Ambient light modulation of exogenous attention to threat

Planet Earth’s motion yields a 50 % day–50 % night yearly balance in every latitude or longitude, so survival must be guaranteed in very different light conditions in many species, including human. Cone- and rod-dominant vision, respectively specialized in light and darkness, present several processing differences, which are—at least partially—reflected in event-related potentials (ERPs). The present experiment aimed at characterizing exogenous attention to threatening (spiders) and neutral (wheels) distractors in two environmental light conditions, low mesopic (L, 0.03 lx) and high mesopic (H, 6.5 lx), yielding a differential photoreceptor activity balance: rod > cone and rod < cone, respectively. These distractors were presented in the lower visual hemifield while the 40 participants were involved in a digit categorization task. Stimuli, both targets (digits) and distractors, were exactly the same in L and H. Both ERPs and behavioral performance in the task were recorded. Enhanced attentional capture by salient distractors was observed regardless of ambient light level. However, ERPs showed a differential pattern as a function of ambient light. Thus, significantly enhanced amplitude to salient distractors was observed in posterior P1 and early anterior P2 (P2a) only during the H context, in late P2a during the L context, and in occipital P3 during both H and L contexts. In other words, while exogenous attention to threat was equally efficient in light and darkness, cone-dominant exogenous attention was faster than rod-dominant, in line with previous data indicating slower processing times for rod- than for cone-dominant visionThis research was supported by the Grants PSI2014-54853-P and PSI2012-37090 from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain (MINECO

\u201cThe implementation of a national register in Italy as a response to the 2010/64 EU Directive on Interpreting and Translating in the Legal Sector\u201d

This paper describes the implementation of a simplified register for Interpreters in the legal sector that is currently in a pilot phase. The implementation of the register is one strand of the LEGAII project that has recently been implemented at the University of Bologna and which aims to establish a model for a system of professional certification and accreditation of qualified LIs. The register provides a concrete tool to improve a situation that does not guarantee basic civil rights for non-Italian speakers involved in criminal proceedings as well as being a response to the European directive. The register will also be created and tested in strict collaboration with local legal institutions with whom we have already collaborated. Legal interpreting, EU Directive, Interpreter register, integratio

Medical Interpreting – A Race against Time

There are several factors that make medical interpreting particularly difficult, ranging from the emotional burden interpreters have to bear to terminological problems, from ethical issues to role confusion and relational complications. Interpreting tasks are made even more complicated by time constraints. In emergency situations time may even be a matter of life and death, so finding ways to avoid the wasting time is essential. This paper looks at ways new technologies are currently used to improve medical interpreters’ reaction times in the most advanced countries in this field (US, UK, Australia and Canada) and in the three countries participating in the ReACTMe project: Spain, Romania and Italy. The situation is examined from the point of view of the advantages and risks of using remote interpreting in medical settings, of the availability and efficiency of existing tools, and, last but not least, of the possible improvements in the countries of our project. The aim is to identify and disseminate methods and practices that can aid healthcare institutions and provide the basis for new training programmes that make full use of the different modes of remote interpreting