The Relationship of Skin Conductance to Behavior in a Vigilance Task

The present study is an attempt to measure the correlation between vigilance , as indicated by signal detection, and the galvanic skin response (GSR). The following four dependent variables were measured: (a) Galvanic skin response (continuously recorded, although discrete values were later selected for measurement); (b) ommission errors (where S fails to detect a signal which has occurred); (c) commission errors (or false detections , where S detects a signal which has not in fact occurred); and (d) reaction times to signals. The major purpose of the present study was, in part, to replicate the Ross, Dardano, and Hackman study utilizing more sophisticated equipment and larger number of subjects and, by taking continuous GSR measurements, to more exhaustively test major hypothesis that a relationship exists between the galvanic skin response and vigilance

Térképek az elmében – Gondolatok a kognitív térképezésről

Hosszú távollét után a hazatérés a gyermekkori otthonba, erőteljes és visszatérő motívuma mind az irodalomnak, mind a popzenének. Thomas Wolfe írásában a hazafelé tartó vonat zakatolása egy sor emlékképet idéz fel, amelyek a férfi szülővárosát keltik életre. Az emberek nagy részének már volt része hasonló élményben, noha nem mindenkinek adatott meg a képesség, hogy ilyen érzékletesen öntse szavakba. Mégis, ha az ember becsukja a szemét, és felidézi gondolatait s érzelmeit a hazatéréssel kapcsolatosan, arra kényszerül majd, hogy belássa, Wolfe-nak igaza van abban, hogy „soha többé nem térhetsz haza”. 1 A mondás, hogy „sehol sem olyan, mint otthon” ,2 olyannyira elcsépelt, hogy már észre sem vesszük kettős jelentését. Egyfelől igaz, hogy az otthon egy olyan biztos pont, amelyen meggyőződéseink és érzelmeink egy része alapszik, másfelől pedig be kell látnunk, hogy már nem létezik olyan hely, amely azonos volna, vagy egyáltalán hasonlítana arra az otthonra, amelyet emlékeinkben őrzünk. Az a világ, amelyben felnőttél, amely részeddé vált, és amelyre olyan élén- kén emlékszel, nincs többé. Az általad konstruált kép nem egyezik meg azzal a világgal, amelyet magad körül látsz. Eltűnt a kis sarki bolt, „Mama és Papa vegyesboltja”. Az elburjánzott park helyébe, ahol valaha játszottál, takaros kertes házakat húztak fel. Már nem léteznek azok az utcák és sikátorok, amelyeken iskolába jártál. A város több ízben átalakult, amióta eljöttél otthonról. Az emlékeid immáron elavultak, alapjaikban inogtak meg

Conceptualizing Landscapes: A Comparative Study of Landscape Categories with Navajo and English-speaking Participants

Abstract. Understanding human concepts, spatial and other, is not only one of the most prominent topics in the cognitive and spatial sciences; it is also one of the most challenging. While it is possible to focus on specific aspects of our spatial environment and abstract away complexities for experimental purposes, it is important to understand how cognition in the wild or at least with complex stimuli works, too. The research presented in this paper addresses emerging topics in the area of landscape conceptualization and explicitly uses a diversity fostering approach to uncover potentials, challenges, complexities, and patterns in human landscape concepts. Based on a representation of different landscapes (images) responses from two different populations were elicited: Navajo and the (US) crowd. Our data provides support for the idea of conceptual pluralism; we can confirm that participant responses are far from random and that, also diverse, patterns exist that allow for advancing our understanding of human spatial cognition with complex stimuli

Development of a Clinical Guide to Enhance Care for Suicidal Patients

Suicidal thoughts and behavior are common among mental health patients and are a source of stress for clinicians, who typically receive limited formal training on suicide. The U.S. Air Force initiated a project to enhance care and increase practitioner confidence when working with suicidal patients. A clinical guide was developed containing 18 recommendations for assessing and managing suicidality, strategies for meeting the recommendations, and clinical tools to facilitate quality care. Training opportunities and marketing efforts accompanied distribution of the guide. This initial article reviews the guide\u27s development, content, and evaluation plan as a model that other health care systems, clinics, or training programs can follow to enhance care for suicidal patients. Outcome data will be presented in a follow-up article

Creating Learning Environments More Supportive of Diversity: An Ongoing Working Group

At EDRA 31 in San Francisco we convened a working group to discuss issues related to creating learning environments more supportive of diversity. It has been five years since we last met. We believe it is time to revisit the issues of diversity in the leammg environment to see what gains we have made, if any, and what more we can do

The c-Met receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor MP470 radiosensitizes glioblastoma cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Purpose</p> <p>Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is resistant to current cytotoxic therapies, in part because of enhanced DNA repair. Activation of the receptor tyrosine kinase c-Met has been shown to protect cancer cells from DNA damage. We hypothesized that inhibiting c-Met would decrease this protection and thus sensitize resistant tumor cells to the effects of radiation therapy.</p> <p>Materials and methods</p> <p>Eight human GBM cell lines were screened for radiosensitivity to the small-molecule c-Met inhibitor MP470 with colony-count assays. Double-strand (ds) DNA breaks was quantified by using antibodies to gamma H2AX. Western blotting demonstrate expression of RAD51, glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β, and other proteins. A murine xenograft tumor flank model was used for <it>in vivo </it>radiosensitization studies.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>MP470 reduced c-Met phosphorylation and enhanced radiation-induced cell kill by 0.4 logs in SF767 cells. Cells pretreated with MP470 had more ds DNA damage than cells treated with radiation alone. Mechanistically, MP470 was shown to inhibit dsDNA break repair and increase apoptosis. MP470 influences various survival and DNA repair related proteins such as pAKT, RAD51 and GSK3β. <it>In vivo</it>, the addition of MP470 to radiation resulted in a tumor-growth-delay enhancement ratio of 2.9 over radiation alone and extended survival time.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>GBM is a disease site where radiation is often used to address both macroscopic and microscopic disease. Despite attempts at dose escalation outcomes remain poor. MP470, a potent small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor of c-Met, radiosensitized several GBM cell lines both <it>in vitro </it>and <it>in vivo</it>, and may help to improve outcomes for patients with GBM.</p

The alpha(2)delta auxiliary subunit reduces affinity of omega-conotoxins for recombinant N-type (Ca(v)2.2) calcium channels

The omega-conotoxins from fish-hunting cone snails are potent inhibitors of voltage-gated calcium channels. The omega-conotoxins MVIIA and CVID are selective N-type calcium channel inhibitors with potential in the treatment of chronic pain. The beta and alpha(2)delta-1 auxiliary subunits influence the expression and characteristics of the alpha(1B) subunit of N-type channels and are differentially regulated in disease states, including pain. In this study, we examined the influence of these auxiliary subunits on the ability of the omega-conotoxins GVIA, MVIIA, CVID and analogues to inhibit peripheral and central forms of the rat N-type channels. Although the beta3 subunit had little influence on the on- and off-rates of omega-conotoxins, coexpression of alpha(2)delta with alpha(1B) significantly reduced on- rates and equilibrium inhibition at both the central and peripheral isoforms of the N-type channels. The alpha(2)delta also enhanced the selectivity of MVIIA, but not CVID, for the central isoform. Similar but less pronounced trends were also observed for N-type channels expressed in human embryonic kidney cells. The influence of alpha(2)delta was not affected by oocyte deglycosylation. The extent of recovery from the omega-conotoxin block was least for GVIA, intermediate for MVIIA, and almost complete for CVID. Application of a hyperpolarizing holding potential ( - 120 mV) did not significantly enhance the extent of CVID recovery. Interestingly, [R10K] MVIIA and [O10K] GVIA had greater recovery from the block, whereas [K10R] CVID had reduced recovery from the block, indicating that position 10 had an important influence on the extent of omega-conotoxin reversibility. Recovery from CVID block was reduced in the presence of alpha(2)delta in human embryonic kidney cells and in oocytes expressing alpha(1B-b). These results may have implications for the antinociceptive properties of omega-conotoxins, given that the alpha(2)delta subunit is up-regulated in certain pain states