An interview with Judith Edwards on child psychotherapy

The Consultant Psychotherapist at The Tavistock Clinic explains the history of Child Psychotherapy and walks us through the five books that have influenced her mos

Subunit interactions within the Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase ε (pol ε) complex - Demonstration of a dimeric pol ε

Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase epsilon (pol ε) is essential for chromosomal replication. A major form of pol ε purified from yeast consists of at least four subunits: Pol2p, Dpb2p, Dpb3p, and Dpb4p. We have investigated the protein/protein interactions between these polypeptides by using expression of individual subunits in baculovirus-infected Sf9 insect cells and by using the yeast two-hybrid assay. The essential subunits, Pol2p and Dpb2p, interact directly in the absence of the other two subunits, and the C-terminal half of POL2, the only essential portion of Pol2p, is sufficient for interaction with Dpb2p. Dpb3p and Dpb4p, non-essential subunits, also interact directly with each other in the absence of the other two subunits. We propose that Pol2pzDpb2p and Dpb3pzDpb4p complexes interact with each other and document several interactions between individual members of the two respective complexes. We present biochemical evidence to support the proposal that pol ε may be dimeric in vivo. Gel filtration of the Pol2pzDpb2p complexes reveals a novel heterotetrameric form, consisting of two heterodimers of Pol2pzDpb2p. Dpb2p, but not Pol2p, exists as a homodimer, and thus the Pol2p dimerization may be mediated by Dpb2p. The pol2-E and pol2-F mutations that cause replication defects in vivo weaken the interaction between Pol2p and Dpb2p and also reduce dimerization of Pol2p. This suggests, but does not prove, that dimerization may also occur in vivo and be essential for DNA replication

Submergence and uplift associated with the giant 1833 Sumatran subduction earthquake: Evidence from coral microatolls

The giant Sumatran subduction earthquake of 1833 appears as a large emergence event in fossil coral microatolls on the reefs of Sumatra's outer-arc ridge. Stratigraphic analysis of these and living microatolls nearby allow us to estimate that 1833 emergence increased trenchward from about 1 to 2 m. This pattern and magnitude of uplift are consistent with about 13 m of slip on the subduction interface and suggest a magnitude (M_w) of 8.8–9.2 for the earthquake. The fossil microatolls also record rapid submergence in the decades prior to the earthquake, with rates increasing trenchward from 5 to 11 mm/yr. Living microatolls show similar rates and a similar pattern. The fossil microatolls also record at least two less extensive emergence events in the decades prior to 1833. These observations show that coral microatolls can be useful paleoseismic and paleogeodetic instruments in convergent tectonic environments

Controlling for exposure changes the relationship between ethnicity, deprivation and injury: an observational study of child pedestrian injury rates in London.

BACKGROUND: Research has suggested that inequalities in risk exposure may help explain identified ethnic inequalities in child pedestrian injury risk. However, addressing risk exposure in epidemiological research presents theoretical and methodological challenges. This article conceptualises the risk of child pedestrian injury as related to both exposure levels (the quantity of time children spend as pedestrians) and the probability of a hazard where that exposure takes place (the quality of the road environment). OBJECTIVE: To investigate the sensitivity of results on ethnic inequalities in child pedestrian injury risk in London to control for exposure and hazard levels. METHODS: Using police records of injury 2000-2009, we modelled the relationship between ethnicity, deprivation and child pedestrian injury rates in London using characteristics of the road environment to control for hazard levels and restricting the analysis to the time of the weekday morning commute (7.00-9.00 am), when most children must make a journey to school, to control for exposure levels. RESULTS: Controlling for risk exposure in this way fundamentally changed the nature of the relationship between ethnicity, deprivation and child pedestrian injury. During the time of the morning commute to school, 'Black' children were found to have higher pedestrian injury rates in the least-deprived areas. CONCLUSIONS: To inform effective strategies for reducing injury inequality, it is vital that exposure to risk is both acknowledged and considered

The Forced van der Pol Equation II: Canards in the reduced system

This is the second in a series of papers about the dynamics of the forced van der Pol oscillator [J. Guckenheimer, K. Hoffman, and W. Weckesser, SIAM J. Appl. Dyn. Syst., 2 (2003), pp. 1–35]. The first paper described the reduced system, a two dimensional flow with jumps that reflect fast trajectory segments in this vector field with two time scales. This paper extends the reduced system to account for canards, trajectory segments that follow the unstable portion of the slow manifold in the forced van der Pol oscillator. This extension of the reduced system serves as a template for approximating the full nonwandering set of the forced van der Pol oscillator for large sets of parameter values, including parameters for which the system is chaotic. We analyze some bifurcations in the extension of the reduced system, building upon our previous work in [J. Guckenheimer, K. Hoffman, and W. Weckesser, SIAM J. Appl. Dyn. Syst., 2 (2003), pp. 1–35]. We conclude with computations of return maps and periodic orbits in the full three dimensional flow that are compared with the computations and analysis of the reduced system. These comparisons demonstrate numerically the validity of results we derive from the study of canards in the reduced system

A cross-sectional analysis of how young adults perceive tobacco brands: implications for FCTC signatories

BACKGROUND: The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control calls for the elimination of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. To test whether tobacco packaging functions as advertising by communicating attractive and distinctive brand attributes, we explored how young adult smokers and non-smokers interpreted familiar and unfamiliar tobacco brands. METHODS: We conducted an on-line survey of 1035 young adult smokers and non-smokers aged 18–30. Participants evaluated eight tobacco brands using ten attributes based on brand personality scales. We used factor analysis and ANOVA to examine patterns in brand-attribute associations. RESULTS: Young adults distinguished between brands on the basis of their packaging alone, associated each brand with specific attributes, and were equally able to interpret familiar and unfamiliar brands. Contrary to our expectations, non-smokers made more favourable brand-attribute associations than smokers, but both groups described Basic, a near generic brand, as ‘plain’ or ‘budget’. There were no significant gender or ethnicity differences. CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco packaging uses logos, colours and imagery to create desirable connotations that promote and reinforce smoking. By functioning in the same way as advertising, on-pack branding breaches Article 13 of the FCTC and refutes tobacco companies’ claims that pack livery serves only as an indentifying device that simplifies smokers’ decision-making. Given this evidence, signatories should see plain packaging policies as a priority consistent with their FCTC obligations to eliminate all tobacco advertising and promotion