Search results for "RIMI"
showing 10 items of 3981 documents
Differences in sensory processing of German vowels and physically matched non-speech sounds as revealed by the mismatch negativity (MMN) of the human…
2014
We compared processing of speech and non-speech by means of the mismatch negativity (MMN). For this purpose, the MMN elicited by vowels was compared to those elicited by two non-speech stimulus types: spectrally rotated vowels, having the same stimulus complexity as the speech stimuli, and sounds based on the bands of formants of the vowels, representing non-speech stimuli of lower complexity as compared to the other stimulus types. This design allows controlling for effects of stimulus complexity when comparing neural correlates of processing speech to non-speech. Deviants within a modified multi-feature design differed either in duration or spectral property. Moreover, the difficulty to d…
The Fertility Quality of Life Questionnaire (FertiQoL) Relational subscale: psychometric properties and discriminant validity across gender.
2016
Study question Is the Fertility Quality of Life Questionnaire (FertiQoL)-Relational Scale a valid measure to assess the relational domain regarding quality of life in women and men undergoing infertility treatment? Summary answer The FertiQoL-Relational scale (FertiQoL-REL) showed good psychometric properties and captured core aspects of couple relationships. What is known already FertiQoL has become a gold standard for the assessment of infertility-related quality of life in patients undergoing assisted reproduction treatment (ART). Despite its growing importance, no previous studies have examined the convergent validity of the FertiQoL-REL and its discriminant validity across gender. Stud…
Unique Characteristics of the Intestinal Immune System as an Inductive Site after Antigen Reencounter
2004
Background Immunization prepares the body for a reencounter with the microbe. Information on the targeting of immune effector cells during secondary immune response--that is, lymphocyte homing--is scarce. In the present study, the homing potentials of lymphocytes are examined after antigen reencounter at mucosal versus nonmucosal sites. Methods Orally or parenterally immunized volunteers were reimmunized orally or parenterally with Salmonella typhi Ty21a, and the expression of the gut homing receptor (HR), alpha(4)beta(7), and of the peripheral lymph node HR, L-selectin, was investigated in circulating antigen-specific antibody-secreting cells (ASCs). Lymphocytes were sorted by HR expressio…
The mid-difference hump in forward-masked intensity discrimination
2008
Forward-masked intensity-difference limens (DLs) for pure-tone standards presented at low, medium, and high levels were obtained for a wide range of masker-standard level differences. At a standard level of 25 dB SPL, the masker had a significant effect on intensity resolution, and the data showed a mid-difference hump: The DL elevation was greater at intermediate than at large masker-standard level differences. These results support the hypothesis that the effect of a forward masker on intensity resolution is modulated by the similarity between the masker and the standard. For a given masker-standard level difference, the effect of the masker on the DL was larger for a 55-dB SPL than for t…
Binaural release from masking in forward-masked intensity discrimination: Evidence for effects of selective attention
2012
In a forward-masked intensity discrimination task, we manipulated the perceived lateralization of the masker via variation of the interaural time difference (ITD). The maskers and targets were 500 Hz pure tones with a duration of 30 ms. Standards of 30 and 60 dB SPL were combined with 60 or 90 dB SPL maskers. As expected, the presentation of a forward masker perceived as lateralized to the other side of the head as the target resulted in a significantly smaller elevation of the intensity difference limen than a masker lateralized ipsilaterally. This binaural release from masking in forward-masked intensity discrimination cannot be explained by peripheral mechanisms because varying the ITD l…
Sequential grouping modulates the effect of non-simultaneous masking on auditory intensity resolution.
2012
The presence of non-simultaneous maskers can result in strong impairment in auditory intensity resolution relative to a condition without maskers, and causes a complex pattern of effects that is difficult to explain on the basis of peripheral processing. We suggest that the failure of selective attention to the target tones is a useful framework for understanding these effects. Two experiments tested the hypothesis that the sequential grouping of the targets and the maskers into separate auditory objects facilitates selective attention and therefore reduces the masker-induced impairment in intensity resolution. In Experiment 1, a condition favoring the processing of the maskers and the targ…
Familiarity-based recognition in the young, healthy elderly, mild cognitive impaired and Alzheimer's patients
2009
This study investigates the possible existence of deficits in familiarity in five samples of participants spanning a broad range of ages and cognitive states. Five groups of 16 participants with a diagnosis of multi-domain cognitive impairment with a slight or no deficit in memory, 16 multi-domain amnestic, and 16 Alzheimer's disease patients were compared in a recognition test with equivalent samples of old and young healthy participants. In one of the tests, participants studied words extracted from a restricted set of letters of the alphabet that were later mixed with new words from a different set. The unconscious use of the fluency produced by the repeated use of the set of letters was…
Long-time expression of DNA repair enzymes MGMT and APE in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
2001
The DNA repair enzymes O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) and apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease (APE, also known as Ref-1) play an important role in cellular defense against the mutagenic and carcinogenic effects of DNA-damaging agents. Cells with low enzyme activity are more sensitive to induced DNA damage and may confer a higher carcinogenic risk to the individuals in question. To study the level of variability of MGMT and APE expression in human, we analyzed in a long-time study MGMT and APE expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy individuals. The data revealed high inter- and intraindividual variability of MGMT but not of APE. For MGMT, the inter…
Identity, Couple and Intergroup Dynamics in Intercultural Families: Implications on Life Satisfaction of Partners
2019
The current study analyzed how identity, couple, and intergroup dynamics are related to life satisfaction among 210 intercultural partners living in Italy. Three levels of analysis were considered: a micro level, taking into account the identity aspect of each partner in terms of self- or hetero-ethnic identification; a meso level, examining the passion, commitment, and intimacy of the couple sphere of the partners; a macro level investigating the discrimination that partners can perceive by the community as an effect of the relationship between dominant and minority groups. The results show that for both partners, foreign and Italian, the variables that have a predictive value on life sati…
Modulation of cortical motor outputs by the symbolic meaning of visual stimuli.
2010
Abstract The observation of an action modulates motor cortical outputs in specific ways, in part through mediation of the mirror neuron system. Sometimes we infer a meaning to an observed action based on integration of the actual percept with memories. Here, we conducted a series of experiments in healthy adults to investigate whether such inferred meanings can also modulate motor cortical outputs in specific ways. We show that brief observation of a neutral stimulus mimicking a hand does not significantly modulate motor cortical excitability (Study 1) although, after prolonged exposure, it can lead to a relatively nonspecific modulation (Study 2). However, when such a neutral stimulus is p…