence of autonomic involvement. Patients had elevated serum 1-deoxysphingolipids, and the variant protein produced elevated amounts of 1-deoxysphingolipids in vitro, which proved the pathogenicity of the variant. Our results expand the genetic spectrum of HSAN1C and provide further detail about the clinical characteristics. Sequencing of SPTLC2 should be considered in all patients presenting with mild late-onset sensory-predominant small or large fiber neuropathy.

Effects of Spinal Cord Stimulation on Pain Thresholds and Sensory Perceptions in Chronic Pain Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Shihab U; Zhang, Yi; Chen, Lucy; St Hillary, Kristin; Cohen, Abigail; Vo, Trang; Houghton, Mary; Mao, Jianren

2015-07-01

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been in clinical use for nearly four decades. In earliest observations, researchers found a significant increase in pain threshold during SCS therapy without changes associated with touch, position, and vibration sensation. Subsequent studies yielded diverse results regarding how SCS impacts pain and other sensory thresholds. This pilot study uses quantitative sensory testing (QST) to objectively quantify the impact of SCS on warm sensation, heat pain threshold, and heat pain tolerance. Nineteen subjects with an indwelling SCS device for chronic pain were subjected to QST with heat stimuli. QST was performed on an area of pain covered with SCS-induced paresthesia and an area without pain and without paresthesia, while the SCS was turned off and on. The temperature at which the patient detected warm sensation, heat pain, and maximal tolerable heat pain was used to define the thresholds. We found that all three parameters, the detection of warm sensation, heat pain threshold, and heat pain tolerance, were increased during the period when SCS was on compared with when it was off. This increase was observed in both painful and non-painful sites. The observed pain relief during SCS therapy seems to be related to its impact on increased sensory threshold as detected in this study. The increased sensory threshold on areas without pain and without the presence of SCS coverage may indicate a central (spinal and/or supra-spinal) influence from SCS. © 2015 International Neuromodulation Society.

Anterograde transneuronal viral tract tracing reveals central sensory circuits from brown fat and sensory denervation alters its thermogenic responses.

Science.gov (United States)

Vaughan, Cheryl H; Bartness, Timothy J

2012-05-01

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenic activity and growth are controlled by its sympathetic nervous system (SNS) innervation, but nerve fibers containing sensory-associated neuropeptides [substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)] also suggest sensory innervation. The central nervous system (CNS) projections of BAT afferents are unknown. Therefore, we used the H129 strain of the herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), an anterograde transneuronal viral tract tracer used to delineate sensory nerve circuits, to define these projections. HSV-1 was injected into interscapular BAT (IBAT) of Siberian hamsters and HSV-1 immunoreactivity (ir) was assessed 24, 48, 72, 96, and 114 h postinjection. The 96- and 114-h groups had the most HSV-1-ir neurons with marked infections in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, periaqueductal gray, olivary areas, parabrachial nuclei, raphe nuclei, and reticular areas. These sites also are involved in sympathetic outflow to BAT suggesting possible BAT sensory-SNS thermogenesis feedback circuits. We tested the functional contribution of IBAT sensory innervation on thermogenic responses to an acute (24 h) cold exposure test by injecting the specific sensory nerve toxin capsaicin directly into IBAT pads and then measuring core (T(c)) and IBAT (T(IBAT)) temperature responses. CGRP content was significantly decreased in capsaicin-treated IBAT demonstrating successful sensory nerve destruction. T(IBAT) and T(c) were significantly decreased in capsaicin-treated hamsters compared with the saline controls at 2 h of cold exposure. Thus the central sensory circuits from IBAT have been delineated for the first time, and impairment of sensory feedback from BAT appears necessary for the appropriate, initial thermogenic response to acute cold exposure.

Correlation of quantitative sensorimotor tractography with clinical grade of cerebral palsy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trivedi, Richa; Gupta, Rakesh K.; Agarwal, Shruti; Rathore, Ram K.S.; Shah, Vipul; Goyel, Puneet; Paliwal, Vimal K.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether tract-specific diffusion tensor imaging measures in somatosensory and motor pathways correlate with clinical grades as defined using the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) in cerebral palsy (CP) children. Quantitative diffusion tensor tractography was performed on 39 patients with spastic quadriparesis (mean age = 8 years) and 14 age/sex-matched controls. All patients were graded on the basis of GMFCS scale into grade II (n = 12), grade IV (n = 22), and grade V (n = 5) CP and quantitative analysis reconstruction of somatosensory and motor tracts performed. Significant inverse correlation between clinical grade and fractional anisotropy (FA) was observed in both right and left motor and sensory tracts. A significant direct correlation of mean diffusivity values from both motor and sensory tracts was also observed with clinical grades. Successive decrease in FA values was observed in all tracts except for left motor tracts moving from age/sex-matched controls to grade V through grades II and IV. We conclude that white matter tracts from both the somatosensory and the motor cortex play an important role in the pathophysiology of motor disability in patients with CP. (orig.)

Correlation of quantitative sensorimotor tractography with clinical grade of cerebral palsy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trivedi, Richa; Gupta, Rakesh K. [Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Department of Radiodiagnosis, Lucknow (India); Agarwal, Shruti; Rathore, Ram K.S. [Indian Institute of Technology, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Kanpur (India); Shah, Vipul [Bhargava Nursing Home, Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery unit, Lucknow (India); Goyel, Puneet [Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Department of Anesthesiology, Lucknow (India); Paliwal, Vimal K. [Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Department of Neurology, Lucknow (India)

2010-08-15

The purpose of this study was to determine whether tract-specific diffusion tensor imaging measures in somatosensory and motor pathways correlate with clinical grades as defined using the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) in cerebral palsy (CP) children. Quantitative diffusion tensor tractography was performed on 39 patients with spastic quadriparesis (mean age = 8 years) and 14 age/sex-matched controls. All patients were graded on the basis of GMFCS scale into grade II (n = 12), grade IV (n = 22), and grade V (n = 5) CP and quantitative analysis reconstruction of somatosensory and motor tracts performed. Significant inverse correlation between clinical grade and fractional anisotropy (FA) was observed in both right and left motor and sensory tracts. A significant direct correlation of mean diffusivity values from both motor and sensory tracts was also observed with clinical grades. Successive decrease in FA values was observed in all tracts except for left motor tracts moving from age/sex-matched controls to grade V through grades II and IV. We conclude that white matter tracts from both the somatosensory and the motor cortex play an important role in the pathophysiology of motor disability in patients with CP. (orig.)

New acrylic resin composite with improved thermal diffusivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Messersmith, P B; Obrez, A; Lindberg, S

1998-03-01

Studies have shown that physical characteristics of denture base materials may affect patient acceptance of denture prostheses by altering sensory experience of food during mastication. Thermal diffusivity is one material property that has been cited as being important in determining gustatory response, with denture base acrylic resins having low thermal diffusivity compared with denture base metal alloys. This study prepared and characterized experimental acrylic resin composite material with increased thermal diffusivity. Sapphire (Al2O3) whiskers were added to conventional denture base acrylic resin during processing to achieve loadings of 9.35% and 15% by volume. Cylindrical test specimens containing an embedded thermocouple were used to determine thermal diffusivity over a physiologic temperature range (0 degree to 70 degrees C). Thermal diffusivities of the sapphire containing composites were found to be significantly higher than the unmodified acrylic resin. Thermal diffusivity was found to increase in proportion to the volume percentage of sapphire filler, which suggested that the high aspect ratio ceramic particles formed a pathway for heat conduction through the insulating polymer matrix. The thermal diffusivity of denture base acrylic resin was increased by the addition of thermally conducting sapphire whiskers.

RAW CHICKEN LEG AND BREAST SENSORY EVALUATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Octavian Baston

2010-01-01

Full Text Available In the paper we presented a method of sensorial evaluation for chicken meat (red and white. This is a descriptive method of analysis. It was perform with trained assessors for chicken refrigerated raw meat organoleptical evaluation. The sensorial attributes considered were: external aspect of anatomical part of chicken analyzed by slime, the surface odor, the skin and muscle color and muscular elasticity. Color was determined for the skin and white and red muscles. Our scale of analysis is formed by three values that characterize each quality attribute. The trained assessor appreciated the sensorial quality of raw anatomical part of chicken as excellent, acceptable and unacceptable. The objectives were: to establish the sensorial attributes to be analyzed for each type of muscular fiber, to describe the quality of each considered attribute and to realize a sensorial scale of quantification for the considered sensorial attributes. Our purpose was to determine the quality of the red and white refrigerated raw chicken anatomical parts (respectively for legs and breasts after one week of storage.

Genetics Home Reference: hereditary sensory neuropathy type IA

Science.gov (United States)

... sensory neuropathy type IA Hereditary sensory neuropathy type IA Printable PDF Open All Close All Enable Javascript ... expand/collapse boxes. Description Hereditary sensory neuropathy type IA is a condition characterized by nerve abnormalities in ...

Thermal Expansion Anomaly Regulated by Entropy

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zi-Kui; Wang, Yi; Shang, Shunli

2014-11-01

Thermal expansion, defined as the temperature dependence of volume under constant pressure, is a common phenomenon in nature and originates from anharmonic lattice dynamics. However, it has been poorly understood how thermal expansion can show anomalies such as colossal positive, zero, or negative thermal expansion (CPTE, ZTE, or NTE), especially in quantitative terms. Here we show that changes in configurational entropy due to metastable micro(scopic)states can lead to quantitative prediction of these anomalies. We integrate the Maxwell relation, statistic mechanics, and first-principles calculations to demonstrate that when the entropy is increased by pressure, NTE occurs such as in Invar alloy (Fe3Pt, for example), silicon, ice, and water, and when the entropy is decreased dramatically by pressure, CPTE is expected such as in anti-Invar cerium, ice and water. Our findings provide a theoretic framework to understand and predict a broad range of anomalies in nature in addition to thermal expansion, which may include gigantic electrocaloric and electromechanical responses, anomalously reduced thermal conductivity, and spin distributions.

Partial replacement of sodium chloride by potassium chloride in the formulation of French bread: effect on the physical, physicochemical and sensory parameters

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Thaisa Abrantes Souza GUSMÃO

Full Text Available Abstract This study aimed to the replacement of sodium chloride (0.4 to 1.6% by potassium chloride (0.2 to 0.8% in French bread formulation and evaluate its effect on physical, physicochemical and sensory characteristics. For the preparation of bread was used a factorial design 22 with 4 factorial points and 3 central points, totaling 7 experiments. The physical and physicochemical parameters analyzed were: specific volume, moisture, color of the peel and crumb, pH, acidity and texture profile, sodium and potassium. The sensory evaluation of bread was performed using quantitative descriptive analysis, with 12 sensory terminologies. Response variables of salty taste and sensory chewiness generated statistically significant models. The results indicated optimal ranges of 0.2 to 0.5% of potassium chloride, and 1.0 to 1.6% for sodium chloride, and proved the technical feasibility of producing French bread with 50% salt reduction (174.09 mg.50 g–1, compared to a standard formulation of 1.88% (306.5 mg.50g-1 salt, corresponding to the prognosis recommended by the National Health Surveillance Agency.

Proficiency testing for sensory profile panels : measuring panel performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mcewan, J.A.; Hunter, E.A.; Gemert, L.J. van; Lea, P.

2002-01-01

Proficiency testing in sensory analysis is an important step towards demonstrating that results from one sensory panel are consistent with the results of other sensory panels. The uniqueness of sensory analysis poses some specific problems for measuring the proficiency of the human instrument

Neural correlates supporting sensory discrimination after left hemisphere stroke

Science.gov (United States)

Borstad, Alexandra; Schmalbrock, Petra; Choi, Seongjin; Nichols-Larsen, Deborah S.

2012-01-01

Background Nearly half of stroke patients have impaired sensory discrimination, however, the neural structures that support post-stroke sensory function have not been described. Objectives 1) To evaluate the role of the primary somatosensory (S1) cortex in post-stroke sensory discrimination and 2) To determine the relationship between post-stroke sensory discrimination and structural integrity of the sensory component of the superior thalamic radiation (sSTR). Methods 10 healthy adults and 10 individuals with left hemisphere stroke participated. Stroke participants completed sensory discrimination testing. An fMRI was conducted during right, impaired hand sensory discrimination. Fractional anisotropy and volume of the sSTR were quantified using diffusion tensor tractography. Results Sensory discrimination was impaired in 60% of participants with left stroke. Peak activation in the left (S1) did not correlate with sensory discrimination ability, rather a more distributed pattern of activation was evident in post-stroke subjects with a positive correlation between peak activation in the parietal cortex and discrimination ability (r=.70, p=.023). The only brain region in which stroke participants had significantly different cortical activation than control participants was the precuneus. Region of interest analysis of the precuneus across stroke participants revealed a positive correlation between peak activation and sensory discrimination ability (r=.77, p=.008). The L/R ratio of sSTR fractional anisotropy also correlated with right hand sensory discrimination (r=.69, p=.027). Conclusions Precuneus cortex, distributed parietal lobe activity, and microstructure of the sSTR support sensory discrimination after left hemisphere stroke. PMID:22592076

Perfil sensorial de bolos de chocolate formulados com farinha de yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius Sensorial profile of chocolate cakes formulated with yacon flour (Smallanthus sonchifolius

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vivianne Montarroyos Padilha

2010-09-01

analyzed: sample P (standard cake without yacon flour, sample A (20% of yacon flour, and sample B (40% of yacon flour. The Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA was used for the sensory analysis with 15 trained panelists who evaluated 9 sensory attributes (color, crumb structure, aroma, sweet taste, chocolate flavor, residual taste, humectancy, tenderness, and overall quality. The physical analysis of the cake was made by color characterization. The data were subjected to sensory analysis of variance ANOVA and the Duncan's test for comparison between the averages, at 5% level of significance. To verify the correlations between the samples and attributes, the Principal Components Analysis (PCA was performed. In the PCA, the sum of the principal components 1 and 2 was 83.3%, i.e., the variability between the samples was explained by these two components. The results showed that the addition of 40% of yacon flour resulted in higher scores for aroma (10.16, sweet taste (7.60, chocolate flavor (10.52, tenderness (11.44, and overall quality (11.64. With regard to the attribute crumb structure, there was no significant difference between the scores of cakes P, A, and B. Regardless of the amount of yacon flour added, the sensory profile of the chocolate cakes was influenced. Particularly, the cake with the highest content of yacon flour was attributed the highest scores.

Assessments of thermal antinociceptive effects of butorphanol and human observer effect on quantitative evaluation of analgesia in green iguanas (Iguana iguana).

Science.gov (United States)

Fleming, Gregory J; Robertson, Sheilah A

2012-10-01

To determine whether butorphanol induces thermal antinociception in green iguanas (Iguana iguana) and assess the human observer effect on quantitative evaluation of butorphanol-induced analgesia. 6 juvenile green iguanas. Skin temperature was recorded, and then a direct increasing heat stimulus was applied to the lateral aspect of the tail base of each iguana. Temperature of the stimulus at which the iguana responded (thermal threshold) was measured before and for 8 hours after IM injection of either butorphanol tartrate (1.0 mg/kg) or an equal volume of saline (0.9% NaCl) solution. Six experiments (butorphanol [n = 3] and saline solution [3]) were conducted with the observer in the iguanas' field of vision, and 11 experiments (butorphanol [n = 5] and saline solution [6]) were conducted with the observer hidden from their view. The interval between treatments or tests was ≥ 1 month. Temperature difference between thermal threshold and skin temperature when iguanas were administered saline solution did not differ from temperature difference when iguanas were administered butorphanol regardless of whether the observer was or was not visible. Temperature difference between thermal threshold and skin temperature was significantly lower when iguanas were tested without the observer in visual range, compared with the findings obtained when iguanas were tested with an observer in view, at multiple times after either treatment. Intramuscular administration of 1.0 mg of butorphanol/kg did not induce thermal antinociception in juvenile green iguanas. The visible presence of an observer appeared to influence the results of noxious stimulus testing in this reptile species.

Thermal degradation of organo-soluble polyimides

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

黄俐研; 史燚; 金熹高

1999-01-01

The thermal degradation behavior of two organo-soluble polyimides was investigated by high resolution pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The pyrolyzates of the polymers at various temperatures were identified and characterized quantitatively. The relationship between the polymer structure and pyrolyzate distribution was discussed. The kinetic parameters of the thermal degradation were calculated based on thermogravimetric measurements. Finally, the thermal degradation mechanism for the polymers was suggested.

Electromagnetic Characterization Of Metallic Sensory Alloy

Science.gov (United States)

Wincheski, Russell A.; Simpson, John; Wallace, Terryl A.; Newman, John A.; Leser, Paul; Lahue, Rob

2012-01-01

Ferromagnetic shape-memory alloy (FSMA) particles undergo changes in both electromagnetic properties and crystallographic structure when strained. When embedded in a structural material, these attributes can provide sensory output of the strain state of the structure. In this work, a detailed characterization of the electromagnetic properties of a FSMA under development for sensory applications is performed. In addition, a new eddy current probe is used to interrogate the electromagnetic properties of individual FSMA particles embedded in the sensory alloy during controlled fatigue tests on the multifunctional material.

Chronic Pain in Multiple Sclerosis Patients: Utility of Sensory Quantitative Testing in Patients with Fibromyalgia Comorbidity.

Science.gov (United States)

Pompa, Alessandra; Clemenzi, Allessandro; Troisi, Elio; Pace, Luca; Casillo, Paolo; Catani, Sheila; Grasso, Maria Grazia

2015-01-01

Lower thermal and discomfort thresholds may predispose multiple sclerosis (MS) patients to chronic pain, but a possible effect of fibromyalgia (FM) comorbidity has never been investigated. Aims were to investigate the thermal and discomfort thresholds in the evaluation of pain intensity between MS patients with FM (PFM+) and MS patients with pain not associated to FM (PFM-). One hundred thirty three MS patients were investigated for chronic pain. FM was assessed according to the 1990 ACR diagnostic criteria. An algometer was used to measure the thresholds in the patients and 60 matched healthy subjects. Chronic pain was present in 88 (66.2%) patients; 12 (13.6%) had neuropathic pain, 22 (17.3%) were PFM+ and 65 (48.9%) PFM-. PFM+ were predominantly female (p = 0.03) and had a greater EDSS (p = 0.01) than NoP; no other significant differences emerged than PFM-. The thresholds were lower in MS patients than controls (p < 0.01), mainly in the PFM+. FM severity influenced the thermal threshold (p < 0.001), while the female gender influenced the discomfort threshold (p < 0.001). Thermal and discomfort thresholds were lower in patients than controls and were the lowest in PFM+. Their more severely impaired thermal threshold supports a neurophysiological basis of such association. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Believing and perceiving: authorship belief modulates sensory attenuation.

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Andrea Desantis

Full Text Available Sensory attenuation refers to the observation that self-generated stimuli are attenuated, both in terms of their phenomenology and their cortical response compared to the same stimuli when generated externally. Accordingly, it has been assumed that sensory attenuation might help individuals to determine whether a sensory event was caused by themselves or not. In the present study, we investigated whether this dependency is reciprocal, namely whether sensory attenuation is modulated by prior beliefs of authorship. Participants had to judge the loudness of auditory effects that they believed were either self-generated or triggered by another person. However, in reality, the sounds were always triggered by the participants' actions. Participants perceived the tones' loudness attenuated when they believed that the sounds were self-generated compared to when they believed that they were generated by another person. Sensory attenuation is considered to contribute to the emergence of people's belief of authorship. Our results suggest that sensory attenuation is also a consequence of prior belief about the causal link between an action and a sensory change in the environment.

Upper gastrointestinal sensory-motor dysfunction in diabetes mellitus

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Jing-Bo; Frøkjær, Jens Brøndum; Drewes, Asbjørn Mohr; Ejskjaer, Niels

2006-01-01

Gastrointestinal (GI) sensory-motor abnormalities are common in patients with diabetes mellitus and may involve any part of the GI tract. Abnormalities are frequently sub-clinical, and fortunately only rarely do severe and life-threatening problems occur. The pathogenesis of abnormal upper GI sensory-motor function in diabetes is incompletely understood and is most likely multi-factorial of origin. Diabetic autonomic neuropathy as well as acute suboptimal control of diabetes has been shown to impair GI motor and sensory function. Morphological and biomechanical remodeling of the GI wall develops during the duration of diabetes, and may contribute to motor and sensory dysfunction. In this review sensory and motility disorders of the upper GI tract in diabetes is discussed; and the morphological changes and biomechanical remodeling related to the sensory-motor dysfunction is also addressed. PMID:16718808

Comparison of rapid descriptive sensory methodologies: Free-Choice Profiling, Flash Profile and modified Flash Profile.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jing; Bredie, Wender L P; Sherman, Emma; Harbertson, James F; Heymann, Hildegarde

2018-04-01

Rapid sensory methods have been developed as alternatives to traditional sensory descriptive analysis methods. Among them, Free-Choice Profiling (FCP) and Flash Profile (FP) are two that have been known for many years. The objectives of this work were to compare the rating-based FCP and ranking-based FP method; to evaluate the impact of adding adjustments to FP approach; to investigate the influence of the number of assessors on the outcome of modified FP. To achieve these aims, a conventional descriptive analysis (DA), FCP, FP and a modified version of FP were carried out. Red wines made by different grape maturity and ethanol concentration were used for sensory testing. This study showed that DA provided a more detailed and accurate information on products through a quantitative measure of the intensity of sensory attributes than FCP and FP. However, the panel hours for conducting DA were higher than that for rapid methods, and FP was even able to separate the samples to a higher degree than DA. When comparing FCP and FP, this study showed that the ranking-based FP provided a clearer separation of samples than rating-based FCP, but the latter was an easier task for most assessors. When restricting assessors on their use of attributes in FP, the sample space became clearer and the ranking task was simplified. The FP protocol with restricted attribute sets seems to be a promising approach for efficient screening of sensory properties in wine. When increasing the number of assessors from 10 to 20 for conducting the modified FP, the outcome tended to be slightly more stable, however, one should consider the degree of panel training when deciding the optimal number of assessors for conducting FP. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Impact of Hybridization on the Volatile and Sensorial Profile of Ocimum basilicum L.

OpenAIRE

Andréa Santos da Costa; Maria de Fátima Arrigoni-Blank; Maria Aparecida Azevedo Pereira da Silva; Mércia Freitas Alves; Darlisson de Alexandria Santos; Péricles Barreto Alves; Arie Fitzgerald Blank

2014-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the volatile and sensorial profile of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) by quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) of the essential oil of three hybrids (“Cinnamon” × “Maria Bonita,” “Sweet Dani” × “Cinnamon,” and “Sweet Dani” × “Maria Bonita”). Twelve descriptive terms were developed by a selected panel that also generated the definition of each term and the reference samples. The data were subjected to ANOVA, Tukey's test, and principal component an...

Thermal expansion and its impacts on thermal transport in the FPU-α-β model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaodong Cao

2015-05-01

Full Text Available We study the impacts of thermal expansion, arising from the asymmetric interparticle potential, on thermal conductance in the FPU-α-β model. A nonmonotonic dependence of the temperature gradient and thermal conductance on the cubic interaction parameter α are shown, which corresponds to the variation of the coefficient of thermal expansion. Three domains with respect to α can be identified. The results are explained based on the detailed analysis of the asymmetry of the interparticle potential. The self-consistent phonon theory, which can capture the effect of thermal expansion, is developed to support our explanation in a quantitative way. Our result would be helpful to understand the issue that whether there exist normal thermal conduction in the FPU-α-β model.

Predicting Psychotic-Like Experiences during Sensory Deprivation

Science.gov (United States)

Daniel, Christina; Mason, Oliver J.

2015-01-01

Aims. This study aimed to establish the contribution of hallucination proneness, anxiety, suggestibility, and fantasy proneness to psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) reported during brief sensory deprivation. Method. Twenty-four high and 22 low hallucination-prone participants reported on PLEs occurring during brief sensory deprivation and at baseline. State/trait anxiety, suggestibility, and fantasy proneness were also measured. Results. Both groups experienced a significant increase in PLEs in sensory deprivation. The high hallucination prone group reported more PLEs both at baseline and in sensory deprivation. They also scored significantly higher on measures of state/trait anxiety, suggestibility, and fantasy proneness, though these did not explain the effects of group or condition. Regression analysis found hallucination proneness to be the best predictor of the increase in PLEs, with state anxiety also being a significant predictor. Fantasy proneness and suggestibility were not significant predictors. Conclusion. This study suggests the increase in PLEs reported during sensory deprivation reflects a genuine aberration in perceptual experience, as opposed to increased tendency to make false reports due to suggestibility of fantasy proneness. The study provides further support for the use of sensory deprivation as a safe and effective nonpharmacological model of psychosis. PMID:25811027

Predicting Psychotic-Like Experiences during Sensory Deprivation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christina Daniel

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Aims. This study aimed to establish the contribution of hallucination proneness, anxiety, suggestibility, and fantasy proneness to psychotic-like experiences (PLEs reported during brief sensory deprivation. Method. Twenty-four high and 22 low hallucination-prone participants reported on PLEs occurring during brief sensory deprivation and at baseline. State/trait anxiety, suggestibility, and fantasy proneness were also measured. Results. Both groups experienced a significant increase in PLEs in sensory deprivation. The high hallucination prone group reported more PLEs both at baseline and in sensory deprivation. They also scored significantly higher on measures of state/trait anxiety, suggestibility, and fantasy proneness, though these did not explain the effects of group or condition. Regression analysis found hallucination proneness to be the best predictor of the increase in PLEs, with state anxiety also being a significant predictor. Fantasy proneness and suggestibility were not significant predictors. Conclusion. This study suggests the increase in PLEs reported during sensory deprivation reflects a genuine aberration in perceptual experience, as opposed to increased tendency to make false reports due to suggestibility of fantasy proneness. The study provides further support for the use of sensory deprivation as a safe and effective nonpharmacological model of psychosis.

Thermal and non-thermal preservation techniques of tiger nuts' beverage "horchata de chufa". Implications for food safety, nutritional and quality properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Roselló-Soto, Elena; Poojary, Mahesha M; Barba, Francisco J; Koubaa, Mohamed; Lorenzo, Jose M; Mañes, Jordi; Moltó, Juan Carlos

2018-03-01

"Horchata de chufa" is a traditional Spanish beverage produced from tiger nuts (Cyperus esculentus L.). Due to its richness in nutritional compounds, it is highly perishable and its conservation by pasteurization and/or adding preservatives is required. Although efficient, conventional thermal treatment for pasteurization induces changes in the nutritional and sensory properties. Replacing conventional pasteurization by non-thermal technologies such as pulsed electric fields, ultraviolet, and high pressure, combined with moderate temperatures (preservation of the most thermo-sensitive molecules. Accordingly, this review deals with the description of the most relevant non-thermal technologies applied to preserve "horchata" beverage in order to extend the shelf life and inactivate pathogenic microorganisms as well as to preserve the nutritional and quality properties of this food beverage. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The sensory substrate of multimodal communication in brown-headed cowbirds: are females sensory 'specialists' or 'generalists'?

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Ronald, Kelly L; Sesterhenn, Timothy M; Fernandez-Juricic, Esteban; Lucas, Jeffrey R

2017-11-01

Many animals communicate with multimodal signals. While we have an understanding of multimodal signal production, we know relatively less about receiver filtering of multimodal signals and whether filtering capacity in one modality influences filtering in a second modality. Most multimodal signals contain a temporal element, such as change in frequency over time or a dynamic visual display. We examined the relationship in temporal resolution across two modalities to test whether females are (1) sensory 'specialists', where a trade-off exists between the sensory modalities, (2) sensory 'generalists', where a positive relationship exists between the modalities, or (3) whether no relationship exists between modalities. We used female brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) to investigate this question as males court females with an audiovisual display. We found a significant positive relationship between female visual and auditory temporal resolution, suggesting that females are sensory 'generalists'. Females appear to resolve information well across multiple modalities, which may select for males that signal their quality similarly across modalities.

Creativity and sensory gating indexed by the P50: selective versus leaky sensory gating in divergent thinkers and creative achievers.

Science.gov (United States)

Zabelina, Darya L; O'Leary, Daniel; Pornpattananangkul, Narun; Nusslock, Robin; Beeman, Mark

2015-03-01

Creativity has previously been linked with atypical attention, but it is not clear what aspects of attention, or what types of creativity are associated. Here we investigated specific neural markers of a very early form of attention, namely sensory gating, indexed by the P50 ERP, and how it relates to two measures of creativity: divergent thinking and real-world creative achievement. Data from 84 participants revealed that divergent thinking (assessed with the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking) was associated with selective sensory gating, whereas real-world creative achievement was associated with "leaky" sensory gating, both in zero-order correlations and when controlling for academic test scores in a regression. Thus both creativity measures related to sensory gating, but in opposite directions. Additionally, divergent thinking and real-world creative achievement did not interact in predicting P50 sensory gating, suggesting that these two creativity measures orthogonally relate to P50 sensory gating. Finally, the ERP effect was specific to the P50 - neither divergent thinking nor creative achievement were related to later components, such as the N100 and P200. Overall results suggest that leaky sensory gating may help people integrate ideas that are outside of focus of attention, leading to creativity in the real world; whereas divergent thinking, measured by divergent thinking tests which emphasize numerous responses within a limited time, may require selective sensory processing more than previously thought. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantitative approach to small-scale nonequilibrium systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dreyer, Jakob K; Berg-Sørensen, Kirstine; Oddershede, Lene B

2006-01-01

In a nano-scale system out of thermodynamic equilibrium, it is important to account for thermal fluctuations. Typically, the thermal noise contributes fluctuations, e.g., of distances that are substantial in comparison to the size of the system and typical distances measured. If the thermal...... propose an approximate but quantitative way of dealing with such an out-of-equilibrium system. The limits of this approximate description of the escape process are determined through optical tweezers experiments and comparison to simulations. Also, this serves as a recipe for how to use the proposed...

The impact of systemic cortical alterations on perception

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zheng

2011-12-01

Perception is the process of transmitting and interpreting sensory information, and the primary somatosensory (SI) area in the human cortex is the main sensory receptive area for the sensation of touch. The elaborate neuroanatomical connectivity that subserves the neuronal communication between adjacent and near-adjacent regions within sensory cortex has been widely recognized to be essential to normal sensory function. As a result, systemic cortical alterations that impact the cortical regional interaction, as associated with many neurological disorders, are expected to have significant impact on sensory perception. Recently, our research group has developed a novel sensory diagnostic system that employs quantitative sensory testing methods and is able to non-invasively assess central nervous system healthy status. The intent of this study is to utilize quantitative sensory testing methods that were designed to generate discriminable perception to objectively and quantitatively assess the impacts of different conditions on human sensory information processing capacity. The correlation between human perceptions with observations from animal research enables a better understanding of the underlying neurophysiology of human perception. Additional findings on different subject populations provide valuable insight of the underlying mechanisms for the development and maintenance of different neurological diseases. During the course of the study, several protocols were designed and utilized. And this set of sensory-based perceptual metrics was employed to study the effects of different conditions (non-noxious thermal stimulation, chronic pain stage, and normal aging) on sensory perception. It was found that these conditions result in significant deviations of the subjects' tactile information processing capacities from normal values. Although the observed shift of sensory detection sensitivity could be a result of enhanced peripheral activity, the changes in the effects

Sensory aspects in myasthenia gravis: A translational approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Leon-Sarmiento, Fidias E; Leon-Ariza, Juan S; Prada, Diddier; Leon-Ariza, Daniel S; Rizzo-Sierra, Carlos V

2016-09-15

Myasthenia gravis is a paradigmatic muscle disorder characterized by abnormal fatigue and muscle weakness that worsens with activities and improves with rest. Clinical and research studies done on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors have advanced our knowledge of the muscle involvement in myasthenia. Current views still state that sensory deficits are not "features of myasthenia gravis". This article discusses the gap that exists on sensory neural transmission in myasthenia that has remained after >300years of research in this neurological disorder. We outline the neurobiological characteristics of sensory and motor synapses, reinterpret the nanocholinergic commonalities that exist in both sensory and motor pathways, discuss the clinical findings on altered sensory pathways in myasthenia, and propose a novel way to score anomalies resulting from multineuronal inability associated sensory troubles due to eugenic nanocholinergic instability and autoimmunity. This medicine-based evidence could serve as a template to further identify novel targets for studying new medications that may offer a better therapeutic benefit in both sensory and motor dysfunction for patients. Importantly, this review may help to re-orient current practices in myasthenia. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The synaptic pharmacology underlying sensory processing in the superior colliculus.

Science.gov (United States)

Binns, K E

1999-10-01

The superior colliculus (SC) is one of the most ancient regions of the vertebrate central sensory system. In this hub afferents from several sensory pathways converge, and an extensive range of neural circuits enable primary sensory processing, multi-sensory integration and the generation of motor commands for orientation behaviours. The SC has a laminar structure and is usually considered in two parts; the superficial visual layers and the deep multi-modal/motor layers. Neurones in the superficial layers integrate visual information from the retina, cortex and other sources, while the deep layers draw together data from many cortical and sub-cortical sensory areas, including the superficial layers, to generate motor commands. Functional studies in anaesthetized subjects and in slice preparations have used pharmacological tools to probe some of the SC's interacting circuits. The studies reviewed here reveal important roles for ionotropic glutamate receptors in the mediation of sensory inputs to the SC and in transmission between the superficial and deep layers. N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors appear to have special responsibility for the temporal matching of retinal and cortical activity in the superficial layers and for the integration of multiple sensory data-streams in the deep layers. Sensory responses are shaped by intrinsic inhibitory mechanisms mediated by GABA(A) and GABA(B) receptors and influenced by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. These sensory and motor-command activities of SC neurones are modulated by levels of arousal through extrinsic connections containing GABA, serotonin and other transmitters. It is possible to naturally stimulate many of the SC's sensory and non-sensory inputs either independently or simultaneously and this brain area is an ideal location in which to study: (a) interactions between inputs from the same sensory system; (b) the integration of inputs from several sensory systems; and (c) the influence of non-sensory systems on

Physicochemical, Thermal, and Sensory Properties of Blue Corn (Zea Mays L.).

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Mutlu, Ceren; Arslan-Tontul, Sultan; Candal, Cihadiye; Kilic, Ozlem; Erbas, Mustafa

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate some physicochemical and sensory properties of blue corn cultivated in Turkey. The length and width of the cob with kernels, hectoliter, and 1000-kernel weight of blue corn were measured as 7.66, 2.02 mm, 84.40 kg/100 L, and 44.27 g, respectively. The gelatinization onset, peak, and end temperatures were measured as 61.12 °C, 64.35 °C, and 75.65 °C, respectively. The water activity, moisture content, total protein, lipid, and crude fiber contents of the blue corn sample were detected as 0.44, 9.39%, 13.13%, 4.30%, and 2.68%, respectively. Total starch and resistant starch contents of blue corn were determined as 63.94% and 8.89%, respectively. Also, total monomeric anthocyanin content and antioxidant capacity of blue corn were detected as 915.43 mg CGE/kg and 7.99 μmol TE/g, respectively. Additionally, the major fatty acids detected in blue corn samples were palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids. Blue corn can be utilized in the production of enjoyable and healthier snacks, such as popcorn and chips, because of its color and high phenolic, anthocyanin, and fiber contents. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

From acute to persistent low back pain: a longitudinal investigation of somatosensory changes using quantitative sensory testing—an exploratory study

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Marcuzzi, Anna; Wrigley, Paul J.; Dean, Catherine M.; Graham, Petra L.; Hush, Julia M.

2018-01-01

Abstract Introduction: Chronic low back pain (LBP) is commonly associated with generalised pain hypersensitivity. It is suggested that such somatosensory alterations are important determinants for the transition to persistent pain from an acute episode of LBP. Although cross-sectional research investigating somatosensory function in the acute stage is developing, no longitudinal studies designed to evaluate temporal changes have been published. Objectives: This exploratory study aimed to investigate the temporal development of somatosensory changes from the acute stage of LBP to up to 4 months from onset. Methods: Twenty-five people with acute LBP (pain-free controls were prospectively assessed at baseline using quantitative sensory testing with the assessor blinded to group allocation, and again at 2 and 4 months. Psychological variables were concurrently assessed. People with acute LBP were classified based on their average pain severity over the previous week at 4 months as recovered (≤1/10 numeric rating scale) or persistent (≥2/10 numeric rating scale) LBP. Results: In the persistent LBP group, (1) there was a significant decrease in pressure pain threshold between 2 and 4 months (P pain threshold was significantly different from the recovered LBP group (P pain-free control reference value. Pain-related psychological variables were significantly higher in those with persistent LBP compared with the recovered LBP group at all time points (P pain sensitivity occurring in the subacute stage warrant further longitudinal evaluation to better understand the role of somatosensory changes in the development of persistent LBP. Pain-related cognitions at baseline distinguished persistent from the recovered LBP groups, emphasizing the importance of concurrent evaluation of psychological contributors in acute LBP. PMID:29756087

Breach of sensory integration in children and youth

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Radziyevska Mariya.

2012-04-01

Full Text Available From the first moments of life, the child acquires the experience of being in the world around him through the senses such as touch, balance, proprioception, taste, sight, hearing and smell. The development of sensory integration of individual processes helps to effectively carry out every activity and function in society. Changes in the quality and quantity of sensory information may lead to sensory integration disorder child, which is immediately reflected in his behavior. In this paper we have presented information on the levels of sensory integration and testing of samples with a simple touch of activities that can be done without special equipment, both at home and in child care. Dissemination of knowledge about the processes of sensory integration, both among doctors, teachers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and psychology as well as parents can contribute to early diagnosis of problems in children sensory-social development, further impeding the normal functioning of the child in society.

Usefulness of laser-evoked potentials and quantitative sensory testing in the diagnosis of neuropathic spinal cord injury pain: a multiple case study.

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Landmann, G; Berger, M F; Stockinger, L; Opsommer, E

2017-06-01

A retrospective study. The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of laser-evoked potentials (LEPs) and quantitative sensory testing (QST) to the diagnosis of neuropathic pain in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and inconclusive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. A multidisciplinary pain center. QST (DFNS protocol) and Tm-YAG-laser stimulation of the skin were applied within the pain site corresponding with dermatomes of altered sensation. Available MRI scans were reviewed. Thirteen individuals (50±16 years) with SCI were examined. In four cases with no detectable neural lesion on MRI, all QST but three LEP were abnormal. In four patients with poorly defined spinal lesion on MRI, all QST but three LEP only were abnormal. In four cases where pain was not matching adequately with MRI lesions, all patients had abnormal LEP and QST. In one patient showing a spinal cord atrophy, LEP was normal but QST was abnormal. Findings supported the diagnoses at-level (n=5) and below-level (n=8) SCI pain. Spinothalamic tract function assessed by LEP was normal in three cases, but QST was abnormal in all cases. As QST is a psychophysical examination depending on patient cooperation, we suggest that the combination of QST and LEP might be a valuable diagnostic tool to detect lesions of the somatosensory system in a subgroup of patients with neuropathic spinal cord injury pain and inconclusive MRI findings.

Clinical, physiological and pathological characterisation of the sensory predominant peripheral neuropathy in copper deficiency.

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Taylor, Sean W; Laughlin, Ruple S; Kumar, Neeraj; Goodman, Brent; Klein, Christopher J; Dyck, Peter J; Dyck, P James B

2017-10-01

Myelopathy is considered the most common neurological complication of copper deficiency. Concurrent peripheral neuropathy has been recognised in association with copper deficiency but has not been well characterised. To characterise the clinical, physiological and pathological features of copper-deficient peripheral neuropathy. Patients with simultaneous copper deficiency (peripheral neuropathy seen at the Mayo Clinic from 1985 to 2005 were identified. 34 patients were identified (median age 55 years, range 36-78) including 24 women and 10 men. Myelopathy was found in 21 patients. Median serum copper level was 0.11 μg/mL (range 0-0.58). The most frequent clinical and electrophysiological pattern of neuropathy was a sensory predominant length-dependent peripheral neuropathy (71%). Somatosensory evoked potentials demonstrated central slowing supporting myelopathy (96%). Quantitative sensory testing demonstrated both small and large fibre involvement (100%). Autonomic reflex screens (77%) and thermoregulatory sweat test (67%) confirmed sudomotor dysfunction. 14 cutaneous nerve biopsies revealed loss of myelinated nerve fibres (86%), increased regenerative clusters (50%), increased rates of axonal degeneration (91%) and increased numbers of empty nerve strands (73%). 71% of biopsies demonstrated epineurial perivascular inflammation. An axonal, length-dependent sensory predominant peripheral neuropathy causing sensory ataxia is characteristic of copper deficiency usually co-occurring with myelopathy. Neurophysiological testing confirms involvement of large, greater than small fibres. The pathological findings suggest axonal degeneration and repair. Inflammatory infiltrates are common but are small and of doubtful pathological significance. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

[Treatment of sensory information in neurodevelopmental disorders].

Science.gov (United States)

Zoenen, D; Delvenne, V

2018-01-01

The processing of information coming from the elementary sensory systems conditions the development and fulfilment of a child's abilities. A dysfunction in the sensory stimuli processing may generate behavioural patterns that might affect a child's learning capacities as well as his relational sphere. The DSM-5 recognizes the sensory abnormalities as part of the symptomatology of Autism Spectrum Disorders. However, similar features are observed in other neurodevelopmental disorders. Over the years, these conditions have been the subject of numerous controversies. Nowadays, they are all grouped together under the term of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in DSM-5. The semiology of these disorders is rich and complex due to the frequent presence of comorbidities and their impact on cognitive, behavioural, and sensorimotor organization but also on a child's personality, as well as his family, his school, or his social relationships. We carried out a review of the literature on the alterations in the treatment of sensory information in ASD but also on the different neurodevelopmental clinical panels in order to show their impact on child development. Atypical sensory profiles have been demonstrated in several neurodevelopmental clinical populations such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders, Dysphasia and Intellectual Disability. Abnomalies in the processing of sensory information should be systematically evaluated in child developmental disorders.

Sensory Impairment and Health-Related Quality of Life

Science.gov (United States)

KWON, Hye-Jin; KIM, Ji-su; KIM, Yoon-jung; KWON, Su-jin; YU, Jin-Na

2015-01-01

Background: Sensory impairment is a common condition that exerts negative effects on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the elderly. This study aimed to determine the relationship between sensory impairment and HRQoL and identify sensory-specific differences in the HRQoL of elderly. Methods: This study used data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey V (2010–2012), analyzing 5,260 subjects over 60 years of age who completed ophthalmic and otologic examinations. Vision and hearing impairment were measured and classified. HRQoL was determined according to the European QoL five dimension test (EQ-5D). Multivariate logistic regression analysis and analysis of covariance were performed to identify relationships between sensory impairment and HRQoL dimensions as well as differences in HRQoL scores. Results: In the final adjusted multivariate model, there was a statistically higher proportion of those with dual sensory impairment who reported problems with mobility (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.45–5.03), usual activities (aOR 2.32, 95% CI 1.16–4.64), and pain/discomfort among EQ-5D subcategories (aOR 1.79, 95% CI 1.07–2.97). In the EQ-5D dimensions, the means and standard deviations of vision impairment (0.86 [0.01]) and dual sensory impairment (0.84 [0.02]) appeared meaningfully lower than those for no sensory impairment (0.88 [0.00]) or hearing impairment (0.88 [0.01]); P = .02). Conclusion: Sensory impairment reduces HRQoL in the elderly. Improvement of HRQoL in the elderly thus requires regular screening and appropriate management of sensory impairment. PMID:26258089

Quantitative analysis of silica aerogel-based thermal insulation coatings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kiil, Søren

2015-01-01

containing intact hollow glass or polymer spheres showed that silica aerogel particles are more efficient in an insulation coating than hollow spheres. In a practical (non-ideal) comparison, the ranking most likely cannot be generalized. A parameter study demonstrates how the model can be used, qualitatively......A mathematical heat transfer model for a silica aerogel-based thermal insulation coating was developed. The model can estimate the thermal conductivity of a two-component (binder-aerogel) coating with potential binder intrusion into the nano-porous aerogel structure. The latter is modelled using...... a so-called core–shell structure representation. Data from several previous experimental investigations with silica aerogels in various binder matrices were used for model validation. For some relevant cases with binder intrusion, it was possible to obtain a very good agreement between simulations...

Learning from sensory and reward prediction errors during motor adaptation.

Science.gov (United States)

Izawa, Jun; Shadmehr, Reza

2011-03-01

Voluntary motor commands produce two kinds of consequences. Initially, a sensory consequence is observed in terms of activity in our primary sensory organs (e.g., vision, proprioception). Subsequently, the brain evaluates the sensory feedback and produces a subjective measure of utility or usefulness of the motor commands (e.g., reward). As a result, comparisons between predicted and observed consequences of motor commands produce two forms of prediction error. How do these errors contribute to changes in motor commands? Here, we considered a reach adaptation protocol and found that when high quality sensory feedback was available, adaptation of motor commands was driven almost exclusively by sensory prediction errors. This form of learning had a distinct signature: as motor commands adapted, the subjects altered their predictions regarding sensory consequences of motor commands, and generalized this learning broadly to neighboring motor commands. In contrast, as the quality of the sensory feedback degraded, adaptation of motor commands became more dependent on reward prediction errors. Reward prediction errors produced comparable changes in the motor commands, but produced no change in the predicted sensory consequences of motor commands, and generalized only locally. Because we found that there was a within subject correlation between generalization patterns and sensory remapping, it is plausible that during adaptation an individual's relative reliance on sensory vs. reward prediction errors could be inferred. We suggest that while motor commands change because of sensory and reward prediction errors, only sensory prediction errors produce a change in the neural system that predicts sensory consequences of motor commands.

The ADP receptor P2Y1 is necessary for normal thermal sensitivity in cutaneous polymodal nociceptors

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Jankowski Michael P

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background P2Y1 is a member of the P2Y family of G protein-coupled nucleotide receptors expressed in peripheral sensory neurons. Using ratiometric calcium imaging of isolated dorsal root ganglion neurons, we found that the majority of neurons responding to adenosine diphosphate, the preferred endogenous ligand, bound the lectin IB4 and expressed the ATP-gated ion channel P2X3. These neurons represent the majority of epidermal afferents in hairy skin, and are predominantly C-fiber polymodal nociceptors (CPMs, responding to mechanical stimulation, heat and in some cases cold. Results To characterize the function of P2Y1 in cutaneous afferents, intracellular recordings from sensory neuron somata were made using an ex vivo preparation in which the hindlimb skin, saphenous nerve, DRG and spinal cord were dissected in continuum, and cutaneous receptive fields characterized using digitally-controlled mechanical and thermal stimuli in male wild type mice. In P2Y1-/- mice, CPMs showed a striking increase in mean heat threshold and a decrease in mean peak firing rate during a thermal ramp from 31-52°C. A similar change in mean cold threshold was also observed. Interestingly, mechanical testing of CPMs revealed no significant differences between P2Y1-/- and WT mice. Conclusions These results strongly suggest that P2Y1 is required for normal thermal signaling in cutaneous sensory afferents. Furthermore, they suggest that nucleotides released from peripheral tissues play a critical role in the transduction of thermal stimuli in some fiber types.

Effect of partial replacement of pork meat with olive oil on the sensory quality of dry-ripened venison sausage

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M.C. Utrilla

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Six assays of low-fat venison salchichon were produced using varying proportions of olive oil to replace the traditional pork meat added. The control contained 75% lean venison and 25% pork meat; in the other assays, 15, 25, 35, 45 and 55% of the pork meat was replaced by olive oil. Samples were evaluated by quantitative descriptive sensory analysis and consumer testing. Descriptive sensory analysis revealed significant differences for most of the attributes studied. The replacement of 35% or more of pork meat by olive oil, prompted a decrease in odour intensity, spicy odour, hardness and an increase of fat mouthfeel, together with the olive oil perception. By contrast, the replacement of 25% of pork meat by olive oil yielded a salchichon not greatly different to the control. Consumers accepted all assays, but preferred those in which no more than 25% of the pork meat was replaced by olive oil. From a sensory standpoint, therefore, it is recommended that the replacement of pork meat by olive oil in this product should not exceed 25%.

Just do it: action-dependent learning allows sensory prediction.

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Itai Novick

Full Text Available Sensory-motor learning is commonly considered as a mapping process, whereby sensory information is transformed into the motor commands that drive actions. However, this directional mapping, from inputs to outputs, is part of a loop; sensory stimuli cause actions and vice versa. Here, we explore whether actions affect the understanding of the sensory input that they cause. Using a visuo-motor task in humans, we demonstrate two types of learning-related behavioral effects. Stimulus-dependent effects reflect stimulus-response learning, while action-dependent effects reflect a distinct learning component, allowing the brain to predict the forthcoming sensory outcome of actions. Together, the stimulus-dependent and the action-dependent learning components allow the brain to construct a complete internal representation of the sensory-motor loop.

Specialized Cilia in Mammalian Sensory Systems

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Nathalie Falk

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Cilia and flagella are highly conserved and important microtubule-based organelles that project from the surface of eukaryotic cells and act as antennae to sense extracellular signals. Moreover, cilia have emerged as key players in numerous physiological, developmental, and sensory processes such as hearing, olfaction, and photoreception. Genetic defects in ciliary proteins responsible for cilia formation, maintenance, or function underlie a wide array of human diseases like deafness, anosmia, and retinal degeneration in sensory systems. Impairment of more than one sensory organ results in numerous syndromic ciliary disorders like the autosomal recessive genetic diseases Bardet-Biedl and Usher syndrome. Here we describe the structure and distinct functional roles of cilia in sensory organs like the inner ear, the olfactory epithelium, and the retina of the mouse. The spectrum of ciliary function in fundamental cellular processes highlights the importance of elucidating ciliopathy-related proteins in order to find novel potential therapies.

Sensory stability of whole mango juice: influence of temperature and storage time Estabilidade sensorial de suco integral de manga: influência da temperatura e do tempo de armazenamento

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Anderson do Nascimento Oliveira

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the degradation kinetics of the sensory attributes of commercial whole mango (cv. Ubá juice and evaluated its sensory acceptability during storage. Samples of the product were stored in a BOD incubator at 25, 35, and 45 ºC under 24 hours light (650 lux for 120 days. Sensory analyses (Quantitative Descriptive Analysis - QDA were conducted with trained panel and consumers. The correlations between sensory and physicochemical characteristics (instrumental color and vitamin C content were also assessed. Flavor, aroma, and color vary with temperature and time of storage. Aroma and flavor were most affected by temperature with values of Q10 and Ea equal to 4.16 and 25.31 kcal.mol-1; and 3.61 and 22.80 kcal.mol-1, respectively. The sensory changes observed by the trained panel are related to the degradation of vitamin C and changes in the color coordinates (L* and ΔE* of mango juice. However, consumers were unable to detect changes in the overall quality of the juices. It was observed that the QDA can be a useful tool to assess shelf-life.Este trabalho objetivou estudar a cinética de degradação dos atributos sensoriais do suco integral de manga Ubá comercial e avaliar sua aceitabilidade sensorial durante o armazenamento. Amostras do produto foram armazenadas em estufas tipo B.O.D a 25, 35 e 45 ºC, providas de iluminação (650 lux 24 horas por dia, durante 120 dias. Foram realizadas análises sensoriais com provadores treinados (Análise Descritiva Quantitativa - ADQ e com consumidores. Também foram avaliadas as correlações entre as características sensoriais e físico-químicas (cor instrumental e teor de vitamina C. Os atributos sabor, aroma e cor variaram com a temperatura e o tempo de armazenamento, sendo que o aroma e o sabor foram os mais afetados pela temperatura, com valores de Q10 e Ea iguais a 4,16 e 25,31 kcal.mol-1; e 3,61 e 22,80 kcal.mol-1, respectivamente. As alterações sensoriais observadas pela

Validity of Sensory Systems as Distinct Constructs

OpenAIRE

Su, Chia-Ting; Parham, L. Diane

2014-01-01

Confirmatory factor analysis testing whether sensory questionnaire items represented distinct sensory system constructs found, using data from two age groups, that such constructs can be measured validly using questionnaire data.

Chemical, physical-chemical, and sensory characteristics of lychee (Litchi chinensis Sonn) wines.

Science.gov (United States)

Alves, Juliana Alvarenga; de Oliveira Lima, Luiz Carlos; Nunes, Cleiton Antônio; Dias, Disney Ribeiro; Schwan, Rosane Freitas

2011-01-01

Four lychee (Litchi chinensis Sonn) wines (prepared with 3 yeast strains [UFLA CA11, UFLA CA1183, and UFLA CA1174]) and a spontaneous fermentation (SPON) were done in order to add value to the fruit while preventing waste arising from the short shelf life of lychee. The fermentation was monitored daily by analyzing the soluble solids, pH, acidity, ethanol, and sugar. At the end of fermentation, the wines were subjected to chemical, physical-chemical, and sensory analysis. The wines prepared showed greater variations in the qualitative than in the quantitative analysis of their constituents. The sensory analysis indicated that the wines fermented by yeast UFLA CA1183 and UFLA CA11 had rates of acceptance above 75%. The principal components analysis separated the wines into 2 groups according to the analyzed compounds. Based on these analyses, the wine produced by inoculation with UFLA CA1183 proved to be the most suitable for the production of lychee wines. Development of new products and adding value to fruits. Importance of selection of specific yeasts for production of fruit wine. © 2011 Institute of Food Technologists®

The delayed reproduction of long time intervals defined by innocuous thermal sensation.

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Khoshnejad, Mina; Martinu, Kristina; Grondin, Simon; Rainville, Pierre

2016-04-01

The presence of discrete events during an interval to be estimated generally causes a dilation of perceived duration (event-filling effect). Here, we investigated this phenomenon in the thermal modality using multi-seconds (19 s) innocuous cool stimuli that were either constant (continuous interval) or fluctuating to create three discrete sensory events (segmented interval). Moreover, we introduced a delay following stimulus offset, before the reproduction phase, to allow for a direct comparison with our recent study showing an underestimation of duration in a delayed reproduction task of heat pain sensations (Khoshnejad et al. in Pain 155:581-590, 2014. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2013.12.015 ). The event-filling effect was tested by comparing the delayed reproduction of the segmented and the continuous stimuli in experimental conditions asking participants to (1) reproduce the dynamics of the sensation (i.e., changes in sensory intensity over time) or (2) reproduce only the interval duration (i.e., sensation onset-to-offset). A perceptual (control) condition required participants to report changes in sensation concurrently with the stimulus. Results of the dynamic task confirmed the underestimation of duration in the delayed reproduction task, but this effect was only found with the continuous and not with the segmented stimulus. This implies that the dilation of duration produced by segmentation might compensate for the underestimation of duration in this delayed reproduction task. However, this temporal dilation effect was only observed when participants were required to attend and reproduce the dynamics of sensation. These results suggest that the event-filling effect can be observed in the thermal sensory modality and that attention directed toward changes in sensory intensity might contribute to this effect.

Sensory Synergy as Environmental Input Integration

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Fady eAlnajjar

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The development of a method to feed proper environmental inputs back to the central nervous system (CNS remains one of the challenges in achieving natural movement when part of the body is replaced with an artificial device. Muscle synergies are widely accepted as a biologically plausible interpretation of the neural dynamics between the CNS and the muscular system. Yet the sensorineural dynamics of environmental feedback to the CNS has not been investigated in detail. In this study, we address this issue by exploring the concept of sensory synergy. In contrast to muscle synergy, we hypothesize that sensory synergy plays an essential role in integrating the overall environmental inputs to provide low-dimensional information to the CNS. We assume that sensor synergy and muscle synergy communicate using these low-dimensional signals. To examine our hypothesis, we conducted posture control experiments involving lateral disturbance with 9 healthy participants. Proprioceptive information represented by the changes on muscle lengths were estimated by using the musculoskeletal model analysis software SIMM. Changes on muscles lengths were then used to compute sensory synergies. The experimental results indicate that the environmental inputs were translated into the two dimensional signals and used to move the upper limb to the desired position immediately after the lateral disturbance. Participants who showed high skill in posture control were found to be likely to have a strong correlation between sensory and muscle signaling as well as high coordination between the utilized sensory synergies. These results suggest the importance of integrating environmental inputs into suitable low-dimensional signals before providing them to the CNS. This mechanism should be essential when designing the prosthesis’ sensory system to make the controller simpler

Sensory synergy as environmental input integration.

Science.gov (United States)

Alnajjar, Fady; Itkonen, Matti; Berenz, Vincent; Tournier, Maxime; Nagai, Chikara; Shimoda, Shingo

2014-01-01

The development of a method to feed proper environmental inputs back to the central nervous system (CNS) remains one of the challenges in achieving natural movement when part of the body is replaced with an artificial device. Muscle synergies are widely accepted as a biologically plausible interpretation of the neural dynamics between the CNS and the muscular system. Yet the sensorineural dynamics of environmental feedback to the CNS has not been investigated in detail. In this study, we address this issue by exploring the concept of sensory synergy. In contrast to muscle synergy, we hypothesize that sensory synergy plays an essential role in integrating the overall environmental inputs to provide low-dimensional information to the CNS. We assume that sensor synergy and muscle synergy communicate using these low-dimensional signals. To examine our hypothesis, we conducted posture control experiments involving lateral disturbance with nine healthy participants. Proprioceptive information represented by the changes on muscle lengths were estimated by using the musculoskeletal model analysis software SIMM. Changes on muscles lengths were then used to compute sensory synergies. The experimental results indicate that the environmental inputs were translated into the two dimensional signals and used to move the upper limb to the desired position immediately after the lateral disturbance. Participants who showed high skill in posture control were found to be likely to have a strong correlation between sensory and muscle signaling as well as high coordination between the utilized sensory synergies. These results suggest the importance of integrating environmental inputs into suitable low-dimensional signals before providing them to the CNS. This mechanism should be essential when designing the prosthesis' sensory system to make the controller simpler.

Superior short-term learning effect of visual and sensory organisation ability when sensory information is unreliable in adolescent rhythmic gymnasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hui-Ya; Chang, Hsiao-Yun; Ju, Yan-Ying; Tsao, Hung-Ting

2017-06-01

Rhythmic gymnasts specialise in dynamic balance under sensory conditions of numerous somatosensory, visual, and vestibular stimulations. This study investigated whether adolescent rhythmic gymnasts are superior to peers in Sensory Organisation test (SOT) performance, which quantifies the ability to maintain standing balance in six sensory conditions, and explored whether they plateaued faster during familiarisation with the SOT. Three and six sessions of SOTs were administered to 15 female rhythmic gymnasts (15.0 ± 1.8 years) and matched peers (15.1 ± 2.1 years), respectively. The gymnasts were superior to their peers in terms of fitness measures, and their performance was better in the SOT equilibrium score when visual information was unreliable. The SOT learning effects were shown in more challenging sensory conditions between Sessions 1 and 2 and were equivalent in both groups; however, over time, the gymnasts gained marginally significant better visual ability and relied less on visual sense when unreliable. In conclusion, adolescent rhythmic gymnasts have generally the same sensory organisation ability and learning rates as their peers. However, when visual information is unreliable, they have superior sensory organisation ability and learn faster to rely less on visual sense.

Emerging Role of Sensory Perception in Aging and Metabolism.

Science.gov (United States)

Riera, Celine E; Dillin, Andrew

2016-05-01

Sensory perception comprises gustatory (taste) and olfactory (smell) modalities as well as somatosensory (pain, heat, and tactile mechanosensory) inputs, which are detected by a multitude of sensory receptors. These sensory receptors are contained in specialized ciliated neurons where they detect changes in environmental conditions and participate in behavioral decisions ranging from food choice to avoiding harmful conditions, thus insuring basic survival in metazoans. Recent genetic studies, however, indicate that sensory perception plays additional physiological functions, notably influencing energy homeostatic processes and longevity through neuronal circuits originating from sensory tissues. Here we review how these findings are redefining metabolic signaling and establish a prominent role of sensory neuroendocrine processes in controlling health span and lifespan, with a goal of translating this knowledge towards managing age-associated diseases. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Quantitative remote sensing in thermal infrared theory and applications

CERN Document Server

Tang, Huajun

2014-01-01

This comprehensive technical overview of the core theory of thermal remote sensing and its applications in hydrology, agriculture, and forestry includes a host of illuminating examples and covers everything from the basics to likely future trends in the field.

The effect of inulin as a fat substitute on the physicochemical and sensory properties of chicken sausages.

Science.gov (United States)

Alaei, Fereshteh; Hojjatoleslamy, Mohammad; Hashemi Dehkordi, Seyyed Majid

2018-03-01

Due to its high thermal resistance and compatibility with the sausage emulsion system, the long-chain inulin can be used as a fat substitute in the formulation of this product. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of inulin on the physicochemical, textural, and sensory properties of chicken sausages. The study included treatments of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% substitution. After preparing the samples, their physicochemical, textural, calorimetric, and sensory properties were evaluated. The treatment of 100% substitution of inulin had the maximum amount of sugar (29.90%), moisture (72.63%), protein (51.34), ash (6.95%), and salt (4.02%) (dry basis). The fat content was decreased with the increased levels of inulin substitution (p inulin reduced hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess, and stringiness, but increased springiness and chewiness up to the 25% substitution of inulin. The highest color difference and hue angle were related to 100% substitution treatment. The sensory evaluation of the samples showed that with the increase in the amount of inulin, the mean scores of the factors including color, appearance, and texture were increased, but the mean scores of smell and mouthfeel were decreased. Overall, the substitution of the entire fat existing in the formulation of the sausage with inulin led to the best physicochemical, textural, colorimetric, and sensory results. The use of inulin could be recommended as a fat substitute in the formulation of chicken sausages.

A THEORY OF MAXIMIZING SENSORY INFORMATION

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hateren, J.H. van

1992-01-01

A theory is developed on the assumption that early sensory processing aims at maximizing the information rate in the channels connecting the sensory system to more central parts of the brain, where it is assumed that these channels are noisy and have a limited dynamic range. Given a stimulus power

Sensory evaluation techniques

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Meilgaard, Morten; Civille, Gail Vance; Carr, B. Thomas

1991-01-01

..., #2 as a textbook for courses at the academic level, it aims to provide just enough theoretical background to enable the student to understand which sensory methods are best suited to particular...

Thermal pollution of rivers and reservoirs by discharges of heated water from thermal and nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Makarov, I.

1974-12-01

The problems are discussed of the thermal pollution of rivers and water reservoirs by discharges of heated water from thermal and nuclear power plants. The problems concerned are quantitative and qualitative changes in biocenoses, the disturbance or extinction of flora and fauna, physiological changes in organisms and changes in the hydrochemical regime. (Z.M.)

Study of the quantitative assessment method for high-cycle thermal fatigue of a T-pipe under turbulent fluid mixing based on the coupled CFD-FEM method and the rainflow counting method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Y.; Lu, T., E-mail: likesurge@sina.com

2016-12-01

Highlights: • Two characteristic parameters of the temperature fluctuations are used for qualitative analysis. • A quantitative assessment method for high-cycle thermal fatigue of a T-pipe is proposed. • The time-dependent curves for the temperature and thermal stress are not always “in-phase”. • Large magnitude of thermal stresses may not mean large number of fatigue cycles. • The normalized fatigue damage rate and normalized RMS temperature are positively related. - Abstract: With the development of nuclear power and nuclear power safety, high-cycle thermal fatigue of the pipe structures induced by the flow and heat transfer of the fluid in pipes have aroused more and more attentions. Turbulent mixing of hot and cold flows in a T-pipe is a well-recognized source of thermal fatigue in piping system, and thermal fatigue is a significant long-term degradation mechanism. It is not an easy work to evaluate thermal fatigue of a T-pipe under turbulent flow mixing because of the thermal loads acting at fluid–structure interface of the pipe are so complex and changeful. In this paper, a one-way Computational Fluid Dynamics-Finite Element Method (CFD-FEM method) coupling based on the ANSYS Workbench 15.0 software has been developed to calculate transient thermal stresses with the temperature fields of turbulent flow mixing, and thermal fatigue assessment has been carried out with this obtained fluctuating thermal stresses by programming in the software platform of Matlab based on the rainflow counting method. In the thermal analysis, the normalized mean temperatures and the normalized root mean square (RMS) temperatures are obtained and compared with the experiment of the test case from the Vattenfall benchmark facility to verify the accuracy of the CFD calculation and to determine the position which thermal fatigue is most likely to occur in the T-junction. Besides, more insights have been obtained in the coupled CFD-FEM analysis and the thermal fatigue

Sensory Dissonance Using Memory Model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Karl Kristoffer

2015-01-01

Music may occur concurrently or in temporal sequences. Current machine-based methods for the estimation of qualities of the music are unable to take into account the influence of temporal context. A method for calculating dissonance from audio, called sensory dissonance is improved by the use of ...... of a memory model. This approach is validated here by the comparison of the sensory dissonance using memory model to data obtained using human subjects....

Impact of PEF and thermal processing on apple juice shelf life.

Science.gov (United States)

Torkamani, Ae

2011-09-01

Pulsed electric field (PEF) is a novel emerging technology which is believed to have the potential to substitute conventional thermal pasteurization (HTST). In the current study PEF was compared with HTST based on microbial inactivation and quality attributes. Juice was prepared by extracting it from Semirum apples. They were chilled to 4°C over night. Then were divided into two lots, one was treated by PEF and the other by HTST. The treated juices were cultured on tryphtic soy broth (TSB) and results were recorded for 168 days. Quality changes were characterized by color and sensory test. Color changes were quantified using Hunter Lab equipment and equation. Sensory changes were evaluated by test panelists. Using selective media E. Coli was enumerated, the total count of the organism was noticeably lower than PEF treated specimen and after 168. The count didn't reach the initial population. Whereas in PEF treated juice bacterial count bounced back to the initial count and exceeds. Results from Hunter Lab indicated a of 3.04 and 3.08 system for PEF and HTST treated juices. Sensory panel showed that PEF is superior to thermal treatment. The study indicated HTST is more suitable based on food safety encounters. However PEF treated are closer to fresh juices based on quality factors. It can be concluded that PEF has the potential to become a suitable replacement to conventional process if improvements in design are applied.

CHEMICAL, SENSORY AND MICROBIOLOGICAL CHANGES OF ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dr Adesola Osibona

Presently, there are numerous problems facing the field of fisheries, some of which are related to the keeping ... The two main methods of assessing fish quality are sensory and non-sensory ... MATERIALS AND METHODS. Sample ..... The initial lag phase of micro-organisms in the stored fish was followed by an increase in ...

Sensory influences on food intake control: moving beyond palatability.

Science.gov (United States)

McCrickerd, K; Forde, C G

2016-01-01

The sensory experience of eating is an important determinant of food intake control, often attributed to the positive hedonic response associated with certain sensory cues. However, palatability is just one aspect of the sensory experience. Sensory cues based on a food's sight, smell, taste and texture are operational before, during and after an eating event. The focus of this review is to look beyond palatability and highlight recent advances in our understanding of how certain sensory characteristics can be used to promote better energy intake control. We consider the role of visual and odour cues in identifying food in the near environment, guiding food choice and memory for eating, and highlight the ways in which tastes and textures influence meal size and the development of satiety after consumption. Considering sensory characteristics as a functional feature of the foods and beverages we consume provides the opportunity for research to identify how sensory enhancements might be combined with energy reduction in otherwise palatable foods to optimize short-term energy intake regulation in the current food environment. Moving forward, the challenge for sensory nutritional science will be to assess the longer-term impact of these principles on weight management. © 2015 World Obesity.

Hearing loss in fibromyalgia? Somatic sensory and non-sensory symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia and other rheumatic disorders

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wolfe, Frederick; Rasker, Johannes J.; Häuser, W.

2012-01-01

OBJECTIVES: It has been proposed that fibromyalgia can be understood as a disorder of central sensitisation and dysregulation (CD) and that characteristic somatic symptoms are the result of `central augmentation`. We examined this hypothesis by analysing sensory and non-sensory variables in the

Descriptive sensory evaluations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dehlholm, Christian

A recent trend in descriptive sensory evaluation methodology has been the application of rapid evaluation techniques. The ease in use makes the techniques extremely easy to implement by industry and university environments. Thus, one might not consider validity in the choice of method. The overall...... aim of this thesis is to compare and evaluate selected rapid evaluation techniques for sensory profiling. Method variations have been suggested for evaluations in product development and quality control, and method insight is provided. The thesis includes three original studies, designed...... as a consequence of the current practices and needs faced in the industry. Study I compared applicability and validity of rapid methods across several panels of trained assessors. Two rapid approaches were introduced for the evaluation of foods. The first method, ‘Free Multiple Sorting’, allows subjects to perform...

The Sensory Neocortex and Associative Memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Aschauer, Dominik; Rumpel, Simon

2018-01-01

Most behaviors in mammals are directly or indirectly guided by prior experience and therefore depend on the ability of our brains to form memories. The ability to form an association between an initially possibly neutral sensory stimulus and its behavioral relevance is essential for our ability to navigate in a changing environment. The formation of a memory is a complex process involving many areas of the brain. In this chapter we review classic and recent work that has shed light on the specific contribution of sensory cortical areas to the formation of associative memories. We discuss synaptic and circuit mechanisms that mediate plastic adaptations of functional properties in individual neurons as well as larger neuronal populations forming topographically organized representations. Furthermore, we describe commonly used behavioral paradigms that are used to study the mechanisms of memory formation. We focus on the auditory modality that is receiving increasing attention for the study of associative memory in rodent model systems. We argue that sensory cortical areas may play an important role for the memory-dependent categorical recognition of previously encountered sensory stimuli.

Sensory modulation in preterm children: Theoretical perspective and systematic review.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tinka Bröring

Full Text Available Neurodevelopmental sequelae in preterm born children are generally considered to result from cerebral white matter damage and noxious effects of environmental factors in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU. Cerebral white matter damage is associated with sensory processing problems in terms of registration, integration and modulation. However, research into sensory processing problems and, in particular, sensory modulation problems, is scarce in preterm children.This review aims to integrate available evidence on sensory modulation problems in preterm infants and children (<37 weeks of gestation and their association with neurocognitive and behavioral problems.Relevant studies were extracted from PubMed, EMBASE.com and PsycINFO following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA guidelines. Selection criteria included assessment of sensory modulation in preterm born children (<37 weeks of gestation or with prematurity as a risk factor.Eighteen studies were included. Results of this review support the presence of sensory modulation problems in preterm children. Although prematurity may distort various aspects of sensory modulation, the nature and severity of sensory modulation problems differ widely between studies.Sensory modulation problems may play a key role in understanding neurocognitive and behavioral sequelae in preterm children. Some support is found for a dose-response relationship between both white matter brain injury and length of NICU stay and sensory modulation problems.

Sensor selection and chemo-sensory optimization: toward an adaptable chemo-sensory system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander eVergara

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Over the past two decades, despite the tremendous research effort performed on chemical sensors and machine olfaction to develop micro-sensory systems that will accomplish the growing existent needs in personal health (implantable sensors, environment monitoring (widely distributed sensor networks, and security/threat detection (chemo/bio warfare agents, simple, low-cost molecular sensing platforms capable of long-term autonomous operation remain beyond the current state-of-the-art of chemical sensing. A fundamental issue within this context is that most of the chemical sensors depend on interactions between the targeted species and the surfaces functionalized with receptors that bind the target species selectively, and that these binding events are coupled with transduction processes that begin to change when they are exposed to the messy world of real samples. With the advent of fundamental breakthroughs at the intersection of materials science, micro/nano-technology, and signal processing, hybrid chemo-sensory systems have incorporated tunable, optimizable operating parameters, through which changes in the response characteristics can be modeled and compensated as the environmental conditions or application needs change.The objective of this article, in this context, is to bring together the key advances at the device, data processing, and system levels that enable chemo-sensory systems to adapt in response to their environments. Accordingly, in this review we will feature the research effort made by selected experts on chemical sensing and information theory, whose work has been devoted to develop strategies that provide tunability and adaptability to single sensor devices or sensory array systems. Particularly, we consider sensor-array selection, modulation of internal sensing parameters, and active sensing. The article ends with some conclusions drawn from the results presented and a visionary look toward the future in terms of how the

Sensory processing disorders – diagnostic and therapeutic controversies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aneta R. Borkowska

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This article presents the current state of knowledge regarding the controversial issue of sensory integration dysfunction/sensory processing disorder. Symptoms are defined as impairments in the accurate reception and registering of stimuli, differentiation of stimulus intensity, and adequate reactivity to stimulation. They can be of specific character and occur in isolation and can also be a nonspecific element of a clinical picture of another disease entity. Psychophysiological and neuroimaging studies confirm the existence of both a distinct group of children with symptoms of sensory processing disorder diagnosed based on descriptions of behaviours listed in questionnaires and of a specific neurobiological basis of this disorder. In clinical practice, it is of key importance to determine whether behavioural problems observed in children are caused by disorders other than sensory processing disorders. Results of meta-analyses regarding sensory integration therapy are inconclusive and do not allow this form of treatment to be considered fact-based. Future studies with high methodological standards are necessary in order to verify the effectiveness of different forms of sensory integration therapy. Parents should be informed about the existing limitations.

Sensory analysis in grapes benitaka

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santillo, Amanda G.; Rodrigues, Flavio T.; Arthur, Paula B.; Villavicencio, Ana Lucia C.H. [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2011-07-01

Abstract Sensory analysis is considered one of the main techniques when you want to know the organoleptic qualities of foods. Marketing strategies, showing that some foods produced organically is more nutritious, flavorful than conventional ones are affecting some consumers. The advantages of using radiation in sensory analysis are not the formation of waste, the less nutritional loss and little change in taste of food. The possibility that the fruit is harvested at more advanced maturity, when all characteristics of flavor and external appearance are fully developed is another advantage. The possibility of fruits being packed irradiated prevents contamination after processing. This type of study, ionizing radiation associated with sensory evaluation scarce, making it necessary for future discoveries. The objective this paper was to evaluate the quality of grapes Benitaka after the irradiation process with doses 0,5; 1; 1,5 e 2 kGy. (author)

Sensory analysis in grapes benitaka

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santillo, Amanda G.; Rodrigues, Flavio T.; Arthur, Paula B.; Villavicencio, Ana Lucia C.H.

2011-01-01

Abstract Sensory analysis is considered one of the main techniques when you want to know the organoleptic qualities of foods. Marketing strategies, showing that some foods produced organically is more nutritious, flavorful than conventional ones are affecting some consumers. The advantages of using radiation in sensory analysis are not the formation of waste, the less nutritional loss and little change in taste of food. The possibility that the fruit is harvested at more advanced maturity, when all characteristics of flavor and external appearance are fully developed is another advantage. The possibility of fruits being packed irradiated prevents contamination after processing. This type of study, ionizing radiation associated with sensory evaluation scarce, making it necessary for future discoveries. The objective this paper was to evaluate the quality of grapes Benitaka after the irradiation process with doses 0,5; 1; 1,5 e 2 kGy. (author)

Sensory Testing in Patients With Postthoracotomy Pain Syndrome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Werner, Mads Utke; Ringsted, Thomas K; Kehlet, Henrik

2013-01-01

pain syndrome [PTPS (n=14)]. The primary outcome was investigation of the areas of sensory dysfunction, evaluated twice by dynamic sensory mapping with metal rollers and a brush. RESULTS:: In PTPS patients, sensory dysfunction was present on the surgical side, and in 12 of 14 patients MISD......OBJECTIVES:: Mirror-image sensory dysfunction (MISD) has not been systematically characterized in persistent postoperative pain. METHODS:: The presence of MISD was evaluated with standardized stimuli, in preoperative patients scheduled for a thoracotomy (n=14) and in patients with postthoracotomy...... of the PTPS patients experienced mirror pain. DISCUSSION:: MISD is a common finding in PTPS patients and deserves further study involving mechanism and clinical implications....

A pilot study of sensory feedback by transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation to improve manipulation deficit caused by severe sensory loss after stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Kita, Kahori; Otaka, Yohei; Takeda, Kotaro; Sakata, Sachiko; Ushiba, Junichi; Kondo, Kunitsugu; Liu, Meigen; Osu, Rieko

2013-06-13

Sensory disturbance is common following stroke and can exacerbate functional deficits, even in patients with relatively good motor function. In particular, loss of appropriate sensory feedback in severe sensory loss impairs manipulation capability. We hypothesized that task-oriented training with sensory feedback assistance would improve manipulation capability even without sensory pathway recovery. We developed a system that provides sensory feedback by transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (SENS) for patients with sensory loss, and investigated the feasibility of the system in a stroke patient with severe sensory impairment and mild motor deficit. The electrical current was modulated by the force exerted by the fingertips so as to allow the patient to identify the intensity. The patient had severe sensory loss due to a right thalamic hemorrhage suffered 27 months prior to participation in the study. The patient first practiced a cylindrical grasp task with SENS for 1 hour daily over 29 days. Pressure information from the affected thumb was fed back to the unaffected shoulder. The same patient practiced a tip pinch task with SENS for 1 hour daily over 4 days. Pressure information from the affected thumb and index finger was fed back to the unaffected and affected shoulders, respectively. We assessed the feasibility of SENS and examined the improvement of manipulation capability after training with SENS. The fluctuation in fingertip force during the cylindrical grasp task gradually decreased as the training progressed. The patient was able to maintain a stable grip force after training, even without SENS. Pressure exerted by the tip pinch of the affected hand was unstable before intervention with SENS compared with that of the unaffected hand. However, they were similar to each other immediately after SENS was initiated, suggesting that the somatosensory information improved tip pinch performance. The patient's manipulation capability assessed by the Box

Parasympathetic functions in children with sensory processing disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roseann C Schaaf

2010-03-01

Full Text Available The overall goal of this study was to determine if Parasympathetic Nervous System Activity (PsNS is a significant biomarker of sensory processing difficulties in children. Several studies have demonstrated that PsNS activity is an important regulator of reactivity in children, and thus, it is of interest to study whether PsNS functioning affects sensory reactivity in children who have a type of condition associated with Sensory Processing Disorders (SPD termed Sensory Modulation Dysfunction (SMD. If so, this will have important implications for understanding the mechanisms underlying sensory processing problems of children. The primary aims of this project were to: (1 evaluate PsNS activity in children with SMD compared to typically developing (TYP children, and (2 determine if PsNS activity is a significant predictor of sensory behaviors and adaptive functions among children with SMD. As a secondary aim we examined whether subgroups of children with specific physiological and behavioral sensory reactivity profiles can be identified. Results indicate that the children with severe SMD demonstrated a trend for low baseline parasympathetic activity, compared to TYP children, suggesting this may be a biomarker for severe SMD. In addition, children with SMD demonstrated significantly poorer adaptive behavior. These results provide preliminary evidence that children who demonstrate SMD may have physiological responses that are different from children without SMD, and that these physiological and behavioral manifestations of SMD may affect a child’s ability to engage in everyday social, communication, and daily living skills.

Perceptual load interacts with stimulus processing across sensory modalities.

Science.gov (United States)

Klemen, J; Büchel, C; Rose, M

2009-06-01

According to perceptual load theory, processing of task-irrelevant stimuli is limited by the perceptual load of a parallel attended task if both the task and the irrelevant stimuli are presented to the same sensory modality. However, it remains a matter of debate whether the same principles apply to cross-sensory perceptual load and, more generally, what form cross-sensory attentional modulation in early perceptual areas takes in humans. Here we addressed these questions using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Participants undertook an auditory one-back working memory task of low or high perceptual load, while concurrently viewing task-irrelevant images at one of three object visibility levels. The processing of the visual and auditory stimuli was measured in the lateral occipital cortex (LOC) and auditory cortex (AC), respectively. Cross-sensory interference with sensory processing was observed in both the LOC and AC, in accordance with previous results of unisensory perceptual load studies. The present neuroimaging results therefore warrant the extension of perceptual load theory from a unisensory to a cross-sensory context: a validation of this cross-sensory interference effect through behavioural measures would consolidate the findings.

Age effects on sensory-processing abilities and their impact on handwriting.

Science.gov (United States)

Engel-Yeger, Batya; Hus, Sari; Rosenblum, Sara

2012-12-01

Sensory-processing abilities are known to deteriorate in the elderly. As a result, daily activities such as handwriting may be impaired. Yet, knowledge about sensory-processing involvement in handwriting characteristics among older persons is limited. To examine how age influences sensory-processing abilities and the impact on handwriting as a daily performance. The study participants were 118 healthy, independently functioning adults divided into four age groups: 31-45, 46-60, 61-75 and 76+ years. All participants completed the Adolescent/ Adult Sensory Profile (AASP). Handwriting process was documented using the Computerized Handwriting Penmanship Evaluation Tool (ComPET). Age significantly affects sensory processing and handwriting pressure as well as temporal and spatial measures. Both handwriting time and spatial organization of the written product were predicted by sensory seeking. When examining age contribution to the prediction of handwriting by sensory processing, sensory seeking showed a tendency for predicting handwriting pressure (p = .06), while sensory sensitivity significantly predicted handwriting velocity. Age appears to influence sensory-processing abilities and affect daily performance tasks, such as handwriting, for which sensitivity and seeking for sensations are essential. Awareness of clinicians to sensory-processing deficits among older adults and examining their impact on broader daily activities are essential to improve daily performance and quality of life.

Sensory Processing Subtypes in Autism: Association with Adaptive Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Lane, Alison E.; Young, Robyn L.; Baker, Amy E. Z.; Angley, Manya T.

2010-01-01

Children with autism are frequently observed to experience difficulties in sensory processing. This study examined specific patterns of sensory processing in 54 children with autistic disorder and their association with adaptive behavior. Model-based cluster analysis revealed three distinct sensory processing subtypes in autism. These subtypes…

Which sensory perception is primarily considered, in consumers’ hedonic evaluation of foods?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Barbara Vad; Brockhoff, Per B.; Hyldig, Grethe

An analysis of the primary hedonic drivers of liking and sensory satisfaction will provide valuable information to product developers on which sensory properties to emphasise the most. The aims of the present study were: a) to study if liking of the sensory properties: appearance, odour, taste...... with sensory profiling. For data analysis mixed three-way analysis of variance and principal component analysis was applied to study and visualise sensory differences. The relative importance of liking of sensory properties; appearance, odour, taste and texture was analysed using slopes, when consumers rated...... and texture were considered equally, when consumers rated overall liking and sensory satisfaction b) to study if the relation depended on, whether liking of sensory properties were related to overall liking or sensory satisfaction, and c) to study individual differences in which sensory properties...

Verification and clarification of patterns of sensory integrative dysfunction.

Science.gov (United States)

Mailloux, Zoe; Mulligan, Shelley; Roley, Susanne Smith; Blanche, Erna; Cermak, Sharon; Coleman, Gina Geppert; Bodison, Stefanie; Lane, Christianne Joy

2011-01-01

Building on established relationships between the constructs of sensory integration in typical and special needs populations, in this retrospective study we examined patterns of sensory integrative dysfunction in 273 children ages 4-9 who had received occupational therapy evaluations in two private practice settings. Test results on the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests, portions of the Sensory Processing Measure representing tactile overresponsiveness, and parent report of attention and activity level were included in the analyses. Exploratory factor analysis identified patterns similar to those found in early studies by Ayres (1965, 1966a, 1966b, 1969, 1972b, 1977, & 1989), namely Visuodyspraxia and Somatodyspraxia, Vestibular and Proprioceptive Bilateral Integration and Sequencing, Tactile and Visual Discrimination, and Tactile Defensiveness and Attention. Findings reinforce associations between constructs of sensory integration and assist with understanding sensory integration disorders that may affect childhood occupation. Limitations include the potential for subjective interpretation in factor analysis and inability to adjust measures available in charts in a retrospective research.

Application of the thermal efficiency analysis software 'EgWin' at existing power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koda, E.; Takahashi, T.; Nakao, Y.

2008-01-01

'EgWin' is the general purpose software to analyze a thermal efficiency of power system developed in CRIEPI. This software has been used to analyze the existing power generation unit of 30 or more, and the effectiveness has been confirmed. In thermal power plants, it was used for the clarification of the thermal efficiency decrease factor and the quantitative estimation of the influence that each factor gave to the thermal efficiency of the plant. Also it was used for the quantitative estimation of the effect by the operating condition change and the facility remodeling in thermal power, atomic energy, and geothermal power plants. (author)

A 100-Year Review: Sensory analysis of milk.

Science.gov (United States)

Schiano, A N; Harwood, W S; Drake, M A

2017-12-01

Evaluation of the sensory characteristics of food products has been, and will continue to be, the ultimate method for evaluating product quality. Sensory quality is a parameter that can be evaluated only by humans and consists of a series of tests or tools that can be applied objectively or subjectively within the constructs of carefully selected testing procedures and parameters. Depending on the chosen test, evaluators are able to probe areas of interest that are intrinsic product attributes (e.g., flavor profiles and off-flavors) as well as extrinsic measures (e.g., market penetration and consumer perception). This review outlines the literature pertaining to relevant testing procedures and studies of the history of sensory analysis of fluid milk. In addition, evaluation methods outside of traditional sensory techniques and future outlooks on the subject of sensory analysis of fluid milk are explored and presented. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Brief Report: Further Evidence of Sensory Subtypes in Autism

Science.gov (United States)

Lane, Alison E.; Dennis, Simon J.; Geraghty, Maureen E.

2011-01-01

Distinct sensory processing (SP) subtypes in autism have been reported previously. This study sought to replicate the previous findings in an independent sample of thirty children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Model-based cluster analysis of parent-reported sensory functioning (measured using the Short Sensory Profile) confirmed the…

Sensory testing of the human gastrointestinal tract.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brock, C.; Arendt-Nielsen, L.; Wilder-Smith, O.H.G.; Drewes, A.M.

2009-01-01

The objective of this appraisal is to shed light on the various approaches to screen sensory information in the human gut. Understanding and characterization of sensory symptoms in gastrointestinal disorders is poor. Experimental methods allowing the investigator to control stimulus intensity and

The beauty of sensory ecology.

Science.gov (United States)

Otálora-Luna, Fernando; Aldana, Elis

2017-08-10

Sensory ecology is a discipline that focuses on how living creatures use information to survive, but not to live. By trans-defining the orthodox concept of sensory ecology, a serious heterodox question arises: how do organisms use their senses to live, i.e. to enjoy or suffer life? To respond to such a query the objective (time-independent) and emotional (non-rational) meaning of symbols must be revealed. Our program is distinct from both the neo-Darwinian and the classical ecological perspective because it does not focus on survival values of phenotypes and their functions, but asks for the aesthetic effect of biological structures and their symbolism. Our message recognizes that sensing apart from having a survival value also has a beauty value. Thus, we offer a provoking and inspiring new view on the sensory relations of 'living things' and their surroundings, where the innovating power of feelings have more weight than the privative power of reason.

Sensory Subtypes in Preschool Aged Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Tomchek, Scott D; Little, Lauren M; Myers, John; Dunn, Winnie

2018-06-01

Given the heterogeneity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), research has investigated how sensory features elucidate subtypes that enhance our understanding of etiology and tailored treatment approaches. Previous studies, however, have not integrated core developmental behaviors with sensory features in investigations of subtypes in ASD. Therefore, we used latent profile analysis to examine subtypes in a preschool aged sample considering sensory processing patterns in combination with social-communication skill, motor performance, and adaptive behavior. Results showed four subtypes that differed by degree and quality of sensory features, age and differential presentation of developmental skills. Findings partially align with previous literature on sensory subtypes and extends our understanding of how sensory processing aligns with other developmental domains in young children with ASD.

thermal power stations' reliability evaluation in a hydrothermal system

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dr Obe

A quantitative tool for the evaluation of thermal power stations reliability in a hydrothermal system is presented. ... (solar power); wind (wind power) and the rest, thermal power and ... probability of a system performing its function adequately for ...

Sensory Entrainment Mechanisms in Auditory Perception: Neural Synchronization Cortico-Striatal Activation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sameiro-Barbosa, Catia M; Geiser, Eveline

2016-01-01

The auditory system displays modulations in sensitivity that can align with the temporal structure of the acoustic environment. This sensory entrainment can facilitate sensory perception and is particularly relevant for audition. Systems neuroscience is slowly uncovering the neural mechanisms underlying the behaviorally observed sensory entrainment effects in the human sensory system. The present article summarizes the prominent behavioral effects of sensory entrainment and reviews our current understanding of the neural basis of sensory entrainment, such as synchronized neural oscillations, and potentially, neural activation in the cortico-striatal system.

Sensory Entrainment Mechanisms in Auditory Perception: Neural Synchronization Cortico-Striatal Activation

Science.gov (United States)

Sameiro-Barbosa, Catia M.; Geiser, Eveline

2016-01-01

The auditory system displays modulations in sensitivity that can align with the temporal structure of the acoustic environment. This sensory entrainment can facilitate sensory perception and is particularly relevant for audition. Systems neuroscience is slowly uncovering the neural mechanisms underlying the behaviorally observed sensory entrainment effects in the human sensory system. The present article summarizes the prominent behavioral effects of sensory entrainment and reviews our current understanding of the neural basis of sensory entrainment, such as synchronized neural oscillations, and potentially, neural activation in the cortico-striatal system. PMID:27559306

The neural career of sensory-motor metaphors.

Science.gov (United States)

Desai, Rutvik H; Binder, Jeffrey R; Conant, Lisa L; Mano, Quintino R; Seidenberg, Mark S

2011-09-01

The role of sensory-motor systems in conceptual understanding has been controversial. It has been proposed that many abstract concepts are understood metaphorically through concrete sensory-motor domains such as actions. Using fMRI, we compared neural responses with literal action (Lit; The daughter grasped the flowers), metaphoric action (Met; The public grasped the idea), and abstract (Abs; The public understood the idea) sentences of varying familiarity. Both Lit and Met sentences activated the left anterior inferior parietal lobule, an area involved in action planning, with Met sentences also activating a homologous area in the right hemisphere, relative to Abs sentences. Both Met and Abs sentences activated the left superior temporal regions associated with abstract language. Importantly, activation in primary motor and biological motion perception regions was inversely correlated with Lit and Met familiarity. These results support the view that the understanding of metaphoric action retains a link to sensory-motor systems involved in action performance. However, the involvement of sensory-motor systems in metaphor understanding changes through a gradual abstraction process whereby relatively detailed simulations are used for understanding unfamiliar metaphors, and these simulations become less detailed and involve only secondary motor regions as familiarity increases. Consistent with these data, we propose that anterior inferior parietal lobule serves as an interface between sensory-motor and conceptual systems and plays an important role in both domains. The similarity of abstract and metaphoric sentences in the activation of left superior temporal regions suggests that action metaphor understanding is not completely based on sensory-motor simulations but relies also on abstract lexical-semantic codes.

Neuropathic sensory symptoms: association with pain and psychological factors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shaygan M

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Maryam Shaygan,1 Andreas Böger,2 Birgit Kröner-Herwig11Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Göttingen, Germany; 2Pain Management Clinic at the Red Cross Hospital, Kassel, GermanyBackground: A large number of population-based studies of chronic pain have considered neuropathic sensory symptoms to be associated with a high level of pain intensity and negative affectivity. The present study examines the question of whether this association previously found in non-selected samples of chronic pain patients can also be found in chronic pain patients with underlying pathology of neuropathic sensory symptoms.Methods: Neuropathic sensory symptoms in 306 patients with chronic pain diagnosed as typical neuropathic pain, radiculopathy, fibromyalgia, or nociceptive back pain were assessed using the Pain DETECT Questionnaire. Two separate cluster analyses were performed to identify subgroups of patients with different levels of self-reported neuropathic sensory symptoms and, furthermore, to identify subgroups of patients with distinct patterns of neuropathic sensory symptoms (adjusted for individual response bias regarding specific symptoms.Results: ANOVA (analysis of variance results in typical neuropathic pain, radiculopathy, and fibromyalgia showed no significant differences between the three levels of neuropathic sensory symptoms regarding pain intensity, pain chronicity, pain catastrophizing, pain acceptance, and depressive symptoms. However, in nociceptive back pain patients, significant differences were found for all variables except pain chronicity. When controlling for the response bias of patients in ratings of symptoms, none of the patterns of neuropathic sensory symptoms were associated with pain and psychological factors.Conclusion: Neuropathic sensory symptoms are not closely associated with higher levels of pain intensity and cognitive-emotional evaluations in chronic pain patients with underlying pathology of

Relation between sensory analysis and rheology of body lotions.

Science.gov (United States)

Moravkova, T; Filip, P

2016-12-01

Evaluation of sensory attributes of cosmetic products is traditionally based on sensory panels. However, in some cases, a suitable candidate method that can reduce time and costs is the use of instrumental analysis that can detect relatively very small changes of entry ingredients. Such approach has been already applied for emollients, salt content, stabilizers, etc. The aim of this contribution is to apply the relations between sensory analysis and rheology to a series of body lotions differing in the contents of emulsifiers and viscosity regulators. Sensory and rheological analyses are related. Rheological analysis can represent a good alternative to basic orientation in chosen customer's feelings. A rotational rheometer is the only instrumental device required for the measurements. An empirical rheological model was proposed by means of which the selected sensory attributes were evaluated using the numerical values of adjustable model parameters. This approach exhibited a very good agreement with the results obtained by the sensory panel. It was shown that a description of chosen sensory attributes can be responsibly carried out by rheological measurements, that is through the attained numerical values of the parameters appearing in a proposed empirical model characterizing shear viscosity of body lotions. © 2016 Society of Cosmetic Scientists and the Société Française de Cosmétologie.

Sensory system plasticity in a visually specialized, nocturnal spider.

Science.gov (United States)

Stafstrom, Jay A; Michalik, Peter; Hebets, Eileen A

2017-04-21

The interplay between an animal's environmental niche and its behavior can influence the evolutionary form and function of its sensory systems. While intraspecific variation in sensory systems has been documented across distant taxa, fewer studies have investigated how changes in behavior might relate to plasticity in sensory systems across developmental time. To investigate the relationships among behavior, peripheral sensory structures, and central processing regions in the brain, we take advantage of a dramatic within-species shift of behavior in a nocturnal, net-casting spider (Deinopis spinosa), where males cease visually-mediated foraging upon maturation. We compared eye diameters and brain region volumes across sex and life stage, the latter through micro-computed X-ray tomography. We show that mature males possess altered peripheral visual morphology when compared to their juvenile counterparts, as well as juvenile and mature females. Matching peripheral sensory structure modifications, we uncovered differences in relative investment in both lower-order and higher-order processing regions in the brain responsible for visual processing. Our study provides evidence for sensory system plasticity when individuals dramatically change behavior across life stages, uncovering new avenues of inquiry focusing on altered reliance of specific sensory information when entering a new behavioral niche.

Is fat perception a thermal effect?

Science.gov (United States)

Prinz, J F; de Wijk, R A; Huntjens, L A H; Engelen, L; Polet, I A

2007-04-01

It has been generally assumed that fat is detected by its flavour and by its lubrication of the oral mucosa. A recent study reported a correlation of -.99 between perceived temperature of a product and its fat content. This was significantly higher than correlations of sensory scores for fat flavour, mouthfeel, and afterfeel. This suggested a third detection mechanism; fat may be detected via its effect on the thermal conductivity of the food. In 3 studies, thermal sensitivity in humans was investigated to verify whether oral thermal receptors are sufficiently rapid and accurate to play a role in the perception of fats. The thermal sensitivity of the lips and oral mucosa of the anterior and middle one-third of the tongue were assessed using a Peltier device. Subjects detected 0.5 Hz fluctuations in temperature of 0.08'C on the lower lip, 0.26 degrees C and 1.36 degrees C at the tip and dorsum of the tongue, demonstrating that the lips are sufficiently sensitive to detect small differences in temperature. In two further experiments subjects ingested custards and mayonnaises and then spat out samples after 5, 10, or 20 sec. The temperature of the food and oral mucosa was measured before and after spitting and the rates of heating were calculated. Results suggest assessment of thermal conductivity of food may be used to assess fat content.

Desenvolvimento do perfil sensorial e aceitação de requeijão cremoso Sensory profile and acceptance of "requeijão cremoso" cheese

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deborah dos Santos Garruti

2003-12-01

Full Text Available O perfil sensorial de requeijão cremoso foi desenvolvido por meio da Análise Descritiva Quantitativa (ADQ utilizando-se quatro marcas comerciais do produto. Onze termos descritivos foram desenvolvidos por uma equipe de provadores selecionados, que geraram também a definição de cada termo e as amostras-referência. Os dados obtidos foram submetidos a ANOVA, teste de Tukey e Análise de Componentes Principais. O requeijão da marca A caracterizou-se por apresentar baixa consistência e aparência lisa, enquanto a característica predominante na marca B foi o sabor salgado muito intenso. Os produtos das marcas C e D apresentaram perfis sensoriais semelhantes entre si e distintos da marca A, por serem mais consistentes. Foi também realizado um teste de aceitação utilizando escala hedônica de nove pontos. Todas as marcas apresentaram alta aceitabilidade global, não apresentando diferença significativa entre si. A aceitação dos consumidores foi baseada no manuseio do produto, os quais gostaram mais das amostras mais consistentes e com menor formação de fio."Requeijão cremoso" is a type of smooth and spreadable cheese, manufactured with milk coagulated by natural acidification and addition of milk cream or butter oil. The sensory profile of four commercial brands of requeijão cremoso was developed through Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA. Eleven descriptive terms, their definitions and reference samples were generated by a selected and trainned panel. The statistical analysis included Analysis of Variance (ANOVA, Tukey's Test for means, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA. Brand A showed low consistency and a smooth appearance. The main attribute of brand B was a strong salty taste. Both products C and D showed very similar sensory profiles, presenting higher consistency than brand A. Laboratory consumer tests were also carried out, using a nine point hedonic scale. All products showed good acceptance, but subjects preferred

Sensory Quality Preservation of Coated Walnuts.

Science.gov (United States)

Grosso, Antonella L; Asensio, Claudia M; Grosso, Nelson R; Nepote, Valeria

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensory stability of coated walnuts during storage. Four walnut samples were prepared: uncoated (NC), and samples coated with carboxymethyl cellulose (NCMC), methyl cellulose (NMC), or whey protein (NPS). The samples were stored at room temperature for 210 d and were periodically removed from storage to perform a sensory descriptive analysis. A consumer acceptance test was carried out on the fresh product (storage day 0) to evaluate flavor. All samples exhibited significant differences in their sensory attributes initially and after storage. Intensity ratings for oxidized and cardboard flavors increased during storage. NC showed the highest oxidized and cardboard intensity ratings (39 and 22, respectively) and NMC exhibited the lowest intensity ratings for these negative attributes (8 and 17, respectively) after 210 d of storage. Alternatively, the intensity ratings for sweetness and walnut flavors were decreased for all samples. NMC had the lowest decrease at the end of storage for these positive attributes (75.86 in walnut flavor and 12.09 in sweetness). The results of this study suggest a protective effect of the use of an edible coating to preserve sensory attributes during storage, especially for samples coated with MC. The results of the acceptance test showed that addition of the coating negatively affected the flavor acceptance for NMC and NCMC coated walnuts. Edible coatings help to preserve sensory attributes in walnuts, improving their shelf-life, however, these coatings may affect consumer acceptance in some cases. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Pain and sensory detection threshold response to acupuncture is modulated by coping strategy and acupuncture sensation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jeungchan; Napadow, Vitaly; Park, Kyungmo

2014-09-01

Acupuncture has been shown to reduce pain, and acupuncture-induced sensation may be important for this analgesia. In addition, cognitive coping strategies can influence sensory perception. However, the role of coping strategy on acupuncture modulation of pain and sensory thresholds, and the association between acupuncture sensation and these modulatory effects, is currently unknown. Electroacupuncture (EA) was applied at acupoints ST36 and GB39 of 61 healthy adults. Different coping conditions were experimentally designed to form an active coping strategy group (AC group), who thought they could control EA stimulation intensity, and a passive coping strategy group (PC group), who did not think they had such control. Importantly, neither group was actually able to control EA stimulus intensity. Quantitative sensory testing was performed before and after EA, and consisted of vibration (VDT), mechanical (MDT), warm (WDT), and cold (CDT) detection thresholds, and pressure (PPT), mechanical (MPT), heat (HPT) and cold (CPT) pain thresholds. Autonomic measures (e.g. skin conductance response, SCR) were also acquired to quantify physiological response to EA under different coping conditions. Subjects also reported the intensity of any acupuncture-induced sensations. Coping strategy was induced with successful blinding in 58% of AC subjects. Compared to PC, AC showed greater SCR to EA. Under AC, EA reduced PPT and CPT. In the AC group, improved pain and sensory thresholds were correlated with acupuncture sensation (VDTchange vs. MI: r=0.58, CDTchange vs. tingling: r=0.53, CPTchange vs. tingling; r=0.55, CPTchange vs. dull; r=0.55). However, in the PC group, improved sensory thresholds were negatively correlated with acupuncture sensation (CDTchange vs. intensity sensitization: r=-0.52, WDTchange vs. fullness: r=-0.57). Our novel approach was able to successfully induce AC and PC strategies to EA stimulation. The interaction between psychological coping strategy and

Wrist ambulatory monitoring system and smart glove for real time emotional, sensorial and physiological analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Axisa, F; Gehin, C; Delhomme, G; Collet, C; Robin, O; Dittmar, A

2004-01-01

Improvement of the quality and efficiency of the quality of health in medicine, at home and in hospital becomes more and more important Designed to be user-friendly, smart clothes and gloves fit well for such a citizen use and health monitoring. Analysis of the autonomic nervous system using non-invasive sensors provides information for the emotional, sensorial, cognitive and physiological analysis. MARSIAN (modular autonomous recorder system for the measurement of autonomic nervous system) is a wrist ambulatory monitoring and recording system with a smart glove with sensors for the detection of the activity of the autonomic nervous system. It is composed of a "smart tee shirt", a "smart glove", a wrist device and PC which records data. The smart glove is one of the key point of MARSIAN. Complex movements, complex geometry, sensation make smart glove designing a challenge. MARSIAN has a large field of applications and researches (vigilance, behaviour, sensorial analysis, thermal environment for human, cognition science, sport, etc...) in various fields like neurophysiology, affective computing and health monitoring.

Multisensory integration, sensory substitution and visual rehabilitation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Proulx, Michael J; Ptito, Maurice; Amedi, Amir

2014-01-01

Sensory substitution has advanced remarkably over the past 35 years since first introduced to the scientific literature by Paul Bach-y-Rita. In this issue dedicated to his memory, we describe a collection of reviews that assess the current state of neuroscience research on sensory substitution...

Longitudinal Study of Sensory Features in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucia Perez Repetto

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Between 45 and 95% of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD present sensory features that affect their daily functioning. However, the data in the scientific literature are not conclusive regarding the evolution of sensory features in children with ASD. The main objective of this study was to analyze the sensory features of children within the age of 3-4 (T1 when they received their ASD diagnosis and two years later (T2 when they started school. Methods. We conducted a prospective cohort study to assess sensory features in 34 children with ASD over time. The data were collected using a standardized assessment tool, the Sensory Profile. Results. Our analyses show that sensory features in children with ASD are stable from the age of three to six years. The stability of sensory scores is independent of correction by covariates, such as cognitive level and autism severity scores. Conclusions. Children with ASD have sensory features that persist from the time of diagnosis at the age of 3 to 4 years to school age. This persistence of sensory features from an early age underscores the need to support these children and their parents. Sensory features should be detected early and managed to improve functional and psychosocial outcomes.

Sensory modulation of movement, posture and locomotion.

Science.gov (United States)

Saradjian, A H

2015-11-01

During voluntary movement, there exists a well known functional sensory attenuation of afferent inputs, which allows us to discriminate between information related to our own movements and those arising from the external environment. This attenuation or 'gating' prevents some signals from interfering with movement elaboration and production. However, there are situations in which certain task-relevant sensory inputs may not be gated. This review begins by identifying the prevalent findings in the literature with specific regard to the somatosensory modality, and reviews the many cases of classical sensory gating phenomenon accompanying voluntary movement and their neural basis. This review also focuses on the newer axes of research that demonstrate that task-specific sensory information may be disinhibited or even facilitated during engagement in voluntary actions. Finally, a particular emphasis will be placed on postural and/or locomotor tasks involving strong somatosensory demands, especially for the setting of the anticipatory postural adjustments observed prior the initiation of locomotion. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Sensory Pedagogy: Understanding and Encountering Children through the Senses

Science.gov (United States)

Johansson, Eva; Løkken, Gunvor

2014-01-01

In the present article we aim to explore the link between Merleau-Pontyan phenomenology and what we call sensory pedagogy. The latter connects to recent sensory ethnography as presented by S. Pink ("Sensory ethnography." London: Sage; 2009). We discuss how these thoughts can be put to work in toddler pedagogy. This kind of sensory…

Effect of irradiation of sensory quality of cigarettes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Min; Zhu Jiating; Yang Ping; Wang Dening; Gu Guiqiang

2012-01-01

3 brands of cigarettes were irradiated and smoked to make sure the effect of irradiation on sensory qualities of cigarettes, luster, aroma, harmony, offensive taste, irritancy, after taste and total scores of irradiated cigarettes were studied. The results showed that, compared with each index of CK, some indexes changed after irradiation, sensory quality of cigarettes might be improved by suitable dose. The sensory qualities of cigarettes of different brands or different styles change differently, though they were irradiated by the same dose. There was no obvious relation between score of any index and irradiation dose, when cigarette of a same brand irradiated by different doses. Above all, the changes of sensory quality of cigarette may meet the requirements of different smokers on the palate. (authors)

Hot Shoes in the Room: Authentication of Thermal Imaging for Quantitative Forensic Analysis

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Justin H. J. Chua

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Thermal imaging has been a mainstay of military applications and diagnostic engineering. However, there is currently no formalised procedure for the use of thermal imaging capable of standing up to judicial scrutiny. Using a scientifically sound characterisation method, we describe the cooling function of three common shoe types at an ambient room temperature of 22 °C (295 K based on the digital output of a consumer-grade FLIR i50 thermal imager. Our method allows the reliable estimation of cooling time from pixel intensity values within a time interval of 3 to 25 min after shoes have been removed. We found a significant linear relationship between pixel intensity level and temperature. The calibration method allows the replicable determination of independent thermal cooling profiles for objects without the need for emissivity values associated with non-ideal black-body thermal radiation or system noise functions. The method has potential applications for law enforcement and forensic research, such as cross-validating statements about time spent by a person in a room. The use of thermal images can thus provide forensic scientists, law enforcement officials, and legislative bodies with an efficient and cost-effective tool for obtaining and interpreting time-based evidence.

Sensory Evaluation of the Selected Coffee Products Using Fuzzy Approach

OpenAIRE

M.A. Lazim; M. Suriani

2009-01-01

Knowing consumers' preferences and perceptions of the sensory evaluation of drink products are very significant to manufacturers and retailers alike. With no appropriate sensory analysis, there is a high risk of market disappointment. This paper aims to rank the selected coffee products and also to determine the best of quality attribute through sensory evaluation using fuzzy decision making model. Three products of coffee drinks were used for sensory evaluation. Data wer...

Sensory neuropathy in two Border collie puppies.

Science.gov (United States)

Vermeersch, K; Van Ham, L; Braund, K G; Bhatti, S; Tshamala, M; Chiers, K; Schrauwen, E

2005-06-01

A peripheral sensory neuropathy was diagnosed in two Border collie puppies. Neurological, electrophysiological and histopathological examinations suggested a purely sensory neuropathy with mainly distal involvement. Urinary incontinence was observed in one of the puppies and histological examination of the vagus nerve revealed degenerative changes. An inherited disorder was suspected.

Tactile thermal oral stimulation increases the cortical representation of swallowing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suntrup Sonja

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Dysphagia is a leading complication in stroke patients causing aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition and increased mortality. Current strategies of swallowing therapy involve on the one hand modification of eating behaviour or swallowing technique and on the other hand facilitation of swallowing with the use of pharyngeal sensory stimulation. Thermal tactile oral stimulation (TTOS is an established method to treat patients with neurogenic dysphagia especially if caused by sensory deficits. Little is known about the possible mechanisms by which this interventional therapy may work. We employed whole-head MEG to study changes in cortical activation during self-paced volitional swallowing in fifteen healthy subjects with and without TTOS. Data were analyzed by means of synthetic aperture magnetometry (SAM and the group analysis of individual SAM data was performed using a permutation test. Results Compared to the normal swallowing task a significantly increased bilateral cortical activation was seen after oropharyngeal stimulation. Analysis of the chronological changes during swallowing suggests facilitation of both the oral and the pharyngeal phase of deglutition. Conclusion In the present study functional cortical changes elicited by oral sensory stimulation could be demonstrated. We suggest that these results reflect short-term cortical plasticity of sensory swallowing areas. These findings facilitate our understanding of the role of cortical reorganization in dysphagia treatment and recovery.

Perspectives on sensory processing disorder: a call for translational research

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Lucy J Miller

2009-09-01

Full Text Available This article explores the convergence of two fields, which have similar theoretical origins: a clinical field originally known as sensory integration and a branch of neuroscience that conducts research in an area also called sensory integration. Clinically, the term was used to identify a pattern of dysfunction in children and adults, as well as a related theory, assessment, and treatment method for children who have atypical responses to ordinary sensory stimulation. Currently the term for the disorder is Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD. In neuroscience, the term sensory integration refers to converging information in the brain from one or more sensory domains. A recent subspecialty in neuroscience labeled multisensory integration (MSI refers to the neural process that occurs when sensory input from two or more different sensory modalities converge. Understanding the specific meanings of the term sensory integration intended by the clinical and neuroscience fields and the term multisensory integration in neuroscience is critical. A translational research approach would improve exploration of crucial research questions in both the basic science and clinical science. Refinement of the conceptual model of the disorder and the related treatment approach would help prioritize which specific hypotheses should be studied in both the clinical and neuroscience fields. The issue is how we can facilitate a translational approach between researchers in the two fields. Multidisciplinary, collaborative studies would increase knowledge of brain function and could make a significant contribution to alleviating the impairments of individuals with SPD and their families.

Effects of Arousal on Mouse Sensory Cortex Depend on Modality

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Daisuke Shimaoka

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Summary: Changes in arousal modulate the activity of mouse sensory cortex, but studies in different mice and different sensory areas disagree on whether this modulation enhances or suppresses activity. We measured this modulation simultaneously in multiple cortical areas by imaging mice expressing voltage-sensitive fluorescent proteins (VSFP. VSFP imaging estimates local membrane potential across large portions of cortex. We used temporal filters to predict local potential from running speed or from pupil dilation, two measures of arousal. The filters provided good fits and revealed that the effects of arousal depend on modality. In the primary visual cortex (V1 and auditory cortex (Au, arousal caused depolarization followed by hyperpolarization. In the barrel cortex (S1b and a secondary visual area (LM, it caused only hyperpolarization. In all areas, nonetheless, arousal reduced the phasic responses to trains of sensory stimuli. These results demonstrate diverse effects of arousal across sensory cortex but similar effects on sensory responses. : Shimaoka et al. use voltage-sensitive imaging to show that the effects of arousal on the mouse cortex are markedly different across areas and over time. In all the sensory areas studied, nonetheless, arousal reduced the phasic voltage responses to trains of sensory stimuli. Keywords: cerebral cortex, cortical state, locomotion, sensory processing, widefield imaging

Auditory sensory processing deficits in sensory gating and mismatch negativity-like responses in the social isolation rat model of schizophrenia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Witten, Louise; Oranje, Bob; Mørk, Arne

2014-01-01

Patients with schizophrenia exhibit disturbances in information processing. These disturbances can be investigated with different paradigms of auditory event related potentials (ERP), such as sensory gating in a double click paradigm (P50 suppression) and the mismatch negativity (MMN) component...... in an auditory oddball paradigm. The aim of the current study was to test if rats subjected to social isolation, which is believed to induce some changes that mimic features of schizophrenia, displays alterations in sensory gating and MMN-like response. Male Lister-Hooded rats were separated into two groups; one...... group socially isolated (SI) for 8 weeks and one group housed (GH). Both groups were then tested in a double click sensory gating paradigm and an auditory oddball paradigm (MMN-like) paradigm. It was observed that the SI animals showed reduced sensory gating of the cortical N1 amplitude. Furthermore...

Sensory marketing strategies. Case study: Oltenia

OpenAIRE

Aurelia-Felicia STĂNCIOIU; Mihail-Cristian DIŢOIU; Nicolae TEODORESCU; Lucian-Florin ONIŞOR; Ion PÂRGARU

2014-01-01

From the perspective of the tourist, sensory marketing strategies may result in an experience improvement which leads, in time, to acquiring a positive destination image, and, from the perspective of the destination, to furthering its harmonious development. Even though it appears that sensory marketing strategies can be considered as alternatives for marketing strategies, they actually are complementary, and their objective (increasing product quality by “turning to the beginning”, where per...

Reevaluating the Sensory Account of Visual Working Memory Storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Yaoda

2017-10-01

Recent human fMRI pattern-decoding studies have highlighted the involvement of sensory areas in visual working memory (VWM) tasks and argue for a sensory account of VWM storage. In this review, evidence is examined from human behavior, fMRI decoding, and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies, as well as from monkey neurophysiology studies. Contrary to the prevalent view, the available evidence provides little support for the sensory account of VWM storage. Instead, when the ability to resist distraction and the existence of top-down feedback are taken into account, VWM-related activities in sensory areas seem to reflect feedback signals indicative of VWM storage elsewhere in the brain. Collectively, the evidence shows that prefrontal and parietal regions, rather than sensory areas, play more significant roles in VWM storage. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding the sensory irregularities of esophageal disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Farmer, Adam D; Brock, Christina; Frøkjaer, Jens Brøndum; Gregersen, Hans; Khan, Sheeba; Lelic, Dina; Lottrup, Christian; Drewes, Asbjørn Mohr

2016-08-01

Symptoms relating to esophageal sensory abnormalities can be encountered in the clinical environment. Such sensory abnormalities may be present in demonstrable disease, such as erosive esophagitis, and in the ostensibly normal esophagus, such as non-erosive reflux disease or functional chest pain. In this review, the authors discuss esophageal sensation and the esophageal pain system. In addition, the authors provide a primer concerning the techniques that are available for investigating the autonomic nervous system, neuroimaging and neurophysiology of esophageal sensory function. Such technological advances, whilst not readily available in the clinic may facilitate the stratification and individualization of therapy in disorders of esophageal sensation in the future.

Transcendence and Sensoriness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Protestant theology and culture are known for a reserved, at times skeptical, attitude to the use of art and aesthetic forms of expression in a religious context. In Transcendence and Sensoriness, this attitude is analysed and discussed both theoretically and through case studies considered...

Sensory processing disorder: any of a nurse practitioner's business?

Science.gov (United States)

Byrne, Mary W

2009-06-01

Children who exhibit the confusing symptom patterns associated with sensory processing deficits are often seen first by primary care providers, including family and pediatric nurse practitioners (NPs). The purpose of this article is to alert NPs to the state of the science for these disorders and to the roles NPs could play in filling the knowledge gaps in assessment, treatment, education, and research. Literature searches using PubMed and MedLine databases and clinical practice observations. Sensory integration disorders have only begun to be defined during the past 35 years. They are not currently included in the DSM IV standard terminology, and are not yet substantively incorporated into most health disciplines' curricula or practice, including those of the NP. NPs are in a unique position to test hypothesized terminology for Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) by contributing precise clinical descriptions of children who match as well as deviate from the criteria for three proposed diagnostic groups: Sensory Modulation Disorder (SMD), Sensory Discrimination Disorder (SDD), and Sensory-Based Motor Disorder (SBMD). Beyond the SPD diagnostic debate, for children with sensory deficit patterns the NP role can incorporate participating in interdisciplinary treatment plans, refining differential diagnoses, providing frontline referral and support for affected children and their families, and making both secondary prevention and critical causal research possible through validation of consistently accepted diagnostic criteria.

Sensory evaluation of food: statistical methods and procedures

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

O'Mahony, Michael

1986-01-01

The aim of this book is to provide basic knowledge of the logic and computation of statistics for the sensory evaluation of food, or for other forms of sensory measurement encountered in, say, psychophysics...

THERMAL AND VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGE FUSION USING WAVELET IN REMOTE SENSING AND SATELLITE IMAGE PROCESSING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. H. Ahrari

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Multimodal remote sensing approach is based on merging different data in different portions of electromagnetic radiation that improves the accuracy in satellite image processing and interpretations. Remote Sensing Visible and thermal infrared bands independently contain valuable spatial and spectral information. Visible bands make enough information spatially and thermal makes more different radiometric and spectral information than visible. However low spatial resolution is the most important limitation in thermal infrared bands. Using satellite image fusion, it is possible to merge them as a single thermal image that contains high spectral and spatial information at the same time. The aim of this study is a performance assessment of thermal and visible image fusion quantitatively and qualitatively with wavelet transform and different filters. In this research, wavelet algorithm (Haar and different decomposition filters (mean.linear,ma,min and rand for thermal and panchromatic bands of Landast8 Satellite were applied as shortwave and longwave fusion method . Finally, quality assessment has been done with quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative parameters such as Entropy, Standard Deviation, Cross Correlation, Q Factor and Mutual Information were used. For thermal and visible image fusion accuracy assessment, all parameters (quantitative and qualitative must be analysed with respect to each other. Among all relevant statistical factors, correlation has the most meaningful result and similarity to the qualitative assessment. Results showed that mean and linear filters make better fused images against the other filters in Haar algorithm. Linear and mean filters have same performance and there is not any difference between their qualitative and quantitative results.

The mental representation of living and nonliving things: differential weighting and interactivity of sensorial and non-sensorial features.

Science.gov (United States)

Ventura, Paulo; Morais, José; Brito-Mendes, Carlos; Kolinsky, Régine

2005-02-01

Warrington and colleagues (Warrington & McCarthy, 1983, 1987; Warrington & Shallice, 1984) claimed that sensorial and functional-associative (FA) features are differentially important in determining the meaning of living things (LT) and nonliving things (NLT). The first aim of the present study was to evaluate this hypothesis through two different access tasks: feature generation (Experiment 1) and cued recall (Experiment 2). The results of both experiments provided consistent empirical support for Warrington and colleagues' assumption. The second aim of the present study was to test a new differential interactivity hypothesis that combines Warrington and colleagueS' assumption with the notion of a higher number of intercorrelations and hence of a stronger connectivity between sensorial and non-sensorial features for LTs than for NLTs. This hypothesis was motivated by previoUs reports of an uncrossed interaction between domain (LTs vs NLTs) and attribute type (sensorial vs FA) in, for example, a feature verification task (Laws, Humber, Ramsey, & McCarthy, 1995): while FA attributes are verified faster than sensorial attributes for NLTs, no difference is observed for LTs. We replicated and generalised this finding using several feature verification tasks on both written words and pictures (Experiment 3), including in conditions aimed at minimising the intervention of priming biases and strategic or mnemonic processes (Experiment 4). The whole set of results suggests that both privileged relations between features and categories, and the differential importance of intercorrelations between features as a function of category, modulate access to semantic features.

Effects of gabapentin in acute inflammatory pain in humans

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Werner, M U; Perkins, F M; Holte, Kathrine

2001-01-01

,200 mg or placebo was given on 2 separate study days. Three hours after drug administration, a first-degree burn injury was produced on the medial aspect of the nondominant calf (12.5 cm(2), 47 degrees C for 7 minutes). Quantitative sensory testing (QST) included pain ratings to thermal and mechanical...

Development of Metallic Sensory Alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Wallace Terryl A.; Newman, John A.; Horne, Michael R.; Messick, Peter L.

2010-01-01

Existing nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technologies are inherently limited by the physical response of the structural material being inspected and are therefore not generally effective at the identification of small discontinuities, making the detection of incipient damage extremely difficult. One innovative solution to this problem is to enhance or complement the NDE signature of structural materials to dramatically improve the ability of existing NDE tools to detect damage. To address this need, a multifunctional metallic material has been developed that can be used in structural applications. The material is processed to contain second phase sensory particles that significantly improve the NDE response, enhancing the ability of conventional NDE techniques to detect incipient damage both during and after flight. Ferromagnetic shape-memory alloys (FSMAs) are an ideal material for these sensory particles as they undergo a uniform and repeatable change in both magnetic properties and crystallographic structure (martensitic transformation) when subjected to strain and/or temperature changes which can be detected using conventional NDE techniques. In this study, the use of a ferromagnetic shape memory alloy (FSMA) as the sensory particles was investigated.

Disrupted sensory gating in pathological gambling.

Science.gov (United States)

Stojanov, Wendy; Karayanidis, Frini; Johnston, Patrick; Bailey, Andrew; Carr, Vaughan; Schall, Ulrich

2003-08-15

Some neurochemical evidence as well as recent studies on molecular genetics suggest that pathologic gambling may be related to dysregulated dopamine neurotransmission. The current study examined sensory (motor) gating in pathologic gamblers as a putative measure of endogenous brain dopamine activity with prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle eye-blink response and the auditory P300 event-related potential. Seventeen pathologic gamblers and 21 age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects were assessed. Both prepulse inhibition measures were recorded under passive listening and two-tone prepulse discrimination conditions. Compared to the control group, pathologic gamblers exhibited disrupted sensory (motor) gating on all measures of prepulse inhibition. Sensory motor gating deficits of eye-blink responses were most profound at 120-millisecond prepulse lead intervals in the passive listening task and at 240-millisecond prepulse lead intervals in the two-tone prepulse discrimination task. Sensory gating of P300 was also impaired in pathologic gamblers, particularly at 500-millisecond lead intervals, when performing the discrimination task on the prepulse. In the context of preclinical studies on the disruptive effects of dopamine agonists on prepulse inhibition, our findings suggest increased endogenous brain dopamine activity in pathologic gambling in line with previous neurobiological findings.

Age differences in visual sensory memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, D A; Thompson, L W

1978-05-01

Age differences in visual sensory memory were studied using the direct measure procedure of Haber and Standing (1969) -- the longest interstimulus interval at which subjects reported a single stimulus as continuous was measured. The visual storage of the young (mean age 24 years) was found to persist for 289 msec compared to 248 for the old (mean age 67 years). Similar estimates of sensory memory duration were obtained when either monoptic or dichoptic stimulus presentations were employed, supporting the idea that visual storage is centrally mediated for both age groups. The relevance of these findings for age differences in the registration of information into primary and secondary memory and their implications for the stimulus persistence hypothesis are considered. The appropriateness and validity of the persistence of form task for studies of sensory memory and aging are also discussed.

Think like a sponge: The genetic signal of sensory cells in sponges.

Science.gov (United States)

Mah, Jasmine L; Leys, Sally P

2017-11-01

A complex genetic repertoire underlies the apparently simple body plan of sponges. Among the genes present in poriferans are those fundamental to the sensory and nervous systems of other animals. Sponges are dynamic and sensitive animals and it is intuitive to link these genes to behaviour. The proposal that ctenophores are the earliest diverging metazoan has led to the question of whether sponges possess a 'pre-nervous' system or have undergone nervous system loss. Both lines of thought generally assume that the last common ancestor of sponges and eumetazoans possessed the genetic modules that underlie sensory abilities. By corollary extant sponges may possess a sensory cell homologous to one present in the last common ancestor, a hypothesis that has been studied by gene expression. We have performed a meta-analysis of all gene expression studies published to date to explore whether gene expression is indicative of a feature's sensory function. In sponges we find that eumetazoan sensory-neural markers are not particularly expressed in structures with known sensory functions. Instead it is common for these genes to be expressed in cells with no known or uncharacterized sensory function. Indeed, many sensory-neural markers so far studied are expressed during development, perhaps because many are transcription factors. This suggests that the genetic signal of a sponge sensory cell is dissimilar enough to be unrecognizable when compared to a bilaterian sensory or neural cell. It is possible that sensory-neural markers have as yet unknown functions in sponge cells, such as assembling an immunological synapse in the larval globular cell. Furthermore, the expression of sensory-neural markers in non-sensory cells, such as adult and larval epithelial cells, suggest that these cells may have uncharacterized sensory functions. While this does not rule out the co-option of ancestral sensory modules in later evolving groups, a distinct genetic foundation may underlie the

Designing sensory-substitution devices: Principles, pitfalls and potential1.

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Kristjánsson, Árni; Moldoveanu, Alin; Jóhannesson, Ómar I; Balan, Oana; Spagnol, Simone; Valgeirsdóttir, Vigdís Vala; Unnthorsson, Rúnar

2016-09-21

An exciting possibility for compensating for loss of sensory function is to augment deficient senses by conveying missing information through an intact sense. Here we present an overview of techniques that have been developed for sensory substitution (SS) for the blind, through both touch and audition, with special emphasis on the importance of training for the use of such devices, while highlighting potential pitfalls in their design. One example of a pitfall is how conveying extra information about the environment risks sensory overload. Related to this, the limits of attentional capacity make it important to focus on key information and avoid redundancies. Also, differences in processing characteristics and bandwidth between sensory systems severely constrain the information that can be conveyed. Furthermore, perception is a continuous process and does not involve a snapshot of the environment. Design of sensory substitution devices therefore requires assessment of the nature of spatiotemporal continuity for the different senses. Basic psychophysical and neuroscientific research into representations of the environment and the most effective ways of conveying information should lead to better design of sensory substitution systems. Sensory substitution devices should emphasize usability, and should not interfere with other inter- or intramodal perceptual function. Devices should be task-focused since in many cases it may be impractical to convey too many aspects of the environment. Evidence for multisensory integration in the representation of the environment suggests that researchers should not limit themselves to a single modality in their design. Finally, we recommend active training on devices, especially since it allows for externalization, where proximal sensory stimulation is attributed to a distinct exterior object.

Studying Sensory Perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Ackerly, Spafford C.

2001-01-01

Explains the vestibular organ's role in balancing the body and stabilizing the visual world using the example of a hunter. Describes the relationship between sensory perception and learning. Recommends using optical illusions to illustrate the distinctions between external realities and internal perceptions. (Contains 13 references.) (YDS)

Sensory Hair Cells: An Introduction to Structure and Physiology.

Science.gov (United States)

McPherson, Duane R

2018-06-18

Sensory hair cells are specialized secondary sensory cells that mediate our senses of hearing, balance, linear acceleration, and angular acceleration (head rotation). In addition, hair cells in fish and amphibians mediate sensitivity to water movement through the lateral line system, and closely related electroreceptive cells mediate sensitivity to low-voltage electric fields in the aquatic environment of many fish species and several species of amphibian.Sensory hair cells share many structural and functional features across all vertebrate groups, while at the same time they are specialized for employment in a wide variety of sensory tasks. The complexity of hair cell structure is large, and the diversity of hair cell applications in sensory systems exceeds that seen for most, if not all, sensory cell types. The intent of this review is to summarize the more significant structural features and some of the more interesting and important physiological mechanisms that have been elucidated thus far. Outside vertebrates, hair cells are only known to exist in the coronal organ of tunicates. Electrical resonance, electromotility, and their exquisite mechanical sensitivity all contribute to the attractiveness of hair cells as a research subject.

Sensory profile and drivers of liking for grape nectar among smoker and nonsmoker consumers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristiane Ramos Voorpostel

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Decreased gustatory and olfactory capacity is one of the problems caused by tobacco use. The objectives of this study were to determine the sensory profile of six grape nectar samples sweetened with different sweeteners and to verify the drivers of liking in two distinct consumer groups: smokers and nonsmokers. The sensory profile was constructed by twelve trained panelists using quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA. Consumer tests were performed with 112 smokers and 112 nonsmokers. Partial least squares regression analyses was used to identify the drivers of acceptance and rejection of the grape nectars among the two consumer groups. According to the QDA, the samples differed regarding six of the nineteen attributes generated. The absolute averages of the affective test were lower in the group of smokers; possibly because smoking influences acceptance and eating preferences, especially with regard to sweet foods. The results showed that the grape flavor was the major driver of preference for acceptance of the nectar, while astringency, wine aroma, bitterness and sweetness, and bitter aftertaste were drivers of rejection in the two groups of consumers, with some differences between the groups.

Highly localized interactions between sensory neurons and sprouting sympathetic fibers observed in a transgenic tyrosine hydroxylase reporter mouse

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Zhang Jun-Ming

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Sprouting of sympathetic fibers into sensory ganglia occurs in many preclinical pain models, providing a possible anatomical substrate for sympathetically enhanced pain. However, the functional consequences of this sprouting have been controversial. We used a transgenic mouse in which sympathetic fibers expressed green fluorescent protein, observable in live tissue. Medium and large diameter lumbar sensory neurons with and without nearby sympathetic fibers were recorded in whole ganglion preparations using microelectrodes. Results After spinal nerve ligation, sympathetic sprouting was extensive by 3 days. Abnormal spontaneous activity increased to 15% and rheobase was reduced. Spontaneously active cells had Aαβ conduction velocities but were clustered near the medium/large cell boundary. Neurons with sympathetic basket formations had a dramatically higher incidence of spontaneous activity (71% and had lower rheobase than cells with no sympathetic fibers nearby. Cells with lower density nearby fibers had intermediate phenotypes. Immunohistochemistry of sectioned ganglia showed that cells surrounded by sympathetic fibers were enriched in nociceptive markers TrkA, substance P, or CGRP. Spontaneous activity began before sympathetic sprouting was observed, but blocking sympathetic sprouting on day 3 by cutting the dorsal ramus in addition to the ventral ramus of the spinal nerve greatly reduced abnormal spontaneous activity. Conclusions The data suggest that early sympathetic sprouting into the sensory ganglia may have highly localized, excitatory effects. Quantitatively, neurons with sympathetic basket formations may account for more than half of the observed spontaneous activity, despite being relatively rare. Spontaneous activity in sensory neurons and sympathetic sprouting may be mutually re-enforcing.

Reactor applications of quantitative diffraction analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feguson, I.F.

1976-09-01

Current work in quantitative diffraction analysis was presented under the main headings of: thermal systems, fast reactor systems, SGHWR applications and irradiation damage. Preliminary results are included on a comparison of various new instrumental methods of boron analysis as well as preliminary new results on Zircaloy corrosion, and materials transfer in liquid sodium. (author)

Thermal transport in fractal systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjems, Jørgen

1992-01-01

Recent experiments on the thermal transport in systems with partial fractal geometry, silica aerogels, are reviewed. The individual contributions from phonons, fractons and particle modes, respectively, have been identified and can be described by quantitative models consistent with heat capacity...

Focal Dystonia and the Sensory-Motor Integrative Loop for Enacting (SMILE

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David ePerruchoud

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Performing accurate movements requires preparation, execution, and monitoring mechanisms. The first two are coded by the motor system, and the latter by the sensory system. To provide an adaptive neural basis to overt behaviors, motor and sensory information has to be properly integrated in a reciprocal feedback loop. Abnormalities in this sensory-motor loop are involved in movement disorders such as focal dystonia, a hyperkinetic alteration affecting only a specific body part and characterized by sensory and motor deficits in the absence of basic motor impairments. Despite the fundamental impact of sensory-motor integration mechanisms on daily life, the general principles of healthy and pathological anatomic-functional organization of sensory-motor integration remain to be clarified. Based on the available data from experimental psychology, neurophysiology, and neuroimaging, we propose a bio-computational model of sensory-motor integration: the Sensory-Motor Integrative Loop for Enacting (SMILE. Aiming at direct therapeutic implementations and with the final target of implementing novel intervention protocols for motor rehabilitation, our main goal is to provide the information necessary for further validating the SMILE model. By translating neuroscientific hypotheses into empirical investigations and clinically relevant questions, the prediction based on the SMILE model can be further extended to other pathological conditions characterized by impaired sensory-motor integration.

Focal dystonia and the Sensory-Motor Integrative Loop for Enacting (SMILE).

Science.gov (United States)

Perruchoud, David; Murray, Micah M; Lefebvre, Jeremie; Ionta, Silvio

2014-01-01

Performing accurate movements requires preparation, execution, and monitoring mechanisms. The first two are coded by the motor system, the latter by the sensory system. To provide an adaptive neural basis to overt behaviors, motor and sensory information has to be properly integrated in a reciprocal feedback loop. Abnormalities in this sensory-motor loop are involved in movement disorders such as focal dystonia, a hyperkinetic alteration affecting only a specific body part and characterized by sensory and motor deficits in the absence of basic motor impairments. Despite the fundamental impact of sensory-motor integration mechanisms on daily life, the general principles of healthy and pathological anatomic-functional organization of sensory-motor integration remain to be clarified. Based on the available data from experimental psychology, neurophysiology, and neuroimaging, we propose a bio-computational model of sensory-motor integration: the Sensory-Motor Integrative Loop for Enacting (SMILE). Aiming at direct therapeutic implementations and with the final target of implementing novel intervention protocols for motor rehabilitation, our main goal is to provide the information necessary for further validating the SMILE model. By translating neuroscientific hypotheses into empirical investigations and clinically relevant questions, the prediction based on the SMILE model can be further extended to other pathological conditions characterized by impaired sensory-motor integration.

Effect of irradiation on sensory quality of fermented spicy chicken feet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Meixu; Li Shurong; Pei Ying; Jiang Xiujie; Wang Zhidong; Deng Wenmin; Chen Xun; Huang Min; Chen Hao

2010-01-01

Irradiation could effectively control lactobacillus of fermented spicy chicken feet and extend its shelf life. Sensory evaluation standard of fermented spicy chicken feet was established to study the sensory change after irradiation according to related standards and research results. Color and shape (weight 30%), scent (weight 30%), texture and taste (weight 40%) were selected as sensory evaluation items. The sensory evaluation results after irradiation 3 days didn't show significance difference among control, 3, 5, 8 and 12 kGy irradiated samples, and the sensory evaluation score of 10 kGy irradiated sample was much higher then other sample groups. The results after irradiation 11d were almost as same as 3d results. It is indicated that the sensory quality of fermented spicy chicken feet would not destroyed by irradiation, and suitable dosage of irradiation may promote the sensory quality of fermented spicy chicken feet. (authors)

Sensory outcome of fingertip replantations without nerve repair.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozcelik, Ismail Bulent; Tuncer, Serdar; Purisa, Husrev; Sezer, Ilker; Mersa, Berkan; Kabakas, Fatih; Celikdelen, Pinar

2008-01-01

The sensory recovery outcomes of fingertip replantations without nerve repair were retrospectively studied. Between 2000 and 2006, 112 fingertip replantations with only arterial repair were carried out in 98 patients. About 76 of the replants survived totally, with a success rate of 67.8%. Evaluation of sensory recovery was possible in 31 patients (38 replantations). Sensory evaluation was made with Semmes-Weinstein, static and dynamic two-point discrimination, and vibration sense tests. Fingertip atrophy, nail deformities, and return to work were also evaluated. According to the Semmes-Weinstein test, 29.0% (11/38) of the fingers had normal sense, 60.5% (23/38) had diminished light touch, 7.9% (3/38) had diminished protective sensation, and 2.6% (1/38) had loss of protective sensation. Mean static and dynamic two-point discriminations were 7.2 mm (3-11 mm), and 4.60 mm (3-6 mm), respectively. Vibratory testing revealed increased vibration in 42.1% of the fingers, decreased vibration in 36.8%, and equal vibration when compared with the non-injured fingers in 21.1%. Atrophy was present in 14 (36.8%) fingers and negatively affected the results. Nail deformities, cold intolerance, return to work, and the effect of sensory education were investigated. Comparison of crush and clean cut injuries did not yield any significant difference in any of the parameters. Patients who received sensory education had significantly better results in sensory testing. The results were classified as excellent, good, and poor based on results of two-point discrimination tests. The outcome was excellent in 18 fingers and good in 20 fingers. Overall, satisfactory sensory recovery was achieved in fingertip replantations without nerve repair. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Significance of hair-dye base-induced sensory irritation.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujita, F; Azuma, T; Tajiri, M; Okamoto, H; Sano, M; Tominaga, M

2010-06-01

Oxidation hair-dyes, which are the principal hair-dyes, sometimes induce painful sensory irritation of the scalp caused by the combination of highly reactive substances, such as hydrogen peroxide and alkali agents. Although many cases of severe facial and scalp dermatitis have been reported following the use of hair-dyes, sensory irritation caused by contact of the hair-dye with the skin has not been reported clearly. In this study, we used a self-assessment questionnaire to measure the sensory irritation in various regions of the body caused by two model hair-dye bases that contained different amounts of alkali agents without dyes. Moreover, the occipital region was found as an alternative region of the scalp to test for sensory irritation of the hair-dye bases. We used this region to evaluate the relationship of sensitivity with skin properties, such as trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), stratum corneum water content, sebum amount, surface temperature, current perception threshold (CPT), catalase activities in tape-stripped skin and sensory irritation score with the model hair-dye bases. The hair-dye sensitive group showed higher TEWL, a lower sebum amount, a lower surface temperature and higher catalase activity than the insensitive group, and was similar to that of damaged skin. These results suggest that sensory irritation caused by hair-dye could occur easily on the damaged dry scalp, as that caused by skin cosmetics reported previously.

Sensory evaluation of gamma irradiated coconut cream powder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ros Anita Ahmad Ramli; Foziah Ali; Norimah Yusof; Zainab Harun

2004-01-01

A study was conducted to determine the effect of gamma irradiation (5, 10 and 15kGy) and storage on the sensory quality of coconut cream powder. Ageing process was achieved using GEER oven at 60 degree C for seven days, which is equivalent to one-year storage at room temperature. The sensory evaluation was conducted to determine the level of acceptance on four parameters, namely odour, colour, creamy taste and overall acceptance. Twenty (20) taste panelists gave their score from scale] (least acceptable) to 5 (most acceptable). The results showed that there was a significant different (P 0. 05) in all the sensory properties. The sensory evaluation of stored samples showed that there was significant different (P>0.05) in odour, creamy taste, colour and overall acceptance compared to the control. Based on the overall acceptance, gamma irradiation as low as 5 kGy could affect the sensory quality of coconut cream powder. The possibility of using doses lower than 5 kGy for decontamination of coconut cream powder could be considered in the future study. The irradiated product was not acceptable after one-year storage. (Author)

The Sensorial Effect: Dynamics of Emotion in Pro-Environmental Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Hipolito, Joana

2011-01-01

In this article, sensorial effects are introduced as emotional stimuli for shaping environmentally significant behaviors. This research provides a link between sensorial effect as ubiquitous environmental behavior feedback and the effect of sensorial stimuli on emotions that trigger individuals' pro-environment behavior. A case study of using…

Effect of adjuncts on sensory properties and consumer liking of Scamorza cheese.

Science.gov (United States)

Braghieri, A; Piazzolla, N; Romaniello, A; Paladino, F; Ricciardi, A; Napolitano, F

2015-03-01

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of a peptidolytic adjunct (Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus helveticus, and Lactobacillus paracasei), as a tool to accelerate ripening, on sensory properties and acceptability of Scamorza cheese obtained using 2 types of milk (Friesian and Friesian+Jersey) and Streptococcus thermophilus as primary starter. A 10-member panel was trained using a specific frame of references and used a specific vocabulary to assess cheese sensory properties through quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA), whereas 87 consumers were used to evaluate product acceptability. Analysis of variance showed that milk type did not markedly alter cheese sensory properties. Conversely, panelists perceived higher intensities of butter, saltiness, and sweetness flavors in cheese without adjunct culture (ST), whereas the addition of the adjunct culture (ST+A) induced higher and sourness flavors, oiliness and grainy textures, and lower adhesiveness, moisture, springiness, and tenderness. Principal component analysis showed positive relationships between pH and tenderness, sweetness and saltiness and a negative correlation between pH and grainy, oiliness, color and structure uniformity, sourness, and milk. Most of the differences observed in QDA and most of the relationships observed in the principal component analysis were linked to the higher microbial activity induced by the adjunct culture. Independently of milk and starter types, consumers perceived Scamorza cheese as characterized by a good eating quality (mean liking scores were all above the neutral point of the hedonic scale). Although ST cheeses showed higher values for overall liking, 2 homogeneous groups of consumers were identified using partial least squares regression analysis. One group preferred ST cheeses with higher levels of tenderness, adhesiveness, springiness, and moisture in terms of texture, butter in terms of flavor, and sweetness in terms of taste, whereas a second group

Quantitative characterization of the filiform mechanosensory hair array on the cricket cercus.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John P Miller

Full Text Available Crickets and other orthopteran insects sense air currents with a pair of abdominal appendages resembling antennae, called cerci. Each cercus in the common house cricket Acheta domesticus is approximately 1 cm long, and is covered with 500 to 750 filiform mechanosensory hairs. The distribution of the hairs on the cerci, as well as the global patterns of their movement vectors, have been characterized semi-quantitatively in studies over the last 40 years, and have been shown to be very stereotypical across different animals in this species. Although the cercal sensory system has been the focus of many studies in the areas of neuroethology, development, biomechanics, sensory function and neural coding, there has not yet been a quantitative study of the functional morphology of the receptor array of this important model system.We present a quantitative characterization of the structural characteristics and functional morphology of the cercal filiform hair array. We demonstrate that the excitatory direction along each hair's movement plane can be identified by features of its socket that are visible at the light-microscopic level, and that the length of the hair associated with each socket can also be estimated accurately from a structural parameter of the socket. We characterize the length and directionality of all hairs on the basal half of a sample of three cerci, and present statistical analyses of the distributions.The inter-animal variation of several global organizational features is low, consistent with constraints imposed by functional effectiveness and/or developmental processes. Contrary to previous reports, however, we show that the filiform hairs are not re-identifiable in the strict sense.

Prognostic factors in sensory recovery after digital nerve repair.

Science.gov (United States)

Bulut, Tuğrul; Akgün, Ulaş; Çıtlak, Atilla; Aslan, Cihan; Şener, Ufuk; Şener, Muhittin

2016-01-01

The prognostic factors that affect sensory nerve recovery after digital nerve repair are variable because of nonhomogeneous data, subjective tests, and different assessment/scoring methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the success of sensory nerve recovery after digital nerve repair and to investigate the prognostic factors in sensorial healing. Ninety-six digital nerve repairs of 63 patients were retrospectively evaluated. All nerves were repaired with end-to-end neurorraphy. The static two-point discrimination (s2PD) and Semmes Weinstein monofilament (SWM) tests were performed to evaluate sensory recovery. The association between prognostic factors such as gender, age, involved digit, time from injury to repair, length of follow-up, smoking, concomitant injuries, type of injury, and sensory recovery results were assessed. The s2PD test demonstrated excellent results in 26 nerves (27%), good results in 61 nerves (64%), and poor results in 9 nerves (9%). The results of the SWM test according to Imai classification showed that 31 nerves (32%) were normal, light touch was diminished in 38 nerves (40%), protective sensation was diminished in 17 nerves (18%), loss of protective sensation occurred in 5 nerves (5%), and 5 nerves (5%) were anesthetic. There was a negative relationship between age, smoking, concomitant injuries, and sensory recovery. Our results demonstrate that concomitant tendon, bone and vascular injuries, older age, and smoking were associated with worse sensory nerve recovery results. However, all digital nerve injuries should be repaired, regardless of these prognostic factors.

Extra-virgin olive oil: are consumers provided with the sensory quality they want? A hedonic price model with sensory attributes.

Science.gov (United States)

Cavallo, Carla; Caracciolo, Francesco; Cicia, Gianni; Del Giudice, Teresa

2018-03-01

Over the years, niche-differentiation strategies and food policies have pushed quality standards of European extra-virgin olive oil towards a product that has a sensory profile consisting of fruity, bitter and pungent notes, with such oils having excellent healthy features. However, it is unclear whether typical consumers are ready for a richer and more complex sensory profile than the neutral one historically found on the market. This potential discrepancy is investigated in the present study aiiming to determine whether current demand is able to appreciate this path of quality enhancement. Implicit prices for each and every attribute of extra-virgin olive oil with a focus on sensory characteristics were investigated using a hedonic price model. Although confirming the importance of origin and terroir for extra-virgin olive oil, the results of the present study strongly confirm the discrepancy between what is currently valued on the market and what novel supply trends are trying to achieve in terms of the sensory properties of such products. Increasing consumer awareness about the direct link between the health quality of oils and their sensory profile appears to be necessary to make quality enhancement programs more successful on the market and hence more effective for companies. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Membrane potential correlates of sensory perception in mouse barrel cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Sachidhanandam, Shankar; Sreenivasan, Varun; Kyriakatos, Alexandros; Kremer, Yves; Petersen, Carl C H

2013-11-01

Neocortical activity can evoke sensory percepts, but the cellular mechanisms remain poorly understood. We trained mice to detect single brief whisker stimuli and report perceived stimuli by licking to obtain a reward. Pharmacological inactivation and optogenetic stimulation demonstrated a causal role for the primary somatosensory barrel cortex. Whole-cell recordings from barrel cortex neurons revealed membrane potential correlates of sensory perception. Sensory responses depended strongly on prestimulus cortical state, but both slow-wave and desynchronized cortical states were compatible with task performance. Whisker deflection evoked an early (sensory response that was encoded through cell-specific reversal potentials. A secondary late (50-400 ms) depolarization was enhanced on hit trials compared to misses. Optogenetic inactivation revealed a causal role for late excitation. Our data reveal dynamic processing in the sensory cortex during task performance, with an early sensory response reliably encoding the stimulus and later secondary activity contributing to driving the subjective percept.

Processing of Sensory Information in the Olfactory System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

The olfactory system is an attractive model system due to the easy control of sensory input and the experimental accessibility in animal studies. The odorant signals are processed from receptor neurons to a neural network of mitral and granular cells while various types of nonlinear behaviour can...... and equation-free techniques allow for a better reproduction and understanding of recent experimental findings. Talks: Olfaction as a Model System for Sensory-Processing Neural Networks (Jens Midtgaard, University of Copenhagen, Denmark) Nonlinear Effects of Signal Transduction in Olfactory Sensory Neurons...

40 CFR 63.1004 - Instrument and sensory monitoring for leaks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... to be measured in air. (5) Monitoring performance. Monitoring shall be performed when the equipment... devices in gas and vapor service) or § 63.1012(f) (compressors). (d) Sensory monitoring methods. Sensory... 40 Protection of Environment 10 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Instrument and sensory monitoring for...

Sensory Dysfunction and Sexuality in the U.S. Population of Older Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Selena; Pinto, Jayant M; Wroblewski, Kristen E; McClintock, Martha K

2018-04-01

The sexual experience is shaped by sensory function; with aging, sensory dysfunction may interfere with sexuality and sexual behavior between partners. Specifically, older adults with age-related sensory dysfunction may have less sexual activity than those with better sensory function. In addition, since sexual desire and attraction rests in part upon sensory function, sensory dysfunction may also be associated with less sexual motivation. To test the association between sexual activity and motivation in older adults and their sensory dysfunction. Sensory dysfunction was measured both by global sensory impairment (a validated measure of dysfunction shared among the 5 classic senses: olfaction, vision, taste, touch, hearing) and by total sensory burden (cumulative sensory loss). Sexual activity was quantified by frequency and type of sexual behavior. Sexual motivation was measured by the frequency of sexual ideation and the importance of sex to the respondent. We used cross-sectional data from a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling older adults (aged 57-85 years) in the United States (National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, N = 3,005) in logistic regression analyses. Sexual activity, sexual motivation, and satisfaction with the sexual relationship were self-reported. Older adults with sensory dysfunction were less likely to be sexually active-an association that persisted when accounting for other factors that also affected sexual activity (age, gender, partnered status, mental and physical health, and relationship satisfaction). Nonetheless, sensory dysfunction did not impair sexual motivation, nor affect the physical and emotional satisfaction with the sexual relationship. Among currently sexually active older adults, sensory dysfunction did not affect the frequency of sex or the type of sexual activity (foreplay, vaginal intercourse, or oral sex). These results were the same for 2 different measures of sensory dysfunction. This is the

Direct numerical simulation of stable and unstable turbulent thermal boundary layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hattori, Hirofumi; Houra, Tomoya; Nagano, Yasutaka

2007-01-01

This paper presents direct numerical simulations (DNS) of stable and unstable turbulent thermal boundary layers. Since a buoyancy-affected boundary layer is often encountered in an urban environmental space where stable and unstable stratifications exist, exploring a buoyancy-affected boundary layer is very important to know the transport phenomena of the flow in an urban space. Although actual observation may qualitatively provide the characteristics of these flows, the relevant quantitative turbulent quantities are very difficult to measure. Thus, in order to quantitatively investigate a buoyancy-affected boundary layer in detail, we have here carried out for the first time time- and space-developing DNS of slightly stable and unstable turbulent thermal boundary layers. The DNS results show the quantitative turbulent statistics and structures of stable and unstable thermal boundary layers, in which the characteristic transport phenomena of thermally stratified boundary layers are demonstrated by indicating the budgets of turbulent shear stress and turbulent heat flux. Even though the input of buoyant force is not large, the influence of buoyancy is clearly revealed in both stable and unstable turbulent boundary layers. In particular, it is found that both stable and unstable thermal stratifications caused by the weak buoyant force remarkably alter the structure of near-wall turbulence

Psychometric Properties of Dunn\\'s Sensory Profile School Companion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guita Movallali

2017-10-01

Conclusion The results showed that Dunn's sensory profile has good reliability and validity. Dunn's sensory profile is a useful tool for assessing sensory processing patterns in school and kindergarten settings, and can be used by occupational therapists in clinical environments and by psychologists in educational environments. Information obtained from this profile can have diagnostic value and could also be used for the design of curriculum and classroom space.

Methyl-accepting protein associated with bacterial sensory phodopsin I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spudich, E.N.; Hasselbacher, C.A.; Spudich, J.L.

1988-01-01

In vivo radiolabeling of Halaobacterium halobium phototaxis mutants and revertants with L-[methyl- 3 H] methionine implicated seven methyl-accepting protein bands with apparent molecular masses from 65 to 150 kilodaltons (kDa) in adaptation of the organism to chemo and photo stimuli, and one of these (94 kDa) was specifically implicated in photoaxis. The lability of the radiolabeled bands to mild base treatment indicated the the methyl linkages are carboxylmethylesters, as is the case in the eubacterial chemotaxis receptor-transducers. The 94-kDa protein was present in increased amounts in an overproducer of the apoprotein of sensory rhodopsin I, one of two retinal-containing photoaxis receptors in H. halobium. It was absent in a strain the contained sensory rhodopsin II and that lacked sensory rhodopsin I and was also absent in a mutant that lacked both photoreceptors. Based in the role of methyl-accepting proteins in chemotaxis in other bacteria, we suggest that the 94-kDa protein is the signal transducer for sensory rhodopsin I. By [ 3 H]retinal labeling studies, we previously identified a 25-kDa retinal-binding polypeptide that was derived from photochemically reactive sensory rhodopsin I. When H. halobium membranes containing sensory rhodopsin I were treated by a procedure that stably reduced [ 3 H] retinal onto the 25-kDa apoprotein, a 94-kDa protein was also found to be radiolabeled. Protease digestion confirmed that the 94-kDa retinal-labeled protein was the same as the methyl-accepting protein that was suggested above to be the siginal transducer for sensory rhodopsin I. Possible models are that the 25- and 94-kDa proteins are tightly interacting components of the photosensory signaling machinery or that both are forms of sensory rhodopsin I

Uranium-induced sensory alterations in the zebrafish Danio rerio

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Faucher, K., E-mail: kfaucher@hotmail.fr [Laboratoire d' ecotoxicologie des radionucleides (LECO), Institut de Radioprotection et Surete Nucleaire, Centre de Cadarache, Batiment 186, BP3, 13115 Saint Paul lez Durance (France); Floriani, M.; Gilbin, R.; Adam-Guillermin, C. [Laboratoire d' ecotoxicologie des radionucleides (LECO), Institut de Radioprotection et Surete Nucleaire, Centre de Cadarache, Batiment 186, BP3, 13115 Saint Paul lez Durance (France)

2012-11-15

The effect of chronic exposure to uranium ions (UO{sub 2}{sup 2+}) on sensory tissues including the olfactory and lateral line systems was investigated in zebrafish (Danio rerio) using scanning electron microscopy. The aim of this study was to determine whether exposure to uranium damaged sensory tissues in fish. The fish were exposed to uranium at the concentration of 250 {mu}g l{sup -1} for 10 days followed by a depuration period of 23 days. Measurements of uranium uptake in different fish organs: olfactory rosettes and bulbs, brain, skin, and muscles, were also determined by ICP-AES and ICP-MS during the entire experimental period. The results showed that uranium displayed a strong affinity for sensory structures in direct contact with the surrounding medium, such as the olfactory and lateral line systems distributed on the skin. A decreasing gradient of uranium concentration was found: olfactory rosettes > olfactory bulbs > skin > muscles > brain. At the end of the experiment, uranium was present in non-negligible quantities in sensory tissues. In parallel, fish exposed to uranium showed severe sensory tissue alterations at the level of the olfactory and lateral line systems. In both sensory systems, the gross morphology was altered and the sensory hair cells were significantly damaged very early after the initiation of exposure (from the 3rd day). At the end of the experiment, after 23 days of depuration, the lateral line system still displayed slight tissue alterations, but approximately 80% of the neuromasts in this system had regenerated. In contrast, the olfactory system took more time to recover, as more than half of the olfactory rosettes observed remained destroyed at the end of the experiment. This study showed, for the first time, that uranium is able to damage fish sensory tissues to such an extent that tissue regeneration is delayed.

Identification and Characterization of Mouse Otic Sensory Lineage Genes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Byron H. Hartman

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Vertebrate embryogenesis gives rise to all cell types of an organism through the development of many unique lineages derived from the three primordial germ layers. The otic sensory lineage arises from the otic vesicle, a structure formed through invagination of placodal non-neural ectoderm. This developmental lineage possesses unique differentiation potential, giving rise to otic sensory cell populations including hair cells, supporting cells, and ganglion neurons of the auditory and vestibular organs. Here we present a systematic approach to identify transcriptional features that distinguish the otic sensory lineage (from early otic progenitors to otic sensory populations from other major lineages of vertebrate development. We used a microarray approach to analyze otic sensory lineage populations including microdissected otic vesicles (embryonic day 10.5 as well as isolated neonatal cochlear hair cells and supporting cells at postnatal day 3. Non-otic tissue samples including periotic tissues and whole embryos with otic regions removed were used as reference populations to evaluate otic specificity. Otic populations shared transcriptome-wide correlations in expression profiles that distinguish members of this lineage from non-otic populations. We further analyzed the microarray data using comparative and dimension reduction methods to identify individual genes that are specifically expressed in the otic sensory lineage. This analysis identified and ranked top otic sensory lineage-specific transcripts including Fbxo2, Col9a2, and Oc90, and additional novel otic lineage markers. To validate these results we performed expression analysis on select genes using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Fbxo2 showed the most striking pattern of specificity to the otic sensory lineage, including robust expression in the early otic vesicle and sustained expression in prosensory progenitors and auditory and vestibular hair cells and supporting

Some Motivational Properties of Sensory Stimulation in Psychotic Children

Science.gov (United States)

Rincover, Arnold; And Others

1977-01-01

This experiment assessed the reinforcing properties of sensory stimulation for autistic children using three different types of sensory stimulation: music, visual flickering, and visual movement. (SB)

A role for eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2B (eIF2B) in taste memory consolidation and in thermal control establishment during the critical period for sensory development.

Science.gov (United States)

Tirosh, Sharon; Elkobi, Alina; Rosenblum, Kobi; Meiri, Noam

2007-05-01

All species exhibit critical periods for sensory development, yet very little is known about the molecules involved in the changes in the network wiring that underlies this process. Here the role of transcription regulation of the translation machinery was determined by evaluating the expression of eIF2Bepsilon, an essential component of translation initiation, in both taste-preference development and thermal control establishment in chicks. Analysis of the expression pattern of this gene after passive-avoidance training revealed clear induction of eIF2Bepsilon in both the mesopallium intermediomediale (IMM) and in the striatum mediale (StM). In addition, a correlation was found between the concentration of methylanthranilate (MeA), which was the malaise substrate in the passive-avoidance training procedure, the duration of memory, and the expression level of eIF2Bepsilon. Training chicks on a low concentration of MeA induced short-term memory and low expression level of eIF2Bepsilon, whereas a high concentration of MeA induced long-term memory and a high expression level of eIF2Bepsilon in both the IMM and StM. Furthermore, eIF2Bepsilon-antisense "knock-down" not only reduced the amount of eIF2Bepsilon but also attenuated taste memory formation. In order to determine whether induction of eIF2Bepsilon is a general feature of neuronal plasticity, we checked whether it was induced in other forms of neuronal plasticity, with particular attention to its role in temperature control establishment, which represents hypothalamic-related plasticity. It was established that eIF2Bepsilon-mRNA was induced in the preopotic anterior hypothalamus during heat conditioning. Taken together, these results correlate eIF2Bepsilon with sensory development.

Sensory Cortical Plasticity Participates in the Epigenetic Regulation of Robust Memory Formation

OpenAIRE

Mimi L. Phan; Kasia M. Bieszczad

2016-01-01

Neuroplasticity remodels sensory cortex across the lifespan. A function of adult sensory cortical plasticity may be capturing available information during perception for memory formation. The degree of experience-dependent remodeling in sensory cortex appears to determine memory strength and specificity for important sensory signals. A key open question is how plasticity is engaged to induce different degrees of sensory cortical remodeling. Neural plasticity for long-term memory requires the ...

Model calculation of thermal conductivity in antiferromagnets

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Mikhail, I.F.I., E-mail: ifi_mikhail@hotmail.com; Ismail, I.M.M.; Ameen, M.

2015-11-01

A theoretical study is given of thermal conductivity in antiferromagnetic materials. The study has the advantage that the three-phonon interactions as well as the magnon phonon interactions have been represented by model operators that preserve the important properties of the exact collision operators. A new expression for thermal conductivity has been derived that involves the same terms obtained in our previous work in addition to two new terms. These two terms represent the conservation and quasi-conservation of wavevector that occur in the three-phonon Normal and Umklapp processes respectively. They gave appreciable contributions to the thermal conductivity and have led to an excellent quantitative agreement with the experimental measurements of the antiferromagnet FeCl{sub 2}. - Highlights: • The Boltzmann equations of phonons and magnons in antiferromagnets have been studied. • Model operators have been used to represent the magnon–phonon and three-phonon interactions. • The models possess the same important properties as the exact operators. • A new expression for the thermal conductivity has been derived. • The results showed a good quantitative agreement with the experimental data of FeCl{sub 2}.

Physicochemical stability and sensory acceptance of a carbonated ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Physicochemical stability and sensory acceptance of a carbonated cashew beverage with fructooligosaccharide added. ... Physicochemical analyzes (pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids (°Brix), vitamin C, reducing sugars) and sensory evaluation (triangular test and acceptance test) were performed throughout 60 days of ...

Sensory ERPs predict differences in working memory span and fluid intelligence.

Science.gov (United States)

Brumback, Carrie R; Low, Kathy A; Gratton, Gabriele; Fabiani, Monica

2004-02-09

The way our brain reacts to sensory stimulation may provide important clues about higher-level cognitive function and its operation. Here we show that short-latency (memory span, as well as between subjects scoring high and low on a fluid intelligence test. Our findings also suggest that this link between sensory responses and complex cognitive tasks is modality specific (visual sensory measures correlate with visuo-spatial tasks whereas auditory sensory measures correlate with verbal tasks). We interpret these findings as indicating that people's effectiveness in controlling attention and gating sensory information is a critical determinant of individual differences in complex cognitive abilities.

Inulin-enriched dairy desserts: physicochemical and sensory aspects.

Science.gov (United States)

González-Tomás, L; Bayarri, S; Costell, E

2009-09-01

The aim of this work was to study how adding inulin of different average chain lengths (long-chain, native, and short-chain inulin) at a concentration of 7.5% (wt/wt) would affect the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of starch-based dairy desserts formulated with either skim or whole milk. The results have shown that the effect of adding 7.5% inulin of different average chain length can give rise to products with different rheological behavior and different sensory characteristics. The skim milk sample with long-chain inulin and the whole milk sample without inulin showed similar flow behavior. Both samples were perceived to have the same creaminess and consistency intensity, but addition of long-chain inulin increased roughness intensity and, consequently, the sensory quality could be negatively affected. The information obtained may be of great interest in designing new products with nutritional and sensory characteristics that meet consumer demands.

Instrumental and sensory properties of pea protein-fortified extruded rice snacks.

Science.gov (United States)

Philipp, Claudia; Buckow, Roman; Silcock, Pat; Oey, Indrawati

2017-12-01

Characteristic attributes of pea-protein fortified, extruded rice snacks were evaluated by mechanical, acoustic and descriptive sensory analysis. The addition of pea protein isolate (0 to 45% (w/w)) to rice flour and extruder screw speed strongly affected the expansion behaviour and therefore, textural attributes of extruded snack products. The sensory panel described the texture of highly expanded extrudates as crisp, while low expanded extrudates were perceived as hard, crunchy and non-crisp. Results of the instrumental and sensory analysis were compared and showed a high correlation between mechanical and sensory hardness (r=0.98), as well as acoustic and sensory crispness (r=0.88). However, poor and/or negative correlations between acoustic and sensory hardness and crunchiness were observed (r=-0.35 and -0.84, respectively). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In Vitro Analysis of the Role of Schwann Cells on Axonal Degeneration and Regeneration Using Sensory Neurons from Dorsal Root Ganglia.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Leal, Rodrigo; Diaz, Paula; Court, Felipe A

2018-01-01

Sensory neurons from dorsal root ganglion efficiently regenerate after peripheral nerve injuries. These neurons are widely used as a model system to study degenerative mechanisms of the soma and axons, as well as regenerative axonal growth in the peripheral nervous system. This chapter describes techniques associated to the study of axonal degeneration and regeneration using explant cultures of dorsal root ganglion sensory neurons in vitro in the presence or absence of Schwann cells. Schwann cells are extremely important due to their involvement in tissue clearance during axonal degeneration as well as their known pro-regenerative effect during regeneration in the peripheral nervous system. We describe methods to induce and study axonal degeneration triggered by axotomy (mechanical separation of the axon from its soma) and treatment with vinblastine (which blocks axonal transport), which constitute clinically relevant mechanical and toxic models of axonal degeneration. In addition, we describe three different methods to evaluate axonal regeneration using quantitative methods. These protocols constitute a valuable tool to analyze in vitro mechanisms associated to axonal degeneration and regeneration of sensory neurons and the role of Schwann cells in these processes.

Prognostic factors in sensory recovery after digital nerve repair

OpenAIRE

Bulut, Tugrul; Akgun, Ulas; Citlak, Atilla; Aslan, Cihan; Sener, Ufuk; Sener, Muhittin

2018-01-01

Objective: The prognostic factors that affect sensory nerve recovery after digital nerve repair are variable because of nonhomogeneous data, subjective tests, and different assessment/scoring methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the success of sensory nerve recovery after digital nerve repair and to investigate the prognostic factors in sensorial healing.Methods: Ninety-six digital nerve repairs of 63 patients were retrospectively evaluated. All nerves were repaired with end-to-end ...

The Study on Food Sensory Evaluation based on Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm

OpenAIRE

Hairong Wang; Huijuan Xu

2015-01-01

In this study, it explores the procedures and methods of the system for establishing food sensory evaluation based on particle swarm optimization algorithm, by means of explaining the interpretation of sensory evaluation and sensory analysis, combined with the applying situation of sensory evaluation in food industry.

Imbalance between sympathetic and sensory innervation in peritoneal endometriosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, Julia; Barcena de Arellano, Maria L; Rüster, Carola; Vercellino, Giuseppe F; Chiantera, Vito; Schneider, Achim; Mechsner, Sylvia

2012-01-01

To investigate possible mechanisms of pain pathophysiology in patients with peritoneal endometriosis, a clinical study on sensory and sympathetic nerve fibre sprouting in endometriosis was performed. Peritoneal lesions (n=40) and healthy peritoneum (n=12) were immunostained and analysed with anti-protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5), anti-substance P (SP) and anti-tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), specific markers for intact nerve fibres, sensory nerve fibres and sympathetic nerve fibres, respectively, to identify the ratio of sympathetic and sensory nerve fibres. In addition, immune cell infiltrates in peritoneal endometriotic lesions were analysed and the nerve growth factor (NGF) and interleukin (IL)-1β expression was correlate with the nerve fibre density. Peritoneal fluids from patients with endometriosis (n=40) and without endometriosis (n=20) were used for the in vitro neuronal growth assay. Cultured chicken dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and sympathetic ganglia were stained with anti-growth associated protein 43 (anti-GAP 43), anti-SP and anti-TH. We could detect an increased sensory and decreased sympathetic nerve fibres density in peritoneal lesions compared to healthy peritoneum. Peritoneal fluids of patients with endometriosis compared to patients without endometriosis induced an increased sprouting of sensory neurites from DRG and decreased neurite outgrowth from sympathetic ganglia. In conclusion, this study demonstrates an imbalance between sympathetic and sensory nerve fibres in peritoneal endometriosis, as well as an altered modulation of peritoneal fluids from patients with endometriosis on sympathetic and sensory innervation which might directly be involved in the maintenance of inflammation and pain. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Statin use and peripheral sensory perception: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

West, Brenton; Williams, Cylie M; Jilbert, Elise; James, Alicia M; Haines, Terry P

2014-06-01

Peripheral sensory neuropathy is a neurological deficit resulting in decreased detection of sensation through the peripheral nervous system. Peripheral sensory neuropathy is commonly diagnosed with the use of a monofilament and either a tuning fork or neurothesiometer. Statins are a widely used medication and there has been some debate of association with their use and peripheral sensory neuropathy. This pilot study aimed to test the sensory perception of participants with long-term statin use and compare these results to their peers who were not taking statins. Thirty participants were recruited and equally divided into a statin and non-statin group. Healthy participants were screened by their medical and medication history, Australian Type 2 Diabetes Risk assessment, and random blood glucose level. An assessor who was blinded to the participant group conducted sensory assessments using a 10 g monofilament and neurothesiometer. There was no difference in monofilament testing results between the groups. The statin group was less sensate at the styloid process (p = 0.031) and medial malleolus (p = 0.003) than the control group. Results at the hallux were not statistically significant (p = 0.183). This result is suggestive of a potential association between long-term statin use and a decrease in peripheral sensory perception. This may be because of peripheral sensory neuropathy. Limitations such as consideration of participant height, participant numbers, and inability to analyze results against statin groups are reported. As statins are a life-saving medication, careful consideration should be applied to these results and further research be conducted to determine if these results are applicable to larger populations.

Physico-chemical, sensory and microbiological qualities of yoghurt ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study was conducted to evaluate the physico-chemical, sensory and microbiological qualities of some yoghurt brands sold in Kano Metropolis using standard procedures. The physico-chemical characteristics (viscosity, specific gravity, pH, titratable acidity, fat content) and Sensory properties (color, flavor, smell) were ...

Studies on the aroma of different species and strains of Pleurotus measured by GC/MS, sensory analysis and electronic nose

OpenAIRE

Renata Zawirska-Wojtasiak; Marek Siwulski; Sylwia Mildner-Szkudlarz; Erwin Wąsowicz

2009-01-01

The aroma of several strains of Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus citrinopileatus and Pleurotus djamor was studied by GC/MS. Three main mushrooms aroma constituents: 3-octanol, 3-octanone and 1-octen-3-ol were taken into account for quantitative measurements. The highest amount of 1-octen-3-ol was recorded in P. ostreatus, while considerably lower amounts in P. citrinopileatus. Sensory profile analysis as well as the electronic nose also varied between the three species of Pleurotus. Chiral gas ...

Core Challenges of Autism. Sensory aspects of autism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nason William

2016-10-01

Full Text Available An american clincal psychologist Bill Nason tells us about the differences in ways of functioning between people on the autistic spectrum and neurotypical people. The third part of his Blue book «The Autism Discussion Page» talks about the sensory differences in autistic people. Sensory hypersensitivity, fragmented or distorted perception, problems of sensoru processing — these are the differences that make the external world experience very special, overwhelming and even painful. The author gives the signs of hyper- and hypo-sensitivity in basical sensory areas. Translated from English by L.G. Borodina

Product perception from sensory stimuli: the case of vacuum cleaner.

Science.gov (United States)

Almeida e Silva, Caio Márcio; Okimoto, Maria Lúciar R L; Tanure, Raffaela Leane Zenni

2012-01-01

This paper discusses the importance of consideration of different sensory stimuli in the perception of the product. So we conducted an experiment that examined whether there is a difference between the perception of sensory stimuli from artificially isolated. The result is an analysis of the different sensory modalities, relating them to product an between them.

Thermal conductivity of uranium dioxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pillai, C.G.S.; George, A.M.

1993-01-01

The thermal conductivity of uranium dioxide of composition UO 2.015 was measured from 300 to 1400 K. The phonon component of the conductivity is found to be quantitatively accounted for by the theoretical expression of Slack derived by modifying the Leibfried-Schlomann equation. (orig.)

Reduced modulation of thalamocortical connectivity during exposure to sensory stimuli in ASD.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Shulamite A; Hernandez, Leanna; Bookheimer, Susan Y; Dapretto, Mirella

2017-05-01

Recent evidence for abnormal thalamic connectivity in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and sensory processing disorders suggests the thalamus may play a role in sensory over-responsivity (SOR), an extreme negative response to sensory stimuli, which is common in ASD. However, there is yet little understanding of changes in thalamic connectivity during exposure to aversive sensory inputs in individuals with ASD. In particular, the pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus is implicated in atypical sensory processing given its role in selective attention, regulation, and sensory integration. This study aimed to examine the role of pulvinar connectivity in ASD during mildly aversive sensory input. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to examine connectivity with the pulvinar during exposure to mildly aversive auditory and tactile stimuli in 38 youth (age 9-17; 19 ASD, 19 IQ-matched typically developing (TD)). Parents rated children's SOR severity on two standard scales. Compared to TD, ASD participants displayed aberrant modulation of connectivity between pulvinar and cortex (including sensory-motor and prefrontal regions) during sensory stimulation. In ASD participants, pulvinar-amygdala connectivity was correlated with severity of SOR symptoms. Deficits in modulation of thalamocortical connectivity in youth with ASD may reflect reduced thalamo-cortical inhibition in response to sensory stimulation, which could lead to difficulty filtering out and/or integrating sensory information. An increase in amygdala connectivity with the pulvinar might be partially responsible for deficits in selective attention as the amygdala signals the brain to attend to distracting sensory stimuli. Autism Res 2017, 10: 801-809. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.