Transcriptional regulation of copper metabolism genes in the liver of fetal and neonatal control and iron-deficient rats

Acknowledgments The authors’ work is supported by Scottish Government (Rural and Environmental Scientific and Analytical Services). We are grateful to Ms Val Stevens for analytical and technical assistance and to the Biological Resource Facility staff for husbandry and maintenance of the experimental animals. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Architecture and building. Metanarratives of architecture

The paper presents an outlook on the entire creative designing in architecture, defined as arranging space according to human needs. The categories of the Vitruvian Triad and Post-Modern Meaning and Ecology are applied here to analyze architectural works. Individual authors in particular cases and in varied proportions apply the factors resulting from these categories, depending on their creative attitude, ability, fashion, view of the world and so on. Common threads may be discerned in individual creations that form broader narratives in time. Two distinctly different and contrasting timeless meta-narratives emerge, named here Architecture and Building. The two lasting general tendencies define edges of the research area encompassing all actions and works of architecture. Historical and contemporary examples are described as belonging to the both meta-narratives

Architecture of the battlefields. A typology

The paper deals with artefacts – material works of architecture and sculpture – that are raised on battlefields to commemorate a military action, a victory, or a single hero. In the Mediaeval times churches and chapels were built on battlefields devoted to God in gratitude for victory, places of prayer for the fallen. The 19th c. in its rationalism operated with sculptural creations sometimes at a large architectural scale. Objects often were representations of meritorious persons. The 20th c. commemorates the victims with large cemetery complexes and monumental building arrays. Works dated in the 21st c. relate to situations of earlier history and no more are traditional figural monuments but try to create a spatial system of multisensory influence on the viewer. The paper presents cases of battlefields commonly concerned as historically most important. Existing commemorative arrays are characterized and their typology is proposed. Reflections on political manipulation with meaning and form of a monument are raised

Equilateral triangle and the Holy Trinity

The paper deals with architectural space designed and/or built on an equilateral triangular plan, and designated for a sacred function. The author discusses the exceptional features of equilateral triangle in comparison to other central layouts. The visual attractiveness of this geometrical shape is stressed. The architectural space built on this figure has a strong semantic potential in Christian culture in Europe, since a sacred object using such a shape is associated in an easy and unambiguous manner, which also points to the popularity of patrocinium of the Holy Trinity, as well as that of the Virgin and Child with St. Anne, among the analysed structures. A comprehensive catalogue is presented of sacred objects based on an equilateral triangular plan, which have been identified in the European culture area, and were created in the period between the 12th century and contemporary times. At the nexus of the Eastern and Western Church, which differentiate their teachings in terms of interpreting the Holy Trinity (the problem of Filioque), the patrocinium and the erection of temples in the form discussed here has an exceptional meaning, especially if these shrines belong to the Uniate Church, which merges Catholicism and the Orthodox church. The types of the corner detailing have been analysed

Modulation of attention and stress with arousal: The mental and physical effects of riding a motorcycle

Existing theories suggest that moderate arousal improves selective attention, as would be expected in the context of competitive sports or sensation-seeking activities. Here we investigated how riding a motorcycle, an attention-demanding physical activity, affects sensory processing. To do so, we implemented the passive auditory oddball paradigm and measured the EEG response of participants as they rode a motorcycle, drove a car, and sat at rest. Specifically, we measured the N1 and mismatch negativity to auditory tones, as well as alpha power during periods of no tones. We investigated whether riding and driving modulated non-CNS metrics including heart rate and concentrations of the hormones epinephrine, cortisol, DHEA-S, and testosterone. While participants were riding, we found a decrease in N1 amplitude, increase in mismatch negativity, and decrease in relative alpha power, together suggesting enhancement of sensory processing and visual attention. Riding increased epinephrine levels, increased heart rate, and decreased the ratio of cortisol to DHEA-S. Together, these results suggest that riding increases focus, heightens the brain’s passive monitoring of changes in the sensory environment, and alters HPA axis response. More generally, our findings suggest that selective attention and sensory monitoring seem to be separable neural processes

Beyond the Beta Rebound: Post-Task Responses in Oscillatory Activity follow Cessation of Working Memory Processes

Post-task responses (PTRs) are transitionary responses occurring for several seconds between the end of a stimulus/task and a period of rest. The most well-studied of these are beta band (13 – 30 Hz) PTRs in motor networks following movement, often called post-movement beta rebounds, which have been shown to differ in patients with schizophrenia and autism. Previous studies have proposed that beta PTRs reflect inhibition of task-positive networks to enable a return to resting brain activity, scaling with cognitive demand and reflecting cortical self-regulation. It is unknown whether PTRs are a phenomenon of the motor system, or whether they are a more general self-modulatory property of cortex that occur following cessation of higher cognitive processes as well as movement. To test this, we recorded magnetoencephalography (MEG) responses in 20 healthy participants to a working-memory task, known to recruit cortical networks associated with higher cognition. Our results revealed PTRs in the theta, alpha and beta bands across many regions of the brain, including the dorsal attention network (DAN) and lateral visual regions. These PTRs increased significantly (p < 0.05) in magnitude with working-memory load, an effect which is independent of oscillatory modulations occurring over the task period as well as those following individual stimuli. Furthermore, we showed that PTRs are functionally related to reaction times in left lateral visual (p < 0.05) and left parietal (p < 0.1) regions, while the oscillatory responses measured during the task period are not. Importantly, motor PTRs following button presses did not modulate with task condition, suggesting that PTRs in different networks are driven by different aspects of cognition. Our findings show that PTRs are not limited to motor networks but are widespread in regions which are recruited during the task. We provide evidence that PTRs have unique properties, scaling with cognitive load and correlating significantly with behaviour. Based on the evidence, we suggest that PTRs inhibit task-positive network activity to enable a transition to rest, however, further investigation is required to uncover their role in neuroscience and pathology