Saccadic latency effects of progressively deleting stimulus offsets and onsets

AbstractWe designed two extensions of Saslow's well-known gap and overlap conditions that require increased voluntary effort because of the progressive elimination of target onsets and fixation point offsets, and obtained repeatable data obeying simple numerical relations. For each of the five stimulus lighting conditions, saccadic latency was measured as a function of the retinal eccentricity or displacement of the target. Latencies were fitted by a serial processing model in which the visually guided minimum tracking latency VGLmin is supplemented by two types of delay, dubbed `unlock' and `target', that can be either short or long (`direct' or `indirect'), depending on the conditions. There are two findings: (1) The model has utility. The rank order of saccadic latencies for the five stimulus lighting conditions was constant across all subjects, sessions and eccentricities in the range 7.5′–6° left or right. For pooled data, and the saccadic latency plateau (1–6°), the model was also within ±3 ms of the mean latencies. (2) Latencies of tiny saccades to intrafoveolar stimulation (7.5–45′) were invariably long in all five stimulus conditions. One factor here must be the experimentally measured local prolongation of VGLmin

Grėsmė - kaip saugos rinkos plėtros dimensija.

The paper deals about relationship’s experience in the sphere of public order and public security, including their domination in the security industry. Scientific works and empirical research, analyzing the development problems of private security (or private policing), have not been practically carried out in Lithuania. Thus, this empirical research will continued the previous research, related to the privatization processes in policing. The essential problem related to the potential risk of the development security industry, while carrying out to abridge functions of public police and to expand powers of private security both inside the state and the rest of Europe, is being formed. Otherwise, the mission of private security is changing in the market economy, while secure environment and order will comes a market product. The analyzed problem forms the purpose of the research, i.e. after evaluation of reasons and conditions of security industry working and development, legal acts effective in the Republic of Lithuania and approved governmental programs, to justify the potential risk of the private security development by the principles of legal reglamentation.Straipsnyje nagrinėjamos viešojo ir privataus saugos sektorių veikimo turinys teikiant asmens ir turto saugos, visuomenės saugumo užtikrinimo ir viešosios tvarkos apsaugos paslaugas bei jų dominavimas saugos paslaugų rinkoje. Kalbėti apie bendros saugos rinkos vyravimą verčia greita privataus verslo ir privataus ekonomikos sektoriaus plėtra Lietuvoje – tai neišvengiamai keičia subjektų, atsakingų už saugumą ir tvarką, sistemą. Straipsnyje keliama saugos rinkos plėtros galimų pavojų problema. Šie pavojai kyla, kai siekiama susiaurinti policijos ir kitų viešųjų saugos tarnybų funkcijas bei išplėsti privačių saugos struktūrų teikiamas paslaugas. Kita vertus, privataus saugos sektoriaus paskirtis ir misija keičiasi rinkos ekonomikos sąlygomis, kurioms esant saugi aplinka ir tvarka tampa rinkos produktu. Straipsnyje smulkiai tyrinėjama saugos rinkos norminio reglamentavimo grėsmė. Autorius įžvelgia, jog 2004 m. liepos 8 d. priimtas Lietuvos Respublikos asmens ir turto saugos įstatymas ne iki iš-sprendė privataus saugos sektoriaus teisinio reguliavimo klausimus. Autoriaus nuomone, vienas iš būdingiausių pavojų vykdant privačią saugos veiklą – veiksmingų teisinio reguliavimo mechanizmo garantijų nebuvimas saugant pagrindines piliečių teises ir laisves. Tai susiję su privačių saugos struktūrų veiklos specifika, fizinės prievartos, specialiųjų priemonių ir šaunamųjų ginklų naudojimu, privačios detektyvinės veiklos įgyvendinimu ir pan. Straipsnyje nagrinėjamas tokių hipotetinių reiškinių kaip privati policija, saugos paslaugų privatizavimas ir jų vyravimas šiuolaikinėje visuomenėje. Laisvos rinkos sąlygomis saugos paslaugos laiko-mos preke, kurią galima nusipirkti arba parduoti, o viešasis ir privatus saugos sektoriai – pramone, teikiančia tokias paslaugas

Policijos pareigūnų rengimas kai kuriose Europos valstybėse.

The brief overview on vocational police education system in European countries based on researches of the scientists is presented in the article. Also, the author’s independent research and its findings on some issues on vocational police education are introduced. The article deals with the unequal vocational police education standards in different European countries. Some countries acknowledge higher (university) police education (Holland, Greece, Slovenia, Czechia, Croatia, etc.), while other counties acknowledge vocational police training (vocational – non-university) (Finland, Norway, Germany, Hungary, Macedonia, etc.,). Taking all this into account, discussions on the professional and qualified training of police officers, that meets the requirements of current police activity (market) arise. The presented overview on the training of police officers supposes the opinion, that it is necessary to establish common European standards of police officers training and unify the best practice and research findings in policing. College of European Police Governing Board heads this way and plans to establish European Police Academy that would be responsible for police officers training in Europe. Discussed problem projects towards the establishment of new model of police officers training, according to scientifically based policy in this field. It must be noted that author’s research, conclusions and propositions are related to the development of Lithuanian police officers training system, aiming at foreign police officers training experience transfer on the edge of the Republic of Lithuania integration into European Union.Straipsnyje, remiantis kai kurių autorių moksliniais tyrinėjimais, pateikiama trumpa policijos pareigūnų rengimo sistemos apžvalga Europos valstybėse. Kartu pateikiama savarankiška autoriaus tyrimo studija bei jos metu gauti rezultatai vienu ar kitu policijos pareigūnų rengimo klausimu. Straipsnyje gana plačiai diskutuojama apie policijos pareigūnų rengimo sistemos skirtumus įvairiose Europos valstybėse. Vienose valstybėse pripažįstamas aukštasis policinis teisinis (universitetinis) išsilavinimas (Olandijoje, Graikijoje, Slovėnijoje, Čekijoje, Kroatijoje), kitose – policijos praktinis (profesinis–neuniversitetinis) mokymas (Suomijoje, Norvegijoje, Vokietijoje, Vengrijoje, Makedonijoje). Atsižvelgiant į tai kyla diskusijos dėl profesionalaus ir kvalifikuoto policijos pareigūno, atitinkančio šiandienos policinės veiklos (rinkos) poreikius, rengimo. Pateikta policijos pareigūnų rengimo modelių apžvalga suponuoja nuomonę, jog būtina nustatyti vienodus europinius policijos pareigūnų rengimo standartus bei suvienodinti policijos pareigūnų rengimo praktiką. Šia linkme eina ir Europos policijos koledžo Valdymo taryba (CEPOL Governing Board), ateityje numačiusi įkurti Europos policijos akademiją, kuri būtų atsakinga už policijos pareigūnų mokymą Europoje. Keliama problema susijusi su naujo policijos pareigūnų rengimo modelio kūrimu atsižvelgiant į moksliškai pagrįstą politiką šioje srityje. Pažymėtina, jog straipsnyje autoriaus atlikta tyrimo studija, pateiktos išvados ir pasiūlymai siejami su Lietuvos policijos pareigūnų rengimo sistemos tobulinimu, ir užsienio valstybių patirtį policijos pareigūnų rengimo klausimais siekiama transformuoti Lietuvos valstybės integracijos į Europos Sąjungą išvakarėse

Epigenetics and cell death: DNA hypermethylation in programmed retinal cell death.

BackgroundVertebrate genomes undergo epigenetic reprogramming during development and disease. Emerging evidence suggests that DNA methylation plays a key role in cell fate determination in the retina. Despite extensive studies of the programmed cell death that occurs during retinal development and degeneration, little is known about how DNA methylation might regulate neuronal cell death in the retina.MethodsThe developing chicken retina and the rd1 and rhodopsin-GFP mouse models of retinal degeneration were used to investigate programmed cell death during retinal development and degeneration. Changes in DNA methylation were determined by immunohistochemistry using antibodies against 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC).ResultsPunctate patterns of hypermethylation paralleled patterns of caspase3-dependent apoptotic cell death previously reported to occur during development in the chicken retina. Degenerating rd1 mouse retinas, at time points corresponding to the peak of rod cell death, showed elevated signals for 5mC and 5hmC in photoreceptors throughout the retina, with the most intense staining observed in the peripheral retina. Hypermethylation of photoreceptors in rd1 mice was associated with TUNEL and PAR staining and appeared to be cCaspase3-independent. After peak rod degeneration, during the period of cone death, occasional hypermethylation was observed in the outer nuclear layer.ConclusionThe finding that cell-specific increases of 5mC and 5hmC immunostaining are associated with the death of retinal neurons during both development and degeneration suggests that changes in DNA methylation may play a role in modulating gene expression during the process of retinal degeneration. During retinal development, hypermethylation of retinal neurons associates with classical caspase-dependent apoptosis as well as caspase-3 independent cell death, while hypermethylation in the rd1 mouse photoreceptors is primarily associated with caspase-3 independent programmed cell death. These findings suggest a previously unrecognized role for epigenetic mechanisms in the onset and/or progression of programed cell death in the retina

The expression of Mas-receptor of the renin-angiotensin system in the human eye

The local renin-angiotensin system has been held to be expressed in many organs, including the eye. It has an important role in the regulation of local fluid homeostasis, cell proliferation, fibrosis, and vascular tone. Mas-receptor (Mas-R) is a potential receptor acting mainly opposite to the well-known angiotensin II receptor type 1. The aim of this study was to determine if Mas-R is expressed in the human eye. Seven enucleated human eyes were used in immunohistochemical detection of Mas-R and its endogenous ligand angiotensin (1-7) [Ang(1-7)]. Both light microscopy and immunofluorescent detection methods were used. A human kidney preparation sample was used as control. The Mas-R was found to have nuclear localization, and localized in the retinal nuclear layers and in the structures of the anterior segment of the eye. A cytoplasmic immunostaining pattern of Ang(1-7) was found in the inner and outer nuclear and plexiform layers of the retina and in the ciliary body. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report showing Mas-R expression in the human eye. Its localization suggests that it may have a role in physiological and pathological processes in the anterior part of the eye and in the retina.Peer reviewe

Lenkijos policijos teisė: funkcinis požiūris į sistemą.

Recently, the issue of police law as separate law science is essential in many countries and forms different views and ideas among the scientists. Disputes arise on the police law regulation field and police law legal regulation object, i.e. what public relations are to be assigned to be regulated by police law. The question arises if the rules of law regulating the activity of one institution can be referred to as separate law science or such rules of law do regulate the activities of many other institutions, not only of the police as an institution. Solutions to the above–formulated problematic provisions are analyzed in this article. Each state regularly performs the set of public administration functions, such as lawmaking, law implementation organizing, and concern for public welfare. Regular state functioning cannot be imagined without state functions with the help of which people are protected from endless number of dangers that may occur because of nature disasters or illegal actions of other people. Such functions are defined as state police functions in the legal literature. The issue of police functions definition is developed in the article as well as the conditions for systemizing of institutions performing state police functions in Poland are analyzed. The authors reach the conclusion that it is possible to analyze police law content through the system of functional viewpoint towards public relations originating from the field of ensuring the safety of person, public or state. The characteristics and main tasks of the main institutions performing the state police functions are also briefly discussed in the article.Policijos teisės, kaip savarankiškos teisės šakos, mokslinė problema daugelyje valstybių pastaruoju metu sukelia įvairių pamąstymų bei diskusijų. Diskutuojama dėl policijos teisės objekto, t. y. kokiems visuomeniniams santykiams reguliuoti skirta policijos teisė. Kyla klausimas, ar galima kalbėti apie teisės normas, reguliuojančias vienos institucijos veiklą, kaip apie atskirą teisės šaką, ar šios normos reguliuoja ir daugelio kitų institucijų veiklą, neapsiribodamos tik policijos, kaip institucijos, veikla. Atsakymų į šiuos klausimus ieškoma šiame straipsnyje. Straipsnyje autoriai kelia hipotezę, jog asmens, visuomenės, valstybės ir iš dalies nacionalinio saugumo sričių valstybinio administravimo proceso metu susiklostančių visuomeninių santykių teisinė gyna užtikrinama policinėmis institucijomis valstybės prievartos metodu. Minėtų visuomeninių santykių teisinio reglamentavimo ribos apibrėžiamos valstybės policinės funkcijos sritimi. Tokiu atveju asmens, visuomenės, valstybės ir nacionalinio saugumo srityje susiklostantys visuomeniniai santykiai virsta policiniais–teisiniais santykiais, kurie priskiriami prie policijos teisės reguliavimo objekto. Straipsnyje taip pat keliama policinių funkcijų sampratos problema, aptariamos policijos funkcijos struktūra bei institucijų, vykdančių valstybės policines funkcijas, sisteminimo prielaidos Lenkijos valstybėje. Autoriai daro išvadą, jog policijos teisės turinys atskleidžiamas per funkcinį požiūrį į visuomeninių santykių, atsirandančių asmens, visuomenės ir valstybės saugumo užtikrinimo srityje, sistemą. Straipsnyje trumpai nagrinėjami pagrindinių institucijų, vykdančių valstybės policines funkcijas, ypatumai ir pagrindiniai uždaviniai

Terorizmas ir jo prevencijos Lietuvoje problema.

The article deals with Lithuanian experience and practice in the sphere of terrorism prevention and combating of terrorism. Scientific works and empirical research, analyzing the problems of terrorism prevention and combating terrorism, have not been practically carried out in Lithuania. Thus, this empirical research will be the beginning for further research, related to the terrorism prevention. The essential problem related to the practice and experience of Lithuania state, while carrying out the policy of prevention and combating the terrorism both inside the state and the rest of Europe, is being formed. The analyzed problem forms the purpose of the research, i.e. after evaluation of legal acts effective in the Republic of Lithuania and approved governmental programs, foreseeing the principles of the terrorism prevention and combating, to provide the effectiveness of the used legal, organizational, prevention and other types of combating the terrorism. In the first part of the article authors analyze the issue of conception of terrorism. The origins and etymology of the concept are not totally clear yet. The main reason is the fact that various illegal activities, named as terrorism, terrorism activity, terror, and terror act are used both at international and national levels. The definition of terrorism in Lithuania was established in the Draft of the renewed program of the Republic of Lithuania against terrorism, passed on 15 June 2004. In other case, terrorism definition is closely related to the definition of a terror act. The authors make a conclusion that the terrorism is a broader definition than a terror act, since a terror act is the constituent part of the definition of terrorism. The definition of terrorism nowadays should be understood much wider and should comprise not only various criminal activities, used in the international documents and related to terrorism, but also the threats and dangers threatening the states internal national security. In this meaning, terrorism should be defined as the synthesis of threats or dangers and part of military acts, when aiming at solving particular issues of political or national manner by using violence or terror acts against the state, its official institutions and citizens ...Straipsnyje nagrinėjama Lietuvos valstybės praktika ir patirtis terorizmo prevencijos ir kovos su terorizmu srityje. Probleminiai klausimai nagrinėjama tema keliami neatsitikinai, nes Lietuvai tapus ES ir NATO nare, nuolat augant įvairioms išorinėms ir vidinėms grėsmėms bei pavojams valstybių nacionaliniam saugumui ieškoma įvairiausių priemonių jiems pažaboti. Straipsnyje keliama terorizmo sampratos problema. Pripažįstama, kad šiuo metu nėra visuotinai priimtos terorizmo sąvokos. Terorizmo samprata glaudžiai siejama su teroro akto terminu. Autoriai daro išvadą, kad terorizmo terminas turėtų būti suprantamas kur kas plačiau ir apimti ne tik tarptautiniuose dokumentuose vartojamas įvairias su terorizmu susijusias nusikalstamas veikas, bet ir valstybių vidiniam nacionaliniam saugumui kylančias grėsmes bei pavojus. Straipsnyje gana detaliai pateikiama ir analizuojama terorizmo prevencijos ir kovos su terorizmu teisinė bazė. Ypač daug dėmesio skiriama Lietuvos valstybės ratifikuotoms tarptautinėms sutartims ir priimtiems įstatymams bei kitiems teisės aktams, reglamentuojantiems terorizmo prevencijos klausimus. Pagrindinis straipsnio akcentas nukreiptas į terorizmo prevencijos ir kovos su terorizmu situacijos tyrimą Lietuvoje. Pastaruoju metu terorizmo įveikimas yra vienas iš strateginių Lietuvos ir kitų Europos valstybių uždavinių. Daugelyje valstybių ne tik policijos bei kitos saugumo tarnybos, bet ir mokslininkai aktyviai dalyvauja įgyvendinant šią misiją, kuriant antiteroristinę politiką. Autoriai, išskirdami priežastis, įrodinėja, kad didžiausią grėsmę Lietuvos nacionaliniam saugumui kelia tarptautinis terorizmas. Neabejotinai pastebimas ir galimas vidaus terorizmo išplitimas. Straipsnyje analizuojami terorizmo prevencijoje ir kovoje su terorizmu dalyvaujantys subjektai, išskiriama jų kompetencija šioje srityje. Taip pat apžvelgiamos nacionalinės programos, kuriose numatytos terorizmo prevencijos ir kovos su terorizmu plėtros kryptys bei tendencijos, skirtos šalinti terorizmo atsiradimo bei išplitimo priežastis

Bilberries potentially alleviate stress-related retinal gene expression induced by a high-fat diet in mice

PURPOSE: Obesity- and diabetes-associated visual impairment and vascular dysfunctions are increasing as causes of vision loss. The detailed mechanisms of how obesity and diabetes affect eye health are still largely unknown, but animal models have been useful in exploring the effects of potential protective compounds, i.e., compounds characterized by antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These properties occur in anthocyanins, and bilberries (European wild blueberries, Vaccinium myrtillus) are a major source of dietary anthocyanins in Nordic diets. The main aim of the present work was to study the protective effects of dietary bilberries (BB) on the level of gene expression in retinas in mice that develop obesity when fed a high-fat diet (HFD). METHODS: Mice (n=6 per group, four groups) were fed ad libitum a normal control diet (NCD), a HFD, or a diet with 5% bilberries (NCD+BB, HFD+BB) for 12 weeks. Food consumption, weight gain, and blood pressure were measured during the feeding period and whole blood serum markers of obesity at sacrifice. Retinas were collected, and RNA extracted from all 24 mice and pooled samples from four mice per group were hybridized to Mouse-Ref8 V2 Expression BeadChips (Illumina platform) with 25,697 probes for genes and transcript variants. The expression profiles in the retinas were analyzed using R, PathVisio, and DAVID to screen for high fat–induced changes as well as for bilberry-induced changes in the HFD up- or downregulated transcripts. RESULTS: The HFD and HFD+BB groups gained weight from week 5 and final weight, blood glucose, serum free fatty acids, and systolic blood pressure as compared to mice fed the control diets (Mann–Whitney’s U-test, p<0.05). Bilberries had no significant effect on these parameters other than a trend to reduce systolic blood pressure in the HFD-fed mice (101±4 versus 113±9 mmHg, p=0.10). Gene ontology enrichment analysis of 810 differentially expressed genes (F-test, p<0.05) in the retina displayed differential regulation of genes in ontology groups, mainly pathways for apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress, especially systemic lupus erythematosus, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and glutathione metabolism. Mice fed a HFD had increased retinal gene expression of several crystallins, while the HFD+BB mice showed potential downregulation of these crystallins when compared to the HFD mice. Bilberries also reduced the expression of genes in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and increased those in the glutathione metabolism pathway. CONCLUSIONS: HFD feeding induces differential expression of several stress-related genes in the mouse retina. Despite minor effects in the phenotype, a diet rich in bilberries mitigates the upregulation of crystallins otherwise induced by HFD. Thus, the early stages of obesity-associated and stress-related gene expression changes in the retina may be prevented with bilberries in the diet

The IOVP effect in mindless reading: Experiment and modeling

AbstractFixation durations in reading are longer for within-word fixation positions close to word center than for positions near word boundaries. This counterintuitive result was termed the Inverted-Optimal Viewing Position (IOVP) effect. We proposed an explanation of the effect based on error-correction of mislocated fixations [Nuthmann, A., Engbert, R., & Kliegl, R. (2005). Mislocated fixations during reading and the inverted optimal viewing position effect. Vision Research, 45, 2201–2217], that suggests that the IOVP effect is not related to word processing. Here we demonstrate the existence of an IOVP effect in “mindless reading”, a z-string scanning task. We compare the results from experimental data with results obtained from computer simulations of a simple model of the IOVP effect and discuss alternative accounts. We conclude that oculomotor errors, which often induce mislocalized fixations, represent the most important source of the IOVP effect