The fetal cerebellum. Pitfalls in diagnosis and management

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital and acquired cerebellar disorders is possible by the use of ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Although numerous studies have been conducted in this field, diagnostic uncertainties are still common in daily clinical practice. This review outlines five possible pitfalls in the diagnosis of fetal cerebellar disorders: confusion between different entities describing vermian pathologies (Dandy–Walker variant, vermian hypoplasia and vermian agenesis); premature diagnosis of abnormal vermian formation; difficulties in the ultrasonographic differentiation between the cerebellar hemispheres and the vermis; late development of cerebellar hypoplasia/atrophy and differential diagnosis of unilateral cerebellar findings. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Establishment of a constructed wetland in extreme dryland

Background, aim, and scope

The project was set to construct an extensive wetland in the southernmost region of Israel at Kibbutz Neot Smadar (30°02′45″ N and 35°01′19″ E). The results of the first period of monitoring, summary, and perspectives are presented. The constructed wetland (CW) was built and the subsequent monitoring performed in the framework of the Southern Arava Sustainable Waste Management Plan, funded by the EU LIFE Fund. The specific aims were: (1) To end current sewage disposal and pollution of the ground, the aquifer, and the dry river bed (wadi) paths by biologically treating the sewage as part of the creation of a sustainable wetland ecosystem. (2) Serve as an example of CW in the Negev highlands and the Arava Valley climates for neighboring communities and as a test ground for plants and building methods appropriate to hyper arid climate. (3) Serve as an educational resource and tourist attraction for groups to learn about water reuse, recycling, local wildlife and migrating birds, including serving the heart of a planned Ecological–Educational Bird Park. This report is intended to allow others who are planning similar systems in hyper arid climates to learn from our experience.

Materials and methods

The project is located in an extreme arid desert with less than 40 mm of rain annually and temperature ranges of ?5°C to +42°C. The site receives 165–185 m³ of municipal and agricultural wastes daily, including cowshed and goat wastes and winery outflow.

Results

The CW establishment at Neot Smadar was completed in October 2006. For 8 months, clean water flowed through the system while the plants were taking root. In June 2007, the wetland was connected to the oxidation pond and full operation began. Because of seepage and evaporation, during the first several months, the water level was not high enough to allow free flow from one bed to the next. To bed A, the water was pumped periodically from the oxidation pond (Fig. 1) and from there flowed by gravitation through the rest of the system. The initial results of the monitoring are promising. In nearly all measurements, the system succeeded as expected to reduce levels of contaminants at least to the level acceptable for irrigating fruit trees and often to the level of unlimited irrigation. The introduction of the plants in the system and their physiological performance were evaluated and were found to correlate well to the quality of water in the various beds.

Discussion

It should be said at the outset that evaluation of the performance of a CW system is a long-term process. Thus, the main aim of this report is to present the problems, difficulties, preliminary results, and concepts concerned with the first stage of establishment of CW in an extremely dry region.

Conclusions

The CW system was designed to dispose of municipal and agricultural wastes in a way that not merely reduces pollution, but adds to environmental quality by creating accessible parkland for local residents and tourists. Several factors affected the performance of the system at the initial stages of operation: ecological balance between microbes and plants, big seasonal variations, seepage and evaporation reduced the flow in the initial operation of the system. Despite the initial difficulties, the quality of water coming out the system is acceptable for irrigation.

Recommendations and perspectives

The CW can function well under extreme dryland conditions. The oxidation pond was the major source of evaporation and bad odors. Therefore, alternatives to the oxidation pond are needed. Cost effectiveness of the system still has to be evaluated systematically.     

Prenatal exclusion of Leigh syndrome due to T8993C mutation in the mitochondrial DNA

Leigh syndrome (LS) is a mitochondrial encephalopathy that is caused by a mutation either in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) or in the nuclear encoded genes of the mitochondrial proteins. Prenatal diagnosis of defects in the mtDNA is usually problematic because of mtDNA heteroplasmy and tissue specificity. However, the mutations T8993 G/C in the ATP synthase subunit 6 gene of the mtDNA show a more even tissue distribution and do not appear to change significantly over time. There are only few reports of prenatal diagnosis of the T8993G mutation in Leigh disease. Here we describe the first prenatal genetic testing of T8993C in a fetus of a mother whose previous child had died of Leigh syndrome due to the T8993C mutation. Mutant load in the chorionic villus sample (CVS) as well as in amniocytes was undetectable, thus predicting a very high likelihood of an unaffected outcome, indicative of a healthy baby. The diagnosis was confirmed after birth. Gathering data on the prenatal diagnosis of mtDNA mutations is of great importance so that prenatal diagnosis of both T8993G and T8993C mutations can be offered routinely. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A theoretical and methodological framework for studying and modelling drivers’ mental representations

This article provides a synthetic overview of the research programme carried out at INRETS-LESCOT over the last 10 years, in view to studying and modelling the mental representations of car drivers. Theoretically, this research is in line with two complementary scientific traditions: Human Information Processing theories on the one hand, and theories of Operative Activity on the other. As discussed in Section 1 of the article, attention is given to the functional representations of drivers, constructed “by” and “for” the action, such as they are implemented in a driving situation, and taking into account both implicit and explicit dimensions. This aim directly impacts on the methodological approach implemented, in so far as it entails defining an “experimental continuum” ranging from naturalistic observations of the driving activity (on the open road), to setting up more controlled experimental protocols in order to permit in-depth, systematic and reproducible scientific investigations of drivers’ cognition. Section 2 of the article presents a synthetic view of these methods, while Section 3 presents several significant results obtained with them. Lastly, the final part of the article focuses on the computational formalism defined at INRETS-LESCOT (i.e. the driving schemas) designed to model driver knowledge and mental representations, and developed in a COgnitive Simulation MOdel of the DRIVEr called COSMODRIVE.     

Putting time in perspective: How and why construal level buffers the relationship between wait time and aggressive tendencies

We spend a substantial part of our daily life waiting, and unfortunately, wait time can fuel aggressive tendencies. Our study examines the relationship between wait time, perceived wait time, and aggressive tendencies from a construal level perspective. In Study 1, we found that the higher the construal level, the stronger the relationship between actual and perceived wait time and the stronger relationship between perceived wait time and aggressive tendencies. In Study 2, we manipulated construal level and found that power explains the moderating impact of construal on the wait—aggressive tendencies relationships. Results demonstrate the role of construal in explaining both perceived wait time and aggressive responses to long wait times, suggesting that mental construal influences both the psychological experience of time and the subsequent reaction to that experience. Overall, these results contribute to research on subjective time perspective by enhancing the knowledge and understanding of the determinants and effects of perceived wait time.