Monographies d'échinodermes, vivans et fossiles / par Louis Agassiz.

Liv. 1-3

Supportive presentation for computer games

Supportive presentation, computer games, non-photorealistic rendering camera control, camera AI, human factors, user interfaces, action summary, action replay, non-photorealistic rendering case studies, psychology

spatiotemporal profile of visual attention

Visual attention, focus of attention, mexican hat profile, surround inhibition

Vergleich zweier Gruppen von Sexualstraftätern hinsichtlich klinischer und forensischer Variablen : Eine empirische Untersuchung

SexualstraftäterstelleneineheterogeneGruppedar,derenUnterschiedesichaufeinerganzenReihevonEbenenabbilden.DasZieldervorliegendenArbeitbestandinderAna-­‐lysezweierGruppenvonSexualstraftäternhinsichtlichklinischer(=Prävalenzpsychiat-­‐rischerStörungen)undforensischer(=AusprägungforensischerPrognoseinstrumente,u.a.)Variablen.EswurdenzweiGruppen-­‐(1)sexuelleMissbrauchstätervonKindern(SMK)und(2)PersonenmitVergewaltigungsdelikt(V)-­‐gebildet;diesenwurdendieProbandenvordemHintergrundderDeliktartzugeordnet.Datengrundlagewarenpsy-­‐chiatrischePrognose-­‐undSchuldfähigkeitsgutachtenausdenJahren2006-­‐2014.DieStichprobesetztesichzusammenausN=35Sexualstraftätern(SMK:n=20;V:n=15).ZurAnalysederDatenwurdeeinequantitativ-­‐empirischeMethodegewählt.DieErgebnissezeigteninsbesondere,dassSMKhäufigervoneinerParaphilieDiagnosebetroffenwaren(p<.037).WeiterhinzeigtesicheinehohePrävalenzanPersönlichkeitsstörungeninbei-­‐denGruppen(SMK:65%;V:73,33%).AufEbenestatischerRisikofaktoren(z.B.Static-­‐99)warendieUnterschiedeehergering.Eszeigtesichauf(kriminal-­‐)biographischerEbene,dassVhinsichtlichersterDelinquenzsowieersterInhaftierungtendenzielljün-­‐gerwarenalsSMK.BeibeidenGruppensindmultipleDelinquenzformeninderVergan-­‐genheitfeststellbar.InsbesonderezeigtenbeideGruppeneinehoheZahlansexualitäts-­‐spezifischenVorstrafen(SMK:40%;V:46%).DieVariable„Heimaufenthalt“wurdebe-­‐züglichsexuellerDevianzwieauchallgemeinerDelinquenzalswichtigerFaktoridentifi-­‐ziert;hieristweitereForschungmitgrößerenStichprobenerforderlich.Keywords:Sexualstraftäter;Paraphilie;SexuelleDevianz;PsychiatrischeGutachten

Catalan's intervals and realizers of triangulations

The Stanley lattice, Tamari lattice and Kreweras lattice are three remarkable orders defined on the set of Catalan objects of a given size. These lattices are ordered by inclusion: the Stanley lattice is an extension of the Tamari lattice which is an extension of the Kreweras lattice. The Stanley order can be defined on the set of Dyck paths of size n as the relation of being above. Hence, intervals in the Stanley lattice are pairs of non-crossing Dyck paths. In a former article, the second author defined a bijection Φ between pairs of non-crossing Dyck paths and the realizers of triangulations (or Schnyder woods). We give a simpler description of the bijection Φ. Then, we study the restriction of Φ to Tamari’s and Kreweras’ intervals. We prove that Φ induces a bijection between Tamari intervals and minimal realizers. This gives a bijection between Tamari intervals and triangulations. We also prove that Φ induces a bijection between Kreweras intervals and the (unique) realizers of stack triangulations. Thus, Φ induces a bijection between Kreweras intervals and stacktriangulations which are known to be in bijection with ternary trees.

Mdx myotubes have normal excitability but show reduced contraction-relaxation dynamics.

The pathogenesis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), characterised by lack of the cytoskeletal protein dystrophin, is not completely understood. An early event in the degenerative process of DMD muscle could be a rise in cytosolic calcium concentration. In order to investigate whether this leads to alterations of contractile behaviour, we studied the excitability and contractile properties of cultured myotubes from control (C57BL/10) and mdx mice, an animal model for DMD. The myotubes were stimulated electrically and their motion was recorded photometrically. No significant differences were found between control and mdx myotubes with respect to the following parameters: chronaxy and rheobase (0.33 +/- 0.03 ms and 23 +/- 4 V vs. 0.39 +/- 0.07 ms and 22 +/- 2 V for C57 and mdx myotubes, respectively), tetanisation frequency (a similar distribution pattern was found between 5 and 30 Hz), fatigue during tetanus (found in 35% of both types of myotubes) and post-tetanic contracture. In contrast, contraction and relaxation times were longer (P < 0.005) in mdx (36 +/- 2 and 142 +/- 13 ms, respectively) than in control myotubes (26 +/- 1 and 85 +/- 9 ms, respectively). Together with our earlier findings, these results suggest a decreased capacity for calcium removal in mdx cells leading, in particular, to alterations of muscle relaxation.

Glutathione deficit during development induces anomalies in the rat anterior cingulate GABAergic neurons: Relevance to schizophrenia.

A series of studies in schizophrenic patients report a decrease of glutathione (GSH) in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and cerebrospinal fluid, a decrease in mRNA levels for two GSH synthesizing enzymes and a deficit in parvalbumin (PV) expression in a subclass of GABA neurons in PFC. GSH is an important redox regulator, and its deficit could be responsible for cortical anomalies, particularly in regions rich in dopamine innervation. We tested in an animal model if redox imbalance (GSH deficit and excess extracellular dopamine) during postnatal development would affect PV-expressing neurons. Three populations of interneurons immunolabeled for calcium-binding proteins were analyzed quantitatively in 16-day-old rat brain sections. Treated rats showed specific reduction in parvalbumin immunoreactivity in the anterior cingulate cortex, but not for calbindin and calretinin. These results provide experimental evidence for the critical role of redox regulation in cortical development and validate this animal model used in schizophrenia research.

Deux approches de l'influence du discours économique sur les phénomènes sociaux

The influence of theoretical discourse on the corresponding field of investigation is an important feature of social science : social scientists shape the world by describing it. This phenomenon has been studied in several ways. Economic sociology has recently focused on the fact that the economy is embedded in the economics through which it is scrutinized. Great names of economic theory have focused on the effects of economists' discourse on agents' behaviours. This article aims to bring out the distinction between these two kinds of contributions which deal with the same object. Finally, it explains the analytical distinction by a difference in the initial problematic. Following trends in the French school of the economics of convention, the social influence of theoretical discourse is analyzed on the strategic side (in connection with economics) and on the interpretative side (in connection with sociology).

Results of computer assisted navigation in Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA): comparison with the conventional method

The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the clinical and radiographic results after TKA (PFC, DePuy), performed either by computer assisted navigation (CAS, Brainlab, Johnson&Johnson) or by conventional means. Material and methods: Between May and December 2006 we reviewed 36 conventional TKA performed between 2002 and 2003 (group A) and 37 navigated TKA performed between 2005 and 2006 (group B) by the same experienced surgeon. The mean age in group A was 74 years (range 62-90) and 73 (range 58-85) in group B with a similar age distribution. The preoperative mechanical axes in group A ranged from -13° varus to +13° valgus (mean absolute deviation 6.83°, SD 3.86), in group B from -13° to +16° (mean absolute deviation 5.35, SD 4.29). Patients with a previous tibial osteotomy or revision arthroplasty were excluded from the study. Examination was done by an experienced orthopedic resident independent of the surgeon. All patients had pre- and postoperative long standing radiographs. The IKSS and the WOMAC were utilized to determine the clinical outcome. Patient's degree of satisfaction was assessed on a visual analogous scale (VAS). Results: 32 of the 37 navigated TKAs (86,5%) showed a postoperative mechanical axis within the limits of 3 degrees of valgus or varus deviation compared to only 24 (66%) of the 36 standard TKAs. This difference was significant (p = 0.045). The mean absolute deviation from neutral axis was 3.00° (range -5° to +9°, SD: 1.75) in group A in comparison to 1.54° (range -5° to +4°, SD: 1.41) in group B with a highly significant difference (p = 0.000). Furthermore, both groups showed a significant postoperative improvement of their mean IKSS-values (group A: 89 preoperative to 169 postoperative, group B 88 to 176) without a significant difference between the two groups. Neither the WOMAC nor the patient's degree of satisfaction - as assessed by VAS - showed significant differences. Operation time was significantly higher in group B (mean 119.9 min.) than in group A (mean 99.6 min., p <0.000). Conclusion: Our study showed consistent significant improvement of postoperative frontal alignment in TKA by computer assisted navigation (CAS) compared to standard methods, even in the hands of a surgeon well experienced in standard TKA implantation. However, the follow-up time of this study was not long enough to judge differences in clinical outcome. Thus, the relevance of computer navigation for clinical outcome and survival of TKA remains to be proved in long term studies to justify the longer operation time. References 1 Stulberg SD. Clin Orth Rel Res. 2003;(416):177-84. 2 Chauhan SK. JBJS Br. 2004;86(3):372-7. 3 Bäthis H, et al. Orthopäde. 2006;35(10):1056-65.

Impact of carotid plaque screening on smoking cessation and other cardiovascular risk factors: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Screening of peripheral atherosclerosis is increasingly used, but few trials have examined its clinical impact. We aimed to assess whether carotid plaque screening helps smokers to improve their health behaviors and cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: We randomly assigned 536 smokers aged 40 to 70 years to carotid plaque ultrasonographic screening (US group) vs no screening (control group) in addition to individual counseling and nicotine replacement therapy for all participants. Smokers with at least 1 plaque received pictures of their plaques with a 7-minute structured explanation. The outcomes included biochemically validated smoking cessation at 12 months (primary outcome) and changes in cardiovascular risk factor levels and Framingham risk score. RESULTS: At baseline, participants (mean age, 51.1 years; 45.0% women) smoked an average of 20 cigarettes per day with a median duration of 32 years. The US group had a high prevalence of carotid plaques (57.9%). At 12 months, smoking cessation rates were high, but did not differ between the US and control groups (24.9% vs 22.1%; P = .45). In the US group, cessation rates did not differ according to the presence or absence of plaques. Control of cardiovascular risk factors (ie, blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and hemoglobin A(1c) levels in diabetic patients) and mean absolute risk change in Framingham risk score did not differ between the groups. The mean absolute risk change in Framingham risk score was +0.6 in the US group vs +0.3 in the control group (P = .56). CONCLUSION: In smokers, carotid plaque screening performed in addition to thorough smoking cessation counseling is not associated with increased rates of smoking cessation or control of cardiovascular risk factors. Trial Registration  clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00548665.