An evaluation of traffic-awareness campaign videos:Empathy induction is associated with brain function within superior temporal sulcus

Acting appropriately within social contexts requires an ability to appreciate others' mental and emotional states. Indeed, some campaign programs designed to reduce anti-social behaviour seek to elicit empathy for the victims. The effectiveness of these campaigns can be evaluated according to the degree to which they induce such responses, but by applying neuroscientific techniques this can be done at the behavioural and neurophysiological level. Neuroimaging studies aimed at identifying the neural mechanisms behind such socio-cognitive and -emotional processes frequently reveal the role of the superior temporal sulcus (STS). We applied this knowledge to assess the effectiveness of traffic-awareness campaign adverts to induce empathic expression. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were acquired from 20 healthy male volunteers as they watched these campaign videos consisting of a dramatic sequence of events and catastrophic endings, and control videos without such dramatic endings. Among other structures, a significantly greater neural response was observed within bilateral STS, particularly within the right hemisphere, during the observation of campaign relative to control videos. Furthermore, activation in these brain regions correlated with the subjects' empathic expression. Our results develop our understanding of the role of STS in social cognition. Moreover, our data demonstrate the utility of neuroscientific methods when evaluating the effectiveness of campaign videos in terms of their ability to elicit empathic responses. Our study also demonstrates the utility of these specific stimuli for future neuroscientific research

Clozapine Reverses Dysfunction of Glutamatergic Neurons Derived From Clozapine-Responsive Schizophrenia Patients

The cellular pathology of schizophrenia and the potential of antipsychotics to target underlying neuronal dysfunctions are still largely unknown. We employed glutamatergic neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) obtained from schizophrenia patients with known histories of response to clozapine and healthy controls to decipher the mechanisms of action of clozapine, spanning from molecular (transcriptomic profiling) and cellular (electrophysiology) levels to observed clinical effects in living patients. Glutamatergic neurons derived from schizophrenia patients exhibited deficits in intrinsic electrophysiological properties, synaptic function and network activity. Deficits in K+ and Na+ currents, network behavior, and glutamatergic synaptic signaling were restored by clozapine treatment, but only in neurons from clozapine-responsive patients. Moreover, neurons from clozapine-responsive patients exhibited a reciprocal dysregulation of gene expression, particularly related to glutamatergic and downstream signaling, which was reversed by clozapine treatment. Only neurons from clozapine responders showed return to normal function and transcriptomic profile. Our results underscore the importance of K+ and Na+ channels and glutamatergic synaptic signaling in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and demonstrate that clozapine might act by normalizing perturbances in this signaling pathway. To our knowledge this is the first study to demonstrate that schizophrenia iPSC-derived neurons exhibit a response phenotype correlated with clinical response to an antipsychotic. This opens a new avenue in the search for an effective treatment agent tailored to the needs of individual patients

Operating Program Bussiness and Innovation: Chosen Domain of Preparation and Realization

Práce objasňuje problematiku čerpání strukturálních fondů v programovacím období 2007 - 2013 a především na vybraném operačním programu popisuje proces vzniku tohoto programu a jeho jednotlivých částí. Jsou zde také rozebrány související evropské a národní dokumenty včetně Lisabonské strategie a jejich návaznost na OPPI a je zde také analýza socioekonomického prostředí ČR se zaměřením na průmysl a podnikání a výstupy SWOT analýzy provázané s charakteristikou jednotlivých programů podpory OPPI

Economics and happiness

The creator of the GDP tool, Simon Kuznets, warned already in 1934 about impossibility of deriving the general welfare from the data obtained with the use of the GDP. Recent economics do not take into account all of the important factors affecting the distribution of the consumer's preferences, thus threating the assumption of the consumer's rationality. This thesis analysed significant factors that strongly affect the level of subjective welfare. The discussion of the reasons of the weak correlation between changes in income and level of happiness was emphasised as well. In the part devoted to the methodological issues were presented major problems that can occur in the research about happiness together with the possible ways how to deal with them

The Defence of Czech Culture after the Entry to the European Union against assimilative tendency

This bachelor work is discusses the subject of cultural assimilation. The main goal is to compare Czech cultural policy with other European states´ policies and to ascertain how it will develop in the future. First, a programme called "Cultural Policy" aimed at protection of Czech culture, which was proposed by the Ministry of Culture and approved by the government in 2001, is introduced. The next part deals with the European Union cultural policy, particularly with programmes, in which the Czech Republic takes part, and with measures which have been taken in conjunction with the entry of the Czech Republic to the European Union. Further, it outlines cooperation with UNESCO. The trends in development of state budget revenues and expenditures (chapter 334 - Ministry of Culture) for 2003, 2004 and 2005 are described in the final part.In conclusion, proposals for more consistent protection of culture are mentioned and future development tendencies of Czech culture are outlined

Effect of restrictive instruments of private car transportation to sustainable development of city centers

Import 11/04/2012Rozvoj dopravní infrastruktury měst nestačí svým limitovaným tempem při výstavbě často investičně vysoce náročných staveb uspokojovat dynamicky narůstající požadavky individuální automobilové dopravy. Města proto přistupují k restriktivní regulaci s cílem snížení počtu projíždějících vozidel individuální dopravy a tím udržení provozu na úrovni, která odpovídá aktuálnímu stavu dopravní infrastruktury v kombinaci s možnostmi použité regulace. Předložená práce je zaměřena na stanovení účinnosti restriktivní regulace ve městech s využitím široce diskutovaného zpoplatnění vjezdu do určené oblasti elektronickým městským mýtným systémem. Tento přístup nepředstavuje ve svém principu nový nástroj. Novou dimenzi mu ale dává možnost jeho implementace na území České republiky a zkoumání jeho možné účinnosti v prostředí hl. m. Prahy. Práce vychází z výstupů reprezentativních zahraničních zkušeností se zavedením tohoto restriktivního nástroje. Schopnost posoudit účinnost v podmínkách České republiky předpokládá nejen znalost historie a stávajícího stavu, ale i výsledků dopravního modelování. Modely umožňují zahrnout do úvah postupný rozvoj dopravní infrastruktury, stejně jako i rozdílně nastavené parametry mýtného nástroje s odlišným dopadem na rozhodování řidičů. Těmito nástroji lze modelovat vývoj nejen vlastní dopravní situace, ale i řady dalších parametrů, které jsou shrnuty do pojmu „kvalita života“. Vyhodnoceno bylo celkem dvacet ukazatelů, které mají závažnou vypovídající schopnost. Pro stanovení přiměřenosti dopadu jednotlivých parametrů na výsledné hodnocení byla aplikována Delfská metoda, která mj. umožnila nezávislé zapojení významných specialistů z různých oborů dopravních věd. Touto metodou byly nastaveny hodnoty váhových koeficientů jednotlivých dílčích parametrů na zhodnocení celkové účinnosti regulace mýtným systémem (dopad nejen na zpoplatněnou oblast, ale i území mimo tuto oblast). Výsledek v podstatě potvrdil očekávané, tj. že dopad aplikace městského mýta na kvalitu života ve městě je neutrální a volba pro/proti je jednoznačně volbou politickou a nikoliv odbornou. Rozhodnutí pro anebo proti mýtnému zpoplatnění je proto především politickým rozhodnutím spočívajícím v odůvodněné korekci vah významnosti některých parametrů oproti úrovni, která byla v předložené práci nastavena expertní skupinou.Urban transport infrastructure development with its limited speed of often costly construction is challenged by the dynamic growth in requirements of individual car usage. Therefore, cities apply restrictive regulations with the aim of reducing the number of transiting cars used for individual transportation, in order to maintain traffic levels, which correspond to the actual condition of the transport infrastructure in combination with the practicalities of applied regulation. This doctoral thesis is focused on the assessment of the effectiveness of urban restrictive regulation, including the broadly discussed implementation of electronic toll pricing. This approach does not present, in its principle, a new instrument. However its possible introduction in the Czech Republic and the investigation of its effectiveness in the region of the capital city, Prague, gives it a new dimension. The thesis proceeds from the outcomes of representative foreign experience with the implementation of this restrictive instrument. The ability to assess the effectiveness in the conditions of the Czech Republic implies not only the knowledge of history and of current conditions, but also the results from transport modeling. Models enable us to take into consideration the gradual development of transport infrastructure, as well as variously set parameters of the toll instrument, with the subsequent different impacts on the drivers’ decision. With these tools it is possible to model the development of not only the transport situation as such but also the range of other parameters, which are included in the Quality of life” concept. Altogether twenty parameters have been assessed that have significant content capability. In order to determine the significance of each parameter on the consequent appraisal the Delphi method has been applied, which i.a. enabled the independent participation of specialists from various specializations of transport sciences. By using this method it has been set the values of weight coefficients of each single parameter on the total effectiveness of regulation by the toll system (the impact on the area within the pricing zone, but also on the area out of it). The outcome has proved as expected, i.e. the impact of urban pricing on the QoL in the city is neutral, the option for/or against is unambiguously political option, and not professional. The decision for our against urban pricing is therefore above all a political decision based on the reasoned evaluation of some parameters in comparison to the weight, which was in the submitted thesis set to the expert group.Prezenční222 - Katedra městského inženýrstvívyhově

Superior temporal sulcus and social cognition in dangerous drivers

Understanding the neural systems underpinning social cognition is a primary focus of contemporary social neuroscience. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the present study asked if brain activity reflecting socio-cognitive processes differs between individuals according to their social behavior; namely, between a group of drivers with frequent traffic offenses and a group with none. Socio-cognitive processing was elicited by employing videos from a traffic awareness campaign, consisting of reckless and anti-social driving behavior ending in tragic consequences, and control videos with analogous driving themes but without such catastrophic endings. We investigated whether relative increases in brain function during the observation of these campaign stimuli compared with control videos differed between these two groups. To develop the results of our previous study we focused our analyses on superior temporal sulcus/gyrus (STS/STG). This revealed a bigger increase in brain activity within this region during the campaign stimuli in safe compared with dangerous drivers. Furthermore, by thematically coding drivers' verbal descriptions of the stimuli, we also demonstrate differences in STS reactivity according to drivers' scores on two indices of socio-cognitive processing: subjects' perceived consequences of actors' actions, and their affective evaluation of the clips. Our results demonstrate the influence of social behavior and socio-cognitive processing on STS reactivity to social stimuli, developing considerably our understanding of the role of this region in social cognition