In Brief

Table of Contents: Dean Lindsey Cowen Annual Fund Results Opening Round Ernest Bohn: Outstanding Alumnus Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law Employment Opportunities Need Law School Dedication Gund Building Is Honored The Class of 1975 Faculty Activities Our Mistake Class Noteshttps://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/in_brief/1004/thumbnail.jp

Gender discrimination and prediction on the basis of facial metric information

AbstractHorizontal and vertical facial measurements are statistically independent. Discriminant analysis shows that five of such normalized distances explain over 95% of the gender differences of “training” samples and predict the gender of 90% novel test faces exhibiting various facial expressions. The robustness of the method and its results are assessed. It is argued that these distances (termed fiducial) are compatible with those found experimentally by psychophysical and neurophysiological studies. In consequence, partial explanations for the effects observed in these experiments can be found in the intrinsic statistical nature of the facial stimuli used

Legal and ethical issues surrounding the online dissemination of audiovisual archives: needs, practices and solutions developed in France

International audienceProviding citizens with easy access to the results of research via online dissemination can revitalize the relationship between science and society. If research in the humanities and social sciences, and in particular their audiovisual sources, are to be included in this movement, an effort has to be made to understand and adapt to the requirements of online dissemination. Until recently, furthermore, audiovisual archives were rarely consulted by the public. Embracing the digital turn, therefore, will also represent an important shift for archival managers and researchers. Two main questions can be posed regarding the accessibility of these audiovisual collections. First, how can online dissemination be reconciled with the ethical and legal respect due to persons and institutions involved in qualitative research projects? Issues of authorship, copyright, and confidentiality have to be taken into account. Second, how can the slow internal process of collecting, archiving, and disseminating such collections be combined with various external demands for rapid online visibility of the project and its results? With a focus on audio sources for the humanities and social sciences, this paper will outline possible answers to these questions by providing case studies of solutions currently being used and developed in France. These case studies will be described from the viewpoint of both the archivists and producers of such archives

Inhibitory synchrony as a mechanism for attentional gain modulation

Recordings from area V4 of monkeys have revealed that when the focus of attention is on a visual stimulus within the receptive field of a cortical neuron, two distinct changes can occur: The firing rate of the neuron can change and there can be an increase in the coherence between spikes and the local field potential in the gamma-frequency range (30-50 Hz). The hypothesis explored here is that these observed effects of attention could be a consequence of changes in the synchrony of local interneuron networks. We performed computer simulations of a Hodgkin-Huxley type neuron driven by a constant depolarizing current, I, representing visual stimulation and a modulatory inhibitory input representing the effects of attention via local interneuron networks. We observed that the neuron's firing rate and the coherence of its output spike train with the synaptic inputs was modulated by the degree of synchrony of the inhibitory inputs. The model suggest that the observed changes in firing rate and coherence of neurons in the visual cortex could be controlled by top-down inputs that regulated the coherence in the activity of a local inhibitory network discharging at gamma frequencies.Comment: J.Physiology (Paris) in press, 11 figure

The human Y chromosome: the biological role of a “functional wasteland”

“Functional wasteland,” “Nonrecombining desert,” and “Gene-poor chromosome” are only some examples of the different definitions given to the Y chromosome in the last decade. In comparison to the other chromosomes, the Y is poor in genes, being more than 50% of its sequence composed of repeated elements. Moreover, the Y genes are in continuous decay probably due to the lack of recombination of this chromosome. But the human Y chromosome, at the same time, plays a central role in human biology. The presence or absence of this chromosome determines gonadal sex. Thus, mammalian embryos with a Y chromosome develop testes, while those without it develop ovaries (Polani [1]). What is responsible for the male phenotype is the testis-determining SRY gene (Sinclair [2]) which remains the most distinguishing characteristic of this chromosome. In addition to SRY, the presence of other genes with important functions has been reported, including a region associated to Turner estigmata, a gene related to the development of gonadoblastoma and, most important, genes related to germ cell development and maintenance and then, related with male fertility (Lahn and Page [3]). This paper reviews the structure and the biological functions of this peculiar chromosome