Visual perception is fundamentally ambiguous because an in®nite number of three-dimensional scenes are consistent with our retinal images. To circumvent these ambiguities, the visual system uses prior knowledge such as the assumption that light is coming from above our head. The use of such assumptions is rational when these assumptions are related to statistical regularities of our environment...

The presence of long-range correlations and/or mosaicism in DNA sequences results in GC fluctuations, even within individual isochores that are much larger than expected correlation-free ‘random’ sequences. Neglecting the presence of such fluctuations can lead to incorrect conclusions regarding relative homogeneity or isochore borders. In this commentary, we address these and other methodologic...

Objective: Prediction of responders to induction therapy in esophageal cancer (EC) patients is important. In this study, we evaluated the role of thoracoscopic/laparoscopic (Ts/Ls) staging in prediction of treatment response and survival in EC patients with trimodality treatment. Methods: Retrospective study of EC patients who had undergone Ts/Ls staging and received trimodality treatment at th...

The ability to compute accurate free energies bymolecular simulation is necessary formany applications.Methods for performing these calculations are well established, but are often misused or misinterpreted. We review ways to avoid and uncover systematic errors in free-energy calculations through simple and appropriate analysis of the simulation averages. One particularly difficult area of appl...

The RUNX3 gene belongs to the runt domain family of transcription factors that act as master regulators of gene expression in major developmental pathways. In mammals the family includes three genes, RUNX1, RUNX2 and RUNX3. Here, we describe a comparative analysis of the human chromosome 1p36.1 encoded RUNX3 and mouse chromosome 4 encoded Runx3 genomic regions. The analysis revealed high simila...

The aim of this series of experiments was to determine whether attention is normally required for continuously processing vestibular information concerning orientation, or is required only when orientation is disrupted (eg by vestibular dysfunction or by conflicting visual and vestibular orientation cues). In the first two studies, healthy subjects were passively oscillated, and indicated when ...

Previous research has demonstrated the ability of the Cognitive Behavioral Driver’s Inventory (CBDI) to detect neuropsychological malingering [Arch. Clin. Neuropsychol. 12 (5) (1997) 491.], however, the present study tests if the CBDI can discern malingerers when they are “coached” on how brain-damaged patients actually perform on neuropsychological tests. Ninety-eight college student participa...

This report describes the principal methods used in the development, conduct, and analysis of the research study “Health Assessment of Persian Gulf War Veterans from Iowa” (Iowa Gulf War Study). The methods presented include an outline of the organizational structure, study timeline, hypotheses, outcome definitions, and study design. Adhering to a strict timeline, the study protocol and instrum...

White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are frequently observed on MRI scans of elderly nondemented people and have been associated in the past with cognitive impairment and physical dysfunction. Individual differences in the prevalence and severity of WMHs have been documented and more recently we reported on the significant contribution of genetic influences to this variability. The objective of...

We investigated whether object recognition memory is modulated by estrogen in young (5 month) and aged (24 month) female C57Bl/6J mice, and if cholinergic muscarinic receptors might contribute to this response. Mice that were ovariectomized, or ovariectomized plus estradiol-treated three weeks before behavioral testing or quantitative autoradiography were compared to intact mice. Memory for a p...