Imaging physiological brain activity and epilepsy with Electrical Impedance Tomography

Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) allows reconstructing conductivity changes into images. EIT detects fast impedance changes occurring over milliseconds, due to ion channel opening, and slow impedance changes, appearing in seconds, due to cell swelling/increased blood flow. The purpose of this work was to examine the feasibility of using EIT for imaging a gyrencephalic brain with implanted depth electrodes during seizures. Chapter 1 summarises the principles of EIT. In Chapter 2, it is investigated whether recent technical improvements could enable EIT to image slow impedance changes upon visual stimulation non-invasively. This was unsuccessful so the remaining studies were undertaken on intracranial recordings. Chapter 3 presents a computer modelling study using data from patients, for whom the detection of simulated seizure-onset perturbations for both, fast and slow impedance changes, were improved with EIT compared to stereotactic electroencephalography (SEEG) detection or EEG inverse-source modelling. Chapter 4 describes the development of a portable EIT system that could be used on patients. The system does not require averaging and post-hoc signal processing to remove switching artefacts, which was the case previously. Chapter 5 describes the use of the optimised method in chemically-induced focal epilepsy in anaesthetised pigs implanted with depth electrodes. This shows for the first time EIT was capable of producing reproducible images of the onset and spread of seizure-related slow impedance changes in real-time. Chapter 6 presents a study on imaging ictal/interictal-related fast impedance changes. The feasibility of reconstructing ictal-related impedance changes is demonstrated for one pig and interictal-related impedance changes were recorded for the first time in humans. Chapter 7 summarises all work and future directions. Overall, this work suggests EIT in combination with SEEG has a potential to improve the diagnostic yield in epilepsy and demonstrates EIT can be performed safely and ethically creating a foundation for further clinical trials

Geochemistry of Middle Jurassic mudstones (Kraków-Częstochowa area, southern Poland) : interpretation of the depositional redox conditions

Middle Bathonian iron-bearing dark grey mudstones and claystones from the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland (southrn Poland) were subjected to geochemical and mineralogical study in order to evaluate palaeo-redox conditions of their deposition and diagenesis. They are mainly composed of kaolinite, with smaller amounts of other clay minerals and detrital quartz. Organic matter is composed of type III and/or IV kerogen and its \delta ^{13}C is between -23 and -24‰, suggesting a mainly terrigenous source, with a possible admixture of marine input. Most geochemical parameters: (total organic carbon) TOC/S, U/Th, Ni/Co, V/Cr, (Cu+Mo)/Zn ratios, authigenic uranium content, and Fe-TOC-S relation ship, indicate deposition under oxygenated bottom water conditions. By contrast, DOP (degree of pyritization) and V/V+Ni indices suggest a dysoxic environment. However, DOP probably reflects redox conditions in the sediment during diagenesis rather than in the over laying water column. The composition of the organic matter and the domination of pyrite euhedra over framboids in dicates that the V/V+Ni ratio may not be reliable for determination of redox conditions in the rocks studied. There is no significant difference between the geochemical indices of host rocks with nodules and those without them

Book review: A. Wołowicz-Ruszkowska, Zanikanie. Trajektorie tożsamości kobiet z niepełnosprawnością, Wydawnictwo Akademii Pedagogiki Specjalnej, Warszawa 2013

abstraktabstrak

Implementacja rezolucji Rady Bezpieczeństwa Organizacji Narodów Zjednoczonych w świetle prawa Unii Europejskiej. Wybrane zagadnienia systemowe

Z wprowadzenia: "W literaturze politologicznej i prawnomiędzynarodowej coraz częściej zwraca się uwagę na ważną rolę, jaką Unia Europejska (UE) odgrywa w systemie zbiorowego bezpieczeństwa, ustanowionym przez Kartę Narodów Zjednoczonych (KNZ). Trudno obecnie wyobrazić sobie skuteczność sankcji Rady Bezpieczeństwa (RB) bez udziału w nich UE, chociaż nie jest ona zobowiązana do implementacji rezolucji ONZ, ponieważ podobnie jak Wspólnota Europejska UE nie jest członkiem Organizacji Narodów Zjednoczonych. Natomiast wszystkie państwa członkowskie Unii są członkami ONZ, ergo, zobowiązane są do przyjęcia i wykonania zobowiązań wynikających z przepisów Karty NZ, w tym rezolucji Rady Bezpieczeństwa."(...

“Make it happen!” Verbs as markers of agency increase message effectiveness

Verbs may be attributed to higher agency than other grammatical categories. In Study 1, we confirmed this hypothesis with archival datasets comprising verbs (N = 950) and adjectives (N = 2115). We then investigated whether verbs (vs. adjectives) increase message effectiveness. In three experiments presenting potential NGOs (Studies 2 and 3) or corporate campaigns (Study 4) in verb or adjective form, we demonstrate the hypothesized relationship. Across studies, (overall N = 721) grammatical agency consistently increased message effectiveness. Semantic agency varied across contexts by either increasing (Study 2), not affecting (Study 3), or decreasing (Study 4) the effectiveness of the message. Overall, experiments provide insights in to the meta-semantic effects of verbs – demonstrating how grammar may influence communication outcomes

unexpected impact of the number of glutamine residues on metal complex stability

The emerging question which this study aims to answer is: what impact do glutamines have on the stability of metal–peptide complexes? We focused our attention on the N-terminal domain of Hpn and Hpn-like proteins from Helicobacter pylori. Cu2+ and Ni2+ complexes of the model peptides MAHHE-NH2, MAHHEEQ-NH2, MAHHEQQ-NH2 and MAHHEQQHQA-NH2 were studied by means of different thermodynamic and spectroscopic techniques, as well as through molecular modelling computation. Experimental results, in very good agreement with theoretical findings, lead to the not obvious conclusion that the stability of metal complexes distinctly increases with the number of glutamine residues present in the peptide, although glutamine side-chains do not directly take part in coordination. This peculiar finding allows one to look at polyglutamine sequences, not only the ones present in some bacterial chaperones but also those involved in several neurodegenerative diseases, from a new perspective

Genetski deverzitet u okviru fragmenta gena myo15a, odgovornog za sluh u populaciji životinja familije canidae u uslovima farmskog i slobodnog uzgoja

The gene MYO15A is involved in the production of a protein included in the group of motor proteins known as myosins. Myosin XVA is located in the inner ear, the pituitary gland and other tissues, and has a substantial influence on the hearing process. Mutations in this gene cause amino acid substitutions in the conserved motor domain of the myosin chain, leading to shortening of the stereocilia in the hair cells, so that the function of myosin XVA is impaired. A research hypothesis was put forth that mutations in the gene responsible for the hearing process in animals of the Canidae family can cause hypoacusis, as well as substantial behavioural changes in dogs (ranging from timidity to aggressive behaviour). The study determined SNP polymorphism in a fragment of the gene MYO15A, which can cause hearing disorders or hypoacusis, in wild and farmed individuals of the Canidae family.Gen MYO15A je uključen u stvaranje proteina iz grupe motornih proteina - miozina. Miozin XVA je lociran u unutrašnjem uhu, hipofi zi i drugim tkivima, i značajno utiče na slušni proces. Mutacije u ovom genu izazivaju supstitucije aminokiselina u konzervisanom motornom domenu lanca miozina, što dovodi do skraćenja stereocilija slušnih ćelija, a kao posledica dolazi do poremećaja funkcije XVA miozina. Postavljena je istraživačka hipoteza koja je pretpostavljala da mutacije u genu koji je odgovoran za slušni proces kod životinja familije Canidae mogu da izazovu hipoakustiku kao i značajne promene u ponašanju pasa, od povučenosti i straha do agresivnosti. Ispitivanjem je determinisan SNP polimorfi zam u fragmentu gena MYO15A koji može da dovede do poremećaja sluha kako kod divljih tako i kod farmski uzgajanih životinja familije Canidae

Visual disturbances in patients with Parkinson’s Disease treated with oral medications or deep brain stimulation

Aim of the study. Ophthalmological symptoms are common in patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and can be evaluated by the Visual Impairment in Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (VIPD-Q). This study aimed to assess the prevalence of ophthalmological symptoms in PD depending on the type of treatment used i.e. pharmacological or subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS). Material and methods. We performed a cross-sectional study. The data was gathered from a VIPD-Q and from medical records. Patients with PD were divided into two groups based on the type of treatment – pharmacological (control group, CG) (39 patients) or STN-DBS (40 patients). Results. The great majority of patients — 72 (91.1%) — experienced an ophthalmological symptom. The prevalence of three symptoms differed significantly between the groups. A burning sensation or a gritty feeling in the eyes occurred more often in patients in the STN-DBS group (40.0% vs. 15.4%; p = 0.015). On the other hand, the inability to read plain text on a coloured or grey background and problems with rapid changes of light intensity were more common in the CG group (38.5% vs. 15.0%, p = 0.018 and 28.2% vs. 10.0%, p = 0.039, respectively). Conclusions and clinical implications. The prevalence of ophthalmological symptoms in PD is high. Despite significant differences in the three symptoms, the overall prevalence of ophthalmological clinical features was similar in the evaluated groups