Induced Gamma-band Activity Elicited by Visual Representation of Unattended Objects

Peer reviewedPostprin

Соціальна справедливість як фактор розвитку пенсійної системи України

У статті проаналізовано окремі аспекти розвитку вітчизняної пенсійної системи в контексті реалізації одного з її основних формоутворюючих факторів - соціальної справедливості. Установлено коло проблемних питань у межах пенсійних відносин, розроблено пропозиції з удосконалення концепції вітчизняної пенсійної системи в контексті розвитку економіки та побудови соціальної держави.Several aspects of pension system reforming in Ukraine and its impact on qualitative changes in social environment have been analyzed. A wide range of problems has been identified and propositions to improve concepts of pension reforming have been made

Human amniotic fluid glycoproteins expressing sialyl Lewis carbohydrate antigens stimulate progesterone production in human trophoblasts in vitro

Background: Progesterone is thought to mediate immune modulator effects by regulating uterine responsiveness. The aim of the study was to clarify the effect of transferrin and glycodelin A (former name PP14) as sialyl Lewis X-expressing glycoproteins on the release of progesterone by trophoblast cells in vitro. Methods: Cytotrophoblast cells were prepared from human term placentas by standard dispersion of villous tissue followed by a Percoll gradient centrifugation step. Trophoblasts were incubated with varying concentrations (50-300 mug/ml) of human amniotic fluid- and serum-transferrin as well as with glycodelin A. Culture supernatants were assayed for progesterone, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and cortisol by enzyme immunometric methods. Results: The release of progesterone is increased in amniotic fluid transferrin- and glycodelin A-treated trophoblast cell cultures compared to untreated trophoblast cells. There is no relation between transferrin and the hCG or cortisol production of trophoblast cells. Conclusion: The results suggest that sialyl Lewis carbohydrate antigen-expressing amniotic fluid glycoproteins modulate the endocrine function of trophoblasts in culture by upregulating progesterone production. Copyright (C) 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

Attacking smartphone security and privacy

The objective of this edited book is to solicit state-of-the-art contributions from both scientists and practitioners working in intrusion detection and prevention for mobile networks, services, and devices

The Standard Model Prediction of the Muon Anomalous Magnetic Moment

This article reviews and updates the Standard Model prediction of the muon g-2. QED, electroweak and hadronic contributions are presented, and open questions discussed. The theoretical prediction deviates from the present experimental value by 2-3 standard deviations, if e+e- annihilation data are used to evaluate the leading hadronic term.Comment: 30 pages, 8 figures. v2: Updated version to appear in J.Phys.G. Comments and references added, typo corrected in eq.(17

Towards a plurilingual habitus: engendering interlinguality in urban spaces

This article focuses on the potential of the multilingual city to create spaces in which monolingual hegemonies may be challenged, inclusive, intercultural values may be nurtured, and plurilingualism may be valorised. Following a contextualisation of linguistic diversity in theories of globalisation and superdiversity, discourses of deficit and power are addressed, arguing that the problematisation of multilingualism and pathologisation of plurilingualism reflect a monolingual habitus. Bringing about a shift towards a plurilingual habitus requires a Deep Approach, as it involves a critical revaluing of deep-seated dispositions. It suggests that the city offers spaces, which can engender interlinguality, a construct that includes interculturality, criticality and a commitment to creative and flexible use of other languages in shared, pluralistic spaces. It then proposes critical, participatory and ethnographic research in three multidimensional spaces: the urban school and a potential interlingual curriculum; networks, lobbying for inclusive policy and organising celebratory events in public spaces; and grass roots-level local spaces, some created by linguistic communities to exercise agency and maintain their languages and cultures, and some emerging as linguistically hybrid spaces for convivial encounter

Symmetry perception for patterns defined by colour and luminance

Perception of visual symmetry is fast, efficient and relies on both early, low-level and late, mid- and high-level neural mechanisms. To test for potential influences of early, low-level mechanisms on symmetry perception, we used isoluminant, achromatic and combined (colour + luminance) patterns in a psychophysical and an event-related potential (ERP) experiment. In the psychophysical experiment, pattern contrast was fixed at individual symmetry discrimination threshold. Participants then judged whether a pattern was symmetric or random. Stimuli at isoluminance were associated with a large bias towards symmetry, achromatic stimuli introduced the opposite bias, while stimuli containing a balance of both colour and luminance were perceived without bias. These findings are in line with distinct contrast sensitivity functions for colour and luminance, with colour providing low frequency information useful for symmetry detection and luminance providing high frequency information useful for detection of detail. The subsequent ERP experiment was run at high contrasts to assess processing of symmetry in suprathreshold conditions. Sustained Posterior Negativity, a symmetry-sensitive ERP component, was observed in all conditions and showed the expected dependence on symmetry. However, interactions between symmetry and contrast type were not observed. In conclusion, while our findings at threshold support models that propose an important contribution of low-level mechanisms to symmetry perception, at suprathreshold, these low-level contributions do not persist. Therefore, under everyday viewing conditions, symmetry perception engages a relatively broad cortical network that is not constrained by low-level inputs

Incidences and Risk Factors of Organ Manifestations in the Early Course of Systemic Sclerosis: A Longitudinal EUSTAR Study

Objective Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare and clinically heterogeneous autoimmune disorder characterised by fibrosis and microvascular obliteration of the skin and internal organs. Organ involvement mostly manifests after a variable period of the onset of Raynaud's phenomenon (RP). We aimed to map the incidence and predictors of pulmonary, cardiac, gastrointestinal (GI) and renal involvement in the early course of SSc. Methods In the EUSTAR cohort, patients with early SSc were identified as those who had a visit within the first year after RP onset. Incident SSc organ manifestations and their risk factors were assessed using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox regression analysis. Results Of the 695 SSc patients who had a baseline visit within 1 year after RP onset, the incident non-RP manifestations (in order of frequency) were: skin sclerosis (75%) GI symptoms (71%), impaired diffusing capacity for monoxide40mmHg (14%), and renal crisis (3%). In the heart, incidence rates were highest for diastolic dysfunction, followed by conduction blocks and pericardial effusion. While the main baseline risk factor for a short timespan to develop FVC impairment was diffuse skin involvement, for PAPsys>40mmHg it was higher patient age. The main risk factors for incident cardiac manifestations were anti-topoisomerase autoantibody positivity and older age. Male sex, anti-RNA-polymerase-III positivity, and older age were risk factors associated with incident renal crisis. Conclusion In SSc patients presenting early after RP onset, approximately half of all incident organ manifestations occur within 2 years and have a simultaneous rather than a sequential onset. These findings have implications for the design of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies aimed to ‘widen' the still very narrow ‘window of opportunity'. They may also enable physicians to counsel and manage patients presenting early in the course of SSc more accurately

A comprehensive study on the autochthonous microbiota, volatilome, physico-chemical, and morpho-textural features of Montenegrin Njeguški cheese

The present study aims to deepen the knowledge of the microbiota, gross composition, physico-chemical and morpho-textural features, biogenic amines content and volatilome of Njegu ski cheese, one of the most popular indigenous cheeses produced in Montenegro. Cheese samples were collected in duplicate from three different batches produced by three Montenegrin artisan producers. For the first time, the microbiota of Njegu ski cheese was investigated using both culture-dependent techniques and metagenomic analysis. Coagulase positive staphylococci viable counts were below the detection limit of the analysis (<1 log cfu g 1). Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and staphylococcal enterotoxins were absent. However, relatively high viable counts of Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonadaceae and eumycetes were detected. Metataxonomic analysis revealed a core microbiome composed of Lactococcus lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, Debaryomyces hansenii, and Kluyveromyces marxianus. Furthermore, the detection of opportunistic pathogenic yeasts such as Magnusiomyces capitatus and Wickerhamiella pararugosa, along with the variable content of biogenic amines, suggests the need for increased attention to hygienic conditions during Njegu ski cheese production. Significant variability was observed in humidity (ranging from 38.37 to 45.58 %), salt content (ranging from 0.70 to 1.78 %), proteins content (ranging from 21.42 to 25.08 %), ash content (ranging from 2.97 to 4.05 %), hardness, springiness, and color among samples from different producers. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed a welldefined and complex volatilome profile of the Njegu ski cheese, with alcohols (ethanol, isoamyl alcohol, phenetyl alcol), esters and acetates (ethyl acetate, ethyl butanoate, isoamyl acetate), ketones (acetoin, 2-butanone), and acids (acetic, butanoic, hexanoic acids) being the main chemical groups involved in aroma formation. This research will provide new insights into the still poorly explored identity of Njegu ski cheese, thus serving as a first baseline for future studies aimed at protecting its tradition