115 research outputs found
Explaining brains by simulation
No full textHorstmann W. Explaining brains by simulation. Bielefeld (Germany): Bielefeld University; 2003.This study examines the role of simulation in explaining brain phenomena. The notions of simulation analyzed here are diverse: A computer simulation of specific brain phenomena, a researcher's mental simulation of a brain process or an experimental setting as a simulation of a natural situation. The objective of this study is to clarify the various roles that simulation plays in explanations of brain phenomena and to ask whether there is one generic notion of simulation that reconciles the various roles. It is argued that the main reason for simulation being massively deployed for explanations of the brain is the dynamics and complexity of the brain itself. Further, the common ground for the diverse notions of simulation is the result of a characteristic set of models and representations that underlies practical scientific work, in the brain sciences (and elsewhere). It is concluded that - contrary to the common notion that simulation is somewhere outside in a computer or some other device - most of it is inside our head. Explaining brains by simulation is primarily done by our brains
The psychological refractory period of stopping
No full textHorstmann G. The psychological refractory period of stopping. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY-HUMAN PERCEPTION AND PERFORMANCE. 2003;29(5):965-981.The author examined whether the act of control of stopping is subject to the psychological refractory period (PRP) and whether stopping causes a PRP for the processing of subsequent stimuli. The task was to execute or to stop a rapid finger tapping. PRP interference was predicted for double-stimulation trials, in which 2 signals to tap or stop were presented in rapid succession. The experiments showed that stopping ongoing action is subject to and produces PRP interference similar to starting. Responses to signals to continue an ongoing action do not produce PRP interference. The results suggest that selection or initiation of new responses, but not mere response choice, constituted the processing bottleneck that caused the PRP in the present task. Further results indicate that the inhibition of not-yet-executed actions, in contrast to action termination, does not suffer PRP interference and that response inhibitions and terminations should be distinguished
New records of ichneumon wasps (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) from Malta
No full textRecently some Maltese Hymenoptera were donated to the Hungarian Natural History Museum
(HNHM) and some other material was sent to the Natural History Museum in London (BMNH)
for identification by the second author. Amongst these specimens were six ichneumon wasp species
new to the fauna of Malta.
Ichneumonidae taxonomy and nomenclature follow Yu et al. (2012), and host records were
traced through this resource. Identifications were based on keys provided by Szépligeti (1905),
Schmiedeknecht (1909), Bajári (1960), Townes et al. (1965), Bajári & Móczár (1969), Townes
(1969; 1970a; 1970b; 1971), Horstmann (1976), Gauld & Mitchell (1977), Fitton et al. (1988),
Wahl (1993), and Tolkanitz (2007). The voucher specimens are deposited in the Hymenoptera
Collection of HNHM, Budapest, Hungary (those indicated by a HNHM id. number below), and
some duplicate specimens in D. Mifsud’s private insect collection (CDM) in Malta.peer-reviewe
Horstmann Thermodynamics versus Mathematics_FIRST part
No full textThis 1 st part consider what the author found in the Hortmann's paper, translated by E. Starikov. This follows the paper "The Mathematics of Thermodynamics", based on ideas of B. Finzi [one of the professors at Milan Politecnico] to be found in a paper published in the "Periodico di Matematiche, serie IV, vol. XIV, 1935", related to a Caratheodory publication in Mat. Ann., 67, 355, 1909, Berl. Ber. 39, 1935. After an e-mail from E. Starikov about Gyula Farkas and Nikolaj Schiller the ideas of the three authors were compared in the paper "Addendum to Mathematics of Thermodynamics", followed by "Linhart ideas on Entropy versus Classical Entropy: Proof of Linhart nonsense". Reading documents many errors are found
Vorhofflimmern: Diagnostik und was ein Neurologe darüber wissen sollte.
No full textZusammenfassungVorhofflimmern (VHF) ist ein wichtiger Risikofaktor für Schlaganfälle. Eine orale Antikoagulation kann das Auftreten von Schlaganfällen hocheffektiv verhindern, daher ist die Detektion von VHF besonders wichtig. Insbesondere paroxysmales VHF entgeht den üblichen diagnostischen Methoden häufig. Ein „Goldstandard“ zur VHF Detektion ist nach wie vor nicht etabliert. Grundsätzlich gilt: Je länger die EKG-Ableitung desto höher die zu erreichende Detektionsrate. Neben direkten Nachweisverfahren, existieren indirekte Verfahren wie die Analyse der Herzratenvariabilität und Modelle zur Vorhersage von VHF und zur Selektion von Patienten für erweiterte Detektionsmethoden. Diese sind allerdings bislang noch unzureichend untersucht und werden im Alltag kaum eingesetzt. Konnte VHF nach einem Schlaganfall bzw. einer TIA nachgewiesen werden, besteht eine Indikation für eine orale Antikoagulation. Im Falle positiver Studienergebnisse könnte das Indikationsspektrum einer oralen Antikoagulation in Zukunft auf Patienten mit „embolic stroke of undetermined source“ (ESUS) erweitert werden. Eine mögliche Alternative zur medikamentösen Schlaganfallprävention bei VHF stellt der interventionelle Vorhofohrverschluss dar.</jats:p
Data from 617 healthy participants performing the Iowa gambling task: a "many labs" collaboration
No full textThis data pool (N = 617) comes from 10 independent studies assessing performance of healthy participants (i.e., no known neurological impairments) on the Iowa gambling task (IGT) - a task measuring decision making under uncertainty in an experimental context. Participants completed a computerized version of the IGT consisting of 95 - 150 trials. The data consist of the choices of each participant on each trial, and the resulting rewards and losses. The data are stored as .rdata, .csv, and .txt files, and can be reused to (1) analyze IGT performance of healthy participants; (2) create a "super control group"; or (3) facilitate model-comparison efforts
Physiological response to training and competition in 1-star to 4-star eventing horses
No full textAbstract 034 – Physiological response to training and competition in 1-star to 4-star eventing horses – Post Review
Authors’ names and affiliations
Author 1: Katharina Kirsch* (German Olympic Committee for Equestrian Sports, Germany and PhD Student, University of Liège, Belgium)
Author 2: Michael Düe (German Equestrian Federation, Germany)
Author 3: Hermann Holzhausen (Olympic Support Center Westphalia – Warendorf, Germany)
Author 4: Stephanie Horstmann (German Olympic Committee for Equestrian Sports, Germany)
Author 5: Markus Scharmann (German Equestrian Federation, Germany)
Author 6: Charlotte Sandersen (University of Liège, Belgium)
*Address of the presenting author: Katharina Kirsch, Freiherr-von-Langen-Str. 15, 48231 Warendorf, GERMANY
E-mail of the presenting author: [email protected]
Abstract
Physiological response to training and competition in 1-star to 4-star eventing
horses
To prepare horses for the requirements of international eventing competitions and
simultaneously maintain their health and welfare, appropriate training is mandatory. Specific
training and competition management necessitates information about exercise intensities
and fitness, which are usually assessed by standardized exercise tests. Our purpose was to
identify parameters whose measurement can be largely integrated in the daily training and
competition routine and which provide information on fitness and adequacy of applied
training. Further, we evaluated training and competition intensities of eventing horses, based
on data generated by a proportionally large group of horses over several years.
Data of 187 horses from 1-star to 4-star level over a time period of six years were collected
during 410 training sessions and 916 Cross Country rides, including measurement of covered
distance and speed (GPS, Fidelak EquiPILOT), continuously recording of heart rate (HR)
(Polar T52H) and determination of blood lactate concentrations (BLC) (Dr. Lange
photometer). Characteristics of the track, altitude profile, ambient temperature and humidity
were recorded at each session.
The results of the one-way ANOVA indicated a significant effect of competition level on HR
(F3,373=23.29; p<0.001) and BLC (F3,763=46.12; p<0.001). Under competition conditions,
HR and BLC increased from 1-star to 3-star level (1-star: HR=194±9 bpm, BLC=7.7±5.6
mmol/l; 2-star: HR=198±9 bpm, BLC=9.6±6.2 mmol/l; 3-star: HR=205±10, BLC=15.6±9.8
mmol/l; 4-star: HR=207±2 bpm, BLC=12.4±9.3 mmol/l), while under training conditions,
they decreased with increasing competition level (1-star: HR=184±29 bpm; BLC=18.9±11.1
mmol/l; 2-star: HR=182±19 bpm; BLC=12.1±9.0; 3-star: HR=174±25 bpm; BLC=6.9±7.1
mmol/l; 4-star: HR=161±24 bpm, BLC=4.0±5.6 mmol/l). On 1-/2-star level, BLCs after
training exceeded those after competition. Reverse applied for 3-/4-star level. On 3-star level,
the percentage of HRs above 200 bpm during Cross Country was considerably greater than
on lower levels (1-star: 33%; 2-star: 54%; 3-star: 94%). The competition format (CCI/CIC)
had no significant effect on the progress of HR. The altitude profile however, had a significant
effect on HR (F1,201=26.72, p<0.001) and BLC (F1,89=25.56; p<0.001).
Evaluation of physiological response to training and competition through implementation of
measurement technology allows an assessment of the different impacts on exercise
intensities and should be more commonly used to assess appropriateness of training and
competition management in eventing horses. It should be further investigated if the detected
discrepancies in the response to training and competition between levels are a result of
different fitness ore varying training strategies.
LP
To meet the demands of international Eventing competitions, a systematic training of horses
is necessary. Close monitoring of physiological response to exercise during training and
competition can help to improve training.
Keywords
Exercise physiology; training; eventing; heart rate; lactate
Essenz oder Konstrukt? Zur Tauglichkeit des Kulturbegriffs in der Analyse von Unterrichtskommunikation
No full textWithin the normal everyday use culture has a certain meaning and no changing aspects, it is static. By analyzing two scenes of educational situations in a German primary school the author shows that culture is a construction which is actively "produced" in social discourse. The examination of how the communication partners deal with the difference and strangeness in these circumstances points out that fixed central concepts are communicated, some open, and some in a hidden way. During this communication process it is possible that communication partners refer to different central concepts that contradict each other. Because the transitions from one central idea to another is ambivalent, it is possible that in the beginning of a communication situation a central idea is used which contradicts another one used at the end. This way, "nets of significance" are woven, which construct what is then called culture. (DIPF/Orig.
The Under-subscription of T-1 Visas: A Study on America’s Conceptualization of Human Trafficking Victims
No full textThis thesis examines the framing of the Victims in Trafficking in Persons nonimmigrant Visa (T Visa), established in 2000 within the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA)—part of the domestic effort within the United States to combat trafficking following the Palermo Protocol. Since its inception, the T Visa has been severely undersubscribed, in both the number of applicants and those who are ultimately approved for the T Visa. Each year Congress is authorized to approve up to 5,000 T Visas, yet between 2002-2010 Congress approved less than 4,000 of 6,000 total applications for the T Visa. This study explores why the T Visa is undersubscribed by examining the frames and branding of the T Visa both in terms of the State Department’s presentation to non governmental organizations (NGOs) and NGO’s presentation to victims of trafficking. Based off an analysis of three organizations (the State Department, the Coalition for the Abolition of Slavery and Trafficking, and the Polaris Project), this study finds the presence of a prosecutorial framework, an anti-slavery framing that goes against certain feminist presentations of trafficking, and a palpable tension between immigration and humanitarian law are all possible contributing factors to the T Visa’s under-subscription. In the conclusion, recommendations are made in order to curb this under-subscription and make the T Visa a more effective tool. Specifically, the author recommends all three organizations, as well as policymakers in the United States at large, rethink their framing of trafficking and consider revamping or changing their focus on antislavery framing
Price Discovery in Real Estate Auctions: The Story of Unsuccessful Attempts
No full textLittle is known of the effects of the auction mechanism in relation to post-auction market sales. This empirical study of unsuccessful auctions shows that approximately half of these properties were eventually sold via private negotiations, at higher prices relative to last bids. The probability of a subsequent post-auction transaction is significantly higher for apartments and terrace houses and when auction turnout is high; and lower in the absence of any bid and in some years. In addition, downward revisions to the opening bid improve the probability of subsequent sale. Prices of subsequent re-auctioned and privately negotiated sales decline with time to sale, consistent with the search process explanation.
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