A Scale-Space Medialness Transform Based on Boundary Concordance Voting

The Concordance-based Medial Axis Transform (CMAT) presented in this paper is a multiscale medial axis (MMA) algorithm that computes the medial response from grey-level boundary measures. This non-linear operator responds only to symmetric structures, overcoming the limitations of linear medial operators which create “side-lobe” responses for symmetric structures and respond to edge structures. In addition, the spatial localisation of the medial axis and the identification of object width is improved in the CMAT algorithm compared with linear algorithms. The robustness of linear medial operators to noise is preserved in our algorithm. The effectiveness of the CMAT is accredited to the concordance property described in this paper. We demonstrate the performance of this method with test figures used by other authors and medical images that are relatively complex in structure. In these complex images the benefit of the improved response of our non-linear operator is clearly visible

London governance and the politics of neighbourhood planning: a case for investigation

The Localism Act 2011 has successfully devolved planning powers to over 2,500 English communities, involving 14 million people, with over 700 ‘made’ neighbourhood plans legitimised by referendum. In London, however, there are less than one-tenth of the made plans than in the rest of England. Institutional resistance and policy choices may be implicated. Two national studies of neighbourhood planning are reviewed. The role of the local authority is found to be a crucial factor in determining progress, and issues of social deprivation and unequal access are highlighted. Theorisation is considered by reference to a range of academic studies of localism and neighbourhood planning. Distinctions made between ‘representative’ and ‘community’ localism, and objections to anti-political effects, are noted. There has been remarkably little research into borough governance and neighbourhood planning in the capital. Based upon evidence of anomalous and differentiated governance practice, a study in London is called for

Neighbourhood Planning in London: devolution enabled, or devolution denied

Neighbourhood planning is progressing in England and now encompasses over 2500 groups, of which over 700 have a “made” Neighbourhood Plan approved by a majority vote in a local referendum. London remains an anomaly with retarded progress and evidence of council obstruction. In the context of national research, the model of community organisation, in the form of “neighbourhood forums” devised under the Localism Act 2011 to deliver neighbourhood planning, is deeply flawed. A neighbourhood planning index has been produced to indicate the varied progress by London boroughs. Evidence is presented essentially of devolution denied, and antipathy to “community localism”, even though, in two boroughs devolution has been enabled

Localism at the neighbourhood level: London borough governance and situated anti-politics

The Localism Act 2011 has successfully devolved planning powers to over 2300 English communities with over 530 “made” neighbourhood plans legitimised by referendums, involving nearly six million people. The devolution deals however, creating combined authorities, appear not to have generated double devolution, failing to extend power down to their communities. There is governance rescaling but the rationale of subsidiarity is inconsistently applied. London has the benefit of stability and experience with a city-region authority and mayor in place since 2000, underpinned by 32 large unitary authorities. It is noteworthy that neighbourhood planning powers have been taken up in London much more slowly than in the rest of England, with marked differences in progress between the boroughs, despite a statutory “duty to support” localism. Two major national studies of localism are reviewed to inform an examination of the politics of localism in London. The role of the local authority is found to be critical and evidence of a London governance effect is noted. Related academic studies are also referred to so as to supply some theorisation. The significance and force of the community’s notion of “place” is observed. There has been remarkably little research into London borough governance since the Local Government Act 2000 reform. Based upon the evidence of localism and neighbourhood planning in London, which is proving to be problematic, a tentative case is made for a “situated” anti-politics in the capital

Revoicing Reflections

Serendipitously, I stumbled onto revoicing in an article written by O\u27Connor and Michaels (1996). I often use a speech sequence called the initiate-respond-evaluate (IRE) pattern without being aware of doing it. Many teachers will recognize it -- you pose a question, nominate a student to respond and when they give you the answer you say What an excellent answer. I\u27ve come to realize, through reflection, the restrictions of this speech sequence. In spite of the fact I might even have had a hot topic in class enthusiastically generated by students, I knew that classroom discourse failed to flourish at times. I saw potential in this talking technique called revoicing that might lead the class along the trail of meaningful and thoughtful discussion. It offered a possible alternative to the IRE pattern in classroom discourse

Equine post-breeding endometritis: A review

The deposition of semen, bacteria and debris in the uterus of the mare after breeding normally induces a self-limiting endometritis. The resultant fluid and inflammatory products are cleared by 48 hours post cover. Mares that are susceptible to persistent post-breeding endometritis (PPBEM) have impaired uterine defence and clearance mechanisms, making them unable to resolve this inflammation within the normal time. This persists beyond 48 hours post-breeding and causes persistent fluid accumulation within the uterus. Mares with PPBEM have an increased rate of embryonic loss and a lower overall pregnancy rate than those without the condition. To enhance conception rates, mares at high risk need optimal breeding management as well as early diagnosis, followed by the most appropriate treatment. This article reviews the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of PPBEM and the management of affected mares

Differential Contributions of Dopamine and Serotonin to Orbitofrontal Cortex Function in the Marmoset

We have shown previously that the inhibitory control functions of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) are disrupted by serotonin, but not dopamine depletions. However, both dopamine and serotonin terminals and receptors are present within the OFC and thus the aim of the present study was to determine the differential contributions of these neurotransmitters to orbitofrontal function. OFC and dopamine are involved in the process by which neutral stimuli take on reinforcing properties, by virtue of their prior association with reward, and guide behavior. Thus, we compared the performance of marmosets with dopaminergic or serotoninergic OFC depletions on a test of conditioned reinforcement. To further our understanding of serotonin in behavioral flexibility, the effect of these depletions was also compared on the extinction of a visual discrimination. Monkeys with serotonin depletions of the OFC displayed stimulus-bound responding on both tests of conditioned reinforcement and discrimination extinction suggesting that orbitofrontal serotonin plays a specific role in preventing competing, task irrelevant, salient stimuli from biasing responding. In contrast, monkeys with dopamine depletion were insensitive to conditioned reinforcers and displayed persistent responding in the absence of reward in extinction, a pattern of deficits that may reflect basic deficits in the associative processing of reward

Polyphenol Content and Modulatory Activities of Some Tropical Dietary Plant Extracts on the Oxidant Activities of Neutrophils and Myeloperoxidase

Young leaves of Manihot esculenta Crantz (Euphorbiaceae), Abelmoschus esculentus (Malvaceae), Hibiscus acetosella (Malvaceae) and Pteridium aquilinum (Dennstaedtiaceae) are currently consumed as green vegetables by peoples in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Asia and their migrants living in Western Europe. Sub-Saharan peoples use Manihot, Abelmoschus and Hibiscus also in the folk medicine to alleviate fever and pain, in the treatment of conjunctivitis, rheumatism, hemorrhoid, abscesses, ... The present study investigates the effects of aqueous extracts of those plants on the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the release of myeloperoxidase (MPO) by equine neutrophils activated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). The ROS production was measured by lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence (CL), and the release of total MPO by an ELISA method. The study also investigates the effect of the extracts on the activity of MPO by studying its nitration activity on tyrosine and by using a new technique called SIEFED (Specific Immunological Extraction Followed by Enzymatic Detection) that allows studying the direct interaction of compounds with the enzyme. In all experiments, the aqueous extracts of the plants developed concentration-dependent inhibitory effects. A moderate heat treatment did not significantly modify the inhibitory capacity of the extracts in comparison to not heated ones. Total polyphenol and flavonoid contents were determined with an HPLC-UV/DAD analysis and a spectroscopic method using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. Some polyphenols with well-known antioxidant activities (caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, hyperoside, rosmarinic acid and rutin) were found in the extracts and may partly explain the inhibitory activities observed. The role of those dietary and medicinal plants in the treatment of ROS-dependent inflammatory diseases could have new considerations for health

Protection by the NDI1 Gene against Neurodegeneration in a Rotenone Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease

It is widely recognized that mitochondrial dysfunction, most notably defects in the NADH-quinone oxidoreductase (complex I), is closely related to the etiology of sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD). In fact, rotenone, a complex I inhibitor, has been used for establishing PD models both in vitro and in vivo. A rat model with chronic rotenone exposure seems to reproduce pathophysiological conditions of PD more closely than acute mouse models as manifested by neuronal cell death in the substantia nigra and Lewy body-like cytosolic aggregations. Using the rotenone rat model, we investigated the protective effects of alternative NADH dehydrogenase (Ndi1) which we previously demonstrated to act as a replacement for complex I both in vitro and in vivo. A single, unilateral injection of recombinant adeno-associated virus carrying the NDI1 gene into the vicinity of the substantia nigra resulted in expression of the Ndi1 protein in the entire substantia nigra of that side. It was clear that the introduction of the Ndi1 protein in the substantia nigra rendered resistance to the deleterious effects caused by rotenone exposure as assessed by the levels of tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine. The presence of the Ndi1 protein also prevented cell death and oxidative damage to DNA in dopaminergic neurons observed in rotenone-treated rats. Unilateral protection also led to uni-directional rotation of the rotenone-exposed rats in the behavioral test. The present study shows, for the first time, the powerful neuroprotective effect offered by the Ndi1 enzyme in a rotenone rat model of PD