Effects of punctuation on the processing of temporarily ambiguous sentences in Japanese

This study explored the effects of comma insertion on the processing of garden path sentences in Japanese. In two experiments, participants read relative clause sentences containing two ambiguities: single versus relative clause and early‐opening (EO) versus late‐opening (LO) left clause boundaries. EO sentences were presented with or without a comma compatible with an EO boundary in Experiment 1 and, in Experiment 2, with an LO boundary. The results showed that the comma, whether compatible or incompatible with the correct clause boundary, decreased reading time for the relative clause's head noun, indicating that a comma helps readers avoid or recover from garden paths caused by relative clause structures. Conversely, a comma incompatible with a clause boundary increased processing costs of second ambiguity resolution (EO vs. LO). We concluded that punctuation affects processing of temporary ambiguity in Japanese as in languages with stricter punctuation rules; furthermore, readers depend strongly on punctuation for online processing of whole sentence structures. We also discuss the relationship between punctuation and (implicit) prosody.     

Relations of body mass index and coronary risk as estimated by the Framingham Risk Score

The Framingham Risk Score is considered to predict 10-yr. risk of developing coronary heart disease. Other risk factors, such as a family history of coronary heart disease, sedentary lifestyle, and obesity should also be considered when estimating the risk of development of coronary heart disease. The last two factors can be modified by therapeutic lifestyle alterations. This cross-sectional coronary risk assessment of 16,871 Japanese subjects was estimated by the Framingham Risk Score. Sex and age were included in the calculation of the Framingham Risk Score. When multiple regression analysis was conducted controlling for age, regular physical exercise, smoking, and drinking, the body mass index was significantly associated with the Framingham Risk Score. The standardized regression coefficients for body mass index were .271 in men (p < .001) and .211 in women (p < .001), respectively. The significant association of body mass index with coronary heart disease risk, as estimated by the Framingham Risk Score, confirmed prior work.     

Effects of Prenatal X-irradiation on Open-Field Behavior in Rats: Application of Randomized Fostering Technique and Mapping Results

Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were given X-irradiation (150 R) on Day 17 of gestation. After birth, all male pups were pooled once and then assigned randomly to irradiated mothers and control mothers. Offspring were administered an open-field test at about 7 weeks of age. The analysis was performed on the basis of two approaches: In the per subject approach, individual subject data (aggregation across Day 2 through Day 4) were treated as the basic unit of statistical analysis. In the per litter approach, double aggregation (aggregation across Day 2 through Day 4 for each subject and aggregation across subjects within each litter) was used. The per subject approach was slightly more sensitive as to the treatment effect, but it induced a reduction in the magnitude of eta squared. A principal component analysis was performed using eta squared together with those of several reference groups. Results were plotted on a map constructed from component scores. The characteristics of behavior in X-irradiated rats were very similar to those of the earlier stage of trials in terms of the location on the map. The postnatal maternal effect on open-field behavior was not serious and was adequately negligible in practice. A new fostering procedure was proposed and its advantages discussed.     

Perceived rationality,morality, and power of social choice as a function of interdependence structure and social value orientation

The present study examines how individuals with different social value orientations (i.e. prosocial, individualistic, and competitive) construe the rationality, morality, and power of choices in four distinct interdependence structures which systematically differ in the motives that could underlie the most prosocial or least aggressive choice: (a) altruism only, (b) altruism and cooperation, (c) altruism, cooperation, and individualism, and (d) altruism, cooperation, individualism, and competition. Results revealed that rationality ratings, and to a lesser degree morality and power ratings, increased most when the motives that could underlie a choice were part of the perceiver's social value orientation. Overall, the pattern of rationality ratings provided reasonable support for the Goal Prescribes Rationality Principle. Ratings of morality and power suggested a corresponding Goal Prescribes Morality/Power Principle (for prosocials and individualists), but revealed only mixed support for the Might Over Morality Hypothesis. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Strong interactions between hydrogen in solid solution and stress-induced martensite transformation of Ni–Ti superelastic alloy

The role of the dynamic interactions between hydrogen in a solid solution and the stress-induced martensite transformation in hydrogen embrittlement has been investigated using trained Ni–Ti superelastic alloy. In a cyclic tensile test in the stress plateau region caused by stress-induced martensite and reverse transformations after hydrogen charging, a further decrease in the critical stress for the martensite transformation is observed. In addition, the number of cycles to fracture for a trained specimen is significantly larger than that for a non-trained specimen. Since most of the charged hydrogen is preferentially trapped in defects induced by training, the hydrogen embrittlement is considerably suppressed as a result of decreasing interactions between the hydrogen and the transformation. The present results indicate that hydrogen in a solid solution more strongly interacts with the stress-induced martensite transformation than hydrogen trapped in defects, thereby further enhancing the hydrogen embrittlement related to phase transformations.     

Changes in somatosensory evoked potentials and Hoffmann reflexes during fast isometric contraction of foot plantarflexor in humans

In the present study, the extent to which the early component of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) and the Hoffmann (H-) reflex induced by stimulation of the posterior tibial nerve are altered during the ascending and descending phases of fast plantarflexion was investigated. SEPSs and H-reflex of the soleus following tibial nerve stimulation were examined during fast plantarfiexion when performed by nine normal subjects. The analyses focused on differences in amplitude modulation of the P30-P40 component of SEP and the H-reflex between the ascending and descending phases of full-wave rectified and averaged soleus electromyographic (EMG) activity. The H-reflex amplitude was significantly increased and decreased during the ascending and descending phases more than under resting control conditions, respectively. The reduction of SEP amplitude was 49% for the ascending phase and 83% for the descending phases with respect to the resting situation. Modulation of SEP during the ascending and descending phases was robustly retained even during ischemic nerve blockade of large diameter afferent fibers. These findings suggest that the transmission of afferent inputs from muscle spindles to motoneurons and to the somatosensory cortex during fast isometric contraction of the plantar flexor is regulated in a time-dependent fashion by descending commands.     

Assessing the influence of schematic drawings of body parts on tactile discrimination performance using the crossmodal congruency task

Seeing one's own body (either directly or indirectly) can influence visuotactile crossmodal interactions. Recently, it has been shown that even viewing a simple line drawing of a hand can also modulate such crossmodal interactions, as if the picture of the hand somehow corresponds to (or primes) the participants' own hand. Alternatively, however, it could be argued that the modulatory effects of viewing the picture of a hand on visuotactile interactions might simply be attributed to cognitive processes such as the semantic referral to the relevant body part or to the orientation cues provided by the hand picture instead. In the present study, we evaluated these various different interpretations of the hand picture effect. Participants made speeded discrimination responses to the location of brief vibrotactile targets presented to either the tip or base of their forefinger, while trying to ignore simultaneously-presented visual distractors presented to either side of central fixation. We compared the modulatory effect of the picture of a hand with that seen when the visual distractors were presented next to words describing the tip and base of the forefinger (Experiment 1), or were superimposed over arrows which provided another kind of directional cue (Experiment 2). Tactile discrimination performance was modulated in the hand picture condition, but not in the word or arrow conditions. These results therefore suggest that visuotactile interactions are specifically modulated by the image of the hand rather than by cognitive cues such as simply semantic referral to the relevant body sites and/or any visual orientation cues provided by the picture of a hand.