Syncopation, Body-Movement and Pleasure in Groove Music

PLoS ONE 9(4): e94446
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0094446
Published: April 16, 2014

Maria A. G. Witek [1], Eric F. Clarke [1], Mikkel Wallentin [2,3], Morten L. Kringelbach [2,4], Peter Vuust [2,5]

[1] Faculty of Music, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
[2] Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
[3] Center for Semiotics, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark
[4] Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
[5] The Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark

Abstract

Moving to music is an essential human pleasure particularly related to musical groove. Structurally, music associated with groove is often characterised by rhythmic complexity in the form of syncopation, frequently observed in musical styles such as funk, hip-hop and electronic dance music. Structural complexity has been related to positive affect in music more broadly, but the function of syncopation in eliciting pleasure and body-movement in groove is unknown.

Here we report results from a web-based survey which investigated the relationship between syncopation and ratings of wanting to move and experienced pleasure. Participants heard funk drum-breaks with varying degrees of syncopation and audio entropy, and rated the extent to which the drum-breaks made them want to move and how much pleasure they experienced.

While entropy was found to be a poor predictor of wanting to move and pleasure, the results showed that medium degrees of syncopation elicited the most desire to move and the most pleasure, particularly for participants who enjoy dancing to music. Hence, there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between syncopation, body-movement and pleasure, and syncopation seems to be an important structural factor in embodied and affective responses to groove.

Copyright: © 2014 Witek et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0094446

Characterization of lactic acid bacteria isolated from infant faeces as potential probiotic starter cultures for fermented sausages

Food Microbiology
Volume 38, April 2014, Pages 303–311
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2013.07.015

Highlights

• Lactobacillus gasseri and Enterococcus faecalis were the main species in infant faeces.
• RAPD-PCR discriminated 60 profiles out of 109 LAB isolates.
• Six of 109 LAB isolated from infants were qualified as potential probiotics.
• Selected lactobacilli were assayed as starter cultures in model sausages.
• Three of the selected strains were effective meat starter cultures.

Abstract

A total of 109 lactic acid bacteria isolated from infant faeces were identified by partial 16S rRNA, cpn60 and/or pheS sequencing. Lactobacillus was the most prevalent genus, representing 48% of the isolates followed by Enterococcus (38%). Lactobacillus gasseri (21%) and Enterococcus faecalis (38%) were the main species detected. A further selection of potential probiotic starter cultures for fermented sausages focused on Lactobacillus as the most technologically relevant genus in this type of product. Lactobacilli strains were evaluated for their ability to grow in vitro in the processing conditions of fermented sausages and for their functional and safety properties, including antagonistic activity against foodborne pathogens, survival from gastrointestinal tract conditions (acidity, bile and pancreatin), tyramine production, antibiotic susceptibility and aggregation capacity. The best strains according to the results obtained were Lactobacillus casei/paracasei CTC1677, L. casei/paracasei CTC1678, Lactobacillus rhamnosus CTC1679, L. gasseri CTC1700, L. gasseri CTC1704, Lactobacillus fermentum CTC1693. Those strains were further assayed as starter cultures in model sausages. L. casei/paracasei CTC1677, L. casei/paracasei CTC1678 and L. rhamnosus CTC1679 were able to lead the fermentation and dominate (levels ca. 10^8 CFU/g) the endogenous lactic acid bacteria, confirming their suitability as probiotic starter cultures.

Keywords

Fermented sausages; Lactic acid bacteria; Lactobacillus; RAPD-PCR; Probiotics

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740002013001548

Effect of Beer Marinades on Formation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Charcoal-Grilled Pork

J. Agric. Food Chem., 2014, 62 (12), pp 2638–2643
DOI: 10.1021/jf404966w
Published In Issue March 26, 2014

Olga Viegas †‡, Iria Yebra-Pimentel §, Elena Martínez-Carballo §, Jesus Simal-Gandara §, and Isabel M. P. L. V. O. Ferreira *†

† REQUIMTE, Laboratório de Bromatologia e Hidrologia, Departamento de Ciências Quı́micas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, 4051-401 Porto, Portugal
‡ Faculdade de Ciências da Nutrição e Alimentação da Universidade do Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
§ Nutrition and Bromatology Group, Analytical and Food Chemistry Department, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain

Abstract

The effect of marinating meat with Pilsner beer, nonalcoholic Pilsner beer, and Black beer (coded respectively PB, P0B, and BB) on the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in charcoal-grilled pork was evaluated and compared with the formation of these compounds in unmarinated meat. Antiradical activity of marinades (DPPH assay) was assayed. BB exhibited the strongest scavenging activity (68.0%), followed by P0B (36.5%) and PB (29.5%). Control and marinated meat samples contained the eight PAHs named PAH8 by the EFSA and classified as suitable indicators for carcinogenic potency of PAHs in food. BB showed the highest inhibitory effect in the formation of PAH8 (53%), followed by P0B (25%) and PB (13%). The inhibitory effect of beer marinades on PAH8 increased with the increase of their radical-scavenging activity. BB marinade was the most efficient on reduction of PAH formation, providing a proper mitigation strategy.

Keywords:

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; meat; beer marinades; antiradical activity; food chemistry

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf404966w

Verification of the anatomy and newly discovered histology of the G-spot complex

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology 2014;121
Early View (Online Version of Record published before inclusion in an issue)
Article first published online: 19 MAR 2014
DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.12707

A Ostrzenski [1], P Krajewski [2], P Ganjei-Azar [3], AJ Wasiutynski [4], MN Scheinberg [5], S Tarka [2] and M Fudalej [2]

1 Institute of Gynecology Inc., 7001 Central Avenue, St Petersburg, FL 33710, USA
2 The Department of Forensic Medicine, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland
3 The Department of Pathology, University of Miami, FL, USA
4 The Department of Pathomorphology, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland
5 Center for Cosmetic & Reconstructive Gynecology, Deerfield Beach, FL, USA

Objectives

To expand the anatomical investigations of the G-spot and to assess the G-spot's characteristic histological and immunohistochemical features.

Design

An observational study.

Setting

International multicentre.

Population

Eight consecutive fresh human female cadavers.

Methods

Anterior vaginal wall dissections were executed and G-spot microdissections were performed. All specimens were stained with haematoxylin and eosin (H&E). The tissues of two women were selected at random for immunohistochemical staining.

Main outcome measures

The primary outcome measure was to document the anatomy of the G-spot. The secondary outcome measures were to identify the histology of the G-spot and to determine whether histological samples stained with H&E are sufficient to identify the G-spot.

Results

The anatomical existence of the G-spot was identified in all women and was in a diagonal plane. In seven (87.5%) and one (12.5%) of the women the G-spot complex was found on the left or right side, respectively. The G-spot was intimately fused with vessels, creating a complex. A large tangled vein-like vascular structure resembled an arteriovenous malformation and there were a few smaller feeding arteries. A band-like structure protruded from the tail of the G-spot. The size of the G-spot varied. Histologically, the G-spot was determined as a neurovascular complex structure. The neural component contained abundant peripheral nerve bundles and a nerve ganglion. The vascular component comprised large vein-like vessels and smaller feeding arteries. Circular and longitudinal muscles covered the G-complex.

Conclusion

The anatomy of the G-spot complex was confirmed. The histology of the G-spot presents as neurovascular tissues with a nerve ganglion. H&E staining is sufficient for the identification of the G-spot complex.

This study was presented during the plenary session at the XX FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Rome, Italy, October 2012

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1471-0528.12707/abstract

Ear Recognition Based on Gabor Features and KFDA

The Scientific World Journal
Volume 2014 (2014), Article ID 702076, 12 pages
Published 17 March 2014
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/702076

Li Yuan [1,2] and Zhichun Mu [1]

[1] School of Automation and Electrical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
[2] Visualization and Intelligent Systems Laboratory, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92507, USA

Abstract

We propose an ear recognition system based on 2D ear images which includes three stages: ear enrollment, feature extraction, and ear recognition. Ear enrollment includes ear detection and ear normalization. The ear detection approach based on improved Adaboost algorithm detects the ear part under complex background using two steps: offline cascaded classifier training and online ear detection. Then Active Shape Model is applied to segment the ear part and normalize all the ear images to the same size. For its eminent characteristics in spatial local feature extraction and orientation selection, Gabor filter based ear feature extraction is presented in this paper. Kernel Fisher Discriminant Analysis (KFDA) is then applied for dimension reduction of the high-dimensional Gabor features. Finally distance based classifier is applied for ear recognition. Experimental results of ear recognition on two datasets (USTB and UND datasets) and the performance of the ear authentication system show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Introduction

The research on ear recognition has been drawing more and more attention in recent five years [1–4]. Based on the research of the “Iannarelli system” [5], the structure of the ear is fairly stable and robust to changes in facial expressions or aging. Ear biometrics is noncontacting and so it can be applied for human identification at a distance, making it a helpful supplement to facial recognition. An ear recognition system based on 2D images is composed of the following stages: ear enrollment, feature extraction, and ear recognition/authentication. The stage of ear enrollment includes automatic ear detection and ear normalization.

[...]

Acknowledgments

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant no. 61300075 and Fundamental Research Funds for China Central Universities under Grant no. FRF-SD-12-017A.

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2014/702076/

From Van Gogh to Lady Gaga: Artist eccentricity increases perceived artistic skill and art appreciation

European Journal of Social Psychology
Volume 44, Issue 2, pages 93–103, March 2014
Issue published online: 4 MAR 2014
DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.1999

Wijnand Adriaan Pieter Van Tilburg [1], and Eric Raymond Igou [2]

1 School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
2 Psychology, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Ireland

Abstract

We examined the impact of eccentricity on the evaluation of artistic skills and the quality of artworks. Based on the notion that artists are typically perceived as eccentric, creative and skilled, we tested the hypothesis that eccentricity increases perceptions of artistic quality. In Study 1, Van Gogh's Sunflowers painting was evaluated more positively when he was said to have cut off his left ear lobe than when this information was not presented. In Study 2, participants liked art more when the artist was eccentric. In Study 3, the evaluation of fictitious art increased because of the artist's eccentric appearance. Study 4 established that the eccentricity effect was specific to unconventional as opposed to conventional art. In Study 5, Lady Gaga's music was more appreciated when she was displayed as highly eccentric; however, the eccentricity effect emerged only when the display seemed authentic. These novel findings indicate that art evaluations are partly rooted in perceptions of artists' eccentricity and evidence the importance of perceived authenticity and skills for these attributions.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.1999/abstract

Misrepresentation of UK homicide characteristics in popular culture

Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine
Volume 23, March 2014, Pages 62–64

J. Brown, MA, MRCPsych [a], (Specialty Registrar in Forensic Psychiatry),
N.S. Hughes, MA (Cantab), MRCPsych [b] (Specialty Registrar in Forensic Psychiatry),
M.C. McGlen, MBChB, MRCPsych [a] (Specialty Registrar in Forensic Psychiatry),
J.H.M. Crichton, PhD, FRCPsych [c] (Honorary Fellow)

[a] Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Morningside Place, Edinburgh EH10 5HF, UK
[b] Rohallion Clinic, Murray Royal Hospital, Perth, UK
[c] School of Law, University of Edinburgh, Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh, UK

Abstract

The homicide statistics of a popular UK television fictional crime series and the former Lothian & Borders police force region, Scotland were compared. This comparison was used to consider the implications for public attitudes which may influence the adoption of public health interventions to reduce homicide.

217 homicides were identified by 105 perpetrators in the television series 'Midsomer Murders' between 1997 and 2011; these were compared to 55 homicides by 53 perpetrators in the regional sample between 2006 and 2011. The numbers of serial killings (p < 0.0001), planned homicides, female perpetrators (p < 0.0001), shootings (p = 0.0456) and poisonings (p = 0.0289) were higher in the fictional sample. Lothian & Borders cases were almost all single killings, mostly unplanned, with a far greater rate of homicide by kitchen knives (p < 0.0001) and hitting/kicking (p = 0.0005) by intoxicated perpetrators.

Control of access to pointed kitchen knives by members of certain groups may reduce homicide rates. If the popular perception of UK homicides is influenced by popular culture, the importance of such a public health intervention may not be apparent.

Keywords

Homicide; Media; Forensic; Psychiatry

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1752928X14000110

Sexual Activity After Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Motion Capture Study

The Journal of Arthroplasty
Volume 29, Issue 3, Pages 640-647, March 2014
doi:10.1016/j.arth.2013.07.043

Caecilia Charbonnier, PhD [a], Sylvain Chagué, MS [a], Matteo Ponzoni, MS [b], Massimiliano Bernardoni, MS [b], Pierre Hoffmeyer, MD [c], Panayiotis Christofilopoulos, MD [c]

[a] Medical Research Department, Artanim Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland
[b] Medacta International SA, Lugano, Switzerland
[c] Department of Surgery, Orthopedics and Trauma Service, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

Abstract

Relative risk of impingement and joint instability during sexual activities after total hip arthroplasty (THA) has never been objectively investigated. Hip range of motion necessary to perform sexual positions is unknown. A motion capture study with two volunteers was performed. 12 common sexual positions were captured and relevant hip joint kinematics calculated. The recorded data were applied to prosthetic hip 3D models to evaluate impingement and joint instability during motion. To explore the effect of acetabular component positioning, nine acetabular cup positions were tested. Four sexual positions for women requiring intensive flexion (> 95°) caused prosthetic impingements (associated with posterior instability) at 6 cup positions. Bony impingements (associated with anterior instability) occurred during one sexual position for men requiring high degree of external rotation (> 40°) combined with extension and adduction at all cup positions. This study hence indicates that some sexual positions could be potentially at risk after THA, particularly for women.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0883540313005615

http://www.arthroplastyjournal.org/article/S0883-5403%2813%2900561-5/abstract

Coins falling in water

Journal of Fluid Mechanics
Volume 742 / March 2014, pp 243-253
Cambridge University Press
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2014.6

Luke Heisinger, Paul Newton and Eva Kanso

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA

Abstract

When a coin falls in water, its trajectory is one of four types, determined by its dimensionless moment of inertia I∗ and Reynolds number Re: (A) steady; (B) fluttering; (C) chaotic; or (D) tumbling. The dynamics induced by the interaction of the water with the surface of the coin, however, makes the exact landing site difficult to predict a priori. Here, we describe a carefully designed experiment in which a coin is dropped repeatedly in water to determine the probability density functions (p.d.f.s) associated with the landing positions for each of the four trajectory types, all of which are radially symmetric about the centre drop-line. In the case of the steady mode, the p.d.f. is approximately Gaussian distributed with small variances, indicating that the coin is most likely to land at the centre, right below the point from which it is dropped. For the other falling modes, the centre is one of the least likely landing sites. Indeed, the p.d.f.s of the fluttering, chaotic and tumbling modes are characterized by a ‘dip’ around the centre. In the tumbling mode, the p.d.f. is a ring configuration about the centreline whereas in the chaotic mode, the p.d.f. is generally a broadband distribution spread out radially symmetrically about the centreline. For the steady and fluttering modes, the coin never flips, so the coin lands with the same side up as when it was dropped. The probability of heads or tails is close to 0.5 for the chaotic mode and, in the case of the tumbling mode, the probability of heads or tails is based on the height of the drop which determines whether the coin flips an even or odd number of times during descent.

The original version of this article was published with the incorrect order of authors. A notice detailing this has been published and the error rectified in the online and print PDF and HTML copies.

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=9179743

Development of the external genitalia: Perspectives from the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta)

Differentiation. 2014 pii: S0301-4681(13)00087-X
doi: 10.1016/j.diff.2013.12.003
Available online 28 February 2014
[Epub ahead of print]

Gerald R. Cunha [a,b], Gail Risbridger [b], Hong Wang [b], Ned J. Place [c], Mel Grumbach [d], Tristan J. Cunha [a], Mary Weldele [e], Al J. Conley [f], Dale Barcellos [g], Sanjana Agarwal [g], Argun Bhargava [g], Christine Drea [h], Geoffrey L. Hammond [i], Penti Siiteri [j], Elizabeth M. Coscia [k], Michael J. McPhaul [l], Laurence S. Baskin [a], Stephen E. Glickman [e]

[a] Department of Urology, University of California San Francisco, 400 Parnassus Avenue, Box A610, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States
[b] Department of Anatomy & Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton Campus, Building 76 Level 3, Wellington Road, Clayton, VIC, Australia
[c] Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States
[d] Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, Box 0434, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States
[e] Departments of Psychology and Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
[f] Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States
[g] Monte Vista High School, Cupertino, CA 95014, United States
[h] Departments of Evolutionary Anthropology and Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States
[i] Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
[j] Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California San Francisco, 400 Parnassus Avenue, Box A610, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States
[k] Salesian High School, Richmond, CA 94804, United States
[l] University of Texas Southwestern, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX, 75390-8857 and Quest Diagnostics, Endocrine Division, 33608 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675, United States

Abstract

This review/research paper summarizes data on development of the external genitalia of the spotted hyena, a fascinating mammal noted for extreme masculinization of the female external genitalia. The female spotted hyena is the only extant mammal that mates and gives birth through a pendulous penis-like clitoris. Our studies indicate that early formation of the phallus in both males and females is independent of androgens; indeed the phallus forms before the fetal testes or ovaries are capable of synthesizing androgens. Likewise, pre- and postnatal growth in length of the penis and clitoris is minimally affected by “androgen status”. Nonetheless, several internal morphologies, as well as external surface features of the phallus, are androgen-dependent and thus account for dimorphism between the penis and clitoris. Finally, estrogens play a critical role in penile and clitoral development, specifying the position of the urethral orifice, determining elasticity of the urethral meatus, and facilitating epithelial–epithelial fusion events required for proper formation of the distal urethra/urogenital sinus and prepuce. Accordingly, prenatal inhibition of estrogen synthesis via administration of letrozole (an aromatase inhibitor) leads to malformations of the glans as well as the prepuce (hypospadias). The effects of prenatal androgens, anti-androgens and impaired estrogen synthesis correlated with the tissue expression of androgen and estrogen receptors.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030146811300087X

Shrouded in the Veil of Darkness: Machiavellians but not narcissists and psychopaths profit from darker weather in courtship

Personality and Individual Differences
Available online 7 February 2014
In Press, Corrected Proof
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.01.020

John F. Rauthmann [a], Marlit Kappes [a], Johannes Lanzinger [b]

[a] Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Departmernt of Psychology, Rudower Chaussee 18, D-12489 Berlin-Adlershof, Germany
[b] Leopold-Franzens Universität Innsbruck, Department of Psychology, Innrain 52, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria

Abstract

We proposed in the “Veil of Darkness” hypothesis that dark personalities (narcissists, Machiavellians, psychopaths) profit from conditions of less illumination where they can better manipulate others. As an initial test of this hypothesis in the domain of mating, we predicted that male dark personalities should be more successful in their courtship during dark/cloudy rather than bright/sunny weather. In a large naturalistic field-study, 59 men romantically advanced 1395 women on the street, while they were unobtrusively followed by confederate observers. We thus obtained ratings from men, women, and observers on women’s reactions to men’s advances. Machiavellians, but not narcissists and psychopaths, elicited more positive reactions from women during cloudy weather. This effect was mediated by Machiavellian men’s assuredness. We discuss different mechanisms that may constitute the observed Veil of Darkness effect for Machiavellianism.

Keywords

Dark Triad; Narcissism; Machiavellianism; Psychopathy; Courtship; Mating; Veil of Darkness

Highlights

• Veil of Darkness hypothesis: dark personalities perform well during less illumination.
• Tested in courtship/mating domain for dark/cloudy vs. bright/sunny weather.
• Male Machiavellians (but not narcissists and psychopaths) elicited more positive responses from women during dark weather.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886914000403

Self-Portraits: Smartphones Reveal a Side Bias in Non-Artists

PLoS ONE
February 2013 | Volume 8 | Issue 2 | e55141
Published: February 06, 2013
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055141

Nicola Bruno [1], Marco Bertamini [2]

1 Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università di Parma, Parma, Italy
2 Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom

Abstract

According to surveys of art books and exhibitions, artists prefer poses showing the left side of the face when composing a portrait and the right side when composing a self-portrait. However, it is presently not known whether similar biases can be observed in individuals that lack formal artistic training. We collected self-portraits by naïve photographers who used the iPhone front camera, and confirmed a right side bias in this non-artist sample and even when biomechanical constraints would have favored the opposite. This result undermines explanations based on posing conventions due to artistic training or biomechanical factors, and is consistent with the hypothesis that side biases in portraiture and self-portraiture are caused by biologically-determined asymmetries in facial expressiveness.

Introduction

When they compose a self-portrait, artists prefer poses showing the right side of their face. This right-side bias is well documented by surveys of art books and exhibitions but its origin has remained controversial. As an alternative to observational data from the history of art, we collected self-portraits by naïve photographers who used the iPhone™ front camera in controlled settings. The right side bias remained observable in this non-artist sample, and even when biomechanical constraints would have favored a left-side bias. These results argue against explanations based on posing constraints and support the hypothesis that side biases in portraiture and self-portraiture are caused by biologically determined asymmetries in facial expressiveness...

http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0055141

Half Full or Empty: Cues That Lead Wine Drinkers to Unintentionally Overpour

Substance Use & Misuse
February 2014, Vol. 49, No. 3 , Pages 295-302
doi:10.3109/10826084.2013.832327

Doug Walker [1], Laura Smarandescu [1] and Brian Wansink [2]

1 Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
2 Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA

What might unknowingly bias the amount of wine a person serves themselves? Wine is often self-poured in various settings (e.g., at home, restaurants, receptions, parties). Building on research involving visual illusions and haptic cues, an exploratory field study finds that environmental factors (e.g., glass shape, pouring position, wine color) affect how much wine is poured in different scenarios. When individuals overpoured, they were generally accurate in post hoc perceptions of the relative extent to which the environmental cues affected their pouring. Increasing awareness of pouring biases is a step toward limiting alcohol intake for improved health outcomes and preventing alcohol-related problems.

Keywords
overpouring, overconsuming, environmental cues, wine

http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/10826084.2013.832327

The British Hitman: 1974–2013

The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice
Early View (Online Version of Record published before inclusion in an issue)
DOI: 10.1111/hojo.12063

Donal MacIntyre, Visiting Professor
David Wilson, Professor of Criminology
Elizabeth Yardley, Director
Liam Brolan, Research Assistant

Centre for Applied Criminology, Birmingham City University

Abstract

This exploratory article presents a typology of British ‘hitmen’ as identified within newspaper reports about contract killing. Demographic and criminological data related to these hitmen and their victims are analysed and, on the basis of this analysis, a typology of British hitmen is developed. Our typology suggests that British hitmen are: ‘Novices’; ‘Dilettantes’; ‘Journeymen’; or ‘Masters’. It is hoped that this typology will be of use to law enforcement.

Conclusion

The dearth of academic research about hitmen is to be regretted, no matter the all-too-real difficulties of researching this particular form of violent crime. Even so, this exploratory article has only attempted to sketch in the broad contours of the phenomenon and in doing so we hope to prompt greater interest in this subject area, and its various cultures and subcultures. Further research is clearly needed and, if it were possible, these broad contours would benefit from the finer detail that might come through interviews with hitmen themselves. So, too, we hope that others will test our suggested typology and our broader conclusions that British hitmen do not exist solely or perhaps even primarily, within some secret, criminal underworld. Rather they are usually part of that community in which their hits takes place. Indeed, this simple reality is one of the major reasons why they are eventually apprehended.

Nor were all of the hits in our sample particularly professionally carried out. ‘Dilettante’ British hitmen, in particular, changed their minds; they got cold feet and could, in extreme circumstances, become the victims of their intended targets themselves. Even so, the ‘Journeyman’ hitman could be successful over a long period of time, although he was, thankfully, eventually caught – largely due to the intelligence that was built up about his activities and through developments in forensic science. Here, too, the importance of police informants cannot be underestimated.

Finally, the sites of British hits were not usually bars, clubs, or casinos but were far more likely to be the shopping centre, or the suburb in which the intended target lived. As a result, members of the public were all too often witnesses to a hit. Hits in this respect were not unusual and extraordinary, but rather commonplace and ordinary. So, too, the motives for a hit being contracted were mundane. Frankly, the motivations to pay a hitman the relatively small amount to carry out a murder were depressingly banal. Husbands and wives fell out with each other, or wanted to gain early access to life assurance policies; business partners decided to go, or wanted to go, their separate ways; business deals fell apart; and young gang members wanted to impress other, older, gang members with their bravado. All of this is far removed from the media portrayal of the fictional hitman who, on the evidence presented here, has little, or no connection, to his British reality.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/enhanced/doi/10.1111/hojo.12063/

Perceived sexual receptivity and fashionableness: Separate paths linking red and black to perceived attractiveness

Color Research & Application
Volume 39, Issue 2, pages 208–212, April 2014
Issue published online: 7 JAN 2014

Adam D. Pazda [1], Andrew J. Elliot [1] and Tobias Greitemeyer [2]

1 Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
2 Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

Keywords:
psychology; red; black; color; receptivity; fashionableness; attractiveness

Abstract:
Previous research has documented that the colors red and black influence perceptions of attractiveness for men viewing women. Perceived sexual receptivity has been identified as a mediator for the red-attraction link, but there has been no research to date on the mechanism linking black to attractiveness. We conducted an experiment to test whether separate, unique mediators were responsible for color effects on attractiveness. We hypothesized that red would lead to attractiveness via perceived sexual receptivity, and that black would lead to attractiveness via perceived fashionableness. The data supported our central hypotheses, suggesting that color stimuli can lead to similar outcomes, but through different psychological processes.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/col.21804/abstract

The Plunging Tip: Illusion and Reality

Aesthetic Surgery Journal
January 2014 vol. 34 no. 1 45-55
doi: 10.1177/1090820X13515482

Aaron M. Kosins, MD, MBA, Val Lambros, MD, Rollin K. Daniel, MD

Dr Kosins is a Volunteer Clinical Assistant Professor WOS and Dr Daniel is a Clinical Professor, University of California, Irvine Medical Center, 1441 Avocado Dr, Suite 308, Newport Beach, CA 92660, USA
Dr Kosins and Dr Daniel are in private practice in Newport Beach, California
Dr Lambros is a plastic surgeon in private practice in Newport Beach, California

Background:

The plunging tip is defined as a nasal deformity where the nasal tip descends or “plunges” during smiling.

Objective:

The authors prospectively measure a series of 25 patients with a focus on the anatomic changes of the nose before and after the patient smiles.

Methods:

Twenty-five women who presented for cosmetic primary rhinoplasty and complained of a plunging tip were included in the study. Three angles were measured on lateral view (tip angle, nasolabial angle, and columella inclination angle), along with changes in tip, subnasale, and alar crease. The Simon tip rotation angle (STRA) measured tip position in relation to the static tragus. The alar rim angle measured the angle of the alar rim at the nostril. Changes in static and smiling positions were compared.

Results:

Tip, nasolabial, and the columella inclination angles decreased between static and smiling positions by 10.9, 11.8, and 11.9 degrees, respectively. Tip position dropped by 0.9 mm, while the subnasale and alar crease junction elevated by 1.3 and 3.7 mm, respectively. The STRA, an angle independent of alar base movement, decreased by less than 1 degree. The alar rim angle increased by 9.9 degrees.

Conclusions:

Our data demonstrate that the nasal tip changes its position less than 1 mm with a full smile. The concept of a “plunging tip” is an optical illusion. In reality, the alar crease and subnasale elevate and the alar rim straightens, while the tip position changes minimally. Objectively, the tip moves less than 1 mm and less than 1 degree using the STRA.

http://aes.sagepub.com/content/34/1/45.abstract

Virgin ant queens mate with their own sons to avoid failure at colony foundation

Naturwissenschaften
January 2014, Volume 101, Issue 1, pp 69-72
Cover Date 2014-01-01
DOI 10.1007/s00114-013-1126-2

Christine Vanessa Schmidt, Sabine Frohschammer, Alexandra Schrempf, Jürgen Heinze

Biologie I, Universität Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93040, Regensburg, Germany

Abstract

Mother–son mating (oedipal mating) is practically non-existent in social Hymenoptera, as queens typically avoid inbreeding, mate only early in life and do not mate again after having begun to lay eggs. In the ant genus Cardiocondyla mating occurs among sib in the natal nests. Sex ratios are extremely female-biased and young queens face the risk of remaining without mating partners. Here, we show that virgin queens of Cardiocondyla argyrotricha produce sons from their own unfertilized eggs and later mate with them to produce female offspring from fertilized eggs. Oedipal mating may allow C. argyrotricha queens to found new colonies when no mating partners are available and thus maintains their unusual life history combining monogyny, mating in the nest, and low male production. Our result indicates that a trait that sporadically occurs in solitary haplodiploid animals may evolve also in social Hymenoptera under appropriate ecological and social conditions.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00114-013-1126-2

The Creation of the World’s First Peanut Butter and Jellyfish

Drum and Croaker
vol. 45, January 2014, pp. 14-18

P. Zelda Montoya and Barrett L. Christie

The Dallas Zoo and Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park
650 S. RL Thornton Freeway
Dallas, Texas 75203

“Man cannot live by bread alone, he must have peanut butter”
-Bill Cosby

The science and art of aquaculture has advanced tremendously in the past few decades. Nowhere is this more evident than in the production of the most delicate of invertebrates, now commonplace at zoos and aquaria worldwide. The aquarium maintenance and culture of zooplankton, especially gelatinous zooplankton, has always been notoriously challenging (Baker, 1963), but great strides have been made in the husbandry of these delicate animals in recent decades (see Caughlan, 1984; Norton, 1993; Gershwin-Nelson and Schaadt, 1995; Raskoff et. al. 2003; Widmer, 2008; and AZA, 2013).

[...]

It has been increasingly evident in recent years that the use of many fish or shrimp-based protein sources in aquaculture is a wholly unsustainable practice (Naylor et. al., 2000, Naylor et. al., 2009) which begs the need for novel solutions.

That having been said, we would love to claim  we  conducted this trial with noble purpose, but the truth is that we just wanted to make peanut butter and jellyfish simply to see if it could be done. Whether or not it  should  be done is a question no doubt to be debated by philosophers for the ages (or at least by some aquarists over beers). We herein report on what we believe to be the first known unholy amalgamation of America’s favorite lunchtime treat and live cnidarians. The success of our trial group of  Aurelia on this experimental diet was surprising, and we hope this ridiculous experiment illustrates that unconventional approaches in husbandry are at the very least, worth trying once.

[...]

In closing, moon jellies have seen a storied past. They have delighted children at aquaria worldwide, captivated researchers with their elegant simplicity and functionality, and even traveled into space (Spangenberg, 1994); but we feel that becoming one with peanut butter helps them fulfill their ultimate destiny as a species – to become peanut butter and jellyfish!

Acknowledgements:

The authors wish to thank Julia Davis Chandler, who introduced America to the peanut butter and jelly sandwich in 1901. Thanks to Mr. Peanut are of course in order, as well as our undying gratitude to that dancing banana on the internet. Yes dancing banana, it is indeed peanut butter jelly time, peanut butter jelly time. Finally, we  wish to thank Harold Burnett Reese, without whom the world would have been a darker, more inhospitable place.

http://www.columbuszoo.org/drumcroaker/pdf/2014.pdf

Holy bonsai wolves: Chihuahuas and the Paris Hilton syndrome

International Journal of Cultural Studies
January 2014 vol. 17 no. 1 93-109
doi: 10.1177/1367877912464539

David Redmalm

Department of Sociology
Örebro University
Örebro, 701 82
Sweden

Abstract

This article examines the reasons for the Chihuahua breed’s popularity in contemporary western society by looking at two sets of data: Chihuahua handbooks and The Simple Life show, starring Paris Hilton and her Chihuahua Tinkerbell. The article argues that the Chihuahua is a holy anomaly: a creature which can be used in myths and rituals to temporarily alleviate the tension-filled binary oppositions and stereotypes inherent in a particular culture, in order to celebrate and reinforce that culture’s categories and social order. The Chihuahua – or the bonsai wolf – transcends two binary oppositions fundamental to contemporary westerners: subject/object and nature/culture. Although the Chihuahua challenges a number of related binary oppositions, it is generally dismissed as a matter for humor, low-brow entertainment or expressions of sentimentality, rendering ritual encounters with Chihuahuas harmless. The article concludes by asking: what would happen if humans actually started listening to what the Chihuahua is telling them?

http://ics.sagepub.com/content/17/1/93.abstract