Hands behind your back: effects of arm posture on tactile attention in the space behind the body

Previous research has shown that tactile-spatial information originating from the front of the body is remapped from an anatomical to an external-spatial coordinate system, guided by the availability of visual information early in development. Comparably little is known about regions of space for which visual information is not typically available, such as the space behind the body. This study tests for the first time the electrophysiological correlates of the effects of proprioceptive information on tactile-attentional mechanisms in the space behind the back. Observers were blindfolded and tactually cued to detect infrequent tactile targets on either their left or right hand and to respond to them either vocally or with index finger movements. We measured event-related potentials (ERPs) to tactile probes on the hands in order to explore tactile-spatial attention when the hands were either held close together or far apart behind the observer's back. Results show systematic effects of arm posture on tactile-spatial attention different from those previously found for front space. While attentional selection is typically more effective for hands placed far apart than close together in front space, we found that selection occurred more rapidly for close than far hands behind the back, during both covert attention and movement preparation tasks. This suggests that proprioceptive space may ‘wrap’ around the body, following the hands as they extend horizontally from the front body midline to the centre of the back

Doświadczenia w zatłaczaniu wód geotermalnych do zbiorników porowych

Due to certain favourable geological features of Hungary, the utilization of geothermal energy is realized through the availability of a great quantity of geothermal water. Consequently, the disposition of the used geothermal water is a serious challenge, and injection is probably one of the most controversial issues of geothermal energy utilization in Hungary. To date, there is no definitive regulation for this issue. In order for some common system of criteria to be definable for the optimum operation of geothermal projects in the region, and especially for injection into sandstone, this study has compiled the operational experiences of a number of already functioning systems to summarize the best practices of sustainable operation.Dzięki korzystnym warunkom geologicznym stosowanie energii cieplnej na Węgrzech związane jest z dostępnością dużej ilości wód termalnych. W konsekwencji jednak ich zrzut stanowi poważne wyzwanie, a zatłaczanie należy zapewne do najbardziej kontrowersyjnych zagadnień związanych z wykorzystaniem energii geotermalnej w tym kraju. Do chwili obecnej problem ten nie został uregulowany prawnie. Powinien zostać opracowany system kryteriów umożliwiających optymalne funkcjonowanie projektów, zwłaszcza jeśli wiążą się one z zatłaczaniem zużytych wód do piaskowców. W niniejszym artykule zebrano doświadczenia działających systemów, w których prowadzone jest zatłaczanie, w celu podsumowania najlepszych praktyk zrównoważonej eksploatacji wód termalnych