Neurochemical and behavioral features in genetic absence epilepsy and in acutely induced absence seizures

Contains fulltext : 121505.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)The absence epilepsy typical electroencephalographic pattern of sharp spikes and slow waves (SWDs) is considered to be due to an interaction of an initiation site in the cortex and a resonant circuit in the thalamus. The hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated cationic Ih pacemaker channels (HCN) play an important role in the enhanced cortical excitability. The role of thalamic HCN in SWD occurrence is less clear. Absence epilepsy in the WAG/Rij strain is accompanied by deficiency of the activity of dopaminergic system, which weakens the formation of an emotional positive state, causes depression-like symptoms, and counteracts learning and memory processes. It also enhances GABAA receptor activity in the striatum, globus pallidus, and reticular thalamic nucleus, causing a rise of SWD activity in the cortico-thalamo-cortical networks. One of the reasons for the occurrence of absences is that several genes coding of GABAA receptors are mutated. The question arises: what the role of DA receptors is. Two mechanisms that cause an infringement of the function of DA receptors in this genetic absence epilepsy model are proposed.49 p

UML Ninja: Automatic Assessment of Documentation and UML Practices in Open Source Projects

Assessment of software documentation practices in open source projects is important because, besides the source code, information regarding the open source project is in the documentation. Quality of documentation can help in determining the quality of the project. Goal: The goal of this paper is to automate the process of assessing the quality of documentation and UML in open source projects. Method: We conduct a design science research study and evaluate the outcome based on 14 interviews with researchers and practitioners. Result: The result of this paper is UML-Ninja, which is a web tool to automatically assesses quality of documentation in open source projects based on indicators. Conclusion: Both researchers and practitioners found the approach of UML-Ninja tool good and appropriate

UML Ninja: Automatic Assessment of Documentation and UML Practices in Open Source Projects

Assessment of software documentation practices in open source projects is important because, besides the source code, information regarding the open source project is in the documentation. Quality of documentation can help in determining the quality of the project. Goal: The goal of this paper is to automate the process of assessing the quality of documentation and UML in open source projects. Method: We conduct a design science research study and evaluate the outcome based on 14 interviews with researchers and practitioners. Result: The result of this paper is UML-Ninja, which is a web tool to automatically assesses quality of documentation in open source projects based on indicators. Conclusion: Both researchers and practitioners found the approach of UML-Ninja tool good and appropriate

Sexual selection and extinction in deer

By performing a comparative analysis and using phylogenetic relationships of the Cervidaefamily this study aimed to address whether or not sexual selection may play a role in the extinctionof species by making species more vulnerable to extinction. The role of sexual selection in makingspecies more vulnerable to extinction is largely unexplored, and several factors such as ecologicaland life history traits may increase the risk of extinction.In all species of the family Cervidae (Gilbert et al. 2006, Geist 1998,Groves and Grubb2011,Meijaardand Groves2004,Price et al. 2005, Goss 1983) sexually selected characters plays amain role in determining species status and thus potentially their probability of extinction. In thisstudy the intensity of sexual selection (measured as sexual size dimorphism, antler size and matingsystem) and the rate of extinction (IUCN classification and anthropogenic effect) were counted asfactors to determine the role of sexual selection intensity in both species-rich and species-poorclades.By using the programme MESQUITE and phylogenetic trees, the results show an associationbetween species with larger body size and dimorphism, living in open habitats and having largerantler size expanded to more than three tines; such species are mostly non-territorial and formharems during the rutting season. The small species are territorial, live in closed habitats, aremonomorphic and have small antler size limited to two tines or less. Moreover species that aremore subjected to habitat degradation and anthropogenic effects tend to become smaller in size.Extinction risk for the species-rich clades with small sized, territorial and small antler sizedspecies is lower than for those consisting of species with larger antler size, larger body size, livingin open habitats and using harems as mating system.To sum up, the intensity of sexual selection in larger species in deer family put them in risk ofextinction; but on the other site, small species are more adapted to the environment by choosingdifferent strategy in mating system, and reducing antler and body size thus diminishing theextinction risk

Environmental impact of war technology and prohibition processes

Nowadays humans struggle to supply and attain longer and more appropriate life time. Introducing new technologies, which, speeded up by modernization and industrialization, is the main subject in many branches of science to improve the human’s life; but this rate of innovation is not always pleasurable. As seen in many cases, side effects of using new technology come up as warning signs, and lead to huge environmental and humanitarian disaster with irreversible impact. Moreover, most of these technologies might be applied in different kinds of warfare where nations use high-Tech as tools to reach other’s resources and raise their economic benefits. As in most wars that happened in the world, updated technologies have been applied to overcome the combatant, which finally shows up as damages on the environment, economy, civilians and soldiers. In this study we reviewed the reasons of shaping warfare and its consequences in different aspects of environment, civilians, soldiers and economy. The questions I followed to answer were: What are those main factors that induced by technology to form different kinds of warfare? And, can technology be altered as a tool to make a war more environmentally friendly? To answer these two main questions, we need to know reasons for shaping warfare a) Economy, b) Ideological/religious, and c) Power/pride/love which raise many theories such as Economic, Behavioural, Evolutionary, Demographic, Rational, and Political science theory. In 1990 members of the committee of environmental issue discussed development of technology in the future which should follow by consideration of global environmental issue. Therefore, new technology should bring solution to environmental problems. Nowadays technology creates some kind of competition, not only in combat, but also in cold war. According to reviews of many studies, the harshness of war increases and the aftermath becomes more severe on the environment and societies, consequently irreversible rehabilitation in short and long term. Applied technologies in some warfare have been considered by their impact on natural and human environment. As a case study I considered the recent war in Libya and its consequences, not only in the country, but also its impact on other nations and neighbours as well. Strict international laws is needed to explicit and declare the rights of each individual and nation to prevent and ban any activities in the term of war crime. Also groups of authentic authorities should set up to conduct an investigation into each activity in countries and survey on introduced technologies to ensure them about their result and consequences. Finally some reviews were released about how international committees and conventions, declarations and agreement has been set to prevent and prohibit crime in wars, and some international laws has been brought to guide nations about their rights and responsibility against each other

Andraspråkselevers upplevelser, deras svårigheter och frånvaro i biologi-/naturkunskapsämnet

Sedan början av 1980-talet har Sverige haft Europas största flyktinginvandring per capita. Den ökade invandringen har lett till stor inverkan på den svenska skolan. I varje skola och varje klass sitter några som har utländsk bakgrund och ett annat modersmål än svenska. Därför krävs ändrade förutsättningar i klasserna. Läraren, skolpolitiker och skolledaren behöver diskutera djupare och förbereda nya undervisningsmetoder, förhållningssätt, lämplig pedagogik etc. Det kräver ett tydliggörande av vilka faktorer som är betydelsefulla i språkinlärningen av andraspråkselever och hur lärarna kan anpassa sin undervisning till elevens behov och svårigheter. I denna uppsats granskas problemen för andraspråkselever i undervisningen av biologiämnet på gymnasieskolan. Genom en enkätundersökning lyfts problem och hinder som både lärare och andraspråkselever står inför i undervisningen av biologi-/naturkunskapsämnet. En gynnsam relation med elever, anpassade undervisningmetoder och kravet på ett bedömningssystem som inte bara är baserat på svenska språket, är sådan professionell hjälp som påverkar andraspråkselevers studieframgång. Elevernas svårigheter i biologi-/naturkunskapsämnet, vilket är ett begreppsbaserat ämne, visar hur språkförståelse påverkar elevernas prestation och frånvaro. Biologiämnet innebär både praktiska undersökningar och en teoretisk del. Analysen av resultatet i de två delarna och av resultaten i fråga om elevernas delaktighet, visar att brister i språket begränsar deras studieframgång och ökar andraspråkselevers frånvaro. Dessutom visar analysen att praktiska undersökningar och ett väl planerat grupparbete kan motivera andraspråkselever i utvecklingen av kunskaper och förbättring i skolresultat. Därtill spelar en trygg miljö i skolan och klassrummet en stor roll för att höja intresse och motivation hos andraspråkselever inför vidare studier samt ger en minskning i långvarig frånvaro. Andraspråkselevers framtid, kultur och kunskap är knutna till framtiden för Sverige, och deras aktiviteter kan senare ha både positiv och negativ påverkan på samhället. Brist i språkkunskap utestänger människor med utländsk bakgrund från den svenska arbetsmarknaden. Svårigheten att komma in på arbetsmarknaden leder till att deras barn presterar sämre i skolan och får därmed svårt att komma in på arbetsmarknaden senare. Med hjälp av högre utbildning och utveckling av deras tankar, insikter och kunskaper kan vi skapa ett bättre samhälle, med en blandning av olika kulturer

Sexual selection and extinction in deer

By performing a comparative analysis and using phylogenetic relationships of the Cervidaefamily this study aimed to address whether or not sexual selection may play a role in the extinctionof species by making species more vulnerable to extinction. The role of sexual selection in makingspecies more vulnerable to extinction is largely unexplored, and several factors such as ecologicaland life history traits may increase the risk of extinction.In all species of the family Cervidae (Gilbert et al. 2006, Geist 1998,Groves and Grubb2011,Meijaardand Groves2004,Price et al. 2005, Goss 1983) sexually selected characters plays amain role in determining species status and thus potentially their probability of extinction. In thisstudy the intensity of sexual selection (measured as sexual size dimorphism, antler size and matingsystem) and the rate of extinction (IUCN classification and anthropogenic effect) were counted asfactors to determine the role of sexual selection intensity in both species-rich and species-poorclades.By using the programme MESQUITE and phylogenetic trees, the results show an associationbetween species with larger body size and dimorphism, living in open habitats and having largerantler size expanded to more than three tines; such species are mostly non-territorial and formharems during the rutting season. The small species are territorial, live in closed habitats, aremonomorphic and have small antler size limited to two tines or less. Moreover species that aremore subjected to habitat degradation and anthropogenic effects tend to become smaller in size.Extinction risk for the species-rich clades with small sized, territorial and small antler sizedspecies is lower than for those consisting of species with larger antler size, larger body size, livingin open habitats and using harems as mating system.To sum up, the intensity of sexual selection in larger species in deer family put them in risk ofextinction; but on the other site, small species are more adapted to the environment by choosingdifferent strategy in mating system, and reducing antler and body size thus diminishing theextinction risk

Kurderna och demokratin : En fallstudie av Kurderna och strävan efter demokrati i Iran

“Freedom isn't free”; an English expression that Kurds in Iran used it during Iranian revolution (1979) in a new context: a nation who wants freedom and democracy, must pay the price.This study describes what the Kurds as minority have done for freedom and democratization during the Iranian revolution; it analyses later what have the Iranian Kurds get paid. Kurdish question in Iran after the last revolution is the central question here. The purpose is to answer why the revolution as a political opportunity didn’t offer or provide the Kurds demands. The study explains why political situation in Iranian Kurdistan changed for the “worse” after revolution while they participated in the uprising with their hands and hoped for the “best”.A qualitative case study that proceeds Will Kymlicka's theory about minority rights and Robert Dahl's theory of democracy to examine the degree of both the Kurds' capacity to democratize their territory and to describe in-depth understanding of the ability of revolution and the new government to deal with Kurdish question democratically.2023-01-20</p