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Societal Impact Statement: Plant‐parasitic nematodes are a major concern for global food security, and many existing control options are being phased out due to adverse impacts on the environment. Here, we show that although application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) increases host tolerance to these parasites, these benefits decrease as the parasite burden increases, limiting long‐term benefits. This effect was consistent between experiments in the glasshouse and in the field environment, demonstrating the relevance of research into usable technologies. Our findings have potential to aid decision making regarding application of AMF inocula for optimum results in agricultural systems. Summary: Plant‐parasitic nematodes are a leading global threat to crop production and food security aims. Control strategies based on nematicides and fertilisers are increasingly undesirable due to economic and environmental impacts. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may induce host tolerance against pests such as the potato cyst nematode (PCN).Here, we determined the impact of PCN density on the tolerance induced by AMF‐host interactions. Additionally, we evaluated the effects of five AMF inocula on PCN fitness though glasshouse and field trials.Greater PCN densities reduce the increased tolerance that AMF may confer on their hosts. This may be due to reduced mycorrhizal colonisation of hosts under higher PCN infection and potentially a threshold at which the presence of PCN severely impacts fungal growth. When tested in the field, the outcomes of AMF inoculation on crop yields were still positive. Inoculation of soil in the field also increased PCN multiplication, suggesting that AMF‐induced tolerance may become reduced in the near future when the threshold PCN density is reached.Addition of AMF to agricultural soils may provide a short‐term benefit yet lead to a long‐term detriment by increasing PCN populations. The effects observed were driven by only one out of the five introduced AMF species, indicating that the remaining species were redundant for this application. This raises important considerations for future application of AMF inocula in agricultural systems and aids our understanding of how widely used 'beneficial' soil amendments impact the agricultural ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoscale thermometry, an approach based on non-invasive, yet precise measurements of temperature with nanometer spatial resolution, has emerged as a very active field of research over the last few years. In transmission electron microscopy, nanoscale thermometry is particularly important during in situ experiments or to assess the effects of beam induced heating. In this article, we present a nanoscale thermometry approach based on electron energy-loss spectroscopy in a transmission electron microscope to measure locally the temperature of silicon nanoparticles using the energy shift of the plasmon resonance peak with respect to the zero-loss peak as a function of temperature. We demonstrate that using non-negative matrix factorization and curve fitting of stacked spectra, the temperature accuracy can be improved significantly over previously reported manual fitting approaches. We will discuss the necessary acquisition parameters to achieve a precision of 6 meV to determine the plasmon peak position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charles Dickens's work has been taken and adapted for many different ends. Quite a lot of attention has been given to film and television versions of the novels, many of which are very distinguished. The stage and screen musical based on his work, essentially a product of the last fifty years, has been neither as studied nor as respected. This paper looks at the connection between Dickens's novels, the celebration of "London-ness" and its articulation in popular forms of working-class music and song. It will argue that potentially unpromising texts were taken and used to articulate pride and a sense of community for groups representing the disadvantaged of the East End and, more specifically, for first-generation Jewish settlers in London. This is all the more surprising as it was in the first instance through depictions of Oliver Twist and the problematic figure of Fagin that an Anglo-Jewish sensibility was able to express itself. Other texts by Dickens, notably Pickwick Papers, A Christmas Carol and The Old Curiosity Shop, were also adapted to musical forms with varying results, but the period of their heyday was relatively short, as their use of traditional and communitarian forms gave place in the people's affection to manufactured pop/rock and operetta forms. I will argue that this decline was partly the product of changing London demographics and shifts in theatre economics and partly of the appropriation of Dickens by the academy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a neurophysiological technique with a long established pedigree of safety, tolerability, and efficacy. Initially TMS was used to study the function of the cerebral cortex, but it has now become a treatment for migraine, one of the most common and debilitating neurological conditions. In this review we discuss the scientific background and development of the technique. We explore its application for the treatment of migraine and ponder the possible mechanisms of action in this most common neurological condition. Overview: The generation of brief magnetic pulses by a suitable coil can induce electrical fields in the body. When applied to the cerebral cortex, currents are painlessly induced in cortical neurons. These currents can lead to neuronal depolarization and may influence cortical excitability by means that are as yet not fully understood. This ability to modulate cortical excitability has been exploited as a treatment for migraine with aura. Aura is implicated in the pathophysiology of migraine. Experimental studies have shown that transcranial magnetic pulses can block waves of cortical spreading depression - the experimental equivalent of migrainous aura. Discussion Migraine is a debilitating condition characterized by headache, nausea, and sensory hypersensitivity. It may affect up to 15% of the population, yet current drug treatments are often poorly tolerated. Clinical studies have shown that TMS is an effective treatment for migraine. In addition, it has the added advantages of being safe and well tolerated by patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Regina v Presser [1958] VR 45, is the most seminal case regarding fitness to plead for accused persons in Australia and New Zealand. It is not widely understood that Presser was a 14-year-old boy with intellectual disability. We aim to describe a clearer narrative regarding Edward John Presser.Method: Review of attainable newspaper reports framed within an historical context of fitness and relevant case law.Results: Presser's narrative is described in greater detail than previously understood by clinicians and lawyers. Ramifications for fitness assessment are discussed including doli incapax and human rights considerations.Conclusions: The Presser criteria are widely applied; however, the case involved a 14-year-old boy with intellectual disability. Greater awareness of Presser's narrative assists clinicians providing expert evidence regarding fitness to plead for adolescents and persons with intellectual disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To appraise the application of accepted good practice guidance on public involvement in assistive technology research and to identify its impact on the research team, the public, device and trial design. Methods: Critical reflection and within-project evaluation were undertaken in a case study of the development of a functional electrical stimulation device. Individual and group interviews were undertaken with lay members of a 10 strong study user advisory group and also research team members. Results: Public involvement was seen positively by research team members, who reported a positive impact on device and study designs. The public identified positive impact on confidence, skills, self-esteem, enjoyment, contribution to improving the care of others and opportunities for further involvement in research. A negative impact concerned the challenge of engaging the public in dissemination after the study end. Conclusions: The public were able to impact significantly on the design of an assistive technology device which was made more fit for purpose. Research team attitudes to public involvement were more positive after having witnessed its potential first hand. Within-project evaluation underpins this case study which presents a much needed detailed account of public involvement in assistive technology design research to add to the existing weak evidence base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have investigated the neural basis of effortful emotion regulation (ER) but the neural basis of automatic ER has been less comprehensively explored. The present study investigated the neural basis of automatic ER supported by ‘implementation intentions’. 40 healthy participants underwent fMRI while viewing emotion-eliciting images and used either a previously-taught effortful ER strategy, in the form of a goal intention (e.g., try to take a detached perspective), or a more automatic ER strategy, in the form of an implementation intention (e.g., “If I see something disgusting, then I will think these are just pixels on the screen!”), to regulate their emotional response. Whereas goal intention ER strategies were associated with activation of brain areas previously reported to be involved in effortful ER (including dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), ER strategies based on an implementation intention strategy were associated with activation of right inferior frontal gyrus and ventro-parietal cortex, which may reflect the attentional control processes automatically captured by the cue for action contained within the implementation intention. Goal intentions were also associated with less effective modulation of left amygdala, supporting the increased efficacy of ER under implementation intention instructions, which showed coupling of orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala. The findings support previous behavioural studies in suggesting that forming an implementation intention enables people to enact goal-directed responses with less effort and more efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the mid-twentieth century, we have passed from a time where sexual frankness was actively obstructed by censorship and industry self-regulation to an age when pornography is circulated freely and is fairly ubiquitous on the Internet. Attitudes to sexually explicit material have accordingly changed a great deal in this time, but more at the level of the grounds on which it is objected to rather than through a general acceptance of it in the public sphere. Critical objections now tend to be political or aesthetic in nature rather than moralistic. Commercial cinema still seems wary of a frank exploration of sexuality, preferring to address it tangentially in genres such as the erotic thriller. In Europe, an art house canon of sexually explicit movies has formed, starting with Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris (1972) and the French-produced In the Realm of the Senses (1976). This article looks at the steps taken since the 1970s to challenge out-of-date taboos and yet at the same time differentiate the serious film about sex from both pornography (operating in parallel with mainstream cinema but in its shadow) and the exploitation film. After reviewing the art film's relationship with both hard and soft core, two recent films, Intimacy (2000) and 9 Songs (2005), are analyzed for their explicit content and for the way they articulate their ideas about sex through graphic depictions of sexual acts. Compulsive and/or claustrophobic unsimulated sexual behaviour is used as a way of asking probing questions of intimacy (and its filmability). This is shown to be a very different thing from the highly visual and staged satisfactions of pornography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravitational forces may lead to local changes in subarachnoid cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) layer thickness, which has important implications for neurophysiological modulation and recording techniques. This study examines the effect of gravitational pull associated with different head positions on the distribution of subarachnoid CSF using structural magnetic resonance imaging. Images of seven subjects in three different positions (supine, left lateral and prone) were statistically compared. Results suggest that subarachnoid CSF volume decreases on the side of the head closest to the ground, due to downward brainmovement with gravity. These findings warrant future research into currently unexplored gravitation-induced changes in regional subarachnoid CSF thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safe and effective transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) requires accurate intensity calibration. Output is typically calibrated to individual motor cortex excitability and applied to nonmotor brain areas, assuming that it captures a site nonspecific factor of excitability. We tested this assumption by correlating the effect of TMS at motor and visual cortex. In 30 participants, we measured motor threshold (MT) and phosphene threshold (PT) at the scalp surface and at coil-scalp distances of 3.17, 5.63, and 9.03 mm. We also modeled the effect of TMS in a simple head model to test the effect of distance. Four independent tests confirmed a significant correlation between PT and MT. We also found similar effects of distance in motor and visual areas, which did not correlate across participants. Computational modeling suggests that the relationship between the effect of distance and the induced electric field is effectively linear within the range of distances that have been explored empirically. We conclude that MT-guided calibration is valid for nonmotor brain areas if coil-cortex distance is taken into account. For standard figure-of-eight TMS coils connected to biphasic stimulators, the effect of cortical distance should be adjusted using a general correction factor of 2.7% stimulator output per millimeter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational models have been be used to estimate the electric and magnetic fields induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and can provide valuable insights into the location and spatial distribution of TMS stimulation. However, there has been little translation of these findings into practical TMS research. This study uses the International 10-20 EEG electrode placement system to position a standard figure-of-eight TMS coil over 13 commonly adopted targets. Using a finite element method and an anatomically detailed and realistic head model, this study provides the first pictorial and numerical atlas of TMS-induced electric fields for a range of coil positions. The results highlight the importance of subject-specific gyral folding patterns and of local thickness of subarachnoid cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Our modelling shows that high electric fields occur primarily on the peaks of those gyri which have only a thin layer of CSF above them. These findings have important implications for inter-individual generalizability of the TMS-induced electric field. We propose that, in order to determine with accuracy the site of stimulation for an individual subject, it is necessary to solve the electric field distribution using subject-specific anatomy obtained from a high-resolution imaging modality such as MRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discomfort experienced during surface functional electrical stimulation (FES) is thought to be partly a result of localized high current density in the skin underneath the stimulating electrode. This article describes a finite element (FE) model to predict skin current density distribution in the region of the electrode during stimulation and its application to the identification of electrode properties that may act to reduce sensation. The FE model results show that the peak current density was located in an area immediately under the stratum corneum, adjacent to a sweat duct. A simulation of surface FES via a high-resistivity electrode showed a reduction in this peak current density, when compared to that with a low-resistivity electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of graphene raises the prospect of a new class of nanoelectronic devices based on the extraordinary physical properties of this one-atom-thick layer of carbon. Unlike two-dimensional electron layers in semiconductors, where the charge carriers become immobile at low densities, the carrier mobility in graphene can remain high, even when their density vanishes at the Dirac point. However, when the graphene sample is supported on an insulating substrate, potential fluctuations induce charge puddles that obscure the Dirac point physics. Here we show that the fluctuations are significantly reduced in suspended graphene samples and we report low-temperature mobility approaching 200,000 cm2 V−1 s−1 for carrier densities below 5 × 109 cm−2. Such values cannot be attained in semiconductors or non-suspended graphene. Moreover, unlike graphene samples supported by a substrate, the conductivity of suspended graphene at the Dirac point is strongly dependent on temperature and approaches ballistic values at liquid helium temperatures. At higher temperatures, above 100 K, we observe the onset of thermally induced long-range scattering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In three experiments, we investigated the role of the cerebellum in sub- and suprasecond time perception by using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). In Experiment 1, subjects underwent four 8-min 1-Hz rTMS sessions in a within-subject design. rTMS sites were the medial cerebellum (real and sham rTMS), left lateral cerebellum, and right lateral cerebellum. Following each rTMS session, subjects completed a subsecond temporal bisection task (stimuli in the range 400-800 msec). Compared with sham rTMS, rTMS applied over the right lateral or medial cerebellum induced a leftward shift of the psychophysical function (perceived lengthening of time). In Experiment 2, a separate sample of subjects underwent the identical rTMS procedure and completed a suprasecond bisection task (stimuli in the 1000-2000 msec range). In this experiment, rTMS to the cerebellar sites did not produce any significant changes compared with sham rTMS. Experiment 3 employed a within-subject design to replicate findings from Experiments 1 and 2. Subjects underwent four rTMS conditions (sub- and suprabisection tasks following medial cerebellar and sham rTMS). rTMS induced a significant leftward shift of psychophysical function in the subsecond bisection, but not in the suprasecond bisection. In this study, we have demonstrated that transient cerebellar stimulation can differently affect the ability to estimate time intervals below and above a duration of 1 sec. The results of this study provide direct evidence for the role of the cerebellum in processing subsecond time intervals. This study further suggests that the perception of sub- and suprasecond intervals is likely to depend upon distinct neural systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distinctive relationship between bureaucrats and politicians in Britain has been much noted around the world and often used a model by reformers. However, both Conservative and Labour governments have displayed dissatisfaction with the bureaucracy and have made important changes in the “Whitehall model.” Some of these changes have reduced the degree to which British politicians have been unusually dependent on a career bureaucracy that is insulated from partisan politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective management of potato cyst nematodes (PCNs) requires simple, rapid and accurate identification and quantification of field populations. Soil samples from a survey of 484 fields in potato rotations in England and Wales were used to compare the identification and quantification of PCNs using IEF, PCR, ELISA and bait plant tests. The cyst counts and bait plant test revealed that 64.3% of field samples contained PCNs. Bait plant tests increased the detection rate of PCNs in field samples by 4-6.4%. This means that some infestations are cryptic and would not normally be detected by standard counts. IEF, PCR and ELISA methods distinguished between Globodera rostochiensis and G pallida and were able to register mixed populations; however they were not in full agreement. All methods suggested that G pallida is the dominant species in the field samples tested. The PCR results indicated that 66% of field samples contained pure G pallida, 8% contained pure G rostochiensis and 26% contained mixtures of the two species. Estimates of the relative process times taken per sample in the PCR, IEF and ELISA techniques are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent experimental progress in determining the parameters of the electroweak sector of the Standard Model is summarized. The principal topics addressed include the precision determination of electroweak parameters using LEP and SLD data at the Z[sup 0] pole, measurements of the W mass by LEP-II, CDF, and D0, and determination of the elements of the CKM matrix using a variety of experimental methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the concepts of accountability and responsibility in British government and public bodies as of 2001. The article examines the political climate in Great Britain at the end of the 20th century in the British House of Commons and in British town halls. The author examines ways in which the British system of government could become more democratic and discusses the concept of accountability as a form of what the author calls customer relations with active citizens who are participate in the political process.

Background The ability to tolerate a tourniquet is often the limiting factor to elective and emergent procedures of the upper limb performed under local anaesthesia. This study aims to demonstrate that upper limb tourniquets are more predictably and better tolerated when inflated to 200 mmHg than to the traditional inflation pressure of 250 mmHg in awake, unsedated subjects. Methods Forty healthy volunteers were randomized to have a tourniquet applied at either 200 or 250 mmHg for 20 min. Vital signs and pain scores were measured pre-test, at intervals throughout the time the tourniquet was inflated and post-deflation until the parameters normalized. Grip strength was measured pre-test, immediately post-deflation of the tourniquet and every 2 min until return of normal strength. Results All subjects were able to tolerate a tourniquet inflated for the allocated 20 min irrespective of the inflation pressure; however, there was a statistically significant lower average pain score in the group where the tourniquet was inflated to 200 mmHg compared with 250 mmHg. There was a quicker return of normal grip strength, although this was not shown to be statistically significant. Conclusions Tourniquets inflated to 200 mmHg are better tolerated in awake, unsedated subjects that would allow predictably short procedures of the hand, wrist and forearm to be performed under local anaesthesia. It represents a pilot study prior to a further clinical study investigating the efficacy of tourniquets inflated to a lower pressure in maintaining an effective bloodless field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two very serious prison escape attempts in 1994-5 prompted the Home Secretary, Michael Howard, to dismiss the Prison Service head, Derek Lewis (a contracted businssman) who successfully sued for full compensation and costs. This sacking and law suit were unprecedented events which highlighted familiar tensions about the 'policy' and 'administrative' ('operational') distinction and what passes for the theory of individual ministerial responsibility to Parliament. This article reviews four serious prison security failures in England and Northern Ireland since 1983 and the standard ministerial posture blaming operational error rather than their own policy framework. Drawing on interviews with relevant senior figures, the exceptionally politically sensitive case of executive agency status for the Prison Service of England and Wales is considered. The 'Lewis vs. Howard' affair is placed in its context of the increasingly managerial ambitions of both 'incomer' and career civil servants which conflict with traditionally comprehensive, but symbolic ministerial responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most influential and apparently enduring models of the political-bureaucratic relations has been the 'Whitehall model' derived from British practices. Yet the relationship between bureaucrats and politicians in Britain, often poorly understood in the past, has changed in recent years to such an extent that the continued existence of the 'Whitehall model' can be doubted. This article draws on published sources and, for background, interviews conducted since 1989 with higher (Grade III and above) civil servants and current or former ministers to explore how and why the Whitehall model is threatened with extinction. The wider implications of this development for British policy making and for the study of the relations between bureaucrats and politicians are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides an overview on several books related to political science including "Leisure and Government," by Ian Adams, "Ireland's Terrorist Trauma: Interdisciplinary Perspectives," edited by Yonah Alexander and Alan O'Day, and "Race and Local Politics," edited by Wendy Ball and John Solomos.

Provides information on the results of a study civil servants relating to their challenging of inappropriate ministerial requests. Methodology used to conduct the study; Detailed information on the noncompliance require by law and the civil service rules; Conclusion reached.

The human body can be regarded as an extraordinarily complex electrical machine. It will respond to externally applied electromagnetic stimuli and aspects of its functionality can be interrogated electromagnetically to aid in diagnosis. The paper describes examples of interactions between electromagnetism and the body. The hazards ofelectric shock are considered along with the use of the defibrillator for restarting the heart. Electromagnetic therapies are discussed in the light of the disappointing lack of objective evidence to support claims for their effectiveness.Finally, two examples of new diagnostic techniques using electromagnetic energy are described. Electrical impedance tomography produces cross-sectional images of the distribution of electrical impedance in the body and magnetic nerve stimulation uses currents induced by large magnetic field pulses to stimulate nerves and the human brain without causing pain. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents for the first time an outline of a classified review of the many types (some 20) of public policy inquiry or review exercises used in British public affairs. They are mainly created by the government but are also increasingly promoted by private bodies hoping to influence government and the established specialist interests in a policy field by supplying free and authoritative information and recommendations. A brief commentary on each of these ‘decision advice processes’ (DAPs) draws out their changing profile and questions the democratic propriety of the executive itself now investigating or reviewing important public policy issues which were, until quite recently, unquestioningly given out by departments for external and (normally) independent‐minded commissions and committees of inquiry to study and recommend upon. The question of whether the current movement for constitutional reform should include the overall ‘decision advice process’ and place it on a more independent and authoritative basis is raised. A parliamentary, rather than (or as well as) an executive, basis for most official ‘DAPs’ is proposed, while the currently flourishing practice of charitable foundations, think‐tanks and established interest groups promoting unofficial DAPs for the information and guidance of the government, parliament and the public is endorsed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Provides for the procedure of the inquiry conducted by Richard Scott questioning the Parliament of Great Britain regarding government operations. Pre-inquiry stage; Inquiry stage; Post-inquiry stage.

This article considers the very considerable research problems facing any attempt at the logical definition, systematic classification and coding of the many varieties of political scandal. When political corruption or other forms of scandal are discussed, it is usual to refer to lifting a large, flat stone to reveal the various insects which scatter in several directions to escape the sudden and unwelcome light. The standard clich´ of the embarrassed government spokesman confronted by scandal revelations is, indeed, that no stone will remain unturned in the effort to bring all those responsible to justice and thus end the scourge of public graft or other outrage, recently revealed. The main purpose of the present study is to offer an original classification framework of scandals as applied to a large number of cases. This is in order to assess the very considerable practical problems which face any attempt at logical definition, systematic classification and coding of the many varieties of political scandal. The cases for this analysis are taken from a major recent source of political scandal data.

Presents several letters related to medicine. Proposal for doing prevalence studies on AIDS by Richard Doll; Needs of medical workers in South Africa; Standards of medical practitioners from the Royal College of General Practitioners on alcohol.

Discusses Sir Richard Scott's 1992-1996 report on Great Britain's political and administrative conduct towards the government's export of arms and related equipment to Iraq. Substance of the Scott Inquiry; Processes of the Scott Inquiry; Criticisms for Sir Richard Scott and his inquiry.

The brief of the Nuffield Foundation Study, chaired by Lord Flowers was broad:The "assumptions and purposes", "past and present performance and proper role in the future" of British land-use planning were to be reviewed. But they did sniff around the wider field of environmental issues, taking views and perspectives of land-use planning from experts in such fields as environment and ecology, housing, land economy, compensation and betterment. Their report is more broadly based than is apparent. On major inquiries, for example, the group informed itself on current events and issues via an expert conference, arranged between the Foundation and the Constitutional Reform Centre, which published its own report.