Armenia after a decade of reform

Enrique Gelbar

Human single neuron activity precedes emergence of conscious perception

Identifying the neuronal basis of spontaneous changes in conscious experience in the absence of changes in the external environment is a major challenge. Binocular rivalry, in which two stationary monocular images lead to continuously changing perception, provides a unique opportunity to address this issue. We studied the activity of human single neurons in the medial temporal and frontal lobes while patients were engaged in binocular rivalry. Here we report that internal changes in the content of perception are signaled by very early (~-2000 ms) nonselective medial frontal activity, followed by selective activity of medial temporal lobe neurons that precedes the perceptual change by ~1000 ms. Such early activations are not found for externally driven perceptual changes. These results suggest that a medial fronto-temporal network may be involved in the preconscious internal generation of perceptual transitions

iCub visual memory inspector: Visualising the iCub’s thoughts

This paper describes the integration of multiple sensory recognition models created by a Synthetic Autobiographical Memory into a structured system. This structured system provides high level control of the overall architecture and interfaces with an iCub simulator based in Unity which provides a virtual space for the display of recollected events

Radical Solidarities in Punk and Queer Refusals of Safety and Inclusion Narratives in Planning

Recent call-outs against Ottawa punk venues have fueled public debates about safe space and the inclusivity of local music scenes. The Ottawa Music Strategy released in 2018 translated these debates into cultural development policy that links creative placemaking and safe space discourse. This article examines the civic response to activist call-outs by analyzing how the Ottawa Music Strategy integrates diversity and inclusion strategies into cultural policy, and how cultural policy and safe space policies intersect with cultural revitalization and economic development priorities in the Ottawa Official Plan. Punk counter-narratives developed through grounded ethnographic research in the Ottawa punk scene unsettle normative public safety narratives that frame punk spaces as unsafe. Place-based histories of anti-oppression tactics, logics, and traditions of punk space and activism contextualize alternative responses by local punk venues and promoters. Drawing upon literature in queer planning and queer geography and literature on intersections between radical queer and punk politics, spatialities, and identities, this article discusses punking planning in solidarity with queering planning through alternative community-based responses to issues of safety, inclusion, and participation

BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS DON’T RISE AFTER CORTISOL ADMINISTRATION IN ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE PATIENTS

A Letter to the Edito

Reassessing the cardiac box: A comprehensive evaluation of the relationship between thoracic gunshot wounds and cardiac injury

Background: High energy missiles can cause cardiac injury regardless of entrance site. This study assesses the adequacy of the anatomic borders of the current “cardiac box” to predict cardiac injury. Methods: Retrospective autopsy review was performed to identify patients with penetrating torso gunshot wounds 2011-2013. Using a circumferential grid system around the thorax, logistic regression analysis was performed to detect differences in rates of cardiac injury from entrance/exit wounds in the “cardiac box” vs. the same for entrance/exit wounds outside the box. Analysis was repeated to identify regions to compare risk of cardiac injury between the current cardiac box and other regions of the thorax. Results: Over the study period, 263 patients (89% male, mean age = 34 years, median injuries/person = 2) sustained 735 wounds [80% gunshot wounds (GSWs], and 239 patients with 620 GSWs were identified for study. Of these, 95 (34%) injured the heart. Of the 257 GSWs entering the cardiac box, 31% caused cardiac injury while 21% GSWs outside the cardiac box (n = 67) penetrated the heart, suggesting that the current “cardiac box” is a poor predictor of cardiac injury relative to the thoracic non-"cardiac box" regions [Relative Risk (RR) 0.96; p=0.82]. The regions from the anterior to posterior midline of the left thorax provided the highest positive predictive value (41%) with high sensitivity (90%) while minimizing false positives making this region the most statistically significant discriminator of cardiac injury (RR 2.9; p=0.01). Conclusion: For GSWs, the current cardiac box is inadequate to discriminate whether a gunshot wound will cause a cardiac injury. As expected, entrance wounds nearest to the heart are the most likely to result in cardiac injury, but, from a clinical standpoint, it is best to think outside the “box” for GSWs to the thorax

A LETTER TO THE EDITOR: VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY LEADS TO ELEVATED PTH LEVELS AND TO DECREASED BONE DENSITY

A LETTER TO THE EDITO

New and emerging trends in the treatment of atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition that affects 10% to 20% of children and 1% to 3% of adults in the US. Symptoms often result in sleeplessness, psychological stress, poor self-esteem, anxiety, and poor school or work performance. The cost of atopic dermatitis is estimated to be US$0.9 to 3.8 billion every year. Topical steroids are first-line treatment for atopic dermatitis, and recent advances in vehicle technologies have resulted in improved patient tolerability and compliance. Topical calcineurin inhibitors are also safe and effective topical treatments for atopic dermatitis, and provide an additional therapeutic option for patients with this disease. Systemic immunomodulators are used in the treatment of severe refractory disease. Cyclosporine, methotrexate, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil, and interferon gamma have been used in the management of severe atopic dermatitis. This review highlights the current and emerging trends in the treatment of atopic dermatitis

eInformatics@Austria – Grundlehre Informatik online mit 7 MOOCs

Im Projekt eInformatics@Austria erstellen fünf österreichische Universitäten Online-Kurse der Grundlehre Informatik. Ziel ist es, sieben qualitativ und künstlerisch hochwertige Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) zu entwickeln und online auf der Plattform iMooX anzubieten. Zielgruppen dieser MOOCs sind Studierende und Lehrende an deutschsprachigen Universitäten, begabte Schüler:innen und Lehrpersonen an Schulen, aber auch alle, die Interesse an Informatik-Basiswissen haben. Dieser Beitrag erklärt die Vorgangsweise bei der Entwicklung der MOOCs und erläutert die Erfahrungen und „Lessons Learned“ während der Entwurfs- und Fertigstellungsphase der MOOCs. Dieses Projekt wurde am 1. Juni 2023 im Rahmen einer Online-Veranstaltung des BMBWF präsentiert. Die Präsentationsunterlagen finden Sie hier