In this article I examine a recent approach to regulating assisted reproduction, whereby use of some kind of medical intervention 'triggers' laws governing legal parenthood that are more favourable to intending parents and sperm providers. I argue that although perhaps an improvement on the previous legal framework, these laws are problematic for three important reasons. First, they are prone t...

We show that spike timing adds to the information content of spike trains for transiently presented stimuli but not for comparable steady-state stimuli, even if the latter elicit transient responses. Contrast responses of 22 single neurons in macaque V1 to periodic presentation of steady-state stimuli (drifting sinusoidal gratings) and transient stimuli (drifting edges) of optimal spatiotempora...

We report on the mechanism of burst generation by populations of intrinsically spiking neurons, when a certain threshold in coupling strength is exceeded. These ensembles synchronize at relatively low coupling strength and lose synchronization at stronger coupling via spatiotemporal intermittency. The latter transition triggers fast repetitive spiking, which results in synchronized bursting. We...

Background acute-on-chronic liver failure is an abrupt deterioration of liver function in patients with preexisting chronic liver disease, usually related to a precipitating events. Aim to determine the prevalence, potential precipitating factors and to analyze the clinical-laboratory profile. Methods A total of 149 patients with liver cirrhosis, all males, with average age of 50.5±9 and the lo...

Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a rare and lethal soft tissue infection that requires urgent surgical intervention. It is most often found in the extremities occurring with precipitating trauma or in immunocompromised states. Signs and symptoms are often vague or missing making early diagnosis very difficult. Our patient presented with flank pain and altered mental status but no known precipitati...

The term 'non-fatal deliberate self-harm' (DSH) has evolved as a result of confusion surrounding the terms 'attempted suicide' and 'parasuicide'. While the latter two terms imply some relationship with suicidal intent and death wishes the term DSH does not and is therefore preferred. A study was undertaken to identify high-risk groups and significant precipitating factors for DSH. During the 12...

Object saliency is based on the relative local-to-background contrast in the physical signals that underlie perceptual experience. As such, contrast-detecting neurons (ON/OFF cells) are found in many sensory systems, responding respectively to increased or decreased intensity within their receptive field centers. This differential sensitivity suggests that ON and OFF cells initiate segregated s...

Encountering a conflict triggers an adjustment of cognitive control. This adjustment of cognitive control can even affect subsequent performance. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether more conflict triggers more adjustment of cognitive control for subsequent performance. To this end, we focussed on the bivalency effect, that is, the adjustment of cognitive control following ...