Neurophysiological correlates of embodiment and motivational factors during the perception of virtual architectural environments

The recent efforts aimed at providing neuroscientific explanations of how people perceive and experience architectural environments have largely justified the initial belief in the value of neuroscience for architecture. However, a systematic development of a coherent theoretical and experimental framework is missing. To investigate the neurophysiological reactions related to the appreciation of ambiances, we recorded the electroencephalographic (EEG) signals in an immersive virtual reality during the appreciation of interior designs. Such data have been analyzed according to the working hypothesis that appreciated environments involve embodied simulation mechanisms and circuits mediating approaching stimuli. EEG recordings of 12 healthy subjects have been performed during the perception of three-dimensional interiors that have been simulated in a CAVE system and judged according to dimensions of familiarity, novelty, comfort, pleasantness, arousal and presence. A correlation analysis on personal judgments returned that scores of novelty, pleasantness and comfort are positively correlated, while familiarity and novelty are in negative way. Statistical spectral maps reveal that pleasant, novel and comfortable interiors produce a de-synchronization of the mu rhythm over left sensorimotor areas. Interiors judged more pleasant and less familiar generate an activation of left frontal areas (theta and alpha bands), along an involvement of areas devoted to spatial navigation. An increase in comfort returns an enhancement of the theta frontal midline activity. Cerebral activations underlying appreciation of architecture could involve different mechanisms regulating corporeal, emotional and cognitive reactions. Therefore, it might be suggested that people's experience of architectural environments is intrinsically structured by the possibilities for action

The enactive approach to architectural experience: A neurophysiological perspective on embodiment, motivation, and affordances

From the enactivist perspective, the way people perceptually experience the world, including architectural spaces, is governed by the dynamic sensorimotor activity of the human organism as a whole and is thereby influenced by the particular conditions of man’s embodiment

Aberrant Metabolism in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Provides Diagnostic and Therapeutic Opportunities

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for over 80% of liver cancer cases and is highly malignant, recurrent, drug-resistant, and often diagnosed in the advanced stage. It is clear that early diagnosis and a better understanding of molecular mechanisms contributing to HCC progression is clinically urgent. Metabolic alterations clearly characterize HCC tumors. Numerous clinical parameters currently used to assess liver functions reflect changes in both enzyme activity and metabolites. Indeed, differences in glucose and acetate utilization are used as a valid clinical tool for stratifying patients with HCC. Moreover, increased serum lactate can distinguish HCC from normal subjects, and serum lactate dehydrogenase is used as a prognostic indicator for HCC patients under therapy. Currently, the emerging field of metabolomics that allows metabolite analysis in biological fluids is a powerful method for discovering new biomarkers. Several metabolic targets have been identified by metabolomics approaches, and these could be used as biomarkers in HCC. Moreover, the integration of different omics approaches could provide useful information on the metabolic pathways at the systems level. In this review, we provided an overview of the metabolic characteristics of HCC considering also the reciprocal influences between the metabolism of cancer cells and their microenvironment. Moreover, we also highlighted the interaction between hepatic metabolite production and their serum revelations through metabolomics researches

Electroencephalographic correlates of sensorimotor integration and embodiment during the appreciation of virtual architectural environments

Nowadays there is the hope that neuroscientific findings will contribute to the improvement of building design in order to create environments which satisfy man's demands. This can be achieved through the understanding of neurophysiological correlates of architectural perception. To this aim, the electroencephalographic (EEG) signals of 12 healthy subjects were recorded during the perception of three immersive virtual reality environments (VEs). Afterwards, participants were asked to describe their experience in terms of Familiarity, Novelty, Comfort, Pleasantness, Arousal, and Presence using a rating scale from 1 to 9. These perceptual dimensions are hypothesized to influence the pattern of cerebral spectral activity, while Presence is used to assess the realism of the virtual stimulation. Hence, the collected scores were used to analyze the Power Spectral Density (PSD) of the EEG for each behavioral dimension in the theta, alpha and mu bands by means of time-frequency analysis and topographic statistical maps. Analysis of Presence resulted in the activation of the frontal-midline theta, indicating the involvement of sensorimotor integration mechanisms when subjects expressed to feel more present in the VEs. Similar patterns also characterized the experience of familiar and comfortable VEs. In addition, pleasant VEs increased the theta power across visuomotor circuits and activated the alpha band in areas devoted to visuospatial exploration and processing of categorical spatial relations. Finally, the de-synchronization of the mu rhythm described the perception of pleasant and comfortable VEs, showing the involvement of left motor areas and embodied mechanisms for environment appreciation. Overall, these results show the possibility to measure EEG correlates of architectural perception involving the cerebral circuits of sensorimotor integration, spatial navigation, and embodiment. These observations can help testing architectural hypotheses in order to design environments matching the changing needs of humans

Temporal correlation of morphological and biochemical changes with the recruitment of different mechanisms of reactive oxygen species formation during human SW872 cell adipogenic differentiation

none8noHuman SW872 preadipocyte conversion to mature adipocytes is associated with time-dependent changes in differentiation markers' expression and with morphological changes accompanied by the accumulation of lipid droplets (LDs) as well as by increased mitochondriogenesis and mitochondrial membrane potential. Under identical conditions, the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) revealed with a general probe was significant at days 3 and 10 of differentiation and bearly detectable at day 6. NADPH oxidase (NOX)-2 activity determined with an immunocytochemical approach followed a very similar pattern. There was no evidence of mitochondrial ROS (mROS), as detected with a selective fluorescence probe, at days 3 and 6, possibly due to the triggering of the Nrf-2 antioxidant response. mROS were instead clearly detected at day 10, concomitantly with the accumulation of very large LDs, oxidation of both cardiolipin and thioredoxin 2, and decreased mitochondrial glutathione. In conclusion, the morphological and biochemical changes of differentiating SW872 cells are accompanied by the discontinuous formation of ROS derived from NOX-2, increasingly implicated in adipogenesis and adipose tissue dysfunction. In addition, mROS formation was significant only in the late phase of differentiation and was associated with mitochondrial dysfunction.openFiorani, Mara; De Matteis, Rita; Canonico, Barbara; Blandino, Giulia; Mazzoli, Alessandro; Montanari, Mariele; Guidarelli, Andrea; Cantoni, OrazioFiorani, Mara; De Matteis, Rita; Canonico, Barbara; Blandino, Giulia; Mazzoli, Alessandro; Montanari, Mariele; Guidarelli, Andrea; Cantoni, Orazi

Performance of the new amplifier-shaper-discriminator chip for the ATLAS MDT chambers at the HL-LHC

The Phase-II Upgrade of the ATLAS Muon Detector requires new electronics for the readout of the MDT drift tubes. The first processing stage, the Amplifier-Shaper-Discriminator (ASD), determines the performance of the readout for crucial parameters like time resolution, gain uniformity, efficiency and noise rejection. An 8-channel ASD chip, using the IBM 130 nm CMOS 8RF-DM technology, has been designed, produced and tested. The area of the chip is 2.2 x 2.9 square mm size. We present results of detailed measurements as well as a comparision with simulation results of the chip behaviour at three different levels of detail

A fast and low noise charge sensitive preamplifier in 90 nm CMOS technology

A fast charge sensitive preamplifier was designed and built in a 90 nm CMOS technology. The work is part of the R&D effort towards the read out of pixel or small strip sensors in next generation HEP experiments. The preamplifier features outstanding noise performance given its wide bandwidth, with a ENC (equivalent noise charge) of about 350 electrons RMS with a detector of 1 pF capacitance. With proper filtering, the ENC drops to less than 200 electrons RMS. Power consumption is 5 mW for one channel, and the closed loop bandwith is about 180 MHz, for a risetime down to 2 ns in the fastest operation mode. Thanks to some freedom left to the user in setting the open loop gain, detectors with larger source capacitance can be read out without significant loss in bandwidth, being the rise time still 5.5 ns for a 5.6 pF detector. The output can drive a 50 Ω terminated transmission line. © 2012 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd and SISSA