Recent inquiries into the nature of self-representation have put forward a new and interesting conceptualization of the self, as a "center of gravity" of one's private and social behavior. We review recent neuroimaging work that has suggested interactions among brain regions comprising the default state network, including medial and temporo-parietal cortical regions and the mirror neuron system including lateral fronto-parietal regions as two interacting neural systems that work in concert to produce a cohesive self-representation through simulation. Simulation processes-broadly construed here as using existing representations as templates for understanding novel information-are instantiated by these brain systems across a wide range of domains including time, space, physical and social, giving rise to the multifaceted Self that we all are. Accumulating evidence also suggests, that these simulation processes are used in a multitude of cognitions that constitute the self, including autobiographical memory and prospection, perspective taking, understanding other's actions and mental states and embodied self-representation.
The secretary problem for selecting one item so as to minimize its expected rank, based on observing the relative ranks only, is revisited. A simple suboptimal rule, which performs almost as well as the optimal rule, is given. The rule stops with the smallest i such that Ri
A fundamental concept in visual processing is that activity in high-order object-category distinctive regions (e.g., lateral occipital complex, fusiform face area, middle temporal+) is dependent on bottom-up flow of activity in earlier retinotopic areas (V2, V3, V4) whose main input originates from primary visual cortex (V1). Thus, activity in down stream areas should reflect lower-level inputs. Here we qualify this notion reporting case LG, a rare case of developmental object agnosia and prosopagnosia. In this person, V1 was robustly activated by visual stimuli, yet intermediate areas (V2–V4) were strongly deactivated. Despite this intermediate deactivation, activity in down stream visual areas remained robust, showing selectivity for houses and places, while selectivity for faces and objects was impaired. The extent of impairment evident in functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography activations was somewhat larger in the left hemisphere. This pattern of brain activity, coupled with fairly adequate everyday visual performance is compatible with models emphasizing the role of nonlinear local “amplification” of neuronal inputs in eliciting activity in ventral and dorsal visual pathways as well as perceptual experience in the human brain. Thus, while the proper functioning of intermediate areas appears essential for specialization in the cortex, daily visual behavior and reading are maintained even with deactivated intermediate visual areas.
Kan Du, Knutson, Christopher R, Glogowski, Elizabeth , McCarthy, Kevin D, Shenhar, Roy , Rotello, Vincent M, Tuominen, Mark T, Emrick, Todd , Russell, Thomas P, ו Dinsmore, Anthony D. 2009. “Self-Assembled Electrical Contact To Nanoparticles Using Metallic Droplets”. Small, 5, Pp. 1974-1977. doi:10.1002/smll.200900203. תקציר
Self-assembly of nanoparticles on liquid-metal droplets (see image) provides a simple, effective approach to electronic devices with nanoscale control of the metal/nanoparticle junctions. This approach enables the inexpensive fabrication of a large number of devices and deposition on large-area substrates.
Carbon dioxide (CO(2)) is an important gaseous molecule that maintains biosphere homeostasis and is an important cellular signalling molecule in all organisms. The transport of CO(2) through membranes has fundamental roles in most basic aspects of life in both plants and animals. There is a growing interest in understanding how CO(2) is transported into cells, how it is sensed by neurons and other cell types and in understanding the physiological and molecular consequences of elevated CO(2) levels (hypercapnia) at the cell and organism levels. Human pulmonary diseases and model organisms such as fungi, C. elegans, Drosophila and mice have been proven to be important in understanding of the mechanisms of CO(2) sensing and response.
Carbon dioxide (CO(2)) is an important gaseous molecule that maintains biosphere homeostasis and is an important cellular signalling molecule in all organisms. The transport of CO(2) through membranes has fundamental roles in most basic aspects of life in both plants and animals. There is a growing interest in understanding how CO(2) is transported into cells, how it is sensed by neurons and other cell types and in understanding the physiological and molecular consequences of elevated CO(2) levels (hypercapnia) at the cell and organism levels. Human pulmonary diseases and model organisms such as fungi, C. elegans, Drosophila and mice have been proven to be important in understanding of the mechanisms of CO(2) sensing and response.
Carbon dioxide (CO(2)) is an important gaseous molecule that maintains biosphere homeostasis and is an important cellular signalling molecule in all organisms. The transport of CO(2) through membranes has fundamental roles in most basic aspects of life in both plants and animals. There is a growing interest in understanding how CO(2) is transported into cells, how it is sensed by neurons and other cell types and in understanding the physiological and molecular consequences of elevated CO(2) levels (hypercapnia) at the cell and organism levels. Human pulmonary diseases and model organisms such as fungi, C. elegans, Drosophila and mice have been proven to be important in understanding of the mechanisms of CO(2) sensing and response.
Aquaculture is one of the fastest rising sectors of world food production. Hundreds of fish species are cultured, providing an affordable, high quality food source. Two aspects of sexual development are critically important for the continued improvement of cultured fish stocks: sexual dimorphism and control of reproduction. In this paper, we review the main methods used to control sex determination in fish and their application in some of the most widely cultured species. Specifically, we review the techniques available for the production of all-male, all-female, and sterile populations. Techniques for endocrinological control of reproduction are also discussed.
This investigation used a newly developed artificial grammar learning (AGL) paradigm in which participants were exposed to sequences of stimuli that varied in two dimensions (colours and letters) that were superimposed on each other. Variation within each dimension was determined by a different grammar. The results of two studies strongly suggest that implicit learning in AGL depends on the goal relevance of the to-be-learned dimension. Specifically, when only one of the two stimulus dimensions was relevant for their task (Experiment 1) participants learned the structure underlying the relevant, but not that of the irrelevant dimension. However, when both dimensions were relevant, both structures were learned (Experiment 2). These findings suggest that implicit learning occurs only in dimensions to which we are attuned. Based on the present results and on those of Eitam, Hassin, and Schul (2008) we suggest that focusing on goal relevance may provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying implicit learning.
We study, both experimentally and theoretically, short-time modifications of the decay of excitations in a Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC) embedded in an optical lattice. Strong enhancement of the decay is observed compared to the Golden Rule results. This enhancement of decay increases with the lattice depth. It indicates that the description of decay modifications of few-body quantum systems also holds for decay of many-body excitations of a BEC.
In this paper, we characterize the significance of the Moslem religion for coping with loss and bereavement, with an in-depth, semi-structured interview study conducted among twelve Palestinian families in Israel after the deaths of their sons, killed during the October 2000 events. Results revealed five religious coping patterns that assisted the families to cope with the death of their sons, who are perceived by them, based on Islamic beliefs, as Shahids (martyrs). These are: The religious meaning of Shahid; Attributing death to an external power; The Koran as a reservoir; The victim as living Shahid; and The concept of God the merciful. Implications of the results for intervention as well as for future research are discussed.
