Synaptic Plasticity in the Chick Lobus Parolfactorius During Development and Following Memory Formation

The lobus parolfactorius (LPO) is an avian basal forebrain nucleus. The morphology of synapses within the LPO has been shown to be altered 24 hours following training of chicks (Gallus domesticus), using an aversive taste (methyl anthranilate) as the training stimulus (Stewart et al Brain Res. (1987) 426:69-81). It is not known when synaptogenesis takes place in this nucleus during normal development, and what other factors may influence it. Lesion of the LPO has been shown to cause amnesia for the passively learnt task, only if made post-training (Gilbert et al in press). This suggests that the LPO is involved in storage of memory for the task, and not in its acquisition. The present study aimed to investigate the time course over which changes in synaptic morphology take place in the day-old chick LPO, and to clarify the onset of synaptogenesis during normal development. Chicks were reared to the ages of either 16 days in ovo, 1-, 9-, or 22-days post-hatch, when they received anaesthesia intra-peritoneally (Sagatai, 6mg/chick). They were then killed by cardiac perfusion, with a solution containing 2% glutaraldehyde and 2% paraformaldehyde in 0.1 M cacodylate buffer. Each brain was extracted from its cranium, and the LPO was subsequently processed for electron microscopy. Unbiased stereological methods were used to make estimates of synaptic density (Nvsyn), on micrographs taken of a systematic random sample of electron microscopic fields. An estimation was also made of the mean projected synaptic height (Hsyn) within the EM section. Results indicated that the 1-day old chick has a lower complement of synapses compared with the 9-day old chick. There is a substantial increase in synaptic density between these ages, although there is a hemispheric asymmetry in this increase, with the left hemisphere exceeding the right by 62%. Synaptic height does not change significantly between 16 days in ovo and 1 day post-hatch, but increases slightly on or before 9 days post-hatch, after which it remains stable. The time-course study involved the training of day-old chicks, using the aversive taste of a bead coated with methyl anthranilate (M-trained), as the training stimulus. Control chicks were trained using water-coated beads. M-trained chicks avoided pecking a similar, but dry bead, 30 minutes later, whereas control chicks re-pecked. At 1, 6 12, 24 or 48 hours after training, chicks were killed by cardiac perfusion and the LPOs obtained as described above. Using unbiased stereological methods, estimates of NVsyn, Hsyn, synaptic contact surface area (Sasyn), mean dendritic shaft volume (Vvshaft), mean dendritic spine volume (Vvspine) and mean synaptic bouton volume (Vvbouton) were made. A significantly larger mean Nvsyn (approx. 30%) was seen in the left hemisphere of M-trained chicks 24 hours after training, compared with control chicks. A difference of approximately 10% was seen in this hemisphere 48 hours post-training. M-trained chicks also had a greater mean NVsyn (approx. 18%) in the right hemisphere at 48 hours. The estimators of synaptic size showed an increase predominantly in the left hemisphere of M-trained chicks. The analysis of Vvbouton was inconclusive, although no significant differences were found between control and M-trained chicks. Vvspine was significantly increased in the left hemisphere 48 hours following training, but no differences were found in the estimates of Vvshaft between the two groups. These results show that memory formation results in a number of lasting synaptic and dendritic morphological changes in the LPO, and that some of these changes are lateralized to the left hemisphere. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that synaptic plasticity occurs following long-term memory formation

Radiation biology-An important science for an advanced nuclear nation like South Africa

The sustainability of radiation biology (radiobiology) is under threat in South Africa because of underdevelopment in the discipline, despite the fact that South Africa has been a user of radiation since radioactivity and X-rays were discovered. The widespread use of radiation in medicine, nuclear reactors, particle accelerators and other sophisticated nuclear facilities in South Africa makes it imperative that the interaction of radiation with biological systems is understood. For example, radiobiology is critical in radiation oncology and cancer treatment. Radiobiology is a distinctly biological science and its uniqueness and value should be highlighted to provide insight for authorities and other relevant parties. Regrettably, radiobiology has been largely neglected despite the importance of maintaining expertise and competence in this discipline. Many radiation-associated disciplines require radiobiology for their training and practice yet few radiobiologists are available nationally. The scientific community needs to be informed of the predicament of radiobiology in South Africa so that the situation can be addressed. Radiobiology is a scarce skill that needs to be developed to support South Africa’s mature radiation infrastructure. The country has too few radiobiologist training programmes and there is a lack of succession planning. Radiobiology is required for training and practice in a number of disciplines that use radiation, but, as a result of a shortage of qualified personnel, teaching of radiobiology has frequently been conducted by non-experts. To reinvigorate radiobiology in South Africa, a collective effort by government, academia, industry and allied professionals is required

Is Scotland different on race and migration?

This short article reports on a symposium at the University of Edinburgh entitled ‘Is Scotland Different on Race and Migration’. The event brought together the latest research to consider whether Scotland really is different from neighbouring countries. Questions under discussion included, but were not limited to, what does the data tell us on mass Scottish attitudes? Is ‘Scottishness’ more inclusive then ‘Englishness’? Where do migrants and racial minorities fit into this story and who is narrating it? What are Scotland's policy options in light of it

The quest for equal citizenship : Middle Eastern Christian narratives of migration and inclusion in the United Kingdom

This project has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no. 291827. The project “Defining and Identifying Middle Eastern Christian Communities in Europe” is financially supported by the HERA Joint Research Programme (www.heranet.info) which is cofunded by AHRC, AKA, BMBF via PT-DLR, DASTI, ETAG, FCT, FNR, FNRS, FWF, FWO, HAZU, IRC, LMT, MHEST, NWO, NCN, RANNÍS, RCN, VR, and The European Community FP7 2007-2013, under the Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities programme.This article explores how migrants experience the process of becoming (and being) citizens by taking the understudied case of Middle Eastern Christians of Iraqi and Egyptian heritage residing in the United Kingdom. It is argued that exclusion in the Middle East reinforces a sense of inclusion in the UK particularly due to the prevalence of the rule of law in the UK. However, by exploring a “clash of values” on the role of religion in society and sexual liberalization issues, it is suggested that Middle Eastern Christians’ support for equality and tolerance is not absolute, especially when they perceive societal norms as conflicting with religious teachings. Finally, the paper shows how the notion of “protective patriotism” is used by some Middle Eastern Christians to express their belonging to their new state by defending perceived societal values.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

(De)constructing expertise:Comparing knowledge utilization in the migrant integration “crisis”

Crises may provide windows of opportunity for policy analysis, since policymakers are likely to be interested in knowledge which helps them solve their urgent problems. But what if there are deep divisions in policy-oriented research on the nature and very existence of the crisis? This article analyses the migrant integration “crisis” after 2000 in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Italy. The findings demonstrate that what counts as expertise may constantly be contested and produced at times of crisis. The notion of “(de)constructing expertise” is introduced to describe conflict-ridden patterns of knowledge utilization, where different knowledge claims and experts compete for recognition

Minorities in, minorities out: cemeteries, religious adversity and the French body politic in contemporary and historical perspective

This chapter focuses on religious diversity and cemeteries in France, comparing historical practice with the contemporary management of death in diversity. Its starting point is the present-day intransigence of local authorities in creating space for Muslims in French municipal cemeteries. The chapter proceeds to link these contemporary manifestations with historical perspectives. In earlier times, Jews, Protestants and free-thinkers were regularly denied burial as equals in French cemeteries, and sometimes expelled entirely from cemeteries (refus de sépulture). The laicising state of the nineteenth century intervened to ensure equality of burial and by extension full membership of the French body politic. The second part of the paper argues that today’s refusal to create Muslim sections in French municipal cemeteries constitutes a modern-day refus de sépulture which harms social harmony and cohesion. Nonetheless, the scale at which this rejection takes place is of a different magnitude: not removal from the consecrated part of the cemetery, but potentially complete ejection from the national territory, with perverse effects for the integration of migrant-origin communities. The chapter is based on qualitative fieldwork undertaken in France in 2016, drawing from semi-structured interviews with religious representatives, funerary professionals and politicians, combined with an analysis of secondary sources for the presentation of historical perspectives

Older migrants:Inequalities of ageing from a transnational perspective

In many parts of the world, the population of older migrants is increasing. Relatively wealthy individuals from Northern Europe, North America and Australasia move in later life to retirement destinations in South America, South-East Asia and the Mediterranean region, for reasons of climate, affordability and other ‘lifestyle’ factors (King, Warnes and Williams, 2000; Hayes, 2014; Botterill, 2017).1 Conversely, young workers from the Global South who responded to the demand for migrant labour in the Global North following World War II have now settled and aged in place. Statistical projections in Austria, Britain,2 France, New Zealand and the United States point to rapid increases in the numbers of older foreign-born residents (Rallu, 2017)

Retirement Home? Ageing Migrant Workers in France and the Question of Return

Retirement Home? peers into the hidden world of France’s migrant worker hostels, documenting in intimate ethnographic detail the lives of older North and West African men who unexpectedly continue to live past retirement age in sub-standard accommodation which is patently ill-adapted for senior citizens, far away from their wives and children in places of origin. This paradox is the point of departure for a book which transports readers from the banlieues of Paris to the banks of the Senegal River and the villages of the High Atlas, all the time in the company of these ageing migrant pioneers. A policy initiative of the French state at the height of the Algerian war of independence (1954-62), the migrant worker hostels originally served a double purpose: a means of surveilling a suspect foreign population at a time of decolonisation and workers’ struggles, and a short-term housing solution for a supposedly temporary migrant labour force. Yet the hostels continue to exist today, now hosting a largely elderly population. During working life, the men retained significant connections to countries of origin, having not reunified their families in France but instead financially supporting their stay-at-home wives and children from a distance. Retirement is therefore the logical juncture at which to return definitively to loved ones in countries of origin. That they do not calls into question the assumptions of the ‘myth of return’ literature, which explains non-return on the basis of family location. Furthermore, older hostel residents also remain unmoved by the economic incentives of a return homewards, where their French state pensions would have far greater purchasing power. Unpacking these questions, this book sets out to contribute to broader debates on ‘home’ and what it means for immigrants to achieve inclusion in society

Deathscapes in diaspora:Contesting space and negotiating home in contexts of post-migration diversity

The literature on deathscapes has thus far neglected the diversity of mortuary practices resulting from the inherently spatial phenomenon of migration and the increased capacity for transnational activities linking migrant communities with places of origin. Against this sedentarist bias, this article proposes that the end of life is a critical juncture in the settlement process for diasporic communities. On the one hand, practices such as posthumous repatriation may serve to reinforce shared perceptions of temporary presence in host countries. On the other hand, death may be the occasion to lay what are perhaps the deepest foundations for home-making in diaspora, through funeral rituals and memorialisation. However, these latter claims to space in adopted homelands may also be the object of legal and political contestation, as demonstrated through an analysis of disputes in the UK over open-air Hindu funeral pyres and planning permission for a Muslim cemetery. What is at stake is the legitimate symbolic re-inscription of space. As such, diasporic deathscapes are an exemplary site of contestation and negotiation between migrant place-making practices and the domesticating urges of governmental subjects

Staking a claim to land, faith and family:Burial location preferences of Middle Eastern Christian migrants

No abstract available