Творчество Уильяма Гибсона в контексте трансгуманизма

Анализируется новаторство Гибсона в научной фантастике. Рассматривается концепт окружающей среды в сеттингах Гибсона, сравнивается с идеями техногайянизма, указываются возникшие между ними противоречия и несоответствия. Исследуется достороверность футурологических прогнозов Гибсона. Перечисляются основные достижения науки на данном поприще и сравниваются с литературными предсказаниями Гибсона. Изучается характер героев произведений Гибсона. Приводится характеристика киберпространства – термина, впервые введённого Гибсоном в оборот. Романы Гибсона сравниваются с идеями научного иммортализма, указываются возникшие между ними противоречия и несоответствия. Подробнее рассматривается литературный трансгуманизм и его функционирование в литературной среде. Выделяются разновидности трансгуманистического искусства. Проводятся сравнительные параллели между некоторыми художественными приёмами научной фантастики и киберпанка. Исследуется взаимосвязь трансгуманизма и киберпанка. В итоге, определяется степень взаимосвязи между его произведениями в жанре киберпанк и идеями трансгуманизма.Аналізується новаторство Гібсона в науковій фантастиці. Розглядається концепт довкілля в сеттінгах Гібсона, порівнюється з ідеями техногайянізма, вказуються виниклі між ними протиріччя і невідповідності. Досліджується достороверность футурологічних прогнозів Гібсона. Перераховуються основні досягнення науки на даному терені і порівнюються з літературними передбаченнями Гібсона. Вивчається характер героїв творів Гібсона. Приводиться характеристика кіберпростору – терміну, вперше введеного Гібсоном в зворот. Романи Гібсона порівнюються з ідеями наукового імморталізма, вказуються виниклі між ними протиріччя і невідповідності. Детальніше розглядається літературний трансгуманізм і його функціонування в літературному середовищі. Виділяються різновиди трансгуманістічеського мистецтва. Проводяться порівняльні паралелі між деякими художніми прийомами наукової фантастики і киберпанка. Досліджується взаємозв'язок трансгуманізма і киберпанка. У результаті, визначається міра взаємозв'язку між його творами в жанрі киберпанк і ідеями трансгуманізма.William Gibson’s works in the context of transhumanism doctrine, technogaianism and scientific immortalism. The innovations of Gibson’s literature are analyzed. The environmental concept in Gibson’s settings is examined, compared to the ideas of technogaianism; the resulting contradictions and disparities arising between them are specified. The faithfulness of Gibson’s futurological forecast is probed. Basic achievements of science are compared to the futurological estimates of Gibson. Typical personal traits of the main characters of Gibson’s novels are studied. The description of cyberspace, the term first coined by Gibson, is brought. Novels of Gibson are compared to the ideas of scientific immortalism, the resulting contradictions and disparities arising between them are specified. Literary transhumanism and its functioning in literature are examined in more details. The varieties of transhumanistic art are pointed out. Comparative parallels are conducted between some artistic receptions of science fiction and cyberpunk. As a result, the connection between his cyberpunk works and ideas of transhumanism is determined

The use of a direct bronchial challenge test in primary care to diagnose asthma

Many asthmatics in primary care have mild symptoms and lack airflow obstruction. If variable expiratory airflow limitation cannot be determined by spirometry or peak expiratory flow, despite a history of respiratory symptoms, a positive bronchial challenge test (BCT) can confirm the diagnosis of asthma. However, BCT is traditionally performed in secondary care. In this observational real-life study, we retrospectively analyze 5-year data of a primary care diagnostic center carrying out BCT by histamine provocation. In total, 998 primary care patients aged ≥16 years underwent BCT, without any adverse events reported. To explore diagnostic accuracy, we examine 584 patients with a high pretest probability of asthma. Fifty-seven percent of these patients have a positive BCT result and can be accurately diagnosed with asthma. Our real-life data show BCT is safe and feasible in a suitably equipped primary care diagnostic center. Furthermore, it could potentially reduce diagnostic referrals to secondary care

Task and spatial frequency modulations of object processing: an EEG study.

Visual object processing may follow a coarse-to-fine sequence imposed by fast processing of low spatial frequencies (LSF) and slow processing of high spatial frequencies (HSF). Objects can be categorized at varying levels of specificity: the superordinate (e.g. animal), the basic (e.g. dog), or the subordinate (e.g. Border Collie). We tested whether superordinate and more specific categorization depend on different spatial frequency ranges, and whether any such dependencies might be revealed by or influence signals recorded using EEG. We used event-related potentials (ERPs) and time-frequency (TF) analysis to examine the time course of object processing while participants performed either a grammatical gender-classification task (which generally forces basic-level categorization) or a living/non-living judgement (superordinate categorization) on everyday, real-life objects. Objects were filtered to contain only HSF or LSF. We found a greater positivity and greater negativity for HSF than for LSF pictures in the P1 and N1 respectively, but no effects of task on either component. A later, fronto-central negativity (N350) was more negative in the gender-classification task than the superordinate categorization task, which may indicate that this component relates to semantic or syntactic processing. We found no significant effects of task or spatial frequency on evoked or total gamma band responses. Our results demonstrate early differences in processing of HSF and LSF content that were not modulated by categorization task, with later responses reflecting such higher-level cognitive factors

Development of a diagnostic decision tree for obstructive pulmonary diseases based on real-life data

The aim of this study was to develop and explore the diagnostic accuracy of a decision tree derived from a large real-life primary care population. Data from 9297 primary care patients (45% male, mean age 53±17 years) with suspicion of an obstructive pulmonary disease was derived from an asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) service where patients were assessed using spirometry, the Asthma Control Questionnaire, the Clinical COPD Questionnaire, history data and medication use. All patients were diagnosed through the Internet by a pulmonologist. The Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection method was used to build the decision tree. The tree was externally validated in another real-life primary care population (n=3215). Our tree correctly diagnosed 79% of the asthma patients, 85% of the COPD patients and 32% of the asthma–COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS) patients. External validation showed a comparable pattern (correct: asthma 78%, COPD 83%, ACOS 24%). Our decision tree is considered to be promising because it was based on real-life primary care patients with a specialist's diagnosis. In most patients the diagnosis could be correctly predicted. Predicting ACOS, however, remained a challenge. The total decision tree can be implemented in computer-assisted diagnostic systems for individual patients. A simplified version of this tree can be used in daily clinical practice as a desk tool

Flux balance analysis of primary metabolism in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Background Photosynthetic organisms convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into numerous metabolites along the pathways to make new biomass. Aquatic photosynthetic organisms, which fix almost half of global inorganic carbon, have great potential: as a carbon dioxide fixation method, for the economical production of chemicals, or as a source for lipids and starch which can then be converted to biofuels. To harness this potential through metabolic engineering and to maximize production, a more thorough understanding of photosynthetic metabolism must first be achieved. A model algal species, C. reinhardtii, was chosen and the metabolic network reconstructed. Intracellular fluxes were then calculated using flux balance analysis (FBA). Results The metabolic network of primary metabolism for a green alga, C. reinhardtii, was reconstructed using genomic and biochemical information. The reconstructed network accounts for the intracellular localization of enzymes to three compartments and includes 484 metabolic reactions and 458 intracellular metabolites. Based on BLAST searches, one newly annotated enzyme (fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase) was added to the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii database. FBA was used to predict metabolic fluxes under three growth conditions, autotrophic, heterotrophic and mixotrophic growth. Biomass yields ranged from 28.9 g per mole C for autotrophic growth to 15 g per mole C for heterotrophic growth. Conclusion The flux balance analysis model of central and intermediary metabolism in C. reinhardtii is the first such model for algae and the first model to include three metabolically active compartments. In addition to providing estimates of intracellular fluxes, metabolic reconstruction and modelling efforts also provide a comprehensive method for annotation of genome databases. As a result of our reconstruction, one new enzyme was annotated in the database and several others were found to be missing; implying new pathways or non-conserved enzymes. The use of FBA to estimate intracellular fluxes also provides flux values that can be used as a starting point for rational engineering of C. reinhardtii. From these initial estimates, it is clear that aerobic heterotrophic growth on acetate has a low yield on carbon, while mixotrophically and autotrophically grown cells are significantly more carbon efficient

Brain Cortical Mapping by Simultaneous Recording of Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy and Electroencephalograms from the Whole Brain During Right Median Nerve Stimulation

To investigate relationships between hemodynamic responses and neural activities in the somatosensory cortices, hemodynamic responses by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and electroencephalograms (EEGs) were recorded simultaneously while subjects received electrical stimulation in the right median nerve. The statistical significance of the hemodynamic responses was evaluated by a general linear model (GLM) with the boxcar design matrix convoluted with Gaussian function. The resulting NIRS and EEGs data were stereotaxically superimposed on the reconstructed brain of each subject. The NIRS data indicated that changes in oxy-hemoglobin concentration increased at the contralateral primary somatosensory (SI) area; responses then spread to the more posterior and ipsilateral somatosensory areas. The EEG data indicated that positive somatosensory evoked potentials peaking at 22 ms latency (P22) were recorded from the contralateral SI area. Comparison of these two sets of data indicated that the distance between the dipoles of P22 and NIRS channels with maximum hemodynamic responses was less than 10 mm, and that the two topographical maps of hemodynamic responses and current source density of P22 were significantly correlated. Furthermore, when onset of the boxcar function was delayed 5–15 s (onset delay), hemodynamic responses in the bilateral parietal association cortices posterior to the SI were more strongly correlated to electrical stimulation. This suggests that GLM analysis with onset delay could reveal the temporal ordering of neural activation in the hierarchical somatosensory pathway, consistent with the neurophysiological data. The present results suggest that simultaneous NIRS and EEG recording is useful for correlating hemodynamic responses to neural activity