Perceptual and conceptual distortions of implicit hand maps

Recent studies have revealed that human position sense relies on a massively distorted representation of hand size and shape. By comparing the judged location of landmarks on an occluded hand, Longo and Haggard (2010) constructed implicit perceptual maps of represented hand structure, showing large underestimation of finger length and overestimation of hand width. Here, we investigated the contribution of two potential sources of distortions to such effects: perceptual distortions reflecting spatial warping of the representation of bodily tissue itself, perhaps reflecting distortions of somatotopic cortical maps, and conceptual distortions reflecting mistaken beliefs about the locations of different landmarks within the body. In Experiment 1 we compared distorted hand maps to a task in which participants explicitly judged the location of their knuckles in a hand silhouette. The results revealed the conceptual distortions are responsible for at least part of the underestimation of finger length, but cannot explain overestimation of hand width. Experiment 2 compared distortions of the participant’s own hand based on position sense with a prosthetic hand based on visual memory. Underestimation of finger length was found for both hands, providing further evidence that it reflects a conceptual distortion. In contrast, overestimation of hand width was specific to representation of the participant’s own hand, confirming it reflects a perceptual distortion. Together, these results suggest that distorted body representations do not reflect a single underlying cause. Rather, both perceptual and conceptual distortions contribute to the overall configuration of the hand representation

Children’s semantic and world knowledge overrides fictional information during anticipatory linguistic processing

Using real-time eye-movement measures, we asked how a fantastical discourse context competes with stored representations of semantic and world knowledge to influence children's and adults' moment-by-moment interpretation of a story. Seven-year- olds were less effective at bypassing stored semantic and world knowledge during real-time interpretation than adults. Nevertheless, an effect of discourse context on comprehension was still apparent

RESEARCH CONCERNING GREENHOUSE TOMATOES GROWN ON ORGANIC SUBSTRATUM IN ROMANIA

In Romania, soilless culture methods for greenhouse vegetables are still in experimental stage. The research of vegetable growing department, team from USAMV Cluj-Napoca, folowed tomatoes culture on polyethylene peat bags, supplied with solid nutrients and nutritive solutions. The best results were obtained when a mixture of peat 80%+long duration follow soil and well-decomposed manure 20% was used and a volume of at least 8 l substrat/plant was ensured

Projecting the self outside the body: body representations underlying proprioceptive imagery

Recent research has shown that proprioception relies on distorted representations of body size and shape. By asking participants to localise multiple landmarks on their occluded hand, perceptual maps of hand size and shape can be constructed and compared to actual hand structure. These maps are different from the actual size and shape of the occluded hand, revealing underestimation of finger length and overestimation of hand width. Here we tested whether the same distorted body model underlies proprioceptive imagery (i.e. imagining the hand at a specific location, and in a different posture than it actually is). In Experiment 1, participants placed their left hand under an occluding board (real condition) or imagined their left hand under the board (imagined condition). Highly similar distortions were found in both conditions. Furthermore, results across the two conditions were strongly correlated. In Experiment 2, participants completed the real condition and two imagined conditions. In the imagined-fist condition, participants held their left hand in a fist, in their lap, while in the imagined-flat condition, participants held their left hand flat, with palm down, in their lap. In both imagined conditions, participants were asked to imagine their left hand lying flat, with palm down, under the occluding board. A similar pattern of distortions was found in all three conditions. These results suggest that both proprioception and proprioceptive imagery reply on a common stored model of the body's metric properties

Transition of the republic of Moldova to a circular economy – a new paradigm of sustainable development and innovation

ПЕРЕХОД РЕСПУБЛИКИ МОЛДОВА К ЦИРКУЛЯРНОЙ ЭКОНОМИКЕ – НОВАЯ ПАРАДИГМА УСТОЙЧИВОГО РАЗВИТИЯ И ИННОВАЦИЙ Преодоление глобального кризиса возможно только за счет формирования нового типа взаимоотношений человека и природы, исключающего возможность разрушения и деградации природной среды. Эти виды деятельности относятся к циркулярной экономике, которая в настоящее время считается новой парадигмой устойчивого развития. В этом контексте актуальность исследования заключается в сложности событий, оказавших влияние на экономическое развитие нашей страны. Цель исследования - доказать, что переход Республики Молдова к экономике замкнутого цикла может ввести новый вектор развития. Для выполнения этого исследования использовался обширный методологический инструмент, который включал методы синтеза, индукции, дедукции, сравнительного анализа и прогнозного анализа и т.д.Секция 1_ДРАЙВЕРЫ ИНКЛЮЗИВНОГО ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОГО РОСТА: ПРАКТИЧЕСКИЙ ОПЫТ РЕСПУБЛИКИ БЕЛАРУСЬ И МИРОВОЙ ОПЫТСборник включен в Государственный регистр информационного ресурса. Регистрационное свидетельство № 3061815625 от 23.05.2018

Muscle activation during gait in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

The aim of this prospective study was to investigate changes in muscle activity during gait in children with Duchenne muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Dynamic surface electromyography recordings (EMGs) of 16 children with DMD and pathological gait were compared with those of 15 control children. The activity of the rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL), medial hamstrings (HS), tibialis anterior (TA) and gastrocnemius soleus (GAS) muscles was recorded and analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. The overall muscle activity in the children with DMD was significantly different from that of the control group. Percentage activation amplitudes of RF, HS and TA were greater throughout the gait cycle in the children with DMD and the timing of GAS activity differed from the control children. Significantly greater muscle coactivation was found in the children with DMD. There were no significant differences between sides. Since the motor command is normal in DMD, the hyper-activity and co-contractions likely compensate for gait instability and muscle weakness, however may have negative consequences on the muscles and may increase the energy cost of gait. Simple rehabilitative strategies such as targeted physical therapies may improve stability and thus the pattern of muscle activity

Delineating Electrogenic Reactions during Lactose/H+ Symport†

Electrogenic reactions accompanying downhill lactose/H+ symport catalyzed by the lactose permease of Escherichia coli (LacY) have been assessed using solid-supported membrane-based electrophysiology with improved time resolution. Rates of charge translocation generated by purified LacY reconstituted into proteoliposomes were analyzed over a pH range from 5.2 to 8.5, which allows characterization of two electrogenic steps in the transport mechanism: (i) a weak electrogenic reaction triggered by sugar binding and observed under conditions where H+ translocation is abolished either by acidic pH or by a Glu325 -> Ala mutation in the H+ binding site (this step with a rate constant of ~200 s-1 for wildtype LacY leads to an intermediate proposed to represent an “occluded” state) and (ii) a major electrogenic reaction corresponding to 94% of the total charge translocated at pH 8, which is pH-dependent with a maximum rate of ~30 s-1 and a pK of 7.5. This partial reaction is assigned to rate-limiting H+ release on the cytoplasmic side of LacY during turnover. These findings together with previous electrophysiological results and biochemical-biophysical studies are included in an overall kinetic mechanism that allows delineation of the electrogenic steps in the reaction pathway