Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Event-Related Potentials Triggered by Unexpected Events during Simulated Driving and Influence of Vigilance

We investigated the spatiotemporal characteristics of brain activity due to sudden events during monotonous driving and how it changes with vigilance level. Two types of sudden events, emergency stop and car drifting, were presented using driving simulator, and event-related potentials (ERPs) were measured. From the ERPs of both types of events, an early component representing sensory information processing and a late component were observed. The early component was expected to represent sensory information processing, which corresponded to visual and somatosensory/vestibular information processing for the sudden stop and lane departure tasks, respectively. The late components showed spatiotemporal characteristics of the well-known P300 component for both types of events. Common characteristic brain activities occurred in response to sudden events, regardless of the type. The modulation of brain activity due to the vigilance level also shared common characteristics between the two types. We expect that our results will contribute to the development of an effective means to assist drivers’ reactions to ambulatory situations.

“Protesting against an avalanche”

Neuroscientists were uniquely poised to resist Nazi racial hygiene policies because neuropsychiatric patients were the primary targets of such policies. In Germany, and later Austria, some isolated instances of “passive” resistance by neuroscientists occurred with questionable overall impact. These included changing patients’ diagnoses to non-hereditary causes or transient disorders not covered by the sterilization law. Or they included private protests against euthanasia of varying degrees, and transferring patients to non-euthanasia facilities. And the least impactful may have been protests against dismissal of Jewish colleagues, or simply leaving Germany. Very rarely, German neuroscientists were engaged in “active” resistance, which was generally futile. In the occupied countries of Denmark, Holland, Norway, and France, however, some neuroscientists engaged in early active resistance that saved colleagues, prevented indoctrination of medical societies, prevented euthanasia, and helped lead to Germany’s defeat. The early component seems to be crucial in this defeat of evil by ordinary goodness.

Utility of Upright Weight-bearing Imaging in Total Hip Arthroplasty

Planning for total hip arthroplasty (THA) has traditionally been performed using static supine anteroposterior radiographs of the pelvis. Recent advances in imaging technology and the understanding of human spinopelvic kinematics have made weight-bearing radiography an important adjunct to supine imaging. Hip surgeons can use weight-bearing imaging to optimize THA component position to prevent hip instability and early component wear. The goal of this narrative review is to delineate the fundamentals of spinopelvic kinematics, the benefits of surgical planning using weight-bearing radiography, and the underpinnings of upright full-body stereoradiography as a useful adjunct to traditional supine radiographs.

Observed Issue Selling: The Effects of Role Models, Willingness to Issue Sell, and Inclusion in Decision Making

This study examines issue selling (an early component of the change process in which higher-level managers are influenced to pay attention to issues). Building on the conservation of resources model, social contextual factors (role models for issue selling and inclusion in decision making) are proposed to explain when and how issue selling occurs during the early stages of change. This research breaks new ground by examining issue selling behavior (as observed by supervisors) in conjunction with willingness to issue sell. Results based on a sample of 191 employee–supervisor dyads suggest that role models positively contributed to willingness to issue sell, which was positively related to issue selling when individuals perceived that they were involved in decision making. To increase the likelihood that employees will engage in issue selling to facilitate change, managers should provide exposure to issue selling role models and should increase employees’ perceived inclusion in decision making.

Zonda is a novel early component of the autophagy pathway in Drosophila

Autophagy is an evolutionary conserved process by which eukaryotic cells undergo self-digestion of cytoplasmic components. Here we report that a novel Drosophila immunophilin, which we have named Zonda, is critically required for starvation-induced autophagy. We show that Zonda operates at early stages of the process, specifically for Vps34-mediated phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P) deposition. Zonda displays an even distribution under basal conditions and, soon after starvation, nucleates in endoplasmic reticulum–associated foci that colocalize with omegasome markers. Zonda nucleation depends on Atg1, Atg13, and Atg17 but does not require Vps34, Vps15, Atg6, or Atg14. Zonda interacts physically with Atg1 through its kinase domain, as well as with Atg6 and Vps34. We propose that Zonda is an early component of the autophagy cascade necessary for Vps34-dependent PI3P deposition and omegasome formation.

Evidence Supporting Open-Loop Control During Early Vergence

Disparity vergence eye movements were analyzed to determine if the early component of this response operates under open-loop, or preprogrammed, control. The analysis compares ratios of peak velocity to response amplitude (i.e., main sequence ratios) for the isolated early component and for the entire disparity vergence response. The stimuli were limited a 4 deg step changes in vergence so that any differences in movement dynamics (i.e., peak velocities) were due only to internal noise. Nine binocularly normal subjects were studied. A significant correlation between peak velocity and amplitude was observed during the early portion of the movement (p < 0.002), but not for the overall vergence response. Results support the widely held, but unproven assumption that the early component of symmetrical vergence is guided by open-loop, or preprogrammed, control processes while the overall response is influenced by internal and/or external feedback.