Comparative Analysis of the Effects of Actual Versus Assumed Opioid Experience on the Regulation of Ventral Striatal Opioid Receptor Gene Expression

Rationale: We conducted experiments to assess the effect of prior opioid experience on gene expression changes. We compared the current experimenter-imposed short versus extended-access conditions of opioid self-administration and developed a new quantitative method to determine their effectiveness in identifying the role of opioid experience in regulating opioid receptor expression levels in the ventral striatum (VS) using an oxycodone self-administration/abstinence model. Methods: In this study, male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=36) were trained for 20 days to self-administer oxycodone at 0.1 mg/kg/infusion under short access (n=15, or saline as controls n=3, for 3h/day) or extended access (n=15, or saline as controls n=3, for up to 9h/day). After 31 days of abstinence, the animals were sacrificed, 8and PCR was used to evaluate mu- and kappa-opioid receptor (MOR and KOR) gene expression levels in the ventral striatum (VS). Biochemical/behavioral profiles of short versus extended access conditions were compared using current methods and a new quantitative model based on normal mixtures clustering analysis. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and regression analysis to explore the relationship between opioid experience and VS opioid receptor expression levels Results: Our study found that experimenter-determined grouping was inadequate in representing opioid experience and failed to identify distinct biochemical/behavioral groups. However, our quantitative model identified two distinct biochemical/behavioral types related to experience, revealing significant differences in the relationship between opioid experience and MOR/KOR expression and their interactions. Conclusion: The quantitative model is more sensitive than the current experimenter-determined approach in studying the effect of prior opioid experience on VS opioid receptor gene expression

Otevřené hranice a jejich nepřátelé? K současné diskusi v rámci teorie migrace

Autor se zabývá současnou diskusí, jež probíhá v rámci normativní teorie migrace, a problematikou otevřených hranic coby bytostně liberálním konceptem, v jehož pozadí se střetávají hodnoty univerzalistického liberalismu s požadavky členů zakotvených politických komunit. V první části článku nastiňuje revizi stěžejních normativních pozic v soudobém politicko-filosofickém diskursu o migraci a upozorňuje na liberální podstatu legitimizačních strategií proponentů i oponentů otevřených hranic. V návaznosti na podstatné kosmopolitní implikace, jež se s argumentací ve prospěch otevřených hranic pojí, pak ve druhé části článku představuje dva vzájemně komplementární návrhy zohledňující východiska liberálních univerzalistů i partikularistů. Tyto návrhy se týkají (i) podmínek úspěšné integrace migrantů a (ii) nápravy demokratického deficitu v kolektivním rozhodování o propustnosti hranic, v jejímž důsledku by došlo k zahrnutí migrantů do deliberativního procesu.The author examines the discussion currently taking place in the framework of the normative theory of migration, and the issue of open borders as a fundamentally liberal concept, one in whose background the values of universalist liberalism clash with the demands of members of bounded political communities. The first part of the article briefly reviews the key normative positions in the contemporary political-philosophical discourse regarding migration and draws attention to the liberal basis of the legitimizing strategies of proponents and opponents of open borders. In connection with the inherent cosmopolitan implications that are associated with arguments in favour of open borders, the author presents in the second part of the article two mutually complementary approaches that take into consideration the starting points of liberal universalists and particularists. These approaches concern (i) the conditions for the successful integration of migrants and (ii) the remedying of the democratic deficit in collective decision-making as regards border permeability, the result of which would be the inclusion of migrants in the deliberative process

The Social Power of Regret:The Effect of Social Appraisal and Anticipated Emotions on Fair and Unfair Allocations in Resource Dilemmas

We investigated how another person’s emotions about resource allocation decisions influence observers’ resource allocations by influencing the emotions that observers anticipate feeling if they were to act in the same way. Participants were exposed to an exemplar who made a fair or unfair division in an economic game and expressed pride or regret about this decision. Participants then made their own resource allocation decisions. Exemplar regret about acting fairly decreased the incidence of fair behavior (Studies 1A and 1B). Likewise, exemplar regret about acting unfairly increased the incidence of fair behavior (Study 2). The effect of others’ emotions on observers’ behavior was mediated by the observers’ anticipated emotions. We discuss our findings in light of the view that social appraisal and anticipated emotions are important tools for social learning and may contribute to the formation and maintenance of social norms about greed and fairness

Model-Driven Automatic Question Generation for a Gamified Clinical Guideline Training System

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are a cornerstone of modern medical practice since they summarize the vast medical literature and provide care recommendations based on the current best evidence. However, there are barriers to CPG utilization such as lack of awareness and lack of familiarity of the CPGs by clinicians due to ineffective CPG dissemination and implementation. This calls for research into effective and scalable CPG dissemination strategies that will improve CPG awareness and familiarity. We describe a model-driven approach to design and develop a gamified e-learning system for clinical guidelines where the training questions are generated automatically. We also present the prototype developed using this approach. We use models for different aspects of the system, an entity model for the clinical domain, a workflow model for the clinical processes and a game engine to generate and manage the training sessions. We employ gamification to increase user motivation and engagement in the training of guideline content. We conducted a limited formative evaluation of the prototype system and the users agreed that the system would be a useful addition to their training. Our proposed approach is flexible and adaptive as it allows for easy updates of the guidelines, integration with different device interfaces and representation of any guideline.acceptedVersio

Abnormal cortical sensorimotor activity during “Target” sound detection in subjects with acute acoustic trauma sequelae: an fMRI study

The most common consequences of acute acoustic trauma (AAT) are hearing loss at frequencies above 3 kHz and tinnitus. In this study, we have used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to visualize neuronal activation patterns in military adults with AAT and various tinnitus sequelae during an auditory “oddball” attention task. AAT subjects displayed overactivities principally during reflex of target sound detection, in sensorimotor areas and in emotion-related areas such as the insula, anterior cingulate and prefrontal cortex, in premotor area, in cross-modal sensory associative areas, and, interestingly, in a region of the Rolandic operculum that has recently been shown to be involved in tympanic movements due to air pressure. We propose further investigations of this brain area and fine middle ear investigations, because our results might suggest a model in which AAT tinnitus may arise as a proprioceptive illusion caused by abnormal excitability of middle-ear muscle spindles possibly link with the acoustic reflex and associated with emotional and sensorimotor disturbances

Avances en Sistemas y Computación

Libro intitulado Avances en Sistemas y ComputaciónEl pasado mes de mayo en el Centro Universitario UAEM Valle de México, se convocó a diversos autores a que nos enviaran sus trabajos de investigación. Como resultado se creo este volumen, en el que se presentan avances en las áreas de ciencias de la Computación y de Sistemas de Comunicación. Se recopilan trabajos sobre: Electrónica, Inteligencia Artíficial, Procesamiento Digital de Imágenes, Minería de Datos, entre otras. El desarrollo e investigación tecnológica es primordial para el avance de una institución de educación superior, pues impulsa a estar actualizados y que los estudiantes tengan oportunidad de realizar investigación con el apoyo de expertos. El presente volumen es un ejemplo de un medio que busca concentrar los resultados de investigación, para hacerlos disponibles a la comunidad de expertos en el campo de las ciencias de la computación. La recopilación de los trabajos se realizó con apertura a las instituciones y grupos de investigación interesados en exponer su trabajo y así participar en el avance de la tecnología. Esta recopilación se presenta para dar espacio de divulgación a resultados de investigación que se relizan en diversas instituciones. Se buscó seleccionarlos para que cumplieran con requerimentos de calidad y profundidad que aportaran en sus distantas áreas. Se seleccionaron trabajos que tratan temas que son de interes actual. Como objetivo se planteó que todos los artículos dieran resultados o propuestas originales. Que den al lector un paranorama amplio y claro sobre los temas. Los compiladores de la obra somos miembros del cuerpo académico de "Inteligencia Computacional" que integra profesores-investigadores que estamos interesados en la divulgación y desarrollo del campo de las ciencias de la computación, y que con esta obra esperamos aportar en su desarrollo

Cortical Representation of Tympanic Membrane Movements due to Pressure Variation: An fMRI Study

Middle ear sensory information has never been localized in the homunculus of the somatosensory cortex (S1). We investigated the somatosensory representation of the middle ear in 15 normal hearing subjects. We applied small air pressure variations to the tympanic membrane while performing a 3T-fMRI study. Unilateral stimulations of the right ear triggered bilateral activations in the caudal part of the postcentral gyrus in Brodmann area 43 (BA 43) and in the auditory associative areas 42 (BA 42) and 22 (BA 22). BA 43 has been found to be involved in activities accompanying oral intake and could be more largely involved in pressure activities in the oropharynx area. The tympanic membrane is indirectly related to the pharynx area through the action of tensor tympani, which is a Eustachian tube muscle. The Eustachian tube muscles have a role in pressure equalization in the middle ear and also have a role in the pharyngeal phase of swallowing. Activation of BA 42 and BA 22 could reflect activations associated with the bilateral acoustic reflex triggered prior to self-vocalization to adjust air pressure in the oropharynx during speech. We propose that BA 43, 42, and 22 are the cortical areas associated with middle ear function. We did not find representation of tympanic membrane movements due to pressure in S1, but its representation in the postcentral gyrus in BA 43 seems to suggest that at least part of this area conveys pure somatosensory information

O crescimento da indústria brasileira de estruturas metálicas e o boom da construção civil: um panorama do período 2001-2010

Bibliografia: p. 81-83Este artigo aborda alguns dos principais aspectos da indústria brasileira de estruturas metálicas, desde as características da cadeia produtiva nacional até as perspectivas de investimento para o período 2012-2014, passando pelo panorama mundial, pela inserção dos produtores brasileiros no comércio internacional e pelo papel do BNDES no financiamento aos investimentos do setor. Mostra-se que há grande potencial de crescimento dessa indústria no Brasil, em parte por conta das características técnicas de seus principais produtos, em parte em função da recente boa evolução da economia brasileira, em especial quanto à construção civil. Esse setor em sendo impulsionado pela ampliação do acesso ao crédito, pelo crescimento do PIB, por programas públicos de combate ao déficit habitacional e pelas obras relacionadas à futura realização de dois grandes eventos esportivos