A Shifting Island Landscape: Changes in Land Use and Daily Life in the 19th and 20th Century Village of Inishark, Co. Galway, Ireland

This thesis investigates changes to village spatial arrangement and land use patterns in the nineteenth and twentieth century village of Inishark, Co. Galway, Ireland. To understand how spatial changes within the historic village were shaped by interactions between villagers and outside groups, including landlords and government agencies, a landscape approach was utilized. An examination of historic maps, valuation documents, and Irish Census documents, combined with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey and archaeological excavation, were used to understand how historical pressures impacted island life. Inishark\u27s geographic isolation creates a unique case study to understand the impact of historical pressures on rural Irish communities during this period. Historical pressures examined were landlord and tenant relationships, the imposition of British ideals, and the shifts in economic activity and movement of people. Villagers\u27 responses to these outside forces impacted the movement of people and their economic activities, shaping the cultural landscape of the island

Fast-spiking Parvalbumin Interneurons are Frequently Myelinated in the Cerebral Cortex of Mice and Humans

Myelination, the insulating ensheathment of axons by oligodendrocytes, is thought to both optimize signal propagation and provide metabolic support. Despite the well-established physiological importance of myelination to neuronal function, relatively little is known about the myelination of GABAergic interneurons in the cerebral cortex. Here, we report that a large fraction of myelin in mouse cerebral cortex ensheaths GABAergic interneurons, reaching up to 80% in hippocampal subregions. Moreover, we find that a very high proportion of neocortical and hippocampal parvalbumin (PV) interneurons exhibit axonal myelination. Using a combination of intracellular recordings and biocytin labeling of ex vivo human neocortex, we also confirm that axons of fast-spiking PV interneurons are extensively myelinated in the human brain. PV interneuron myelination in both mice and humans exhibits a stereotyped topography with a bias towards proximal axonal segments and relatively short internodes (∼27 μm) interspersed with branch points. Interestingly, myelin-deficient Shiverer mice exhibit an increased density and more proximal location of en passant boutons, suggesting that myelination might function in part to regu

Potential of chitosan coating in delaying the postharvest anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz.) of Eksotika II papaya

The in vitro and in vivo fungicidal activity of chitosan was studied against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, the causal agent of anthracnose in papaya fruits. Chitosan at 1.5% and 2.0% concentrations showed a fungistatic effect with 90–100% inhibition (significant at P ≤ 0.05) of the fungal mycelial growth. Changes in the conidial morphology were also observed with the higher chitosan concentrations after 7-h incubation. In vivo studies showed that 1.5% and 2.0% chitosan coatings on papaya not only controlled the fruit decay but also delayed the onset of disease symptoms by 3–4 weeks during 5 weeks storage at 12 ± 1°C and slowed down the subsequent disease development. However, when leaving the fruits to ripen at ambient temperature (28 ± 2°C), 2.0% chitosan was less effective than 1.5% in controlling the disease development. Chitosan coatings also delayed the ripening process by maintaining the firmness levels, soluble solids concentration and titratable acidity values during and after storage

Replay as wavefronts and theta sequences as bump oscillations in a grid cell attractor network.

Grid cells fire in sequences that represent rapid trajectories in space. During locomotion, theta sequences encode sweeps in position starting slightly behind the animal and ending ahead of it. During quiescence and slow wave sleep, bouts of synchronized activity represent long trajectories called replays, which are well-established in place cells and have been recently reported in grid cells. Theta sequences and replay are hypothesized to facilitate many cognitive functions, but their underlying mechanisms are unknown. One mechanism proposed for grid cell formation is the continuous attractor network. We demonstrate that this established architecture naturally produces theta sequences and replay as distinct consequences of modulating external input. Driving inhibitory interneurons at the theta frequency causes attractor bumps to oscillate in speed and size, which gives rise to theta sequences and phase precession, respectively. Decreasing input drive to all neurons produces traveling wavefronts of activity that are decoded as replays

Functional Modulation of the Mouse Prefrontal Cortex by Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors

Mansvelder, H.D. [Promotor]Brussaard, A.B. [Copromotor]Smit, A.B. [Copromotor]Spijker, S. [Copromotor

Fruit flies : disinfestation, techniques used, possible application to mango

Introduction. The methods of fruit disinfestation against fruit flies use processes (physical methods) which differ according to the export country and fruit which must be disinfested. The term definitions are made clear and the various treatments are presented. Heat treatments. For mango, treatments usable for disinfestation can only utilize heat, because of the strong sensitivity of this fruit to cold temperatures. The heat treatments in general consist of using an immersion in hot water by a system of batches or an uninterrupted bath. These treatments are then followed or not by a fruit fast cooling which can be carried out by ventilation (cold air) or hydrocooling (water). Heat can also be obtained by use of forced hot air or hot vapor, because a higher temperature than 45 °C kills fly eggs and larvae. Microwave treatments. The use of microwaves is also a technique which makes it possible to increase the temperature in the fruit heart. Irradiation. The last possible solution is the use of irradiation, which uses a principle different from the preceding treatments. Conclusion. In comparison with the most current treatments (vapor heat treatment and forced hot-air treatment), the hot water treatment has many advantages: it is easy to implement, it is quick, it kills surface parasitic organisms, it makes it possible to clean the fruit surface and its cost only corresponds to approximately 10%of the cost of one vapor heat treatment. It would thus be recommended for mango disinfestation