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xposure to daylight has much to offer and should be optimised to maximise its potential. In order to harvest its benefits, any visual discomfort from daylight should be anticipated and minimised. Hence, there is the need to predict discomfort from daylight glare. While more than 20 models for predicting discomfort from daylight glare have been developed, none accurately predict it. The inclusion of additional factors in the models may improve the predictions. One such factor is the socio-environmental context of the observer. This study compares the evaluations of discomfort glare from daylight for office buildings in four socio-environmental contexts: Chile, Belgium, Japan and Switzerland. The evaluations of discomfort glare, each consisting of subjective assessments and physical measurements of a view condition, were collected at the office desks of 401 participants, although only 211 responses were used in the analyses due to exclusion rules. The results do not suggest evidence of an influence of socio-environmental context on discomfort from daylight glare. In other words, the participants in this study perceived discomfort glare similarly, regardless of their socio-environmental context

There is a need for decision support tools that integrate energy simulation into early design in the context of Australian practice. Despite the proliferation of simulation programs in the last decade, there are no ready-to-use applications that cater specifically for the Australian climate and regulations. Furthermore, the majority of existing tools focus on achieving interaction with the design domain through model-based interoperability, and largely overlook the issue of process integration. This paper proposes an energy-oriented design environment that both accommodates the Australian context and provides interactive and iterative information exchanges that facilitate feedback between domains. It then presents the structure for DEEPA, an openly customisable system that couples parametric modelling and energy simulation software as a means of developing a decision support tool to allow designers to rapidly and flexibly assess the performance of early design alternatives. Finally, it discusses the benefits of developing a dynamic and concurrent performance evaluation process that parallels the characteristics and relationships of the design process.

Scale models are frequently used to evaluate daylighting performances of buildings. In order to get accurate results, there are several rules to respect for building these scale models. Some of these rules are universal and others depend on the measurement and observation devices, the type of sky under which the study is carried out and the objectives of the study. This paper, based on the authors experience and on a literature review, presents rules to respect when building a mock-up for daylighting studies. These rules are illustrated by project examples that were tested under the Belgian artificial skies (Single-patch sky and sun simulator, Mirror box and Mechanical sun).

Scale models are frequently used to evaluate daylighting performances of buildings. In order to get accurate results, there are several rules to respect for building these scale models. Some of these rules are universal and others depend on the measurement and observation devices, the type of sky under which the study is carried out and the objectives of the study. This paper, based on the authors experience and on a literature review, presents rules to respect when building a mock-up for daylighting studies. These rules are illustrated by project examples that were tested under the Belgian artificial skies (Single-patch sky and sun simulator, Mirror box and Mechanical sun).

Using 15O-water 3D positron emission tomography, regional cerebral blood flow was measured twice in six human subjects: before and after extensive training in orientation discrimination. In each session subjects performed two orientation discrimination tasks, during which they discriminated the orientation of a grating at either the trained or untrained reference orientation, and a control task, during which they detected a randomly textured pattern. By comparing the discrimination to the detection tasks, we observed a main effect of task bilaterally in the posterior occipital cortex, extending into the left posterior fusiform gyrus and the right inferior occipital gyrus, bilaterally in the intraparietal sulcus, as well as in the cerebellum, thalamus, and brainstem. When we compared the activation pattern before and after the training period, all the changes observed were activity decreases. The nonspecific changes, which were not related to the orientation used during the training, were situated in the cerebellum and bilaterally in the extrastriate visual cortex. The orientation-specific changes, on the other hand, were restricted to the striate and extrastriate visual cortex, more precisely the right calcarine sulcus, the left lingual gyrus, the left middle occipital, and the right inferior occipital gyrus. These findings confirm our hypothesis concerning the existence of learning related changes at early levels of visual processing in human adults and suggest that mechanisms resulting in neuronal activity decreases might be involved in the present kind of learning.

Most brain imaging studies on face perception have investigated the processing of unknown faces and addressed mainly the question of specific face processing in the human brain. The goal of this study was to highlight the effects of familiarity on the visual processing of faces. Using [15O]water 3D Positron Emission Tomography, regional cerebral blood flow distribution was measured in 11 human subjects performing an identical task (gender categorization) on both unknown and known faces. Subjects also performed two control tasks (a face recognition task and a visual pattern discrimination task). They were scanned after a training phase using videotapes during which they had been familiarized with and learned to recognize a set of faces. Two major results were obtained. On the one hand, we found bilateral activations of the fusiform gyri in the three face conditions, including the so-called fusiform-face area, a region in the right fusiform gyrus specifically devoted to face processing. This common activation suggests that different cognitive tasks performed on known and unknown faces require the involvement of this fusiform region. On the other hand, specific regional cerebral blood flow changes were related to the processing of known and unknown faces. The left amygdala, a structure involved in implicit learning of visual representations, was activated by the categorization task on unknown faces. The same task on known faces induced a relative decrease of activity in early visual areas. These differences between the two categorization tasks reveal that the human brain processes known and unknown faces differently.

Most brain imaging studies on face perception have investigated the processing of unknown faces and addressed mainly the question of specific face processing in the human brain. The goal of this study was to highlight the effects of familiarity on the visual processing of faces. Using [15O]water 3D Positron Emission Tomography, regional cerebral blood flow distribution was measured in 11 human subjects performing an identical task (gender categorization) on both unknown and known faces. Subjects also performed two control tasks (a face recognition task and a visual pattern discrimination task). They were scanned after a training phase using videotapes during which they had been familiarized with and learned to recognize a set of faces. Two major results were obtained. On the one hand, we found bilateral activations of the fusiform gyri in the three face conditions, including the so-called fusiform-face area, a region in the right fusiform gyrus specifically devoted to face processing. This common activation suggests that different cognitive tasks performed on known and unknown faces require the involvement of this fusiform region. On the other hand, specific regional cerebral blood flow changes were related to the processing of known and unknown faces. The left amygdala, a structure involved in implicit learning of visual representations, was activated by the categorization task on unknown faces. The same task on known faces induced a relative decrease of activity in early visual areas. These differences between the two categorization tasks reveal that the human brain processes known and unknown faces differently.

Most brain imaging studies on face perception have investigated the processing of unknown faces and addressed mainly the question of specific face processing in the human brain. The goal of this study was to highlight the effects of familiarity on the visual processing of faces. Using [15O]water 3D Positron Emission Tomography, regional cerebral blood flow distribution was measured in 11 human subjects performing an identical task (gender categorization) on both unknown and known faces. Subjects also performed two control tasks (a face recognition task and a visual pattern discrimination task). They were scanned after a training phase using videotapes during which they had been familiarized with and learned to recognize a set of faces. Two major results were obtained. On the one hand, we found bilateral activations of the fusiform gyri in the three face conditions, including the so-called fusiform-face area, a region in the right fusiform gyrus specifically devoted to face processing. This common activation suggests that different cognitive tasks performed on known and unknown faces require the involvement of this fusiform region. On the other hand, specific regional cerebral blood flow changes were related to the processing of known and unknown faces. The left amygdala, a structure involved in implicit learning of visual representations, was activated by the categorization task on unknown faces. The same task on known faces induced a relative decrease of activity in early visual areas. These differences between the two categorization tasks reveal that the human brain processes known and unknown faces differently.

Using H2(15)O 3D Positron Emission Tomography (PET), regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured in six human subjects under two different conditions: at rest and while performing self-paced horizontal saccadic eye movements in darkness. These two conditions were repeated four times each. First, the comparison between the four saccadic and four resting conditions was investigated in a group and a single subject analysis. Saccades elicited bilateral rCBF increases in the medial part of the superior frontal gyrus (supplementary eye field), precentral gyrus (frontal eye field), superior parietal lobule, anterior medial part of the occipital lobe involving striate and extrastriate cortex (lingual gyrus and cuneus), and in the right inferior parietal lobule. At the subcortical level, activations were found in the left putamen. These results mainly replicate previous PET findings on saccadic control. Second, the interaction between the experimental conditions and their repetition was examined. When activations throughout repetition of the same saccadic task are compared, the supplementary eye fields show a progressive increase of activation. On the contrary, the activation in the cerebellum, left superior parietal lobule and left occipital cortex progressively decreases during the scanning session. Given the existence of such an interaction, the pattern of activations must be interpreted as a function of task repetition. This may be a factor explaining some apparent mismatch between different studies.

Using H2(15)O 3D Positron Emission Tomography (PET), regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured in six human subjects under two different conditions: at rest and while performing self-paced horizontal saccadic eye movements in darkness. These two conditions were repeated four times each. First, the comparison between the four saccadic and four resting conditions was investigated in a group and a single subject analysis. Saccades elicited bilateral rCBF increases in the medial part of the superior frontal gyrus (supplementary eye field), precentral gyrus (frontal eye field), superior parietal lobule, anterior medial part of the occipital lobe involving striate and extrastriate cortex (lingual gyrus and cuneus), and in the right inferior parietal lobule. At the subcortical level, activations were found in the left putamen. These results mainly replicate previous PET findings on saccadic control. Second, the interaction between the experimental conditions and their repetition was examined. When activations throughout repetition of the same saccadic task are compared, the supplementary eye fields show a progressive increase of activation. On the contrary, the activation in the cerebellum, left superior parietal lobule and left occipital cortex progressively decreases during the scanning session. Given the existence of such an interaction, the pattern of activations must be interpreted as a function of task repetition. This may be a factor explaining some apparent mismatch between different studies.

Using H2(15)O 3D Positron Emission Tomography (PET), regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured in six human subjects under two different conditions: at rest and while performing self-paced horizontal saccadic eye movements in darkness. These two conditions were repeated four times each. First, the comparison between the four saccadic and four resting conditions was investigated in a group and a single subject analysis. Saccades elicited bilateral rCBF increases in the medial part of the superior frontal gyrus (supplementary eye field), precentral gyrus (frontal eye field), superior parietal lobule, anterior medial part of the occipital lobe involving striate and extrastriate cortex (lingual gyrus and cuneus), and in the right inferior parietal lobule. At the subcortical level, activations were found in the left putamen. These results mainly replicate previous PET findings on saccadic control. Second, the interaction between the experimental conditions and their repetition was examined. When activations throughout repetition of the same saccadic task are compared, the supplementary eye fields show a progressive increase of activation. On the contrary, the activation in the cerebellum, left superior parietal lobule and left occipital cortex progressively decreases during the scanning session. Given the existence of such an interaction, the pattern of activations must be interpreted as a function of task repetition. This may be a factor explaining some apparent mismatch between different studies.

The intra- and extracellular distribution and relative density of lamellar bodies (LBs) were determined by electron microscopy in synovial biopsies from 20 non-rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. LBs were found on the synovial surface, in intimal cells, throughout intimal matrix, in blood vessel walls, in endothelial cytoplasm and within vascular lumena. Lamellar profiles were observed in type B synoviocytes within rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), in association with the Golgi apparatus, and embedded in electron dense matrix (projection cores) in multivesicular bodies. Exocytotic release of mature LBs into intimal matrix was observed. In type A synoviocytes the outer lamellae of LBs were frequently found in contiguity with the limiting membrane of lysosomes. An in vitro investigation of the ultrastructural features of LB formation in cultured type B synoviocytes (from 3 non-RA patients) gave results similar to those obtained in biopsies. These studies provide ultrastructural evidence of synoviocyte activity in secreting and degrading phospholipid lubricant in a sophisticated system whose function and pathological derangements are largely unknown., Journal Article, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

The intra- and extracellular distribution and relative density of lamellar bodies (LBs) were determined by electron microscopy in synovial biopsies from 20 non-rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. LBs were found on the synovial surface, in intimal cells, throughout intimal matrix, in blood vessel walls, in endothelial cytoplasm and within vascular lumena. Lamellar profiles were observed in type B synoviocytes within rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), in association with the Golgi apparatus, and embedded in electron dense matrix (projection cores) in multivesicular bodies. Exocytotic release of mature LBs into intimal matrix was observed. In type A synoviocytes the outer lamellae of LBs were frequently found in contiguity with the limiting membrane of lysosomes. An in vitro investigation of the ultrastructural features of LB formation in cultured type B synoviocytes (from 3 non-RA patients) gave results similar to those obtained in biopsies. These studies provide ultrastructural evidence of synoviocyte activity in secreting and degrading phospholipid lubricant in a sophisticated system whose function and pathological derangements are largely unknown., Journal Article, info:eu-repo/semantics/published