scholarly journals Early Blindness Limits the Head-Trunk Coordination Development for Horizontal Reorientation

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Esposito ◽  
Alice Bollini ◽  
Monica Gori
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Task ◽  
Daily Life Activities ◽  
Trunk Movements ◽  
Performance Results ◽  
Coordination Development ◽  
High Degree ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Spatial Task Performance ◽  
Horizontal Rotations

During locomotion, goal-directed orientation movements in the horizontal plane require a high degree of head-trunk coordination. This coordination is acquired during childhood. Since early visual loss is linked to motor control deficits, we hypothesize that it may also affect the development of head-trunk coordination for horizontal rotations. However, no direct evidence exists about such a deficit. To assess this hypothesis, we tested early blind and sighted individuals on dynamic sound alignment through a head-pointing task with sounds delivered in acoustic virtual reality. Participants could perform the head-pointing with no constraints, or they were asked to immobilize their trunk voluntarily. Kinematics of head and trunk were assessed individually and with respect to each other, together with spatial task performance. Results indicated a head-trunk coordination deficit in the early blind group; yet, they could dampen their trunk movements so as not to let their coordination deficit affect spatial performance. This result highlights the role of vision in the development of head-trunk coordination for goal-directed horizontal rotations. It also calls for clarification on the impact of the blindness-related head-trunk coordination deficit on the performance of more complex tasks akin to daily life activities such as steering during locomotion or reaching to targets placed sideways.

The academic profession in Russia’s two capitals: The impact of 20 years of transition

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 626-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizaveta Sivak ◽  
Maria Yudkevich
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Academic Profession ◽  
University Faculty ◽  
Key Characteristics ◽  
Personal Strain ◽  
High Degree ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Russian Universities

This paper studies the dynamics of key characteristics of the academic profession in Russia based on the analysis of university faculty in the two largest cities in Russia – Moscow and St Petersburg. We use data on Russian university faculty from two large-scale comparative studies of the academic profession (‘The Carnegie Study’ carried out in 1992 in 14 countries, including Russia, and ‘The Changing Academic Profession Study’, 2007–2012, with 19 participating countries and which Russia joined in 2012) to look at how faculty’s characteristics and attitudes toward different aspects of their academic life changed over 20 years (1992–2011) such as faculty’s views on reasons to leave or to stay at a university, on university’s management and the role of faculty in decision making. Using the example of universities in the two largest Russian cities, we demonstrate that the high degree of overall centralization of governance in Russian universities barely changed in 20 years. Our paper provides comparisons of teaching/research preferences and views on statements concerning personal strain associated with work, academic career perspectives, etc., not only in Russian universities between the years 1992 and 2012, but also in Russia and other ‘Changing Academic Profession’ countries.

scholarly journals Dopamine and serotonin interplay for valence-based spatial learning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Wert-Carvajal ◽  
Melissa Reneaux ◽  
Tatjana Tchumatchenko ◽  
Claudia Clopath
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Plasticity ◽  
Spatial Task ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Spike Time ◽  
Learning Rules ◽  
Learning Speed ◽  
Spike Time Dependent Plasticity ◽  
Spatial Task Performance

AbstractDopamine and serotonin are important modulators of synaptic plasticity and their action has been linked to our ability to learn the positive or negative outcomes or valence learning. In the hippocampus, both neuromodulators affect long-term synaptic plasticity but play different roles in the encoding of uncertainty or predicted reward. Here, we examine the differential role of these modulators on learning speed and cognitive flexibility in a navigational model. We compare two reward-modulated spike time-dependent plasticity (R-STDP) learning rules to describe the action of these neuromodulators. Our results show that the interplay of dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) improves overall learning performance and can explain experimentally reported differences in spatial task performance. Furthermore, this system allows us to make predictions regarding spatial reversal learning.

Business Ethics is Socio-Political, or Not at All

2015 ◽  
pp. 251-281
Author(s):  
Ana-Maria Pascal
Keyword(s):  
Business Ethics ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Kantian Ethics ◽  
Political Responsibility ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Mining Project ◽  
Public Ethics ◽  
High Degree ◽  
The Impact

This chapter explores the moral aspects of commercial deals that allegedly democratic governments enter into with foreign investors. These are discussed against a twofold theoretical background – where the philosophical ideal of public ethics based on truth and transparency meets business ethics theories. The Kantian ethics of duty proves to be the key link between these, as particularly relevant for cases where the impact on a wide range of stakeholders is considerable. The main case under consideration is the controversial USD $2 billion Romanian mining project at Rosia Montana, which highlights the need for accountability mentioned above and lends itself well to a multi-fold business ethics analysis. The role of the civil society in effectively stopping the project is a good illustration of the stakeholder theory. The chapter concludes with the thesis that a high degree of socio-political responsibility may be best achieved when trying to combine principle-based and utilitarian thinking.

Labor in a Massachusetts Cotton Mill, 1853–60

1954 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ray Ginger
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Labor Force ◽  
Wage Differential ◽  
Labor Relations ◽  
Textile Workers ◽  
Current Consumption ◽  
Wage Earners ◽  
High Degree ◽  
The Impact

Skilled textile workers migrated from Scotland to Massachusetts in the 1850's because of a large wage differential and low steerage rates for the transatlantic passage. For each one of 56 women weavers in the Lyman Mills, expenditures on current consumption took less than 75 per cent of income. But the circumstances were unusual, so this sample does not permit any conclusions about the role of wage-earners' savings in the accumulation of capital in New England. In this mill, two-thirds of the labor force in 1860 had been working there less than three years. The impact of this high degree of labor mobility on labor relations and on the technology of the industry is tentatively assessed.

The Impact of Publishing and Patenting Activities on New Product Development and Firm Performance: The Case of the US Pharmaceutical Industry

2003 ◽  
Vol 07 (02) ◽  
pp. 213-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Steven McMillan ◽  
Alfredo Mauri ◽  
Robert D. Halmilton
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Pharmaceutical Industry ◽  
Product Development ◽  
New Product Development ◽  
New Product ◽  
The Us ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Performance Results ◽  
The Impact

This paper studies the role of publishing and patenting activities as predictors of new product development for a sample of companies in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. The research also examines the relation between new product development and firm performance. Hypotheses are developed based on the well-established absorptive capacity literature. The results show that publishing scientific articles and stock of patents are both significant predictors of the number of new molecular entities (NMEs) for which a firm receives approval. In addition, the degree to which a firm builds on its own technology (measured as self-citations in its patents) also predicts NMEs, but the regression coefficient had an unexpected negative sign. Finally, the performance results confirm that the approval of NMEs is significantly associated with the market-to-book ratio of a firm. The managerial implications of these findings and study limitations are also discussed.

scholarly journals STEPS IN UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF INSTABILITY UPON URBAN TERITORRIAL SYSTEMS

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrei SCHVAB ◽  
Igor SÎRODOEV ◽  
Mirela PARASCHIV ◽  
Natașa VĂIDIANU
Keyword(s):  
Measuring System ◽  
Linear Processes ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Functional Changes ◽  
Baia Mare ◽  
Adaptive Processes ◽  
Functional Shift ◽  
High Degree ◽  
The Impact

Instability is an omnipresent process that creates the conditions for adaptation and change. A territorial system cannot develop without instability. A high degree of system instability points out an acute structural and functional disorder. The present study proposes a method to measure system instability through economic structural and functional changes inside urban territorial systems. The analysis is done by quantifying the changes and transfers in internal economic hierarchies. System instability shows the role that the system plays in its environment and consequently the measures that can be taken to amplify or hinder (depending on the desired outcome) that role. The conceptual framework captures the adaptive processes associated with system instability and both structural and functional changes are evidenced. The non-linear processes were analysed for the urban territorial system of Baia Mare (Romania) underlining their role in the city’s adaptation to the changing of its environment. The proposed method starts from the assumption that internal systemic hierarchy is a very stable parameter of state. If the system is unstable, significant changes of the internal hierarchy will happen, and this will be reflected in a strong structural and functional shift. Measuring system instability helps better understanding the impact that change and adaptation have over the territorial system and its environment. Understanding these processes may offer policy makers the evidence they need to take actions in a conscious manner.

Detection Techniques of Fraud in Accounting

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arben Sahiti ◽  
Mejdi Bektashi
Keyword(s):  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Accounting Fraud ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Detection Techniques ◽  
The Media ◽  
High Degree ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Made In

The problem relating with the accounting fraud is that it has not stopped despite the numerous changes that have been made in legislation and strict controls by the internal and external auditors. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to asess strategies and techniques available to use for accounting fraud detection. Also, this paper aims to assess the impact of fraud, and the role of auditors and the media in combating this phenomenon. This research will be carried out using secondary data because it fits better the aim and purpose of the research. Data used derived from a range of sources that have a very high degree of credibility and reliability, and which have been carefully reviewed by other relevant bodies for accuracy and quality purposes. This includes databases and various publications. In addition, the data also stem from individual and group publications made by renowned scientific researchers who have solid expertise in their field of accounting. Narrative analysis is used to analyze the data in this paper. This research will conclude that techniques used for the detection of fraud in accounting and various strategies can positively influence the treatment of this phenomenon due to the alarm buzzer for possible fraud. However, vigilance is necessarily required to add all parties involved in the corporation through the use of different anti-fraud programs to stimulate the accountability of the management executives and employees through informants to fight this destructive phenomenon.

Business Ethics is Socio-Political, or Not at All

2016 ◽  
pp. 1560-1590
Author(s):  
Ana-Maria Pascal
Keyword(s):  
Business Ethics ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Kantian Ethics ◽  
Political Responsibility ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Mining Project ◽  
Public Ethics ◽  
High Degree ◽  
The Impact

This chapter explores the moral aspects of commercial deals that allegedly democratic governments enter into with foreign investors. These are discussed against a twofold theoretical background – where the philosophical ideal of public ethics based on truth and transparency meets business ethics theories. The Kantian ethics of duty proves to be the key link between these, as particularly relevant for cases where the impact on a wide range of stakeholders is considerable. The main case under consideration is the controversial USD $2 billion Romanian mining project at Rosia Montana, which highlights the need for accountability mentioned above and lends itself well to a multi-fold business ethics analysis. The role of the civil society in effectively stopping the project is a good illustration of the stakeholder theory. The chapter concludes with the thesis that a high degree of socio-political responsibility may be best achieved when trying to combine principle-based and utilitarian thinking.

Microfungi associated with Abies needles and Betula leaf litter in a subalpine coniferous forest

2007 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Osono ◽  
Hiroshi Takeda
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Trichoderma Viride ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Subalpine Forest ◽  
Decomposition Processes ◽  
Volutella Ciliata ◽  
High Degree ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Degree Of Similarity

We investigated microfungal assemblages on leaf litter within a subalpine forest in central Japan and their variation with season, litter depth, and litter species. Microfungal assemblages were compared for Abies needles and Betula leaf litter collected from litter and fermentation layers of the forest floor during the growing season in spring, summer, and autumn. A total of 35 and 42 species were isolated from Abies needles and Betula leaf litter, respectively. The observed variation in microfungal assemblages was primarily attributable to seasonal differences. The frequencies of Trichoderma viride, Volutella ciliata, Mucor sp., and Umbelopsis ramanniana increased in summer, leading to a high degree of similarity of microfungal assemblages in different litter depths and litter species. Microfungal assemblages on Abies needles in spring and autumn and those on Betula leaves in spring were characterized by Trichoderma viride, V. ciliata, Thysanophora penicillioides, Trichoderma polysporum, and (or) Mortierella alpina. Microfungal assemblages on Betula leaves in autumn were characterized by the absence of these species and the occurrence of Cladosporium cladosporioides. The results were discussed with an emphasis on the role of microfungi in decomposition processes and the impact on fungi of predicted future increases in global temperature.Key words: birch, decomposition, diversity, fir, global warming.

scholarly journals The role of astroglial proteins in the brains of rats under the influence of doxorubicin and Humilid

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 392-397
Author(s):  
Y. V. Babets ◽  
G. A. Ushakova ◽  
L. M. Stepchenko
Keyword(s):  
Heart Muscle ◽  
Concomitant Administration ◽  
Heart Tissue ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Antitumor Action ◽  
Acid Protein ◽  
High Degree ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Anthracycline Chemotherapy

Doxorubicin causes toxic side effects which result in profound changes in various organs including the heart muscle, which leads to the development of cardiomyopathy, with further complications, as our earlier studies have shown. But there are complications in treatment by anthracycline chemotherapy. The reduction of toxicity of cytotoxic drugs without reduction of their antitumor action remains an important medical challenge. The S-100b and glial fibrillar acid protein (GFAP) are the key astroglial proteins which are widely used as biomarkers for neurotraumas and strokes. Thus the purpose of our work was to study the GFAP and S-100b levels under the experimental model of doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy and the effect of the cytostatic separately or combined with Humilid. The level of studied proteins was measured by ELISA using monospecific antibodies against GFAP and S-100b (Sigma, USA), secondary anti-IgG labeled with horseradish peroxidase (Sigma, USA) and GFAP and S-100b standards (Sigma, USA). The experiment was conducted on white Wistar male rats weighing 210 ±50 g, which were divided into 3 groups with 8 animals in each: 1 – control, rats received saline i/p, 2 – doxorubicin 1 mg/kg i/p once weekly during 4 weeks, 3 – doxorubicin by the same scheme plus 0.01% solution of Humilid during 4 weeks. Under impact of doxorubicin an increase of fibrillar GFAP content in the rats’ hippocampus was shown, which may have occurred as a result of the proliferation of astrocytes. An increase of concentration of S-100b to 20–26% compared with the control animals was also detected in the hippocampus, thalamus and the cerebral cortex of the studied animals. Concomitant administration of doxorubicin with Humilid partially prevented the increase in concentration of GFAP and S-100b in the rats’ hippocampus. The reciprocal change in the level of S-100b and GFAP in the peripheral nervous system of the heart tissue was defined with a high degree of correlation under impact of doxorubicin. Accordingly, we have proposed the hypothesis that the increase in of the filament GFAP in the hippocampus may occur due to the development of the ischemic state under the impact of doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy. Humilid with doxorubicin prevented changes in the researched astroglial proteins of the heart muscle and brain parts of rats. 

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