First valence, then arousal: the temporal dynamics of brain electric activity evoked by emotional stimuli

The temporal dynamics of the neural activity that implements the dimensions valence and arousal during processing of emotional stimuli were studied in two multi-channel ERP experiments that used visually presented emotional words (experiment 1) and emotional pictures (experiment 2) as stimulus material. Thirty-two healthy subjects participated (mean age 26.8 +/- 6.4 years, 24 women). The stimuli in both experiments were selected on the basis of verbal reports in such a way that we were able to map the temporal dynamics of one dimension while controlling for the other one. Words (pictures) were centrally presented for 450 (600) ms with interstimulus intervals of 1,550 (1,400) ms. ERP microstate analysis of the entire epochs of stimulus presentations parsed the data into sequential steps of information processing. The results revealed that in several microstates of both experiments, processing of pleasant and unpleasant valence (experiment 1, microstate #3: 118-162 ms, #6: 218-238 ms, #7: 238-266 ms, #8: 266-294 ms; experiment 2, microstate #5: 142-178 ms, #6: 178-226 ms, #7: 226-246 ms, #9: 262-302 ms, #10: 302-330 ms) as well as of low and high arousal (experiment 1, microstate #8: 266-294 ms, #9: 294-346 ms; experiment 2, microstate #10: 302-330 ms, #15: 562-600 ms) involved different neural assemblies. The results revealed also that in both experiments, information about valence was extracted before information about arousal. The last microstate of valence extraction was identical with the first microstate of arousal extraction.

Beiträge zur Geschichte der Juden in Deutschland

von Leopold Löwenstein

Analekten zur Geschichte der Juden

gesammelt und hrsg. von Moritz Stern

Les juifs dans le pays de Neuchâtel

par Achille Nordmann ...

Bolschewismus und Judentum

Dimitri Bulaschow

Institutiones Hebraicae : Academicis Praelectionibus Ac Domesticis Usibus Adaptatae

Dan. Christ. Ries

Prevention of preterm delivery with vaginal progesterone in women with preterm labour (4P): randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of 200 mg of daily vaginal natural progesterone to prevent preterm birth in women with preterm labour. DESIGN Multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING Twenty-nine centres in Switzerland and Argentina. POPULATION A total of 385 women with preterm labour (24(0/7) to 33(6/7) weeks of gestation) treated with acute tocolysis. METHODS Participants were randomly allocated to either 200 mg daily of self-administered vaginal progesterone or placebo within 48 hours of starting acute tocolysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Primary outcome was delivery before 37 weeks of gestation. Secondary outcomes were delivery before 32 and 34 weeks, adverse effects, duration of tocolysis, re-admissions for preterm labour, length of hospital stay, and neonatal morbidity and mortality. The study was ended prematurely based on results of the intermediate analysis. RESULTS Preterm birth occurred in 42.5% of women in the progesterone group versus 35.5% in the placebo group (relative risk [RR] 1.2; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.93-1.5). Delivery at <32 and <34 weeks did not differ between the two groups (12.9 versus 9.7%; [RR 1.3; 95% CI 0.7-2.5] and 19.7 versus 12.9% [RR 1.5; 95% CI 0.9-2.4], respectively). The duration of tocolysis, hospitalisation, and recurrence of preterm labour were comparable between groups. Neonatal morbidity occurred in 44 (22.8%) cases on progesterone versus 35 (18.8%) cases on placebo (RR: 1.2; 95% CI 0.82-1.8), whereas there were 4 (2%) neonatal deaths in each study group. CONCLUSION There is no evidence that the daily administration of 200 mg vaginal progesterone decreases preterm birth or improves neonatal outcome in women with preterm labour.

Surface densities of ephrin-B1 determine EphB1-coupled activation of cell attachment through alphavbeta3 and alpha5beta1 integrins.

Receptors of the Eph family and their ligands (ephrins) mediate developmental vascular assembly and direct axonal guidance. Migrating cell processes identify appropriate targets within migratory fields based on topographically displayed ephrin gradients. Here, EphB1 regulated cell attachment by discriminating the density at which ephrin-B1 was displayed on a reconstituted surface. EphB1-ephrin-B1 engagement did not promote cell attachment through mechanical tethering, but did activate integrin-mediated attachment. In endothelial cells, attachment to RGD peptides or fibrinogen was mediated through alphavbeta3 integrin. EphB1 transfection conferred ephrin-B1-responsive activation of alpha5beta1 integrin-mediated cell attachment in human embryonic kidney cells. Activation-competent but signaling-defective EphB1 point mutants failed to stimulate ephrin-B1 dependent attachment. These findings lead us to propose that EphB1 functions as a 'ligand density sensor' to signal integrin-mediated cell-matrix attachment.

Nck recruitment to Eph receptor, EphB1/ELK, couples ligand activation to c-Jun kinase.

Eph family receptor tyrosine kinases signal axonal guidance, neuronal bundling, and angiogenesis; yet the signaling systems that couple these receptors to targeting and cell-cell assembly responses are incompletely defined. Functional links to regulators of cytoskeletal structure are anticipated based on receptor mediated cell-cell aggregation and migratory responses. We used two-hybrid interaction cloning to identify EphB1-interactive proteins. Six independent cDNAs encoding the SH2 domain of the adapter protein, Nck, were recovered in a screen of a murine embryonic library. We mapped the EphB1 subdomain that binds Nck and its Drosophila homologue, DOCK, to the juxtamembrane region. Within this subdomain, Tyr594 was required for Nck binding. In P19 embryonal carcinoma cells, activation of EphB1 (ELK) by its ligand, ephrin-B1/Fc, recruited Nck to native receptor complexes and activated c-Jun kinase (JNK/SAPK). Transient overexpression of mutant EphB1 receptors (Y594F) blocked Nck recruitment to EphB1, attenuated downstream JNK activation, and blocked cell attachment responses. These findings identify Nck as an important intermediary linking EphB1 signaling to JNK.

Desertification and Global Change: Innovative Management of Scarce Resources in Semi-Arid Areas. Experiences from development and research: Challenges for a better future

While most events related to the International Year of Deserts and Desertification 2006 took mainly a problem-oriented perspective and approach, the Bern Symposium held in May 2006 tried to adopt a more positive attitude by attempting to take stock of experience as well as best and worst practices in the past, both in development practice and in research. Through this deliberate focus on potentials, positive experiences, solutions and pathways, predominant passive and reactive attitudes and hopelessness might be better overcome. The Symposium was organized by CDE, NCCR North-South and Forum SLM.

Histone H4 mRNA from the nematode Ascaris lumbricoides is cis-spliced and polyadenylated.

A histone H4 gene from Ascaris lumbricoides contains an intron of approx. 2040 bp. Transcripts of the gene are spliced and polyadenylated. This is the first intron-containing H4 gene described for a metazoan. Notably, H4 mRNA from another nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, is intron-less and lacks poly A (Roberts, S.B., Emmons, S.W. and Childs, G. (1989) J. Mol. Biol. 206, 567-577).

Synesthetic experiences enhance unconscious learning

Synesthesia is characterized by consistent extra perceptual experiences in response to normal sensory input. Recent studies provide evidence for a specific profile of enhanced memory performance in synesthesia, but focus exclusively on explicit memory paradigms for which the learned content is consciously accessible. In this study, for the first time, we demonstrate with an implicit memory paradigm that synesthetic experiences also enhance memory performance relating to unconscious knowledge.

Structures of four human pseudogenes for U7 small nuclear RNA.

Four U7 RNA-related sequences were isolated from a human genomic DNA library. None of the sequences completely match the published human U7 RNA sequence and all of them contain features typical of reverse-transcribed pseudogenes.

Arbeitskreis: Verknüpfung von Theorie und Sportpraxis in der Lehre

Für die Ausbildungsstrukturen sportwissenschaftlicher Lehre an Hochschulen in der Schweiz ist eine formale Trennung in theoretische Teildisziplinen und sportpraktische Kurse nach wie vor kennzeichnend. Die Orientierung der Inhalte und Ziele erfolgt damit eng an der Systematik der jeweils zugrundeliegenden Wissenschafts- oder Praxisdisziplin. Aus diesem Grund wird die Leitidee einer Vernetzung der Lehre in Theorie und Praxis an den Sportinstituten der Schweiz rege diskutiert und weiterentwickelt. An der SGS-Tagung 2013 in Basel wurde dem Thema erstmals Raum gegeben. Aus einer integrativen sportwissenschaftlichen Sichtweise kann Lernen - sowohl von theoretischen als auch von sportpraktischen Inhalten - nicht als linearer Prozess verstanden werden, bei dem Neues additiv hinzukommt. Neues relativiert vielmehr bereits Gelerntes. Solche Lernprozesse verlangen von den Lernenden und vom Lehrenden mehr ab, nämlich ein reflexives Lehren und Lernen (Herzog, 2002). Das im AK angestrebte Überwinden der Kluft zwischen theoretischem Wissen und praktischem Handeln scheint bedeutsam zu sein, um Lehr-/Lernkurzschlüsse zu vermeiden, wie sie bspw. in der Gleichsetzung sportlichen Könnens mit dem Verstehen sportlichen Könnens oder mit der Fähigkeit, sportliches Können zu vermitteln, zum Ausdruck kommt (Blotzheim et. al., 2008). Gearbeitet wird in zwei zusammenhängenden Arbeitskreisen (AK): Der hier beschriebene AK bildet den Vorbau zum AK «Verknüpfung von Theorie und Sportpraxis in der Lehre – Teil 2: Vernetzungsbeispiel in die sportliche Praxis des Geräteturnens» vom Freitagnachmittag. In diesem ersten AK (Teil 1) geht es um den diskursiven Austausch bezüglich leitender Theorie-Praxis-Vernetzungskonzeptionen an den verschiedenen Hochschulen. Literatur: Blotzheim, D., Kamper, S. & Schneider, R. (2008). Überlegungen zur Vermittlung metakognitiver Kompetenz in der Sportlehrerausbildung durch Forschendes Lernen. In: bildungsforschung, Jahrgang 5, Ausgabe 2. Online zugänglich unter: http://bildungsforschung.org/index.php/bildungsforschung/article/view/18/16 [Stand 12.12.2015] Herzog, W. (2002). Zeitgemässe Erziehung – Die Konstruktion pädagogischer Wirklichkeit. Weilerswist: Velbrück Verlag