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Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS) is a condition characterised by visual hallucinations of varying complexity on a background of vision loss. CBS research has gained popularity only in recent decades, despite evidence dating back to 1760. Knowledge of CBS among both the patient and professional populations unfortunately remains poor, and little is known of its underlying pathophysiology. CBS parallels two other better-known conditions that occur as a result of sensory loss: phantom limb syndrome (PLS) (aberrant sensation of the presence of a missing limb) and tinnitus (aberrant sensation of sound). As 'phantom' conditions, CBS, PLS and tinnitus share sensory loss as a precipitating factor, and, as subjective perceptual phenomena, face similar challenges to investigations. Thus far, these conditions have been studied separately from each other. This review aims to bridge the conceptual gap between CBS, PLS and tinnitus and seek common lessons between them. It considers the current knowledge base of CBS and explores the extent to which an understanding of PLS and tinnitus could provide valuable insights into the pathology of CBS (including the roles of cortical reorganisation, emotional and cognitive factors), and towards identifying effective potential management for CBS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate if there is a physiological stress response to the visual and auditory characteristics of waterscapes. Background: Biophilic research suggests that the presence of water can reduce stress, reduce blood pressure, and increase circulation. However, water has largely been omitted from healthcare design due to concerns of cost, maintenance, waterborne pathogens, and contamination. Existing research has not yet provided a design methodology to incorporate the healing effects of water without the potential diseases, contamination, and maintenance issues associated with physical water. Given the current technological capabilities, the isolation of the auditory and visual sensory stimuli has potential to re-introduce the healing benefits of water into healthcare design. Methods: Participants were either exposed to a slow-moving or fast-moving waterscape for 20 minutes. Pre- and post-anxiety were measured using the State Trait Anxiety Scale in an online Qualtrics survey (118 participants) and through a salivary cortisol biomarker (in which 26 participants also partook). Results: The overall results demonstrate that the utilization of digital blue space was effective in reducing stress. There was no significant difference between the lake or waterfall environment in both salivary cortisol and state-trait anxiety measures. However, it is suggested that the slow and fast-moving waterscapes may be beneficial in different settings. Conclusion: Design recommendations are made regarding potential biophilic design in healthcare facilities. The utilization of sensory waterscapes can also provide a cost affordable, non-pharmacological, alternative for anxiety mitigation for patients and staff undergoing high-stress situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reacting and responding to an external stimulus is an important component of human performance, and they inform us about a participant's neurophysiological capabilities. Our purpose in this study was to determine whether reaction times (REACT), response times (RT), and countermovement jump (CMJ) performance differ when responding to an auditory (AUD) versus visual (VIS) stimulus. Participants were 17 college-aged volunteers (6 females and 11 males; M age = 23.0, SD = 3.4 years; M height = 174.57, SD = 10.37 cm; M body mass = 73.37, SD = 13.48 kg). Participants performed CMJs on force plates immediately upon receiving an AUD or a VIS stimulus. The AUD stimulus was a beep noise, while the VIS stimulus was a light on a screen in front of the participants. We determined REACT for the tibialis anterior (TA), medial gastrocnemius (GM), vastus lateralis (VL), and biceps femoris (BF) muscles to be the amount of time between stimulus onset and the initiation of the muscle's electromyographic (EMG) signal. We determined RT to be the amount of time between stimulus onset and the beginning of the participant's force production. We assessed CMJ performance via ground reaction forces during the unweighting, braking, and propulsive phases of the jump. We quantified EMG amplitude and frequency during each CMJ phase. We found RT to be faster to the AUD versus the VIS stimulus (p =.007). VL and BF muscles had faster REACT than TA and GM muscles (p ≤.007). The AUD stimulus was associated with faster CMJ unweighting phase metrics (p ≤.005). Thus, individuals may react and respond faster to an AUD versus VIS stimulus, with limited improvements in their subsequent physical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cambridge Centre for Myelin Repair One (CCMR-One) trial showed that 6 months of bexarotene reduces visual evoked potential (VEP) latency in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). In a single-centre follow-up study of these participants, we re-examined full-field VEP and clinical assessments. Twenty participants (12 bexarotene and 8 placebo) were seen on average 27 months after their trial involvement. In an analysis of all eyes with recordable signal (24 bexarotene and 14 placebo), the adjusted bexarotene-placebo treatment difference in P100 latency was −7.79 (95% confidence interval (CI) = −14.76, −0.82) ms, p = 0.044. We conclude that there were durable improvements in VEP latency, suggesting long-term benefits from exposure to a remyelinating drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: A driving simulator study was conducted to test the effect of directions pavement markings (DPMs) on drivers' performance. Background: The perception of traditional direction signs may be less efficient than that of DPMs because drivers allocate more attentional resources to the road than to any other location. Method: Two experimental conditions of DPMs were tested: (a) the name of the lane's destination town, inscribed in white letters; (b) red and white shields enclosing the name of the lane's destination town. In both conditions, the name or shield was preceded by a white arrow and traditional road signs were presented as well. The experimental conditions were compared to a baseline condition, which consisted of traditional road signs only. Various scenarios of three-lane highways were simulated and the number of vehicles on the road was manipulated, forming a 2 × 3 design (two load conditions × three experimental conditions). Twenty-two participants took part in the experiment. Results: Pavement markings in both configurations were highly beneficial. Compared with the baseline condition, in both experimental conditions, the drivers noticed the correct lane sooner and moved to the correct lane earlier. Results also suggested that white markings are more beneficial than shield markings; however, this finding should be further confirmed. Conclusion: Lane DPMS are desirable as they are likely to improve traffic safety at relatively low cost. Application: Regulations demanding the presence of DPMs, at the very least in low visibility decision sites, would increase traffic safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stroke is one of the most widespread reasons for acquired adult disability. Recent experimental studies have reported the beneficial influence of Wii Fit-based feedback on improving overall balance and gait for stroke survivors. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the literature using the following keywords to retrieve the data: feedback, biofeedback, stroke, visual, auditory, tactile, virtual reality, videogame rehabilitation, Nintendo Wii stroke, videogame stroke, exergame stroke, Nintendo Wii rehabilitation, balance, and gait. A review and meta-analysis of RCTs regarding Wii Fit-based rehabilitation accompanied by conventional therapy effects on Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up and Go (TUG), functional reach test, and gait (speed) in stroke survivors was conducted. Objective: To determine the impacts of Wii Fit-based feedback combined with traditional therapy on balance and gait in stroke survivors. Results: 22 studies were included. The meta-analysis results revealed statistically significant improvements in functional ambulation measured using TUG (p < 0.0001), balance measured using BBS (p = 0.0001), and functional reach test (p = 0.01), but not in gait speed (p = 0.32) following Wii Fit-based feedback. Regarding the types of feedback, significant differences were found in BBS scores when mixed visual and auditory feedback was used. Conclusion: Wii Fit-based feedback has desired effects on improving balance in stroke patients, making it a suitable adjunct to physical therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Whereas findings from case reports and cross-sectional studies suggest that naturalistic psychedelic use may be associated with unusual visual experiences that occur after the acute pharmacological effects have subsided, such findings need to be replicated in longitudinal studies to better understand potential cause-and-effect relationships. Aims: To investigate longitudinal associations between naturalistic psychedelic use and unusual visual experiences. Methods: Using a longitudinal observational research design with samples representative of the US and UK adult populations with regard to sex, age, and ethnicity (N = 9732), we investigated the relationship between psychedelic use during the 2-month study period and changes in past-week unusual visual experiences. Results: The follow-up survey was completed by 79% of respondents (n = 7667), with 100 respondents reporting psychedelic use during the 2-month study period (1.3% of those who responded at follow-up). In covariate-adjusted regression models, the results showed that, as hypothesized, psychedelic use during the 2-month study period was associated with greater increases in unusual visual experiences. Notably, there was an interaction between lifetime psychedelic use and psychedelic use during the study period on unusual visual experiences such that those who used psychedelics for the first time reported greater increases in unusual visual experiences. Conclusions: Psychedelic use may elicit unusual visual experiences that occur after the acute pharmacological effects have subsided, especially among those who have not used psychedelics previously. Future longitudinal studies are warranted to further elucidate these relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Texture represents the surface quality of fabrics, which is one of the key factors for textiles design. Fabric texture can be perceived via sensory perceptions, like vision and touching, causing different psychological feelings and emotions. This paper aimed to model the correlation between fabric textures and the evoked emotions through different sensory perceptions. Firstly, 20 subjects were required to make sensory evaluation on 10 fabric samples, rating fabric textures and the induced emotions via visual and visual-tactile perceptions. Then, the differences in sensory evaluation on fabric textures and the evoked emotions were analyzed. The results showed that only by visual perception, the visual effects dominate the evaluation on fabric textures and emotions. Pile fabrics that look warm can induce positive emotions. By visual-tactile perception, the sensation of contact between fabric and skin accounts due to the intervention of tactile perception. Soft and smooth fabrics, like coral fleece and velvet can stimulate positive emotions. Finally, the emotion-fabric textures model for pleasure and arousal was established using stepwise regression analysis. It's revealed that only by visual perception, cold/warm had a significant positive effect on pleasure, while no textures were found that have a significant impact on arousal. By visual-tactile perception, both hard/soft and rough/smooth had significant positive impact on pleasure, while thick/thin had a significant negative influence on arousal. The present findings can help direct textiles design, production and sales, so as to meet the specific requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School curricula in the United States tend to focus on students' visual sense, making the teaching and learning of aural art a unique and challenging endeavor. In this philosophical inquiry with practical applications, I propose that the music curriculum be reevaluated with an ear toward the quality of sounds students hear daily as a foundation for heightened aural attention. Perhaps some music classes could more aptly be conceived as sound exploration classes, making school music opportunities accessible to more students and likely inspiring lifelong engagement with aural art. Music teachers will tend to offer a "sound" approach in their classrooms only to the extent that they themselves have had ample opportunities to explore their own aural interface with the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we remember experiences of our participation in an artistic event for youth of African descent in a Norwegian city to reflect on the potential of arts-based methods for exploring migrant and diasporic youth identities. Reflecting on the process of curating an event titled Afrikanske Dager in Drammen (African days in Drammen) involving young Africans in a Norwegian city, we demonstrate the methodological potential photography making, exhibition and dance performance. We show how processes of collaborative photography making provide spaces for participants to negotiate and think through identity and self-representation. We tease out the potential of dance choreography and performance as avenues for participants to embody and retell old histories from the archive of African presence in Norway. We discuss how the event making process was the site of unstable hierarchies where roles and positions constantly changed and highlight the power relations involved in the collaborative production of knowledge from artistic practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On demanding visual memory tasks like the Rey Complex Figure Test and Recognition Trial (RCFT), left-handers often outperform right-handers and participants with mixed handedness. Left-handers' apparent visual memory superiority develops during late childhood and early adolescence and is established by young adulthood. Though many studies have examined RCFT performance in older adults and found that visual memory deteriorates with age, investigations of the relationship between handedness and visual memory abilities in older adults have been scarce. In the present study I sought to determine whether a left-handed RCFT performance advantage would be evident among older adults. I examined RCFT and handedness data from 800 older adults (Females = 152, Males = 648; M age = 69.86, SD = 5.18 years; range 60–85 years), who took part in prior research (Whitehall II Phase 11 sub-study). Among these participants, handedness predicted both immediate and delayed RCFT recall, with left-handers outperforming both mixed- and right-handers and with performance unrelated to gender. The absence of a left-handed advantage for copy accuracy suggests that the effects observed for recall do not stem from differences in participants' perceptual abilities and/or motor control. Instead, these data suggest that left-handers' superior performances stem from their advantage for visual memory. As visual memory predicts both motor learning capacity and motor skill retention in older adults, these results have potentially important implications for rehabilitation efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As scholars on organization, we have been confronting the challenges of a changing episteme. The arrival of a new coronavirus and its devastating pandemic compel us to ask what the virus means for organization studies. The essay contributes to this endeavour by attending to the implication of the virus in the (re)organization of meaning and by explicating the ways in which metaphor and metonymy enable one to trace challenges in this (re)organization. In doing so, it takes inspiration from, and contributes to, the theme of (in)visibility that is central to X & Organization Studies. The multifaceted approach is rendered through "spectrographies", texts that craft haunting experiences of epistemic fragmentation into organizational knowledge. The essay unfolds through four sessions that engage with meaning across analogy, ontology, epistemology and relationality. Each session offers a double reading of its respective dynamics. The first reading outlines challenges in the (re)organization of meaning by (re)engaging with the virus metaphor and its relevance to organization studies. The second reading approaches the virus through metonymy, a trope that is often overlooked. It contributes to organization by tracing objects and subjects through metonymies of materialization and identification. It shows how humans wrestle not only with a pathogen, but also with the self and with other people. Together, the four sessions illustrate how metaphor and metonymy alert us to epistemic disruptions and instabilities associated with the virus. Altogether, the essay contributes to organization studies by turning the interest in meaning and organization to the organization of meaning. It also extends knowledge on tropes in organization by showing how the virus is rendered more powerful through metonymy than it ever was as metaphor. For organization studies to attend to the virus effectively, it must contend with its inherent undecidability. In closing, the essay frames an agenda for organizational scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fatigue can impair function of the three sensory systems (vestibular, visual, and somatosensory) that control postural balance. Yet impairment may be greater among individuals with than those without chronic ankle instability (CAI). The present study used posturography assessment to extend previous findings demonstrating reduced function of the three systems in CAI participants following fatigue. Our aim in this study was to examine the influence of anaerobic and aerobic protocols on the function of these three sensory systems in individuals with and without CAI. We assessed 60 healthy physical education students (M age = 24.3, SD = 3.4) by a Tetrax® Posturography device for Stability-Index and Fourier-frequencies [ low sway (F1) visual input, medium-low sway (F2–F4) vestibular input, medium–high sway (F5–F6) somatosensory input] and by the Active Movement Extent Discrimination Assessment (AMEDA) for active ankle somatosensory ability, before and after performing anaerobic or aerobic protocols. Among participants, 45% were identified with CAI. We found significant Time effect (pre-post), CAI effect, and CAI X Time interactions for Fourier frequencies, Stability-Index, and AMEDA scores, indicating greater pre-post deterioration for those with CAI compared to those without CAI (p <.05). CI (95%) showed that, although there was a Time effect for F1, F2–F4, and F5–F6, only F5–F6 frequencies (i.e., somatosensory input) showed the CAI effect and the Time X CAI interaction. Thus, participants with and without CAI showed reduced visual, vestibular, and somatosensory ability following fatigue. While we found greater deterioration in both passive and active somatosensory ability (F5-6 and AMEDA) among individuals with CAI compared with those with no-CAI, we recommend intervention programs for improving vestibular abilities following fatigue in both those with and without CAI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we investigated the effects of auditory numerosity and magnitude (loudness) on visual numerosity processing. Participants compared numerosities of two sequential dot arrays. The second dot array was paired with a tone array that was independent of visual comparison. The numerosity (One-tone vs. Multiple-tone) and the non-numerical magnitude of tones (loudness) were manipulated in Experiments 1 and 2, respectively. In Experiment 1, participants' inverse efficiency score (IES), that is, the quotient between response time and accuracy, was significantly smaller in the One-tone and Multiple-tone conditions than that in the No-tone condition, and linear trend analyses showed that the IES decreased with the number of tones. In Experiment 2, the IES in the Loud-tone condition was significantly smaller than that in the No-tone condition, and the IES decreased as the loudness of the tones increased. In Experiment 3, both auditory numerosity and magnitude were manipulated. For soft tones, the IES was smaller in the Multiple-tone condition than in the One-tone condition, whereas no significant difference was found between two conditions in loud tones. In sum, these findings suggest that the visual numerical representation can be spontaneously affected by the numerosity and non-numerical magnitude of stimuli from another modality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although corporate social performance has become an important measure of firm performance, there is little understanding about how firms respond to social performance feedback and how impression management may function as an important firm response to the feedback. Building upon and extending the literature on the behavioral theory of the firm and the strategic use of language, we examine how discrepancies between firms' social performance and their aspiration levels affect how firms use visual expressions in their CSR reports. In addition, we argue that the relationship between social performance discrepancies and the use of visual expressions in CSR reports is moderated by the extent to which firms conduct socially responsible activities to enhance legitimacy (reflected in the level of state ownership) and the extent to which firms engage in social activities to improve financial performance (reflected in foreign exposure). Using a sample of Chinese firms issuing CSR reports from 2009 to 2017, our empirical results provide strong support for these arguments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case report describes a rare instance of reflex seizures in a 4-year-old boy with a complex medical history, including total anomalous pulmonary venous connection and developmental disabilities. The patient experienced seizures triggered exclusively by a specific visual stimulus: the transition scene from the Disney castle to the Pixar lamp in Disney-Pixar movies. Video electroencephalography (EEG) revealed biparasagittal rhythmic delta waves and diffuse slowing, suggesting parietal involvement and complex cortical processing. The findings highlight the individualized nature of reflex epilepsy and highlight the need for a nuanced understanding of specific seizure triggers. Effective management included avoiding the identified visual stimulus and adjusting medication based on the patient's response. This case emphasizes the intricate relationship between sensory processing and epileptogenic mechanisms, contributing to our knowledge of cortical excitability and guiding targeted treatment strategies for reflex seizures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the challenges and opportunities associated with the development of new visual communication practices and outputs, using an example of such work conducted in a UK interdisciplinary applied health project. Reflecting on his role as co-researcher and practice as a visual ethnographer in the study, the author argues that new visual communication practices may emerge from 'mess' and even ugliness. In the case discussed, the author comes to terms with mess and elements of failure as potential phenomena of learning through a process of Sensemaking (see Weick's Sensemaking in Organizations, 1995), by applying innovative visual methods to the approach. Through his version of visual Sensemaking, the author identifies a set of principles to inform innovation in collaborative, interdisciplinary visual communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metaphors help shape the social world. Yet, with research and language guidelines focusing primarily on the stigmatising potential of verbal representations, much greater attention is needed regarding visual metaphors' role in perpetuating and challenging particular views of dementia. Through semi-structured interviews and focus groups, this paper explores how people with dementia and their carers and/or loved ones evaluate one prevalent visual metaphor for dementia that maps autumnal trees losing leaves onto the brain/head. Analysis considers three main responses to the metaphor, that: (1) it does not depict dementia; (2) it meaningfully explains a biomedical account of progressive brain deterioration; and (3) it reinforces inaccurate and/or 'hopeless' discourses of what having dementia involves, with individuals suggesting creative alterations to better fit their counter discourses. These findings foreground the importance of attending to subjectivity, nuance and multi-layered discourses within visual metaphors, which can indirectly convey stigmatising representations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of visual multimedia in promoting security awareness, alertness and behavioural intention towards kidnapping prevention measures among secondary school students. A quasi-experimental design was used for the study and the sample was made up of 470 secondary school students. It was found that respondents in the visual multimedia group did not significantly differ from their counterparts in the non-visual multimedia group on security awareness but they significantly differed on security alertness and behaviour intention towards kidnapping prevention measures. The implication is that visual multimedia has been highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of hallucinations across multiple senses in psychosis has garnered renewed interest. Recent studies have adopted the term multimodal hallucinations to describe these experiences, yet some appear to be investigating a different, but related, phenomenon. In the current paper, we suggest use of the terms multimodal hallucinations and multisensory hallucinations to categorise distinct events that involve unusual sensory experiences across multiple domains. We propose that the constructs of temporality and relatedness are critical to delineating these experiences, where multimodal hallucinations refer to hallucinations in two or more sensory modes occurring concurrently in time and/or with significant thematic overlaps. Multisensory hallucinations conversely denote similar multisensory experiences, but with no temporal or relatedness constraints. This is accompanied by a decision-making framework for identifying whether a set of unusual perceptual experiences constitutes multimodal hallucinations or otherwise. We conclude by suggesting several priorities for future research, including empirical validation of our proposed model, further investigation of phenomenology, developing appropriate assessment tools and investigating underlying cognitive and other aetiological mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article demonstrates the power of employing alternative, interpretative analysis techniques in ethnographic work. The author argues for the role of sensory interpretation as a valid and necessary method of analytical enquiry, particularly to challenge existing dominant, primarily written discourses that often strive for unrealistic empirical objectivity. In order to make this argument, he demonstrates a combined sonic/visual, interpretative approach to analysis, developed to explore the lived experience of a group of children in an after-school club that took place in and around the world-building videogame Minecraft. Here, inspired by research which takes artistic and exploratory approaches towards knowing, the author employs interpretative drawing as an analytical move. Underpinned by the work of Deleuze and Guattari (see A Thousand Plateaus, 1987: 12), the author produces a visual 'map' of soundscape data as a means of exploring potentially side-lined aspects of lived experience, through a process of resemiotization. Developing this sonic/visual approach in context – a process that had an impact on both the analyst and the analysis – helped to shed new light on the site under investigation. As such, this article builds on other analyses of sound in children's social and educational experience by proposing that interpretative, visual responses to soundscape data can add value to otherwise purely written, or purely sonic, accounts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Representations held in working memory are crucial in guiding human attention in a goal-directed fashion. Currently, it is debated whether only a single representation or several of these representations can be active and bias behavior at any given moment. In the present study, 25 university students performed a behavioral dense-sampling experiment to produce an estimate of the temporal-activation patterns of two simultaneously held visual templates. We report two key novel results. First, performance related to both representations was not continuous but fluctuated rhythmically at 6 Hz. This corresponds to neural oscillations in the theta band, the functional importance of which in working memory is well established. Second, our findings suggest that two concurrently held representations may be prioritized in alternation, not simultaneously. Our data extend recent research on rhythmic sampling of external information by demonstrating an analogous mechanism in the cyclic activation of internal working memory representations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies with adults found a memory bias for disgust, such that memory for disgusting stimuli was enhanced compared to neutral and frightening stimuli. We investigated whether this bias is more pronounced in females and whether it is already present in children. Moreover, we analyzed whether the visual exploration of disgust stimuli during encoding is associated with memory retrieval. In a first recognition experiment with intentional learning, 50 adults (mean age; M = 23 years) and 52 children (M = 11 years) were presented with disgusting, frightening, and neutral pictures. Both children and adults showed a better recognition performance for disgusting images compared to the other image categories. Males and females did not differ in their memory performance. In a second free recall experiment with eye-tracking, 50 adults (M = 22 years) viewed images from the categories disgust, fear, and neutral. Disgusting and neutral images were matched for color, complexity, brightness, and contrast. The participants, who were not instructed to remember the stimuli, showed a disgust memory bias as well as shorter fixation durations and longer scan paths for disgusting images compared to neutral images. This "hyperscanning pattern" correlated with the number of correctly recalled disgust images. In conclusion, we found a disgust-related memory bias in both children and adults regardless of sex and independently of the memorization method used (recognition/free recall; intentional/incidental). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The understanding of preferences toward fabrics is an important step of understanding consumer behavior of apparel. This article presents a work to study the preferences toward summer-shirt fabrics and their characteristics, particularly the gender impact, visual impact, and tactile impact toward the preference of fabrics are separately studied. Furthermore, the stability of the preference from different genders was investigated as well. To achieve these goals, the visual system and the tactile system were employed for testing male and female preferences of fabrics and the characteristics of fabrics. The two contributions of this work are as follows: (1) the factors which impact the preference of a fabric were figured out, and their relationship become a good reference for an apparel designer, and with them, a piece of apparel with preferred fabrics is able to be produced; and (2) the textile development regarding the visual sense and tactile sense will become more targeted and customized in favoring different customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with disabilities are an important target population for HIV prevention and treatment programs. In this study, we examined the prevalence of HIV-related risk behaviors and HIV testing among people with visual and/or hearing impairments in the United States, and compared with people without any impairments. The study was a secondary data analysis of the 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. We performed weighted descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses to determine the association between ever testing for HIV and sociodemographic characteristics, healthcare access, and HIV-related risk behaviors. The prevalence of HIV-related risk behaviors was 7.1% (95%CI = 5.4–8.8), 3.9% (95%CI = 3.0–4.9), 3.5% (95%CI = 1.5–5.4), and 5.9% (95%CI = 5.7–6.1) among those with visual, hearing, both visual and hearing, and no impairments, respectively. HIV testing among those with visual impairment was 39.7% (95%CI = 37.0–42.3) and 28.9% (95%CI = 27.3–30.5) among those with hearing impairment. Approximately 26.8% (95%CI = 21.4–32.2) of the respondents with both impairments and 38.0% (95%CI = 37.6–38.3) of those with no impairments had ever tested for HIV. In the adjusted models, the factors associated with HIV testing varied across the subgroups, with only age, race/ethnicity, and HIV-related risk behaviors common to all the four subgroups. Compared with those without any impairments, the odds of ever testing for HIV was significantly higher among respondents with hearing impairment (aOR = 1.3, 95%CI = 1.14–1.38), after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, healthcare access, and HIV-related risk behaviors. Targeted interventions that will meet the unique needs of people with visual and/or hearing impairments are required to reduce HIV-related risk behaviors and improve uptake of HIV testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most objects have well-defined affordances. Investigating perception of affordances of objects that were not created for a specific purpose would provide insight into how affordances are perceived. In addition, comparison of perception of affordances for such objects across different exploratory modalities (visual vs. haptic) would offer a strong test of the lawfulness of information about affordances (i.e., the invariance of such information over transformation). Along these lines, "feelies"— objects created by Gibson with no obvious function and unlike any common object—could shed light on the processes underlying affordance perception. This study showed that when observers reported potential uses for feelies, modality significantly influenced what kind of affordances were perceived. Specifically, visual exploration resulted in more noun labels (e.g., "toy") than haptic exploration which resulted in more verb labels (i.e., "throw"). These results suggested that overlapping, but distinct classes of action possibilities are perceivable using vision and haptics. Semantic network analyses revealed that visual exploration resulted in object-oriented responses focused on object identification, whereas haptic exploration resulted in action-oriented responses. Cluster analyses confirmed these results. Affordance labels produced in the visual condition were more consistent, used fewer descriptors, were less diverse, but more novel than in the haptic condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study compared the effects of two types of health warnings on cigarette packages: 'narrative visual warnings', showing an image portraying people plus a corresponding slogan that could evoke a story-like interpretation, and 'non-narrative visual warnings' with non-narrative content (i.e. body parts). Moreover, the mechanisms underlying the effects of these health warnings were explored. Design: A within-participants experiment was conducted comparing narrative and non-narrative visual warnings. Path analyses were performed to investigate the relationship between the narrative concepts transportation and identification, the emotions evoked by the health warning and the perceived effectiveness of the message. Method: Participants (N = 200) were presented with one narrative warning and one non-narrative warning. After each warning, they answered questions on narrative perception, transportation, identification, emotions and perceived effectiveness. Results: The narrative warnings were seen as more story-like than the non-narrative warnings. There was a statistical trend for narrative warnings to be perceived as more effective than the non-narratives. The narrative warnings caused more transportation, fear, sadness, compassion and anger; the non-narrative warnings evoked more disgust and surprise. For the narrative warnings, both narrative concepts of transportation and identification were directly related to perceived effectiveness, and also indirectly via sadness. For the non-narrative warnings, transportation was related to perceived effectiveness, both directly and indirectly via disgust. Conclusion: Seeing a story in a still picture with a slogan helps to increase the effectiveness of the antismoking message. Both narrative and non-narrative visual warnings may persuade receivers directly, but also by the evoking of emotions, although the specific emotions responsible for the persuasive effects may differ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The understanding of preferences toward fabrics is an important step of understanding consumer behavior of apparel. This article presents a work to study the preferences toward summer-shirt fabrics and their characteristics, particularly the gender impact, visual impact, and tactile impact toward the preference of fabrics are separately studied. Furthermore, the stability of the preference from different genders was investigated as well. To achieve these goals, the visual system and the tactile system were employed for testing male and female preferences of fabrics and the characteristics of fabrics. The two contributions of this work are as follows: (1) the factors which impact the preference of a fabric were figured out, and their relationship become a good reference for an apparel designer, and with them, a piece of apparel with preferred fabrics is able to be produced; and (2) the textile development regarding the visual sense and tactile sense will become more targeted and customized in favoring different customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we explore how individual expressions of agency are shaped by structural factors and exercised by Black African girls with child sexual abuse (CSA) histories as they navigate resilience pathways. We employed a qualitative multiple instrumental case study design and purposefully recruited seven Black African girls, between the ages of 15 and 18 years, with a history of CSA. Participants were engaged in a range of participatory methods that included participatory diagramming (time lines), digital stories, and participatory videos. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Findings highlight how agency, as a process of resilience, manifested as well as how these agentic expressions were activated, bound, and later reciprocated and sustained by the surrounding social structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the effects of stylistic elements, framing and imagery, on emotion, cognition, and persuasion. Frame and image were matched on valence (gain frame + positive image; loss frame + negative image) and mismatched (gain + negative image; loss + positive image) to examine whether the (mis)match amplified or attenuated message effects. Using the topic of traveling to an exotic island, an experiment (N = 455) found general support for matching in the gain-framed conditions but not in the loss-framed conditions. To the extent that valence can be useful as a basis for assessing match, it must take into account the message domain and the nature of the outcome variables. One general principle and two corollaries are proposed to serve as patches for the valence rule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective is to provide a review of ecological interface design (EID), to illustrate its value to human factors/ergonomics, and to identify areas for future research and development.Background: EID uses mature interface technologies to provide decision making and problem solving support. A variety of theoretical concepts and analytical tools have been developed to meet the associated challenges. EID provides support that is simultaneously grounded in the practical realities of a work domain and tailored to human capabilities and limitations.Method: EID's theoretical foundation is discussed briefly. Concrete examples of ecological and traditional interfaces are provided. Different categories of work domains are described, as well as the associated implications for interface design. A targeted literature review is conducted and the experimental outcomes are summarized. A representative evaluation is discussed, and interpretations of performance are provided.Results: The evidence reveals that EID has been remarkably successful in significantly improving performance for work domains with constraints that are law driven (e.g., process control). In contrast, work domains that are intent-driven (e.g., information retrieval) have, by and large, been ignored. Also, few studies have addressed nonvisual displays.Conclusion: EID has not yet realized its potential to improve safety and efficiency across the entire continuum of work domains.Application: EID provides a single integrated framework that is (a) sufficiently comprehensive to deal with complicated work domains and (b) capable of producing innovative support that will generalize to actual work settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Currently, there is no scoring system for assessing the complexity of migraine aura. Our goal was to develop a Migraine Aura Complexity Score that synthesizes the quantity and quality of aura symptoms and to test its applicability in neuroimaging studies.Methods: Patients with migraine aura were interviewed in order to obtain characteristics of migraine aura. Explorative and confirmatory analyses were used to develop the Migraine Aura Complexity Score. Median values were derived from 10 consecutive migraine auras in each patient. The Migraine Aura Complexity Score was correlated with an average cortical thickness of different brain areas in studied patients. The Surface-based Morphometric Analysis approach was used to estimate cortical thickness.Results: This study included 23 (16 females and seven males) migraineurs with aura. Confirmatory factor analysis suggested the second-order model with three-factor measurement for grading migraine aura. The first factor is linked to higher cortical dysfunction during migraine aura, while the second is associated with the degree of involvement of primary visual and somatosensory cortices; the third linked symptoms of somatosensory aura and hand and head involvement. Positive correlation of Migraine Aura Complexity Score and averaged cortical thickness were found in the left and right hemispheres overall (r = 0.568, p = 0.007; r = 0.617, p = 0.003) and in some of their regions.Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the Migraine Aura Complexity Score could be a valuable tool for assessing migraine aura. The score could be used in neuroradiological studies in order to achieve a stratification of patients with migraine aura. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With this special issue, we aim to address visibility not just as a representation of the social, but as an aspect and element of social and cultural orders and actions sui generis. The texts in this volume are dedicated to understanding the practices, power relations and the technological infrastructures in which (audio)-visual practices unfold. To make our proposition clear, we lay out a methodological strategy that we—drawing from French, German and Anglo-Saxon debate—call sociology with the image. Then we provide an overview of the articles in this special issue and point to some ongoing tensions within qualitative inquiry more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 21st century, easy access to visually rich, immersive, student-centered, virtual applications could augment or replace text-based learning. However, the new developments are offset by the lack of insight into pedagogies needed to guide educators through a visual learning environment. The purpose of this directed content analysis was to provide an awareness about opportunities for learning cognitive and creative thinking skills in virtual applications. Analysis showed opportunities to develop one or more skills in 34 selected virtual educational apps. Educators in many subjects could apply insights from the conclusions and recommendations for using virtual applications within established curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces a methodology, "Iconic Legisigns-Guided Interviewing," which aims at understanding and addressing communicative, cultural, and contextual gaps at the margins that have historically muted underserved populations. Grounded in the theories of visual and sensory research, this new method aims at overcoming the limitations of technology-dependent video-/photograph-elicitation research in geographically isolated regions and seeks to create an open and enabling dialogic environment for illiterate (and low-literate) politicoeconomically marginalized people. This method was developed with active participation of low-literate community members and iteratively tested in underserved spaces of rural Bengal. In this approach, organically cocreated images, more specifically iconic legisigns, were employed as prompts to make interview processes focused and inclusive and to complement conventional semistructured in-depth interviewing. This local-centric method helps research participants to cocreate knowledge, decide discussion pointers, and come up with respondent-generated questions/probes and also seeks to ensure inclusivity and discursive control of participants over the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we propose an innovative mixed methods research (MMR) technique and discuss its theory and applications. The visual replay methodology (VRM) is a new graphic way to investigate the discourse patterns during software-aided small group discussions. A visually supported conversation is recorded through screen capturing and replayed to reconstruct how the discussion has unfolded. The VRM responds to the "integration challenge" that the MMR community is facing—by employing the power of visualization, data integration is leveraged to a new level, where visual synergy gains enable a "value-added" research outcome. By employing multigenre integration and a moderately pragmatic approach, the VRM reduces the researcher–subject power-relation gap and contributes to some long-standing MMR debates regarding reflexivity and participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To examine the characteristics of visual symptoms during attacks of migraine in children and adolescents.Method: A qualitative analysis of prospectively collected data over 5 years, on characteristics of visual symptoms during migraine attacks. Diagnosis of migraine and aura was based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders 3rd edition beta version. We also provided the opportunity for patients to illustrate their visual aura symptoms to aid in diagnosis.Results: Visual symptoms were reported by 387/1079 (36%) of migraineurs. Of these, 172 (16%) patients fulfilled the International Classification of Headache Disorders Criteria A, B, C iv and D, but missed one (n = 75; 43.5%) or two (n = 97; 56.5%) of the remaining items of criteria C as the visual symptoms were of non-gradual spread (n = 35; 20%), appeared in both visual fields (n = 99; 58%), or lasted less than 5 minutes or more than 60 minutes (n = 129; 75%).Conclusion: The International Classification of Headache Disorders 3rd edition beta version criteria are useful in diagnosis of migraine with visual aura in children and adolescents, but visual symptoms varied considerably in duration, pattern, mobility, location, mode of onset and colours. Providing opportunity for patients to illustrate their symptoms can provide additional diagnostic information. The pathophysiology and the clinical concept of typical MVA is still to an extent an assumption and needs further evaluation.Approval: The study was approved by the Health Research Authority - London and the local Research and Innovation Department at Barking Havering and Redbridge National Health Service Trust. Formal parental consent was not considered essential for this type of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem-based learning identifies problems in ways that are conducive to student learning and emphasizes problem-solving, critical thinking and collaborative skills. These three aspects are core to disassembly--assembly techniques used in higher education where students are required to engage with visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning within a laboratory environment. The purpose of this article is to describe a disassembly--assembly technique used in a compulsory engineering module and identify how many African engineering students can successfully create a problem (disassemble a two-stroke motor) and then correctly solve the problem (assemble the two-stroke motor back to a working condition). A longitudinal study involving quantitative data is used with descriptive statistics. Results indicate, that on average, 85.5% of African engineering students can successfully engage with the disassembly--assembly technique. A possible recommendation is to encourage more academics to make use of the disassembly-assembly technique with regard to engineering systems, equipment or machinery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to contribute to the literature on legitimacy by investigating its material and visual dimensions. By drawing on studies on rhetoric as a means of composing visions of social order and on an historical analysis of accounts in three paradigmatic eras (Roman times, Renaissance and Modernity), it shows how symmetry in accounts constituted an aesthetic code which tied members of a community together in ‘socie-ties’. We investigate the rhetorical process of ratiocinatio and explore how the visual and material dimensions of accounts provided social actors with an opportunity to explore their positions and ties within a community. This process augmented social actors’ understanding of their current relations by reducing them to a series of entries in an account, thus allowing them to reflect on what it meant to be a legitimate member of a society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whereas categories are important cogs of market dynamics, their construction process has been largely overlooked to date. Drawing on the Actor-Network Theory, the article tackles this issue by redefining categorisation as a translation process transforming multiplicity into unity through inscriptions. This process sheds light on the very practices of categorising, the devices involved and their agency. Combining multiple data sources, it describes how organisers and exhibitors at a trade fair use visual inscriptions like pictures and movies, logos and maps, catalogues and fashion parades to define ethical fashion, make compromises between ethics and aesthetics, and project a fashionable image of the nascent category. This offers new insights into the construction of markets by breaking down the performative process of categorisation and revealing the visual mediations involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tested two cognitive models, learning styles and dual coding, which make contradictory predictions about how learners process and retain visual and auditory information. Learning styles-based instructional practices are common in educational environments despite a questionable research base, while the use of dual coding is less ubiquitous, and thus measured examination of the two methods has implications for practical application. The study involved 204 university students who were surveyed on their preferred learning style and then presented with information that they were prompted to process via either imagery or linguistic means. The results showed there was no significant interaction effect between learning style and condition, suggesting the most basic prediction of the learning styles hypothesis should be rejected. In a regression analysis, none of the four learning styles (visual, auditory, read/write, or kinesthetic) predicted students’ retention of the material. However, there was a highly significant main effect of condition with those in the visual condition retaining twice as much information as those in the auditory condition regardless of learning style, a result that strongly supports dual coding theory. Implications of the findings would suggest that learning styles instruction is an ineffective method for teachers to employ, and that, instead, incorporating principles of dual coding would have a much greater benefit to student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volume and number are addressed separately rather than combined in perception research. Yet, our everyday problems often involve summed continuous volumes of countable solid objects with partial depth cues (e.g., food items). The participants were presented with a set of black-and-white silhouettes of spheres that independently varied in numerosity (from 1 to 6) and total volume (2, 4, 6, or 8), and an adjacent silhouette of a partially filled cylinder. They judged how much the silhouetted sphere(s) in the set would raise the level of the cylinder content if the spheres were immersed into that content. Higher total volumes and numerosities of the spheres were judged slower and underestimated. Lower total volumes and numerosities were judged faster and overestimated. These effects strongly reflected the total silhouette area of the spheres in a set. The discontinuous effect of numerosity on judgment accuracy and speed suggested separate judgment modes below and above Numerosity 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background A detailed evaluation of migraine aura symptoms is crucial for classification issues and pathophysiological discussion. Few studies have focused on the detailed clinical aspects of migraine aura. Methods We conducted a prospective diary-based study of migraine aura features including presence, quality, laterality, duration of each aura symptom, their temporal succession; presence of headache and its temporal succession with aura. Results Seventy-two patients completed the study recording the characteristics of three consecutive auras ( n = 216 auras). Visual symptoms occurred in 212 (98%), sensory symptoms in 77 (36%) and dysphasic symptoms in 22 (10%). Most auras had more than one visual symptom (median 2, IQR 1-3, range 1-4). The majority of patients (56%) did not report a stereotyped aura on the three attacks with respect to visual features, the combination and/or temporal succession of the three aura symptoms. Fifty-seven percent of patients also reported a different scenario of temporal succession between aura and headache in the three attacks. Five per cent of aura symptoms were longer than four hours. Conclusion These findings show a high inter- and intravariability of migraine with aura attacks. Furthermore, they provide reliable data to enrich and clarify the spectrum of the aura phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the mechanisms underlying the perception of artworks is of significant interest in experimental esthetics. Therefore, in this study, we utilized eye-tracking for investigating how participants familiar and unfamiliar with paintings’ titles viewed Kandinsky’s abstract and figural artworks. The analysis of behavioral data indicated that knowledge of the title increased participants’ liking of the presented paintings and demonstrated a general preference for figural over abstract paintings. Next, we focused the analysis of eye-movement data on areas of the paintings that depict themes associated with their titles. The results demonstrated that participants familiar with the titles viewed these longer and visited them earlier compared with those unfamiliar with paintings’ titles. Furthermore, all participants viewed these areas within figural paintings longer and returned to them more often than within abstract paintings. These findings extend previous results by indicating how presenting short titles influences participants’ viewing of abstract and figural artworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like many disciplines in design and the visual fine arts, critique is a signature pedagogy in the graphic design classroom. It serves as both a formative and summative assessment while also giving students the opportunity to practice the habits of graphic design. Critiques help students become keen observers of relevant disciplinary criteria; reflective about what they’ve been taught, what they’ve observed, and how they’ve applied both; articulate in giving meaningful feedback to peers; and capable of using a specific tool to assess the successes and failures of their own design work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, assessment for university students in the humanities has been in an essay format, but this has changed extensively in the last decade. Assessments now may entail auditory and visual presentations, films, mind-maps, and other modes of communication. These formats are outside the established conventions of humanities and may be considered as creative works. Exploring definitions and research in the field of assessment of creativity, highlighting ways to explicitly assess the creative aspects of student work. An obligatory first year common unit titled “Cultural intelligence and capability” is examined as a model of how creative assessment can be used to extend engagement with subject material. Implications of considering creative aspects, in an explicit way, are reviewed. The underpinning argument is that in the current learning settings, creativity should be seen as an intrinsic part of appraisal criteria in the humanities as much as in the arts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contemporary cities, the catering sector is much more than only food and/or eating. On the one hand, it is an important source of income, employment and waste; on the other hand, it provides many opportunities for eating out and social interaction. For a given city, where does the catering sector concentrate the most and how far are people, on average, from this location across hours of a day? Are people, on average, closer to the concentration around the prime dinner time? Taking advantage of open and big data, we geovisualised the answers in the context of Beijing, the capital of China, with a population of 22+ million people. Specifically, the data we used were the 2015 points of interest of Baidu Map (the Chinese counterpart of Google Maps) and 10–16 August 2015 cellular network data for Beijing. The former provide us with the number and location of most if not all restaurants around the local metro-served area (MSA) – that is, areas that are within an 800-metre radius of a metro station. The latter allow us to derive the average number of cellular phone users (as a proxy for the general population, residents and/or employees) by MSA across hours of a day. We depict the top five population/employment/residential centres (quantified by the average number of cellular phone users) at three different times of the day, and the top 10 food centres (measured by the number of restaurants) at the MSA level in Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a novel diagramming approach which employs aspects of Actor-Network Theory (ANT) in the creation of ANT Analysis Diagrams (AADs). ANT is a socio-material approach which allows for the consideration of both human and inanimate entities in a social context. AADs provide a novel method for the analytical investigation of social situations, thereby both operationalizing elements of ANT and generating a visualization of a domain. It is the process of creating an AAD which is crucial, focusing attention on the characteristics of the entities involved and the nature of the relationships between them, thereby supporting the analysis of qualitative social data. As this article illustrates, AADs can be usefully applied to a wide range of social contexts and across scales, from the individual person, to groups through to broad social concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can one write a ‘visual history’ of the family? This article is a preliminary attempt to explore the relationship between visuals and history and how this is configured in relation to an institution like the family. By examining a diverse set of Indian images, ranging from Company art, Kalighat prints, realist portraiture and some photography, I wish to problematise the relationship between representation and history. A chief interest in this exploration is to see how the visual effects exceed the illustrative, and how that transforms our understanding of the ‘subject’ in question, in this instance, understanding the family conceptually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a generalized model of reference relations in the discourse of television news based on Montgomery’s principles of intelligibility, Halliday and Hasan’s reference cohesion, Martin’s identification system, Tseng’s cohesive reference and some intersemiotic models. Reference in television news involves reference patterns from the verbal track (verbal reference), the visual track (visual reference) and across the two tracks (visual–verbal reference). Based on the categorization of verbal reference, this study classifies visual reference as personals (such as visual reappearance), demonstratives (such as proximity and direction) and comparatives (such as similarity and difference). Reference across visual and verbal tracks includes three general types of visual–verbal reference, i.e. complementary, visual-as-bridge and parallel, among others. Through these patterns of reference and their reference chains, participants in television news can be tracked and identified. This model is applied to a comparative analysis of two news items broadcast separately by BBC’s News at Ten and CCTV’s News Simulcast. Differences and their implications are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]