Interhemispheric balance of overt attention: a theta burst stimulation study

Interhemispheric imbalance is discussed as a pathophysiological mechanism in visuospatial neglect. It is suggested that after a lesion of the right hemisphere the mutual transcallosal inhibition is impaired, resulting in an increased activity of the left hemisphere. We investigated the interhemispheric balance of attention in healthy subjects by using a free visual exploration task and by interfering with the neural activity of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) of either hemisphere using an inhibitory transcranial magnetic stimulation routine with theta burst stimulation (TBS). Subjects explored colour photographs of real-life scenes presented on a computer screen under four conditions: (i) without TBS; (ii) after TBS over the right PPC; (iii) after TBS over the left PPC; and (iv) after TBS over the right PPC and, after the first half of the task, over the left PPC. Eye movements were measured, and distribution of mean cumulative fixation duration over screen halves was analyzed. TBS over the right PPC resulted in a significant rightward shift of mean cumulative fixation duration of approximately 30 min. The shift could be reversed when a subsequent train of TBS was applied over the left PPC. However, left PPC stimulation alone had no significant effect on visual exploration behaviour. The present study shows that the effect of TBS on the PPC depends on which hemisphere is stimulated and on the state of the contralateral homologue area. These findings are in accordance with the predictions of the interhemispheric rivalry model in neglect.

Third party assessments in trust problems with conflict of interest: An experiment on the effects of promisesm

Is it possible to elicit reliable assessment from an assessor having a conflict of interest (e.g. a professor that writes a recommendation letter for a formal PhD student)? We propose an experimental test and show that compared to a not-incentivized assessment, a promise to give a truthful assessment reduces misreporting to the same extent as an incentivized assessment (i.e. when the assessor gains higher payoff if the assessment is correct).

Plant diversity effects on the water balance of an experimental grassland

In the literature, contrasting effects of plant species richness on the soil water balance are reported. Our objective was to assess the effects of plant species and functional richness and functional identity on soil water contents and water fluxes in the experimental grassland of the Jena Experiment. The Jena Experiment comprises 86 plots on which plant species richness (0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 60) and functional group composition (zero to four functional groups: legumes, grasses, tall herbs, and small herbs) were manipulated in a factorial design. We recorded meteorological data and soil water contents of the 0·0–0·3 and 0·3–0·7 m soil layers and calculated actual evapotranspiration (ETa), downward flux (DF), and capillary rise with a soil water balance model for the period 2003–2007. Missing water contents were estimated with a Bayesian hierarchical model. Species richness decreased water contents in subsoil during wet soil conditions. Presence of tall herbs increased soil water contents in topsoil during dry conditions and decreased soil water contents in subsoil during wet conditions. Presence of grasses generally decreased water contents in topsoil, particularly during dry phases; increased ETa and decreased DF from topsoil; and decreased ETa from subsoil. Presence of legumes, in contrast, decreased ETa and increased DF from topsoil and increased ETa from subsoil. Species richness probably resulted in complementary water use. Specific functional groups likely affected the water balance via specific root traits (e.g. shallow dense roots of grasses and deep taproots of tall herbs) or specific shading intensity caused by functional group effects on vegetation cover. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Towards a new balance of trade in agriculture

Trade in agriculture is linked to a whole range of economic, environmental, societal and future interests. For this reason, international regulation of trade in agricultural goods is highly contentious. While mainly directed towards an opening of markets, the WTO Agreement on Agriculture also has some entry points for ‘non trade concerns’. However, the agreement still looks like a casual patchwork that allows rather unsystematic ally for exemptions, without explicitly exposing the grounds that allow for them. The question arises of how the agreement could be drafted in a more structured way, in order to make sure that the economic objectives are efficiently pursued, and at the same time that human rights and environmental concerns are adequately taken account of? The concept of sustainable development provides for a methodical ‘seven step’ framework that gives guidance on integrated decision making processes. In this paper, this framework is partially applied to the Agreement on Agriculture. This working paper served as an introductory note to a brainstorming workshop on the subject that took place on 27 March 2009 at the World Trade Institute, University of Bern.

Interhemispheric cerebral blood flow balance during recovery of motor hand function after ischemic stroke - a longitudinal MRI study using arterial spin labeling perfusion

BACKGROUND Unilateral ischemic stroke disrupts the well balanced interactions within bilateral cortical networks. Restitution of interhemispheric balance is thought to contribute to post-stroke recovery. Longitudinal measurements of cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes might act as surrogate marker for this process. OBJECTIVE To quantify longitudinal CBF changes using arterial spin labeling MRI (ASL) and interhemispheric balance within the cortical sensorimotor network and to assess their relationship with motor hand function recovery. METHODS Longitudinal CBF data were acquired in 23 patients at 3 and 9 months after cortical sensorimotor stroke and in 20 healthy controls using pulsed ASL. Recovery of grip force and manual dexterity was assessed with tasks requiring power and precision grips. Voxel-based analysis was performed to identify areas of significant CBF change. Region-of-interest analyses were used to quantify the interhemispheric balance across nodes of the cortical sensorimotor network. RESULTS Dexterity was more affected, and recovered at a slower pace than grip force. In patients with successful recovery of dexterous hand function, CBF decreased over time in the contralesional supplementary motor area, paralimbic anterior cingulate cortex and superior precuneus, and interhemispheric balance returned to healthy control levels. In contrast, patients with poor recovery presented with sustained hypoperfusion in the sensorimotor cortices encompassing the ischemic tissue, and CBF remained lateralized to the contralesional hemisphere. CONCLUSIONS Sustained perfusion imbalance within the cortical sensorimotor network, as measured with task-unrelated ASL, is associated with poor recovery of dexterous hand function after stroke. CBF at rest might be used to monitor recovery and gain prognostic information.

Microgram-Level Radiocarbon Determination of Carbonaceous Particles in Firn and Ice Samples: Pretreatment and Oc/Ec Separation

Carbonaceous particles that comprise organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) are of increasing interest in climate research because of their influence on the radiation balance of the Earth. The radiocarbon determination of particulate OC and EC extracted from ice cores provides a powerful tool to reconstruct the long-term natural and anthropogenic emissions of carbonaceous particles. However, this C-14-based source apportionment method has not been applied for the firn section, which is the uppermost part of Alpine glaciers with a typical thickness of up to 50 m. In contrast to glacier ice, firn samples are more easily contaminated through drilling and handling operations. In this study, an alternative decontamination method for firn samples consisting of chiselling off the outer parts instead of rinsing them was developed and verified. The obtained procedural blank of 2.8 +/- 0.8 mu g C for OC is a factor of 2 higher compared to the rinsing method used for ice, but still relatively low compared to the typical OC concentration in firn samples from Alpine glaciers. The EC blank of 0.3 +/- 0.1 mu g C is similar for both methods. For separation of OC and EC for subsequent C-14 analysis, a thermal-optical method instead of the purely thermal method was applied for the first time to firn and ice samples, resulting in a reduced uncertainty of both the mass and C-14 determination. OC and EC concentrations as well as their corresponding fraction of modern for firn and ice samples from Fiescherhorn and Jungfraujoch agree well with published results, validating the new method.

Individual predictors of adolescents' vocational interest stabilities

The study investigated the predictive utility of interest profile differentiation, coherence, elevation, congruence, and vocational identity commitment and career maturity (career planning and exploration) on the 10-month interest stability of 292 Swiss eighth-grade students: profile, rank, and level stabilities were assessed. Controlling for socio-demographic and vocational interest type variables, measures of differentiated and coherent vocational interests were significant predictors of profile stability. Interest elevation predicted more rank and level stability. The career development variables explained only a non-significant additional amount of variance in the different stability measures.