The mismatch negativity (MMN) is a brain response to violations of a rule, established by a sequence of sensory stimuli (typically in the auditory domain) [Näätänen R. Attention and brain function. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum; 1992]. The MMN reflects the brain’s ability to perform automatic comparisons between consecutive stimuli and provides an electrophysiological index of sensory learning and perceptual accuracy. Although the MMN has been studied extensively, the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the MMN are not well understood. Several hypotheses have been put forward to explain the generation of the MMN; amongst these accounts, the “adaptation hypothesis” and the “model adjustment hypothesis” have received the most attention. This paper presents a review of studies that focus on neuronal mechanisms underlying the MMN generation, discusses the two major explanatory hypotheses, and proposes predictive coding as a general framework that attempts to unify both.
Dans un contexte en transformation, les systèmes nationaux de recherche et d’enseignement supérieur rencontrent des défis semblables : avènement de la société ou de l’économie du savoir, globalisation scientifique, compétitivité, évaluation et, enfin, acceptation sociale des sciences et des techniques. Les Etats (mais aussi les chercheurs) répondent toutefois à ces défis de façon différente, en fonction de leur tradition, de leurs spécificités ou de leur marge de manoeuvre. La dimension internationale de la recherche et de l’enseignement supérieur est depuis longtemps un objet d’étude assez controversé et fait actuellement toujours problème : depuis la Seconde Guerre mondiale environ, l’internationalisation a certes été renforcée sous l’impulsion de divers programmes politiques et scientifiques et a débouché sur une redéfinition du clivage interne/externe, mais on observe aussi de nombreux discours politiques et scientifiques qui instrumentalisent la notion d’internationalisation à différentes fins. Des études de cas fouillées prises principalement dans les deux systèmes français et suisse de recherche et d’enseignement supérieur, placés dans une perspective comparative internationale, permettent de documenter le statut et le poids du phénomène d’internationalisation (Espace européen de la recherche, processus de Bologne, rankings, localisation des activités scientifiques, attitudes face à la recherche, sciences de la vie, nanotechnologies, open science, propriété intellectuelle, relations universités-entreprises).
Introduction - Approches et usages de l’internationalisation dans les systèmes de recherche et d’enseignement supérieur - Rôle de l’internationalisation dans la construction des systèmes de recherche et d’enseignement supérieur - La recherche européenne et les enjeux des nouvelles sciences dominantes - L’Union européenne et le principe de subsidiarité dans le domaine de l’éducation - L’internationalisation de la recherche face aux outils «ouverts» de la collaboration scientifique de masse - Les usages helvétiques des enjeux internationaux dans le processus de création de la politique de la recherche (1945-1970) - Mesure de l’internationalisation: le développement des indicateurs et leurs effets - La recherche européenne: en quête de légitimité et d’efficacité - Rankings internationaux de la recherche: des usages variés dans la politique scientifique - Discours politique et intégration internationale de la communauté scientifique en Suisse - La coordination de la politique du savoir et de l’innovation: une analyse comparative - Diffusion internationale de recettes de politiques publiques ou de normes en matière de recherche et d’enseignement supérieur - Internationalisation des systèmes d’enseignement supérieur: convergence et différenciation - Le processus de Bologne comme contournement de l’UE: les dynamiques paradoxales de construction de l’Espace européen d’enseignement supérieur - L’international comme ressource cognitive et symbolique: changements dans l’instrumentation de la recherche et de l’enseignement supérieur en Suisse - Influence des logiques multi-niveaux sur les dynamiques nationales et régionales de la recherche et de l’enseignement supérieur - La gouvernance multi-niveaux de la recherche et de l’innovation dans les régions françaises - La territorialisation comme contrepoint à l’internationalisation des activités scientifiques - Le financement de projets de recherche en Europe: entre convergences et traditions nationales - Circulation internationale des savoirs et production d’innovations techno-scientifiques - Internationalisation et régimes de propriété dans les sciences de la vie - Emergence des nanotechnologies: vers un nouveau «modèle industriel»? - Les relations entreprises-recherche publique en Suisse dans le contexte de globalisation - Liste des auteur-e-s
Successful decision making in a social setting depends on our ability to understand the intentions, emotions and beliefs of others. The mirror system allows us to understand other people's motor actions and action intentions. ‘Empathy’ allows us to understand and share emotions and sensations with others. ‘Theory of mind’ allows us to understand more abstract concepts such as beliefs or wishes in others. In all these cases, evidence has accumulated that we use the specific neural networks engaged in processing mental states in ourselves to understand the same mental states in others. However, the magnitude of the brain activity in these shared networks is modulated by contextual appraisal of the situation or the other person. An important feature of decision making in a social setting concerns the interaction of reason and emotion. We consider four domains where such interactions occur: our sense of fairness, altruistic punishment, trust and framing effects. In these cases, social motivations and emotions compete with each other, while higher-level control processes modulate the interactions of these low-level biases.
The influence of the environment and genetics on individual biological characteristics such as body mass and stature is well known. Many studies of these relationships have been based on conscript data. These studies often suffer from the fact that their data cover only a part of the population. Characterized by prosperity, democratic stability and enormous micro-regional cultural diversity, Switzerland is in the unique situation of offering data covering more than 80% of annual male birth cohorts.
The aim of this study is to assess the impact of socio-economic success, cultural differences, month of birth and altitude (among other factors) on individual anthropometric characteristics of conscripts (N~28,000) in the 2005 census. Our result highlights in such a large male sample the relationship between economic environment, regional cultural diversity, climate and other factors such as individual month of birth on stature and weight. Socioeconomic status, culture (as reflected by mother tongue) and month of birth were found to have significant effects on height and weight, while altitude did not show such effects. In general, weight is more affected by all these variables than height. Taking weight-dependent mortality and morbidity into account, it is of foremost
public interest to know more about paired effects of living conditions on stature and weight in a highly developed society.
Question under study: Affected by individual life style, total cholesterol serum level is a major morbidity and mortality risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). We present total cholesterol values and possible etiological factors of young Swiss conscripts. Particularly, we focus on the varying impact of such a component depending on different levels of individual cholesterol.
Methods: Male conscripts (n=19’272) of the 2005 census of the conscripts have been examined, reflecting ca. 59% of a total Swiss male citizen birth cohort. Quantile regression allows us to analyze the reagibility of arbitrary quantiles with respect to variables of interest.
Results: Eleven percent of all conscripts show an increased total cholesterol level. A major association of high individual cholesterol level is with French mother tongue. The largest socio-economic subsample – agricultural and construction sectors – show significantly higher individual cholesterol levels than employees in the industry sector and students, respectively.
Conclusions: We were able to find and exclude various as yet unstudied factors influencing individual total cholesterol levels. Such a screening programme offers a unique opportunity to target persons at high-risk for CVD morbidity and mortality already early in life.
Europe comprises a large number of large and small countries with varying internal rules and norms, and the differences are still remarkable.1 The literature on varieties of capitalism, for example, highlights common features for some of the European countries during specific periods of time, and even within the European Union not convergence, but instead uneasy rivalry, seems to have prevailed.2 Swiss firms had to take into account different national rules if they wanted to successfully do business with and in these countries. Furthermore, the cultural diversity and the federal structure of Switzerland led to the evolution of a variety of rules within the country itself. Firms were thus used to coping with different legal and cultural systems both at home and abroad.
