Why does prenatal infection prime the brain for psychosis?

In this thesis, I interrogate the mechanisms of association between immune insults in prenatal development and psychotic disorders, with a particular focus on schizophrenia. Schizophrenia has been cast, from different neuroscientific perspectives, as a polygenic disorder, as a neurodevelopmental disorder and as a sensory processing disorder. The dysconnection hypothesis draws together these strands of research to construct a coherent picture of how schizophrenia may arise, specifically implicating a functional synaptopathy as the aetiological core of psychotic symptoms. One strand that has not yet been woven into this tapestry is the immune system, which has been overwhelmingly linked with psychosis in recent years. I set out to bridge these interpretations using a variety of methods, namely, statistical genetics, cell biology, electroencephalography and theoretical neurobiology. Chapter 1 is a transcriptome-wide association study of the mismatch negativity (MMN), exploring the genetic underpinnings of sensory processing itself. The MMN is an electroencephalographic signature that is consistently altered in patients with psychosis. Chapter 2 is a differential gene expression study of human neural progenitor cells stimulated in vitro with pro-inflammatory cytokines, showing suppressed transcriptional responses to inflammation in cells from people with schizophrenia. These findings are potentially important for the understanding of synaptic dysfunction in schizophrenia that may underwrite false inference of the kind associated with delusions and hallucinations. Finally, Chapter 3 considers the immune system itself as performing an elementary kind of inference: immunoceptive inference. This offers a first principles account of the immune response that extends the reach of immunology in helping to understand psychiatric disorders, as well as a new way of understanding interactions between the immune system and the brain

Institutional and policy analysis of river basin management: the Brantas river basin, East Java, Indonesia

The authors describe and analyze an unconventional approach to river basin management in a developing country undergoing rapid economic, political, and institutional change. The founding of the Brantas River Basin Management Corporation (Perum Jasa Tirta I - PJT 1), a national state-owned company for river basin management, initiated an emphasis on river basin management to operate and maintain existing infrastructure, plan and implement the allocation of water, and address problems that affect basin-level water resources. The Brantas River basin is located within the province of East Java in Indonesia. It has an area of approximately 11,800 square kilometers and makes up 25 percent of East Java's land area. The basin's population, which amounts to nearly 15 million, has increased by 53.4 percent over the past 30 years and represents 42.4 percent of East Java's population with a density of 1,249 per square kilometer. A shift has taken place in Indonesia since the mid-1990s from emphasizing infrastructure development to strengthening institutional aspects (hydrology, flood fighting, flood warning, flood management, and so on). The institutional arrangement for water resources management in the Brantas basin through a state-owned corporation is an interesting model. PJT I has achieved results in implementing a reasonably good system of water allocation and management and a reliable flood forecasting system, as well as maintaining major infrastructure in fairly good condition. Managing water quality, catchment conditions, and the river environment, however, are the responsibility of many entities, and there is need for greater coordination and authority to address these issues.Water Supply and Sanitation Governance and Institutions,Town Water Supply and Sanitation,Drought Management,Water and Industry,Water Conservation

Institutional and policy analysis of river basin management: the Murray Darling River Basin, Austrialia

The authors describe and analyze management in the Murray-Darling basin of Australia, long regarded as a model for integrated river basin management. This interior basin of over 1 million km2 in semi-arid southeastern Australia is defined by the catchment areas of the Murray and Darling Rivers and their tributaries. Water management issues include allocation, quality, and dryland salinity. Because of Australia's federal governmental structure, institutional development has been more a matter of integrating state and local endeavors than decentralization of national authority. The Australian national government has little constitutional power over water resources. The five states in the basin make policy regarding water rights, discharge permits, fees, and the construction and operation of physical structures. River management began on the Murray River in the 1920s under the terms of a tri-state agreement. As the scope of management widened to the entire basin, more states were added and the national government supported the creation of new arrangements for integrated water resource management, with some provision for stakeholder participation. The dynamics of state-national authority over water policy, and the emergence in recent years of numerous local-level catchment organization, contribute to some uncertainty about the future course of basin management in this internationally renowned site.Water and Industry,Water Conservation,Water Resources Law,Environmental Economics&Policies,Water Supply and Systems,Town Water Supply and Sanitation,Drought Management,Water and Industry,Water Conservation,Water Supply and Sanitation Governance and Institutions

Institutional and policy analysis of river basin management: the tarcoles river basin, Costa Rica

This paper describes and analyzes the effort to institute river basin management in the Tárcoles basin of Costa Rica. Located in west-central Costa Rica, the Tárcoles basin represents 4.2 percent of the nation's total land area, but is home to half the nation's population and the metropolitan area of San José, the nation's capital and largest city. Water management issues include severe water pollution resulting from sewage, industrial waste discharges, agricultural runoff, and deforestation. In the early 1990s a locally-initiated effort established a river basin commission for the Río Grande de Tárcoles (CRGT), which was supported by the central government's environment ministry. Since the late 1990s, however, the DRGT has struggled through changes of leadership, inconsistent support from the central government, and waning participation from basin stakeholders. Despite several programs to arrest deforestation and encourage better industrial and agricultural practices, the basin's water problems continue largely unabated. The Tárcoles case is instructive about both the possibilities and the fragility of efforts to establish integrated water resource management at the river basin level.Water Conservation,Water Supply and Sanitation Governance and Institutions,Town Water Supply and Sanitation,Water and Industry,Drought Management

Policy, politics, and water management in the Guadalquivir River Basin, Spain

Among countries with river basin organizations to manage their water resources, Spain's experience is one of the longest. One of the first basin agencies established in Spain was for the Guadalquivir River in the south. A case study of that river basin and its management indicates how basin management is shaped by political economy factors such as the historical path of the agency's evolution, the basin agency's relationships with central government and with regional or local governments, the patterns of water user representation within the agency, and developments in water law and policy external to the basin agency. The case raises questions about whether and how integrated water resources management at the river basin scale is implemented, even in locations where basin agencies already exist. It also suggests that the politics of management at the river basin level will affect the implementation of national water policies intended to promote integrated management

Evaluation of vitamin-D status in premenopausal and postmenopausal type-2 diabetic women and its relation to glycemic control

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is a public health problem around the world. In 2008, it was estimated that 1 billion persons present with vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency. Vitamin D is obtained through exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) sunlight as well as nutritional sources. Despite the high UVB sunlight exposure in tropical countries, studies suggest Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent. Vitamin D is believed to help improve the body’s sensitivity to insulin, the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar levels, thus reducing the risk of insulin resistance, which is often a precursor to Type-2 diabetes. Aim and objective of the study was to evaluate and compare the Vitamin-D levels in Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Type-2 Diabetic women and to evaluate if their Vitamin-D levels have any co-relation with their glycemic control.Methods: The study was conducted in Government Medical College Jammu and its associated hospital on 60 Type-2 Diabetic women, 30 premenopausal and 30 postmenopausal. Vitamin-D [25(OH) Vitamin D] levels were assessed by Chemiluminescence method in the Biochemistry Lab. of Govt. Medical College Jammu. Blood sugar levels, both fasting and postprandial, were assessed by Glucose oxidase-peroxidase method in the same Lab.HbA1C was assessed by HPLC [High Performance Liquid Chromatography] assay.Results: Vitamin-D deficiency [Vitamin-D levels <20 ng/ml] was seen in 16.67% of premenopausal type-2 diabetics and in 36.67% postmenopausal type-2 diabetics. This was not related to the glycemic control as HbA1C was increased in both the groups.Conclusions: Vitamin-D deficiency is more prevalent in postmenopausal Type-2 diabetics, as compared to premenopausal type-2 diabetics

A COMPARITIVE EVALUATION OF SPECIES OF GUDUCHI (TINOSPORA CORDIFOLIA (WILID.) MEIRS EX HOOK. F & THOMS., TINOSPORA MALABARICA MEIRS EX HOOK, TINOSPORA CRISPA MEIRS.) W.R.T SATWA

Background: Guduchi is a plant belonging to Menispermaceae family and widely used in Ayurvedic system of medicine. Tinospora cordifolia is the accepted botanical source of Guduchi. All the three species are indigenous to the tropical areas of India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. Guduchi Satwa is the most commonly used dosage form of the plant for various conditions like fever, arthritis, gastric ulcer cough etc. Tinospora cordifolia (Guduchi) is a widely used shrub in folk and Ayurvedic systems of medicine. Species of the plant, stem size, collection time, season and maturity of the plant may affect the yield and physico-chemical profile of Guduchi Satwa. Due to high demand and less yield of Satwa from Guduchi plant, market sample of Guduchi Satwa is subjected to adulteration. Hence this study is aimed at standardizing Guduchi Satwa prepared from all the three available species of the plant. Methodology: The study deals with preparation of Satwa as per the classical text of Ayurveda, identifying organoleptic features, conducting physicochemical and photochemical screening of the Satwa of all the above mentioned species of Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia (wilid.) Meirs ex hook. f &amp; thoms., Tinospora malabarica meirs ex hook, Tinospora crispa meirs.). Results: The study provided significant difference in the yield of Satwa. Variations in the organoleptic characters were insignificant. All the phytoconstituents were found to be same and the physicochemical values were within the limits in all three species

Markov Blankets in the Brain

Recent characterisations of self-organising systems depend upon the presence of a Markov blanket: a statistical boundary that mediates the interactions between what is inside of and outside of a system. We leverage this idea to provide an analysis of partitions in neuronal systems. This is applicable to brain architectures at multiple scales, enabling partitions into single neurons, brain regions, and brain-wide networks. This treatment is based upon the canonical micro-circuitry used in empirical studies of effective connectivity, so as to speak directly to practical applications. This depends upon the dynamic coupling between functional units, whose form recapitulates that of a Markov blanket at each level. The nuance afforded by partitioning neural systems in this way highlights certain limitations of modular perspectives of brain function that only consider a single level of description.Comment: 25 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, Glossar

Analgesic Activity of Sebastiania chamaelea (L.) Muell. Arg.

Background: This study intended to experimentally evaluate the analgesic activity of Sebastiania chamaelea (L.) Muell. Arg. which is widely used by folklore and traditional healers in pain relief. The drug is commonly known as ‘Bhumi Eranda’ among the locals.Methods: The plant material of Sebastiania chamaelea (L.) Muell. Arg. was collected from the fields of Sri Sri College of Ayurvedic Science and Research, Bangalore and preserved as per the standard method. The toxicity studies carried out earlier has proved that, the drug was non-toxic up to 3000 mg/kg body weight. The effective doses were derived as 300 mg/kg (lower) and 600 mg/kg (higher) body weight and the experimental study was conducted. Analgesic screening models used for the study are – Eddy’s Hot plate and Tail immersion models. The study was carried out in 4 groups i.e. Control, Standard, Lower dose Kashaya of Sebastiania chamaelea (L.) Muell. Arg. and Higher dose Kashaya of Sebastiania chamaelea (L.) Muell. Arg. in each model. The activity was compared with a standard reference drug, Tramadol and Diclofenac.Results: The results were analyzed by using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test followed by Dunnett test to detect the significance of differences between each group and control.Conclusion: The study helped to conclude, Sebastiania chamaelea (L.) Muell. Arg. as an ideal analgesic and supported the traditional claim

Institutional and policy analysis of river basin management: the Guadalquivir River Basin, Spain

The authors describe and analyze river basin management in the Guadalquivir River Basin in Spain. The Guadalquivir river flows westerly across southern Spain, with nearly all of its 57,017 km2 drainage area within the region of Andalusia. Water management issues in this semi-arid, heavily agricultural, but rapidly urbanizing region include drought exposure, water allocation, water quality, and in some areas, groundwater overdraft. A river basin agency (Confederacion Hidrografica del Guadalquivir, or CH Guadalquivir) has existed within the basin since 1927, but its responsibilities have changed substantially over its history. For much of its life, CH Guadalquivir's mission was water supply augmentation through construction and operation of reservoirs, primarily to support irrigation, under central government direction with little provision for water user participation. Following the Spanish political system's transformation and Spain's accession to the European Union, water law and policy changes greatly expanded CH Guadalquivir's responsibilities and restructured it to incorporate representation of some basin stakeholders. Although the basin agency's accomplishments in reservoir construction have been prodigious, its record of performance with respect to its newer responsibilities has been mixed, as have perceptions of its openness and responsiveness to basin interests other than irrigators. This paper - a product of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department - is part of a larger effort in the department to approach water policy issues in an integrated way. The study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project "Integrated River Basin Management and the Principle of Managing Water Resources at the Lowest Appropriate Level: When and Why Does It (Not) Work in Practice?