Dimensions and Clusters of Aesthetic Emotions: A Semantic Profile Analysis

Aesthetic emotions are elicited by different sensory impressions generated by music, visual arts, literature, theater, film, or nature scenes. Recently, the AESTHEMOS scale has been developed to facilitate the empirical assessment of such emotions. In this article we report a semantic profile analysis of aesthetic emotion terms that had been used for the development of this scale, using the GRID approach. This method consists of obtaining ratings of emotion terms on a set of meaning facets (features) which represent five components of the emotion process (appraisal, bodily reactions, action tendencies, expression, and feelings). The aims here were (a) to determine the dimensionality of the GRID features when applied to aesthetic emotions and compare it to published results for emotion terms in general, and (b) to examine the internal organization of the domain of aesthetic emotion terms in order to identify salient clusters of these items based on the similarity of their feature profiles on the GRID. Exploratory Principal Component Analyses suggest a four-dimensional structure of the semantic space consisting of valence, power, arousal, and novelty, converging with earlier GRID studies on large sets of standard emotion terms. Using cluster analyses, 15 clusters of aesthetic emotion terms with similar GRID feature profiles were identified, revealing the internal organization of the aesthetic emotion terms domain and meaningful subgroups of aesthetic emotions. While replication for further languages is required, these findings provide a solid basis for further research and methodological development in the realm of aesthetic emotions.

Temporal Unfolding of Micro-valences in Facial Expression Evoked by Visual, Auditory, and Olfactory Stimuli

Appraisal theories suggest that valence appraisal should be differentiated into micro-valences, such as intrinsic pleasantness and goal-/need-related appraisals. In contrast to a macro-valence approach, this dissociation explains, among other things, the emergence of mixed or blended emotions. Here, we extend earlier research that showed that these valence types can be empirically dissociated. We examine the timing and the response patterns of these two micro-valences via measuring facial muscle activity changes (electromyography, EMG) over the brow and the cheek regions. In addition, we explore the effects of the sensory stimulus modality (vision, audition, and olfaction) on these patterns. The two micro-valences were manipulated in a social judgment task: first, intrinsic un/pleasantness (IP) was manipulated by exposing participants to appropriate stimuli presented in different sensory domains followed by a goal conduciveness/obstruction (GC) manipulation consisting of feedback on participants' judgments that were congruent or incongruent with their task-related goal. The results show significantly different EMG responses and timing patterns for both types of micro-valence, confirming the prediction that they are independent, consecutive parts of the appraisal process. Moreover, the lack of interaction effects with the sensory stimulus modality suggests high generalizability of the underlying appraisal mechanisms across different perception channels.

Social affiliation in same-class and cross-class interactions

Historically high levels of economic inequality likely have important consequences for relationships between people of the same and different social class backgrounds. Here, we test the prediction that social affiliation among same-class partners is stronger at the extremes of the class spectrum, given that these groups are highly distinctive and most separated from others by institutional and economic forces. An internal meta-analysis of 4 studies (N = 723) provided support for this hypothesis. Participant and partner social class were interactively, rather than additively, associated with social affiliation, indexed by affiliative behaviors and emotions during structured laboratory interactions and in daily life. Further, response surface analyses revealed that paired upper or lower class partners generally affiliated more than average-class pairs. Analyses with separate class indices suggested that these patterns are driven more by parental income and subjective social class than by parental education. The findings illuminate the dynamics of same- and cross-class interactions, revealing that not all same-class interactions feature the same degree of affiliation. They also reveal the importance of studying social class from an intergroup perspective. (PsycINFO Database Record

[Treatment Outcome in Female In-Patients with Anorexia nervosa and Comorbid Personality Disorders Prevalence - Therapy Drop out and Weight Gain]

Introduction Personality disorders (PD) are among the most common comorbid disorders in female patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN). Recent research findings suggest that comorbid PD are associated with a higher treatment drop-out rate and a worse therapeutic outcome. However, no study to date has distinguished between certain age groups concerning these issues. Research questions Therefore, the present study focuses on the prevalence of PD (1), treatment drop-out rates (2) and weight gain (3) in female in-patients with AN. Thereby, we differentiate among three age groups (17-24 years; 25-34 years; 35-65 years). Material & Methods We assessed female in-patients (N=331) with AN at the Helios Clinic in Bad Grönenbach in Germany using the Eating Disorders Inventory-2 and the psychotherapeutic-medical basic documentation at the beginning and at the end of their treatment. Furthermore, we investigated the drop-out rate and weight gain by comparing anorexic patients with and without comorbid PD that were diagnosed by clinicians using ICD-10 criteria. Results In sum, our patients with AN demonstrated a prevalence rate of 34% for one or more comorbid PD. Interestingly, patients between 17-24 years showed a lower prevalence rate of 22% compared to those between 25-34 years (42%) and 35-65 years (41%). Furthermore, younger age and comorbid PD seemed to be significant predictors for treatment dropout. One of the most striking results was that younger patients (17-24) without a comorbid PD had the highest weight gain during treatment. This could not be observed in patients with a comorbid PD, who demonstrated the highest weight gain between 25 and 34 years of age. Conclusion Our findings support the hypothesis that comorbid PD are related to a worse outcome in patients with eating disorders. Future studies might do well in assessing dimensional scores of personality disorders and other relevant aspects like for example the amount of social support to draw further conclusions on these associations. Our results emphasize the need for more disorder-specific interventions tailoring at patients with AN and comorbid PD to improve treatment outcome.

Positive urgency and emotional reactivity: Evidence for altered responding to positive stimuli

Positive urgency, defined as a tendency to become impulsive during positive affective states, has gained support as a form of impulsivity that is particularly important for understanding psychopathology. Despite this, little is known about the emotional mechanisms and correlates of this form of impulsivity. We hypothesized that positive urgency would be related to greater emotional reactivity in response to a positive film clip. Seventy-five undergraduates watched a positive film clip, and a multimodal assessment of emotion was conducted, including subjective emotional experience, physiological activation (i.e., heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, skin conductance), and facial emotional behavior (i.e., objectively coded using the Facial Action Coding System). Positive urgency was not significantly related to greater positive emotional reactivity but rather a more complex array of emotions expressed in facial behavior, as indexed by similar levels of positive yet greater levels of negative behavior. These findings show that positive urgency may be linked to altered emotionality, but does not appear related to heightened positive emotional reactivity. Potential implications for functional outcomes are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Short alleles, bigger smiles? The effect of 5-HTTLPR on positive emotional expressions

The present research examined the effect of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene on objectively coded positive emotional expressions (i.e., laughing and smiling behavior objectively coded using the Facial Action Coding System). Three studies with independent samples of participants were conducted. Study 1 examined young adults watching still cartoons. Study 2 examined young, middle-aged, and older adults watching a thematically ambiguous yet subtly amusing film clip. Study 3 examined middle-aged and older spouses discussing an area of marital conflict (that typically produces both positive and negative emotion). Aggregating data across studies, results showed that the short allele of 5-HTTLPR predicted heightened positive emotional expressions. Results remained stable when controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, and depressive symptoms. These findings are consistent with the notion that the short allele of 5-HTTLPR functions as an emotion amplifier, which may confer heightened susceptibility to environmental conditions.

Can people really "laugh at themselves?"--experimental and correlational evidence

Laughing at oneself is considered a core component of the sense of humor in the theories of several authors. In McGhee's (1996) eight-step-training program of the sense of humor, laughing at oneself constitutes one of the most difficult levels. However, until now, only little empirical evidence on laughing at oneself exists. Using a multimethod approach, in the current study, 70 psychology students and a total of 126 peers filled in the Sense of Humor Scale (SHS, McGhee, 1996), containing as a subscale "Laughing at oneself". In addition, the participants answered the Trait and State forms of the State-Trait-Cheerfulness-Inventory (STCI, Ruch, Köhler, & van Thriel, 1996; Ruch, Köhler, & van Thriel, 1997). They then were confronted with six distorted images of themselves. Facial responses of the participants were videotaped and analyzed using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS, Ekman, Friesen, & Hager, 2002). Four indicators of exhilaration were examined: (a) experienced funniness, (b) AU12 smiles, (c) Duchenne displays, and (d) laughter. Furthermore, fake and masking smiles were studied. Results demonstrated that self- and peer reports of "laughing at oneself" converged moderately. All four indicators of exhilaration were shown, but funniness and laughter seemed to be the most strongly related indicators. Trait cheerfulness and (low) seriousness, and a cheerful mood state formed further characteristics of persons who laugh at themselves.

Cranial osteolytic metastases as the only recurrence of gastric carcinoma

The purpose of this case report is to increase the knowledge about bone metastatic pattern in gastric cancer. A 59-year-old man presented with headache three years after a total gastrectomy for signet-ring cell carcinoma. Head computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed multiple osteolytic lesions of the cranial vault and base, consistent with metastatic or haematological disease. Bone scintigraphy confirmed areas of accumulation only in the skull. An extensive search didn't show any other tumor. Bone biopsy revealed metastatic signet-ring cell carcinoma. In gastric cancer, bone metastases are generally associated with metastases in lymph nodes, liver, and lung, and have a higher frequency in the thoracolumbar spine. However, cranial bone metastases presenting with headache may be the only manifestation of gastric cancer recurrence.

Peripheral neuropathy associated with ischemic vascular disease of the lower limbs

This paper deals with the possible identification of somatic and autonomic nerve damage in patients with peripheral obliterative arterial disease (POAD) at different stages of the disease, with a well-reproducible technique like electroneurographic evaluation of nerve conduction. In 64 patients with intermittent claudication, 19 patients with pain at rest, and 7 patients with trophic ulcers, electroneurographic evaluation of motor (tibial and peroneal) and sensory (superficial peroneal and sural) nerve conduction was performed. The median nerve (motor and sensory) was used as control. A severe impairment of sural and superficial peroneal nerve velocities was evident in many claudicant patients and in all patients with pain at rest and trophic ulcers, with a progression in the conduction abnormalities in advanced stages of the disease. Motor nerve conduction showed only minor reductions in patients with claudication and pain at rest, although some of them did show very poor velocity values. In 21 patients with intermittent claudication and sensory nerve abnormalities, the autonomic fibers activity, evaluated by the skin sympathetic response (SSR) test, was significantly depressed, thus suggesting an involvement of the local autonomic system in the ischemic disease. A correlation exists between the severity of the somatic nerve damage and the stage of the vascular insufficiency. However, in the group of claudicant patients, the evidence of similar ischemic threshold (claudication distance) may be associated with a marked difference in the amount of somatic nerve damage. The somatic and autonomic nerve alterations may play a relevant role in the progression of the disease toward critical limb ischemia.

Inhibition of neutrophil function in vitro by nimesulide. Preliminary evidence of an adenosine-mediated mechanism

Nimesulide (CAS 51803-78-2) is a methane sulphoanilide derivative provided with specific anti-inflammatory activity. In human polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNs), the activity of nimesulide has been suggested to be based on the inhibition of the oxidative burst. However, the effect of the compound on PMNs function seems to be very complex. In order to give a major insight into the mechanism of action of nimesulide, the effect of the drug was studied in vitro on human PMNs functions, such as free radical generation and enzyme release, and on cytosolic free calcium levels, following the activation with specific stimuli. Moreover, the hypothesis that nimesulide could act by interfering with the adenosine cell receptor system was also evaluated. Nimesulide (1-50 mumol/l showed a dose-dependent inhibitory activity on superoxide anion and chemiluminescence production from PMNs stimulated with the oligopeptide fMLP, the ionophore A23187, and the phorbol ester PMA. Enzyme release was significantly reduced, when fMLP and A23187 represented the stimulating agents, while no effect at all was observed with PMA. Studies with the fluorescent calcium chelating dye FURA 2/AM showed that nimesulide was able to reduce free cytosolic calcium increase produced by fMLP and the ionophore ionomycin. The preincubation of cells with the specific adenosine receptor antagonist theophylline was able to significantly reverse the inhibitory activity of nimesulide, either on free radical production and enzyme release, and on free cytosolic calcium increase sustained by fMLP and the ionophores.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Changes in the levels of growth hormones, insulin, cortisol, thyroxine and somatomedin-C/IGF-1, with increasing gestational age in the fetal pig, and the effect of thyroidectomy in utero

1. Blood samples were taken from 30 chronically catheterized pig fetuses in utero. Levels of growth hormone, insulin, cortisol, thyroxine and somatomedin-C/IGF-1 were measured in the plasma of intact fetuses and the plasma of thyroidectomized fetuses at various gestational ages during the latter part of pregnancy. 2. Growth hormone levels were high (mean +/- SEM: 83 +/- 9 ng/ml and remained constant throughout this period. 3. Insulin levels were also constant and ranged between 4 and 14 mU/l. 4. Cortisol levels showed a general increase from 400 nmol/l at 97 days to 1200 nmol/l at term and this increase was not affected by thyroidectomy. 5. IGF-1 levels were lower than in the sows (48.0 +/- 3.0 ng/ml) and did not change throughout this period. 6. Thyroxine levels were also unchanged at about 92 +/- 4 nmol/l. 7. Thyroidectomy resulted in lower (P less than 0.001) thyroxine levels (28 +/- 3 nmol/l) but had no effect on the levels of any other hormone.

Effect of haemorrhage on plasma lysine vasopressin and the cardiovascular responses to vasopressin in the pig fetus

The effect of haemorrhage on plasma lysine vasopressin concentrations and the cardiovascular effects of intravenous injections of synthetic lysine vasopressin were studied in twenty-four chronically catheterized pig fetuses aged between 81 and 114 d gestation (term = 114 +/- 1 d). Removal of 15-20% of the estimated blood volume reduced mean arterial blood pressure and elevated plasma vasopressin concentrations above the mean basal value of 2.2 +/- 0.3 muu./ml. The vasopressin concentration in plasma of fetuses younger than 104 d was insignificantly affected at 30 and 60 min after the bleed, whereas the corresponding values in older fetuses were raised by 12.7 +/- 7.2 muu./ml (d.f. = 7) and 16.0 +/- 6.0 muu./ml (d.f. = 7) respectively. The pituitary concentration of vasopressin was also greater towards the end of gestation. Plasma osmolality was unaffected by fetal blood loss. Maternal concentrations of vasopressin did not change from the basal values of 1.0 +/- 0.1 muu./ml (d.f. = 16). Injection of vasopressin raised fetal blood pressure and decreased heart rate. These results demonstrate that lysine vasopressin is present in the circulation of the pig fetus at 81 d (0.72 gestation), and that near term fetuses respond to haemorrhage more rapidly, and to a greater degree than younger fetuses.