Visual recognition memory: a view from V1

Although work in primates on higher-order visual areas has revealed how the individual and concerted activity of neurons correlates with behavioral reports of object recognition, very little is known about the underlying mechanisms for visual recognition memory. Low-level vision, even as early as primary visual cortex (V1) and even in subjects as unsophisticated as rodents, promises to fill this void. Although this latter approach sacrifices interrogation of many of the most astounding features of visual recognition, it does provide experimental constraint, proximity to sensory input, and a wide range of interventional approaches. The tractability of rodent visual cortex promises to reveal the molecular mechanisms and circuits that are essential for a fundamental form of memory.National Eye Institute (Grant RO1EY023037

Long-term potentiation and long-term depression: a clinical perspective

Long-term potentiation and long-term depression are enduring changes in synaptic strength, induced by specific patterns of synaptic activity, that have received much attention as cellular models of information storage in the central nervous system. Work in a number of brain regions, from the spinal cord to the cerebral cortex, and in many animal species, ranging from invertebrates to humans, has demonstrated a reliable capacity for chemical synapses to undergo lasting changes in efficacy in response to a variety of induction protocols. In addition to their physiological relevance, long-term potentiation and depression may have important clinical applications. A growing insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes, and technological advances in non-invasive manipulation of brain activity, now puts us at the threshold of harnessing long-term potentiation and depression and other forms of synaptic, cellular and circuit plasticity to manipulate synaptic strength in the human nervous system. Drugs may be used to erase or treat pathological synaptic states and non-invasive stimulation devices may be used to artificially induce synaptic plasticity to ameliorate conditions arising from disrupted synaptic drive. These approaches hold promise for the treatment of a variety of neurological conditions, including neuropathic pain, epilepsy, depression, amblyopia, tinnitus and stroke

Efficacy and side effects of an oral appliance in the treatment of mild and moderate obstructive sleep apnoea in Chinese subjects

Conference Theme: Challenges to specialists in the 21st centurypublished_or_final_versio

The musical scene in Uganda views from without and within

This article is a collaborative effort between a Ugandan scholar specialising in theatre studies and currently teaching in the United Kingdom and a British ethnomusicologist who taught in Uganda during the 1960s and has since maintained his musical research interests there. Firstly we present a composite view of musical life in Uganda. Later in the paper we present our own separate ideas (even where they overlap)

Regards croisés sur la vie musicale en Ouganda

Cet article est le résultat d’une collaboration entre un spécialiste ougandais des études théâtrales qui enseigne au Royaume-Uni, et un ethnomusicologue britannique qui a enseigné pendant les années soixante en Ouganda et qui poursuit, depuis 1987, ses recherches sur la musique de ce pays.La première partie décrit la vie musicale ougandaise en mettant l’accent sur les développements de ces trente dernières années et en soulignant l’impact de deux décennies de luttes politiques sur la pratique et la recherche musicale en Ouganda. Elle traite du développement des troupes villageoises et des associations, de l’émergence des rituels musicaux associés aux guérisseurs et aux cultes pratiqués par leurs adeptes ainsi que des causes de la diffusion trans-ethnique des instruments et des styles musicaux. Elle démontre encore que la disparition des traditions musicales des anciennes Cours royales n’est pas aussi définitive qu’on l’avait annoncé et que la tentative de l’Etat pour remplacer les rois dans le rôle de patron des arts se révèle dans l’ensemble infructueuse.Les auteurs décrivent ensuite la vie musicale de la ville cosmopolite de Kampala, en insistant sur sa nature inventive, syncrétique et non-officielle. Ils montrent le rôle important qu’a joué le théâtre musical, et en particulier le genre Kadongo Kamu, en soutenant le moral de la population pendant les années horriblement troublées du règne meurtrier d’Idi Amin et de Milton Obote. Enfin, en présentant la musique populaire de divertissement des villes, ils démontrent que les artistes s’intéressant aux styles syncrétiques ont plus de succès que ceux attirés par la musique occidentale : succès qui s’explique en partie par le texte et le contenu théâtral des chansons, ce en quoi les musiciens urbains d’aujourd’hui s’inscrivent dans la tradition des musiciens itinérants de la campagne.Les deux dernières parties de l’article proposent l’opinion plus personnelle de chacun des auteurs sur le rôle que jouent et que pourraient jouer les ethnomusicologues. De l’intérieur, Sam Kasule montre qu’il y a énormément de recherches locales privées menées dans un but immédiat et purement pratique. Il insiste sur la nature dynamique des traditions musicales ougandaises et suggère aux chercheurs d’interpréter les développements de la musique ougandaise à la lumière de son histoire politique, sociale et économique récente. De l’extérieur, Peter Cooke affirme que les ethnomusicologues ne peuvent ni ne doivent jouer le rôle de gardiens de la tradition ; il leur suggère plutôt de mettre les résultats de leurs recherches à la disposition des spécialistes ougandais et de collaborer avec ces derniers partout où c’est possible.This is a collaborative effort between a Ugandan scholar specialising in theatre studies and currently teaching in the United Kingdom and a British ethnomusicologist who taught in Uganda during the 1960s and has continued his ugandan researches since 1987.Firstly a composite view of musical life in Uganda is presented, looking especially at developments during the past 30 years and the impact that almost two decades of political strife have had on music making and research in Uganda. The rise of village troupes and clubs and the conspicuous emergence of musical rituals associated with traditional healers and their cult followers is discussed as well as reasons for the trans-ethnic diffusion of instruments and musical styles. While the demise of the musical traditions of the former royal courts is shown not to have been so complete as reported, the role of the state in attempting to replace the former kings as patrons of the arts is seen as mostly unsuccessful.Musical life in cosmopolitan Kampala is then surveyed for its inventive, syncretic and unofficial nature. Musical theatre, particularly the genre known as Kadongo Kamu, is seen to have been especially important during the horrendously troubled years of misrule of Idi Amin and Milton Obote in maintaining the spirits of the people. A survey of popular urban musical entertainment suggests that indigenous artists evolving syncretic styles are more popular than those who are more western in their orientation and that textual and dramatic content are important ingredients in success. Today’s urban musicians follow closely in the tradition of travelling musicians of the countryside.The last two sections of the paper present more personal views on the part that is played and could be played by ethnomusicologists. An inside view stresses the amount of local private research that is achieved for immediate practical ends, emphasises the essentially dynamic nature of musical traditions in Uganda and suggests that the main challenge is to interpret Uganda’s recent musical developments in the light of its recent political and social sand economic history. The outsider view is that while ethnomusicologists can and should attempt no role as guardians of musical traditions they should make the results of their research as available as possible to Ugandans and engage wherever possible in collaborative research

Sociolinguistic Citizenship

Purpose: This paper introduces Stroud’s ‘Linguistic Citizenship’, a concept committed to democratic participation, to voice, to the heterogeneity of linguistic resources and to the political value of sociolinguistic understanding. Approach: It first outlines Linguistic Citizenship’s links with the ethnographic sociolinguistics inspired by Hymes, and then turns to language and language education in England.  Findings: The discourses of language and citizenship currently dominating the UK are very much at odds with Stroud’s conception, but the sociolinguistic citizenship outlined by Stroud is very well suited to the multilingualism of everyday urban life, and it complements a range of relatively small, independently funded educational initiatives promoting similar values. Their efforts are currently constrained by issues of scale and sustainability, although there was a period from the 1960s to the 80s when sociolinguistic citizenship was addressed within English state schooling. Practical implications: Sociolinguistic citizenship may at present find its most sustainable support in the collaboration between universities and not-for-pr

'A bite before bed': exposure to malaria vectors outside the times of net use in the highlands of western Kenya.

BACKGROUND: The human population in the highlands of Nyanza Province, western Kenya, is subject to sporadic epidemics of Plasmodium falciparum. Indoor residual spraying (IRS) and long-lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs) are used widely in this area. These interventions are most effective when Anopheles rest and feed indoors and when biting occurs at times when individuals use LLINs. It is therefore important to test the current assumption of vector feeding preferences, and late night feeding times, in order to estimate the extent to which LLINs protect the inhabitants from vector bites. METHODS: Mosquito collections were made for six consecutive nights each month between June 2011 and May 2012. CDC light-traps were set next to occupied LLINs inside and outside randomly selected houses and emptied hourly. The net usage of residents, their hours of house entry and exit and times of sleeping were recorded and the individual hourly exposure to vectors indoors and outdoors was calculated. Using these data, the true protective efficacy of nets (P*), for this population was estimated, and compared between genders, age groups and from month to month. RESULTS: Primary vector species (Anopheles funestus s.l. and Anopheles arabiensis) were more likely to feed indoors but the secondary vector Anopheles coustani demonstrated exophagic behaviour (p < 0.05). A rise in vector biting activity was recorded at 19:30 outdoors and 18:30 indoors. Individuals using LLINs experienced a moderate reduction in their overall exposure to malaria vectors from 1.3 to 0.47 bites per night. The P* for the population over the study period was calculated as 51% and varied significantly with age and season (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, LLINs offered the local population partial protection against malaria vector bites. It is likely that P* would be estimated to be greater if the overall suppression of the local vector population due to widespread community net use could be taken into account. However, the overlap of early biting habit of vectors and human activity in this region indicates that additional methods of vector control are required to limit transmission. Regular surveillance of both vector behaviour and domestic human-behaviour patterns would assist the planning of future control interventions in this region

Recurrent mutation of IGF signalling genes and distinct patterns of genomic rearrangement in osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is a primary malignancy of bone that affects children and adults. Here, we present the largest sequencing study of osteosarcoma to date, comprising 112 childhood and adult tumours encompassing all major histological subtypes. A key finding of our study is the identification of mutations in insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signalling genes in 8/112 (7%) of cases. We validate this observation using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in an additional 87 osteosarcomas, with IGF1 receptor (IGF1R) amplification observed in 14% of tumours. These findings may inform patient selection in future trials of IGF1R inhibitors in osteosarcoma. Analysing patterns of mutation, we identify distinct rearrangement profiles including a process characterized by chromothripsis and amplification. This process operates recurrently at discrete genomic regions and generates driver mutations. It may represent an age-independent mutational mechanism that contributes to the development of osteosarcoma in children and adults alike