In this brief memo, I will discuss Russian prospects for a successful relationship with the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the factors behind those prospects. By strengthening bilateral and multilateral trade relationships and by enhancing economic interdependency, successful Russian involvement with the WTO could be an important element of Russian stability within the international economic and security system. The WTO is an organization whose political and legal goal is free trade, or equivalently, lower barriers to trade. Regardless of other considerations that might lead to the WTO's acceptance of Russia's application for membership, the success of any country in its relationship with the WTO is wholly dependent upon its ability to lower barriers to trade and keep them low.


All macromolecular crystals contain some extent of disorder. The diffraction from such crystals contains diffuse scattering in addition to Bragg peaks and this scattering contains information about correlated displacements in the constituent molecules. While much work has been performed recently in decoding the dynamics of the crystalline ordering, the goal of understanding the internal dynamics of the molecules within a unit cell has been out-of-reach. In this article, we propose a general framework to extract the internal conformational modes of a macromolecule from diffuse scattering data. We combine insights on the distribution of diffuse scattering from short- and long-range disorder with a Bayesian global optimization algorithm to obtain the best fitting internal motion modes to the data. To illustrate the efficacy of the method, we apply it to a publicly available dataset from triclinic lysozyme. Our mostly parameter-free approach can enable the recovery of a much richer, dynamic structure from macromolecular crystallography.


This review describes the investigations of oscillatory complex networks consisting of excitable nodes, focusing on the target wave patterns or say the target wave attractors. A method of dominant phase advanced driving (DPAD) is introduced to reveal the dynamic structures in the networks supporting oscillations, such as the oscillation sources and the main excitation propagation paths from the sources to the whole networks. The target center nodes and their drivers are regarded as the key nodes which can completely determine the corresponding target wave patterns. Therefore, the center (say node A) and its driver (say node B) of a target wave can be used as a label, (A,B), of the given target pattern. The label can give a clue to conveniently retrieve, suppress, and control the target waves. Statistical investigations, both theoretically from the label analysis and numerically from direct simulations of network dynamics, show that there exist huge numbers of target wave attractors in excitable complex networks if the system size is large, and all these attractors can be labeled and easily controlled based on the information given by the labels. The possible applications of the physical ideas and the mathematical methods about multiplicity and labelability of attractors to memory problems of neural networks are briefly discussed.


The Hartree-Fock method is well known in quantum chemistry, and widely used to obtain atomic and molecular eletronic wave functions, based on the minimization of a functional of the energy. This gives rise to a multi-extremal, nonconvex, polynomial optimization problem. We give a novel mathematical programming formulation of the problem, which we solve by using a spatial Branchand-Bound algorithm. Lower bounds are obtained by solving a tight linear relaxation of the problem derived from an exact reformulation based on reduction constraints (a subset of RLT constraints). The proposed approach was successfully applied to the ground-state of the He and Be atoms.


Recent Renaissance research has placed great stress on the importance of textual criticism and attitudes toward classical texts as a basis for understanding the ideas of the Renaissance humanists. John D'Amico turns to the German humanist, Beatus Rhenanus, and forms exciting new opinions about his work. Beatus was a close associate of Erasmus and learned much from the celebrated Dutch scholar, yet his critical method marked a break with Erasmus because he articulated a strict manuscript-based procedure for extracting new readings of ancient texts. His attempt to be faithful to the classical manuscripts he edited was not always successful, but he assuredly understood the use of textual criticism for historical studies and was, D'Amico claims, the most accomplished historian of the German Renaissance. Not only Renaissance historians but also literary critics, students of historiography and of German history and literature, and classicists will find this book illuminating.


We study the feasibility and capability of the kernel temporal difference (KTD)(λ) algorithm for neural decoding. KTD(λ) is an online, kernel-based learning algorithm, which has been introduced to estimate value functions in reinforcement learning. This algorithm combines kernel-based representations with the temporal difference approach to learning. One of our key observations is that by using strictly positive definite kernels, algorithm's convergence can be guaranteed for policy evaluation. The algorithm's nonlinear functional approximation capabilities are shown in both simulations of policy evaluation and neural decoding problems (policy improvement). KTD can handle high-dimensional neural states containing spatial-temporal information at a reasonable computational complexity allowing real-time applications. When the algorithm seeks a proper mapping between a monkey's neural states and desired positions of a computer cursor or a robot arm, in both open-loop and closed-loop experiments, it can effectively learn the neural state to action mapping. Finally, a visualization of the coadaptation process between the decoder and the subject shows the algorithm's capabilities in reinforcement learning brain machine interfaces.


The application of Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymers (GFRP) in many branches of industry has been increasing steadily. Many research works focus on damage identification for structures made out of such materials. However, not only delaminations, cracks or other damage can have a negative influence of GFRP parts performance. Previous research proved that fluid absorption influences the mechanical performance of composites. GFRP parts can be contaminated by moisture or release agent during manufacturing, while fuel, hydraulic fluid and moisture ingression into the composite can be the in-service treats. In the reported research authors focus on moisture detection. There are numerous sources of moisture such as post manufacturing NDT inspection with ultrasonics coupled by water or exposition to moisture during transportation and in service. An NDT tool used for the research is a terahertz (THz) spectrometer. The device uses an electromagnetic radiation in the terahertz range (0.1-3 THz) and allows for reflection and transmission measurements. The spectrometer is equipped with moving table that allows for XY scanning of large objects such as GFRP panels. In the conducted research refractive indices were experimentally extracted from the materials of interest (water and GFRP). Time signals as well as C-scans were analysed for samples with moisture contamination. In order to be sure that the observed effects are related to moisture contamination reference measurements were conducted. The obtained results showed that the THz NDT technique can detect moisture hidden under a GFRP with multiple layers.


Rock burst is a geological hazard which occurs when hard and brittle rock mass is excavated under high in-situ stresses or high stress concentration. The Qirehataer diversion tunnel has 15.66 km long at a maximum depth of 1720 m. About 64.5% of the tunnel is located in gneissic granite. During excavation of the tunnel, light to moderate rock burst occurred in about 300 m length of the tunnel. This paper provides the analysis of the characteristics and stress conditions in the rock burst site using the stress conditions around the excavation, and provides an explanation on the reasons why rock burst occurred from the beginning to middle of the vault on the right side of the tunnel section, and the most serious situation is located at 60° with respect to horizontal. Stress release hole and bolt or bolt and net are used to prevent and manage rock burst which have been shown to be effective in this case.


ABSTRACT Choi, J.; Lim, C.H., and Yoon, S.B., 2014. A rip current warning system based on real-time observations for Haeundae Beach, Korea. A real-time rip current warning system was studied to help mitigate against rip current accidents at Haeundae Beach. The system produces a real time sequence of index representing the risk and the likelihood of rip current based on the real time observations such as waves, currents, and tide. The index is estimated by using the rip current likelihoods derived from the results of various numerical simulations with various sea conditions, the parameters of which correspond to the observation quantities. The rip current warning system is operated by taking into account the effect of wave height, wave period, wave direction, wave spectrum (i.e., frequency-directional spreading), longshore currents, and tidal elevation on the rip current likelihood. The real-time wave and tidal observations at the Haeundae coast in 2012 were applied to the rip current warning system, and its performances at several real events observed from the video cameras were presented and analyzed.


After more than a century of neglect, a profound revolution is occurring in the way archaeology addresses and interprets developments in the social history of early Islamic Syria-Palestine. This concise book offers an innovative assessment of social and economic developments in Syria-Palestine shortly before, and in the two centuries after, the Islamic expansion (the later sixth to the early ninth century AD), drawing on a wide range of new evidence from recent archaeological work. Alan Walmsley challenges conventional explanations for social change with the arrival of Islam, arguing for considerable cultural and economic continuity rather than devastation and unrelenting decline. Much new, and increasingly non-elite, architectural evidence and an ever-growing corpus of material culture indicate that Syria-Palestine entered a new age of social richness in the early Islamic period, even if the gains were chronologically and regionally uneven.


Legislation laying down the institutional system of the Banking Union was finalised in April 2014. In accordance with the regulations, non-euro area Member States, including Hungary, may notify the ECB at any time if they wish to participate in the common system even before the euro is adopted. However, in its existing form, the single supervisory and crisis management mechanism has not achieved the initial goal, i.e. the separation of the stability of national banking systems and the fiscal capacity of Member States and the elimination of interdependencies. In addition, close cooperation implies weaker powers than those provided by actual membership, and the separation of central bank and supervisory functions carries risks in non-euro area countries. By contrast, the attraction of Banking Union membership lies in the opportunity to join a uniform European system, a wider analyst base and ultimately, the "ammunition" of the EUR 55 billion available for crisis management in comparison to the contributions coming solely from the Hungarian banking system. In October 2013, a single supervisory system integrated into the central bank was set up in Hungary, and the institutional system of the domestic resolution mechanism will be complete by the end of 2014. Therefore, until the actual launch of the Banking Union and the commencement of payments into the Resolution Fund in 2016, it is reasonable to put the decision to join on hold; indeed, such a decision should be made in light of several factors presented in this study.


Over the past few years, hybrid halide perovskites have emerged as a highly promising class of materials for photovoltaic technology, and the power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has accelerated at an unprecedented pace, reaching a record value of over 22%. In the context of PSC research, wide‐bandgap semiconducting metal oxides have been extensively studied because of their exceptional performance for injection and extraction of photo‐generated carriers. In this comprehensive review, we focus on the synthesis and applications of metal oxides as electron and hole transporters in efficient PSCs with both mesoporous and planar architectures. Metal oxides and their doped variants with proper energy band alignment with halide perovskites, in the form of nanostructured layers and compact thin films, can not only assist with charge transport but also improve the stability of PSCs under ambient conditions. Strategies for the implementation of metal oxides with tailored compositions and structures, and for the engineering of their interfaces with perovskites will be critical for the future development and commercialization of PSCs.


PURPOSE: In polytraumatized patients with active bleeding, the improvement of survival depends on control/early stoppage of bleeding. The purpose of our study was to define the role of MDCT in patients with hemothorax. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2008 to December 2013, we performed thoraco-abdominal CT to 1352 patients with polytrauma or thoracic blunt trauma. We retrospectively reviewed CT of 93 patients (mean age 65 years) where MDCT showed hemothorax. Basing on CT findings, 12 patients have been treated with interventional radiology, 78 patients with surgical procedures (drainage tube, VATS, thoracotomy). RESULTS: CT showed rib fractures in 85 patients; an active bleeding in arterial phase, with associated hematic pleural effusion in 12 patients;2 pseudoaneurysm in 2 patients. Two patients with flail chest showed bleeding a few days after traumatic event. Nine patients underwent to percutaneous treatment with technical success in 9/10 (90%). CONCLUSIONS: MDCT demonstrates high value in the management of patients with thoracic blunt trauma, identifying and classifying the severity of injuries. It shows high accuracy in the diagnosis of active bleeding and precludes the occurrence of complications. In the detection of active bleeding CT allows correct selection and safe treatment planning. In polytraumatized patients the selective arteriography and transcatheter embolization provide a viable diagnostic and therapeutic alternative in the management of bleeding from arterial lesions.


A planar chiral molecule as a photon-mode chiral switch was synthesized for the reversible control of self-assembled superstructures based on doped chiral nematic liquid crystals. The chiral switch is composed of bis-hexyl substituted diphenylnaphthalene and a photoisomerizing azobenzene unit connected by ethylene spacers in a cyclic manner. Bis-hexyl substitution to the mesogenic unit promoted the chirality transfer to the host LC medium resulting in a high initial helical twisting power (HTP) and a large change in HTP by photo-isomerization of the chiral dopant. At very low doping concentrations, both reversible tuning of RGB reflection colors and rotation motion control of micro glass rods on the cholesteric liquid crystal surface were achieved.


The purpose of this study was to design a visual brand for a children's furniture startup company. The research from this study was applied to The Cardboard Guys, a company that makes furniture completely made out of corrugated cardboard. Designs were created for the company's branding style guide, product assembly instructions, and Kickstarter campaign page. Each piece of this project was measured for success a little differently the style guide was given feedback from a professional design firm, the assembly instructions were given to a group of kids and parents to test, and the Kickstarter campaign was both critiqued by a crowdfunding expert and measured by the amount of funding raised compared to the goal . The results of this study can be used to grow The Cardboard Guys' fun, yet professional brand and accompany their innovative product.


Marfan syndrome is an autosomal dominant heritable disorder of fibrous connective tissue due to mutation in the fibrillin-1 gene, located on chromosome 15. Early mortality from Marfan syndrome results from aortic dilatation. The medical literature contains long-term follow-up series of patients with Marfan syndrome accrued at major medical centers that address overall survival following surgical intervention, and prognosis in relation to certain risk factors such as family history and aortic root diameter. Mortality analyses based on these data are presented in this paper. Advances in surgical and medical therapy have improved mortality of affected individuals over the past 2-3 decades. However, significant mortality occurs, peaking in the third and fourth decades of life. Although surgery is successful treatment of aortic dissection, one cannot conclude that surgical repair confers a mortality advantage. Emergency surgery and history of aortic complications in first-degree relatives are associated with a higher mortality. Chronic beta-blocker therapy may slow the rate of aortic dilatation and may be associated with more favorable prognosis. Clinical research evaluating beta-blockade, echo assessment of the aortic root diameter progression, and gene mutation analysis may provide tools useful for future morality assessments.


PURPOSE
Positive surgical margins adversely affect biochemical recurrence-free survival after radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) for prostate cancer. We retrospectively reviewed a large series of men who underwent RRP at a single academic university urology program to define the change in the incidence of organ confined (OC) disease and positive surgical margin (SM+) during the last 2 decades.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Between 1982 and 2001, 9,035 men underwent RRP for clinically localized prostate cancer (T1 to T3a) at a single institution. We compared the incidences of OC disease and SM+ in this population.

RESULTS
An increasing proportion of men presented with OC disease over time. The incidence of SM+ in the overall RRP population decreased dramatically over time. However, in men with nonorgan confined disease (pT3), the proportion with SM+ was stable and consistently elevated (22.7% to 27.8%), after the initial decrease from the early 1980s (53%).

CONCLUSIONS
Widespread early detection programs for prostate cancer resulted in a downward stage migration in men presenting with clinically localized prostate cancer at our institution during the last 2 decades. The decrease in the percentage of men with SM+ was due to the increasing number of men with organ confined disease. These results imply that the decrease in surgical margin rates in the overall RRP population is most likely due to stage migration and improved patient selection, rather than major improvements in surgical technique. The stable percentage of SM+ among men with pT3 disease dictates the need for continued evaluation of surgical technique and the need for effective adjuvant therapy.


Experiments were conducted in pots to determine the growth effect of different rhizobacteria on maize under Striga hermonthica infestation. Three bacteria were selected based on their plant growth promoting effects. Whole bacterial cells of the rhizobacteria were used to amplify 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Each bacterial inoculation increased agronomic characteristics of maize although not always to a statistically significant extent. The extent of growth enhancement differs between the isolates. Enterobacter sakazakii 8MR5 had the ability to stimulate plant growth, however in the PCR study, ACC deaminase was not amplified from this isolate, indicating that not all plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria contain the enzyme ACC deaminase. In contrast, an ACC deaminase specific product was amplified from Pseudomonas sp. 4MKS8 and Klebsiella oxytoca 10MKR7. This is the first report of ACC deaminase in K. oxytoca.


The influence of extracellular Ca2+ and nifedipine on contractile responses to 10 microM noradrenaline (NA) was investigated in isolated rat and cat middle cerebral (RCA, CCA) and mesenteric (RMA, CMA) arteries. In the CCA (containing predominantly alpha 2-adrenoceptors), the NA-induced contractions developed considerably more slowly than in the RCA, RMA (containing mainly alpha 1-adrenoceptors) and CMA (sensitive to both alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptor selective antagonists). The tonic component of the NA-induced contraction in the four types of artery was substantially suppressed after only short periods in Ca2+-free solution. In each type of artery, excluding the CCA, the contractile response to 124 mM K+ was more sensitive to Ca2+ deprivation than that to NA. This suggests that NA, besides mobilizing extracellular Ca2+, can also release Ca2+ from an intracellular pool in the RCA, RMA and CMA, but not in the CCA. Thus, alpha 1-adrenoceptor-mediated contractions in the RCA and RMA seem to depend on both Ca2+ influx and intracellular Ca2+ release, whereas alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated contractile responses in the CCA appear to rely almost entirely on Ca2+ influx. Both the maximum response and the tonic component of the NA-induced contraction were significantly more sensitive to nifedipine in the CCA than in the RCA. In comparison with the NA-induced contractions in these arteries, those in the RMA and CMA were relatively resistant to nifedipine. In the CCA exposed to NA in Ca2+-free medium, nifedipine almost abolished the contraction induced by re-addition of Ca2+, whereas in the other types of artery, Ca2+ re-application evoked a significant contraction also in the presence of the drug. The differential effects of nifedipine presumably reflect differences between the arteries, not only in the relative contribution of Ca2+ influx and intracellular Ca2+ release to the contractile activation, but also in the nifedipine sensitivity of the Ca2+ entry pathways utilized by NA. It is concluded that the mechanisms through which NA induces contraction seem to be related both to the subtype of alpha-adrenoceptor stimulated by NA and to the type of vessel studied.


TO THE EDITOR: Dunn and colleagues (1) present sobering data on opioid overdose, showing a direct correlation between daily morphine equivalents and overdose rates. As echoed in the accompanying editorial by McLellan and Turner (2), these data remind every clinician prescribing opioids to thoroughly review the indication, effectiveness, and safety with patients. One safe medication-taking practice that is often overlooked is asking patients receiving long-term opioid treatment to contact the office when they are feeling unwell. Providers and patients, especially elderly patients and those with multiple comorbid conditions, should understand that the effective opioid dose when feeling relatively well may be harmful when feeling ill. Volume depletion can increase plasma concentrations of opioids (3), decreased glomerular filtration rate can promote accumulation of active opioid metabolites (4), and any co-occurring alteration in sensorium due to a variety of medical illnesses can be dramatically exacerbated by a patient's typical opioid dose. Most worrisome is that patients who feel unwell may attempt to treat symptoms by increasing their doses of opioids or other psychoactive medications. Although adding another box to the checklist of safety reminders might make opioid prescribing even more onerous to clinicians, we strongly believe that common-sense safety measures must be part of every prescriber's protocol to minimize adverse outcomes.


Nitrogen (N) cycling can be an important constraint on forest ecosystem response to elevated atmospheric CO(2). Our objective was to trace the movement of (15)N, injected into tree sap, to labile and stable forms of soil organic matter derived partly from the turnover of tree roots under elevated (545 ppm) and ambient (394 ppm) atmospheric CO(2) concentrations at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) FACE (Free-Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment) Experiment. Twenty-four sweetgum trees, divided equally between CO(2) treatments, were injected with 3.2 g (15)N-ammonium sulfate (99 atom %), and soil samples were collected beneath the trees over a period of 89 weeks. For 16 cm deep soil samples collected beneath the study trees, there was 28% more fine root (less than or equal to 2 mm diameter) biomass under elevated CO(2) (P = 0.001), but no significant treatment effect on the amounts of necromass, coarse root biomass, or on the N concentrations in tree roots and necromass. Nitrogen-15 moved quickly into roots from the stem injection site and the (15)N content of roots, necromass, and labile organic matter (i.e. particulate organic matter, POM) increased over time. At 89 weeks post-injection, approximately 76% of the necromass (15)N originated from fine root turnover. Nitrogen-15 in POM had a relatively long turnover time (47 weeks) compared with (15)N in roots (16 to 22 weeks). Over the 1.7 year period of the study, (15)N moved from roots into slower cycling POM and the disparity in turnover times between root N and N in POM could impose progressive limitations on soil N availability with stand maturation irrespective of atmospheric CO(2), especially if the release of N through the decomposition of POM is essential to sustain forest net primary production.


Seed production requires not only the application of appropriate techniques but also a good knowledge and planning aspects of agricultural production that allow an effective use of the staff and available production facilities. The advantage in using biofertilizers in agriculture is the reduction in production costs. This is because less chemical fertilizers are needed, and in turn this implies a reduction in input costs. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the best combination of chemical and organic fertilization for seed production on triticale (X Triticum secale Wittmack). The study was conducted at the Instituto Tecnologico de Roque, Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico in 2008-2009. We evaluated three varieties of triticale, two population densities and a combination of chemical fertilizers with biofertilizers. We used a complete randomized block design with three replications to evaluate a total of 30 treatments. Seed yield, plant height, spike length, 100-seed weight and specific gravity were recorded. The T5 variety had the highest seed yield (8.56 t/ha). Plant density, however, did not affect this parameter. Higher seed yields (7.70 t/ha) were obtained when chemical and Biofertilizers were combined at a dose of 50% each. The highest plant heights were obtained at doses of 75% biofertilizer and 25% chemical fertilizers (1.11 m) and with 100% biofertilizers (1.12 m). Highest values for spike length (17.29 cm) and seed weight (42.3 g) were shown when both fertilizers were combined at 50% each. The fertilization treatments did not statistically affect the hectoliter weight of seeds.


Background: Malnutrition may be associated with poor functional and clinical outcomes, but may be unrecognized. We sought to evaluate assessment of malnutrition and explore its relationship with functional and other outcomes in older in-patients.
Methods: We selected a random sample of 200 patients admitted under geriatric medicine in a tertiary hospital, and excluded those for whom medical records were unavailable. We assessed the use of the Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST), diagnosis of malnutrition, and their association with dependence in personal activities of daily living (PADL) at discharge (primary outcome) and other patient outcomes.
Results: In total, 188 patients were included. Over half (57.6%) were at risk of being malnourished per MST assessment (MST ≥2). Only 42.42% (42/99) underwent formal dietetic assessment; 73.81% were identified as malnourished (50% severely so), and this was commoner in males (OR 6.25, CI 1.15-33.33, p=0.03). Nutritional status was not associated with outcomes assessed.
Conclusions: Many patients at risk of malnutrition were sub-optimally assessed. Male sex was associated with malnutrition, but malnutrition was not associated with assessed outcomes. Further studies exploring malnutrition and clinical outcomes in hospital, are warranted.


Schools are institutions that reflect changes in society. One of the most significant social developments over the past two decades is the ubiquity of technology. A fundamental element of life in the information age is the integration of computer technology into nearly every conceivable aspect of life, from transportation, communication, finance, and education. To say that people have become dependent on computers and related technologies such as the Internet is to state the obvious. Schools have increasingly come to rely on technology to support instruction and operations. Rationales for this move vary but generally speak to the need to prepare students to function in a technology-rich, information-based society. Young people, now referred to as digital natives since they have only known a technologically, plugged-in society, have great familiarity with tools like email, instant messaging, and the Web and rely heavily on these for stimulation, communication, and, indeed, learning. Teacher education also reflects larger social developments as these institutions are necessarily focused on the needs of P-12 students along with current and future teachers. Institutions for teacher education have incorporated learning tools such as computers, email, the Internet, learning software, databases, and multimedia formats to prepare candidates to work in the technologically enabled environment of the classroom, clearly one of the most significant developments in the preparation of beginning teachers over the last two decades. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) standards include 65 references to technology, most of which center on the teacher candidates ability to employ instructional technology effectively with P-12 students. A simultaneous development also of great significance, though of a different character, has been the widespread incorporation of diversity and global themes in teacher preparation. NCATE standards are replete with references to teaching diverse learners (42 in total) and diversity represents one of the six standards used to measure the quality of teacher preparation institutions. "One of the goals of this standard is the development of educators who can help all students learn and who can teach from multicultural and global perspectives that draw on the histories, experiences, and representations of students from diverse cultural backgrounds" (Professional Standards, 2002, p. 32). Since NCATE is the accrediting body of over 575 institutions that produce approximately two-thirds of all beginning teachers nationally, the emphasis on technology and diversity is pervasive in teacher preparation. Teacher educators have also started incorporating distance learning in the preparation and professional development of teachers. Distance learning, while not a new addition to the educational landscape, has changed substantially due in large measure to the use of personal computers and their requisite tools (i.e., email, instant messaging, and the Web). Web-based courses allow for interactivity, multimedia/ multilingual integration, and multiplatform capacity in synchronous and/or asynchronous formats all within a ubiquitous learning space, the Web (Hartman, 2002). Significant growth of Web-based distance learning courses has occurred in teacher education units and, in some cases, teacher educators have led this effort (Hartman). We are witnessing a time of convergence in teacher education, where ideas that were previously viewed separately are beginning to be seen in light of each other. Perhaps this pattern indicates how the information age has altered knowledge constructs while simultaneously providing avenues to transcend and challenge established disciplinary boundaries. Whereas global/diverse perspectives were typically of interest to the sociologically minded faculty/teacher candidate and technology the domain of math and science, this is increasingly less the case. …


Aim: To evaluate the two-dimensional echocardiographic assessment of pulmonary artery hypertension in thyroid dysfunction. Methods: A prospective double blind randomized controlled study was conducted at ARC Hospital, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India for 1 year. Thyroid function tests were done in all cases using Enzyme immunoassay to confirm the presence of hypo or hyperthyroidism. Electrocardiography was recorded in all the patients. Chest X-rays were done and examined for roentgenographic signs of pulmonary hypertension, i.e. right descending pulmonary artery diameter of >1.5 cm. 2D-Echocardiography was done in all cases and screened for the presence and severity of pulmonary hypertension. Results: In our study out of the 100 cases, 70(70%) cases were of Hypothyroidism and 30 (30%) cases were of Hyperthyroidism. Unpaired t test is applied. P value is significant if < 0.05 PASP value in patients with hyperthyroidism was 31.06mm Hg while that in the patients with hypothyroidism was 27.17mm Hg. Difference between them was comparable. 80% patients with hypothyroidism and 66.66% patients with hyperthyroidism had normal PASP level. While 20% patients with hyperthyroidism had mild and moderate PASP each, only 16.67% with hypothyroidism had mild PASP. The mean PASP by Doppler Echocardiography was 39.52 mm of Hg in the pre-treatment group. And the mean PASP during the follow up (after 10 months) was 31 mm of Hg. Among the patients in the Hypothyroidism group with PAH, the pre-treatment values of TSH and PASP were high and reduced in the follow-up (after 10 months of treatment) Among the patients in the Hyperthyroidism group with PAH, the mean pre-treatment value of TSH was 0.2 and increased to 2.35 in the follow up. Mean PASP value was 42.6 and reduced in the follow-up (after 10 months of treatment) to 31.7. Conclusion: The PAH secondary to thyroid dysfunctions may be reversed by restoration of euthyroid state, and hence patients have a good prognosis if diagnosed and treated timely. So every patient of thyroid dysfunction should be screened for PAH, even though further studies are needed to substantiate this.


[1] In this study, forecast errors in dust vertical distributions were analyzed. This was carried out by using quantitative comparisons between dust vertical profiles retrieved from lidar measurements over Rome, Italy, performed from 2001 to 2003, and those predicted by models. Three models were used: the four-particle-size Dust Regional Atmospheric Model (DREAM), the older one-particle-size version of the SKIRON model from the University of Athens (UOA), and the pre-2006 one-particle-size Tel Aviv University (TAU) model. SKIRON and DREAM are initialized on a daily basis using the dust concentration from the previous forecast cycle, while the TAU model initialization is based on the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer aerosol index (TOMS AI). The quantitative comparison shows that (1) the use of four-particle-size bins in the dust modeling instead of only one-particle-size bins improves dust forecasts; (2) cloud presence could contribute to noticeable dust forecast errors in SKIRON and DREAM; and (3) as far as the TAU model is concerned, its forecast errors were mainly caused by technical problems with TOMS measurements from the Earth Probe satellite. As a result, dust forecast errors in the TAU model could be significant even under cloudless conditions. The DREAM versus lidar quantitative comparisons at different altitudes show that the model predictions are more accurate in the middle part of dust layers than in the top and bottom parts of dust layers.


Traditionally, surface topography measurement was in the domain of quality control of engineering parts. With the advancement of manufacturing technology and affordable computational costs, different types of surfaces are produced with varied shapes and surface textures. These pose significant measurement problems, therefore, surface topography research is gaining momentum to achieve a better control of the surface. Coherence scanning interferometry (CSI) is one of the most common techniques used for measurement of surface topography. It is preferred over tactile and other non-contact techniques since it provides fast and accurate measurement with high vertical (~ 1 nm) and lateral (~1 μm) resolutions over larger areas without any damage to the surface. Essentially, CSI is treated as one dimensional (1D) superposition of the light waves from an object and a reference that generates a three dimensional (3D) interferogram. Secondly, despite the advantages, there is no standard configuration of CSI that can provide absolute surface topography measurement of an engineering part with multiple materials. An effective solution to this problem will be particularly useful in the field of semiconductor and bio-related industries where chips and instruments are made of many materials.

In this Thesis, first, the CSI technique is analysed in terms of a wider theoretical framework of 3D linear filtering technique which shows the similarities among other seemingly disparate techniques such as confocal and optical coherence tomography. Due consideration to the spectral characteristic of the source and the effect of numerical aperture are given and important parameters such as vertical and lateral resolutions are computed to compare this theory with standard analysis methods. Additionally, it is shown that the 3D fringe pattern can be considered to be a superposition of a reference field and the scattered field from the top foil-like layer on the top the object. The scattered field from this foil object is dependent on the normal Fresnel reflection coefficients. Therefore, it explains the phase offset and the proportional height offset introduced by different materials, especially, metals. In an object, where multiple materials are present, each material introduces different phase to the fringe pattern and therefore, the surface topography of the entire object is altered.

To overcome this problem, the optical polarising properties of the material are exploited. A novel configuration of polarisation sensitive CSI is presented where interferograms with orthogonal circular polarisations are recorded and analysed. The configuration, initially, needs to be calibrated with a material and after that at each point on the object, the refractive index and height offset can be calculated. Therefore, it can be dually used to identify unknown materials present on the object and also to compensate for the height offset introduced by each material to produce absolute surface topography of the entire object. The configuration provides good agreement with ellipsometric results for metals. Additionally, it retains the advantages of high vertical and lateral resolution same as other standard coherence scanning interferometers.


Decreased sea ice cover in the northern Bering Sea has altered annual phytoplankton phenology owing to an expansion of open water duration and its impact on ocean stratification. Limitations of satellite remote sensing such as the inability to detect bloom activity throughout the water column, under ice, and in cloudy conditions dictate the need for shipboard based measurements to provide more information on bloom dynamics. In this study, we adapted remote sensing land cover classification techniques to provide a new means to determine bloom stage from shipboard samples. Specifically, we used multiyear satellite time series of chlorophyll a to determine whether in-situ blooms were actively growing or mature (i.e., past-peak) at the time of field sampling. Field observations of chlorophyll a and pheophytin (degraded and oxidized chlorophyll products) were used to calculate pheophytin proportions, i.e., (Pheophytin/(Chlorophyll a + Pheophytin)) and empirically determine whether the bloom was growing or mature based on remotely sensed bloom stages. Data collected at 13 north Bering Sea stations each July from 2013–2019 supported a pheophytin proportion of 28% as the best empirical threshold to distinguish a growing vs. mature bloom stage. One outcome was that low vs. high sea ice years resulted in significantly different pheophytin proportions in July; in years with low winter-to-spring ice, more blooms with growing status were observed, compared to later stage, more mature blooms following springs with abundant seasonal sea ice. The detection of growing blooms in July following low ice years suggests that changes in the timing of the spring bloom triggers cascading effects on mid-summer production.


This study presents a new method (LBB) for the analysis of length frequency data from commercial catches. LBB works for species that grow throughout their lives, such as most commercially-important fish and invertebrates, and requires no input in addition to length frequency data. It estimates asymptotic length, length at first capture, relative natural mortality, and relative fishing mortality. Standard fisheries equations can then be used to approximate current exploited biomass relative to unexploited biomass. In addition, these parameters allow the estimation of length at first capture that would maximize catch and biomass for a given fishing effort, and estimation of a proxy for the relative biomass capable of producing maximum sustainable yields. Relative biomass estimates of LBB were not significantly different from the "true" values in simulated data and were similar to independent estimates from full stock assessments. LBB also presents a new indicator for assessing whether an observed size structure is indicative of a healthy stock. LBB results will obviously be misleading if the length frequency data do not represent the size composition of the exploited size range of the stock or if length frequencies resulting from the interplay of growth and mortality are masked by strong recruitment pulses.


Anthropologists are often reluctant to present their work relating to matters of a broad social context to the wider public even though many have much to say about a range of contemporary issues. In this second edition of a classic work in the field, Edward J. Hedican takes stock of Anthroplogy's research on current indigenous affairs and offers an up-to-date assessment of Aboriginal issues in Canada from the perspective of applied Anthropology. In his central thesis, Hedican underlines Anthropology's opportunity to make a significant impact on the way Aboriginal issues are studied, perceived, and interpreted in Canada. He contends that anthropologists must quit lingering on the periphery of debates concerning land claims and race relations and become more actively committed to the public good. His study ranges over such challenging topics as advocacy roles in Aboriginal studies, the ethics of applied research, policy issues in community development, the political context of the self-government debate, and the dilemma of Aboriginal status and identity in Canada. Applied Anthropology in Canada is an impassioned call for a revitalized Anthropology - one more directly attuned to the practical problems faced by First Nations peoples. Hedican's focus on Aboriginal issues gives his work a strong contemporary relevance that bridges the gap between scholarly and public spheres.


Ethanol and water crude extracts from the flower of Broussonetia papyrifera were investigated for their antioxidant capacity in four different assays, namely, the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, chelation of metal ions (Fe2+), reducing power and inhibition activity of lipid peroxidation in a linoleic acid emulsion system. Among the two extracts, the ethanolextract from B. papyrifera flower showed the most potent radical scavenging activity in each assay, showing 62.88.9% (at 5 mg/ml) in the DPPH radical scavenging method (at 6 mg/ml) and 61.15% of chelation Fe2+- activity. Total phenolics in the water extracts were higher than that of the ethanol ones. Positive correlations were found between total phenolic content in the B. papyrifera flower extracts and their antioxidant activities. B. papyrifera flowers may have potential as natural antioxidants.


Grafting to control soilborne diseases and nematodes is common in many horticultural crops. Vegetable grafting has become standard procedure for many greenhouse operations, and is gaining importance in field production. The grafting of Capsicum annuum L. seedlings ('Early Jalapeno,' 'Keystone,' and 'NuMex Joe E. Parker' ) by hand onto 'Celebrity' tomato (Solanum lycopersicon L.) seedlings was evaluated. The apical wedge graft and tube graft were both successful. The success of grafting was not significantly affected by the size of the grafting tube clips. Both sizes of clips for the tube graft gave similar results, 58% and 54% survival for the 1.2 mm and 2.0 mm tube clips, respectively. However, the apical wedge graft had the highest percentage of success, with a survival rate of 100%. In conclusion, grafting of C. annuum onto tomato is feasible, and may provide a mechanism for control of soilborne diseases and nematodes that adversely affect C. annuum cultivars.


Aluminum stabilized superconductors are used in accelerators, SMES, and fusion devices, such as the LHD helical coils. These superconductors have large-cross sectional area of high purity aluminum to improve their stability. However, one of the important properties of these superconductors is the transient stability, which is caused by a long duration of transport current transfer from the superconducting strands into the aluminum in a normal-state region. Once a normal zone is initiated in such superconductors, excess joule heat is generated in a small region of the aluminum stabilizer near the superconducting strands during the transport current diffusion time. It hence deteriorates the transient stability. Therefore, it is important to investigate the characteristics of the transient stability by numerical analysis. The latest experiments of the LHD helical coil conductor show an asymmetrical propagation of normal zone along the longitudinal direction of the conductor. The Hall current generation is clearly one of the causes of this phenomenon. The Hall current generation prevents the transport current from transferring between the superconducting strands and the aluminum stabilizer. It causes the asymmetrical transport current distribution, and affects the stability of the superconductor. In order to simulate the normal-zone propagation in the superconductor more preciously and to clarify the cause of the asymmetrical propagation, we have developed a 2D finite element analysis code taking account of the Hall effect and investigated the transient stability of large aluminum stabilized superconductors


This paper describes the igneous geology, alteration mineralogy, and geochemistry, as well as the ore mineralization history of Bajo de la Alumbrera, a world-class porphyry copper-gold deposit in northwestern Argentina. The deposit occurs in the K-rich calc-alkaline Farallon Negro Volcanic Complex, located 200 km east of the main Andean porphyry copper belt of Chile. The deposit consists of a composite stock of dacitic porphyry intrusions and extends into the surrounding andesitic volcanic rocks. Two of the earliest intrusions, now occupying the center of the intrusive complex, show intense hydrothermal alteration and mineralization. These two porphyries host the highest ore grades and were subsequently intruded by several weakly mineralized or barren porphyries.

Intense quartz-magnetite (±K feldspar) alteration pervades the first mineralized porphyry, whereas similar, but lower intensity alteration affected the second. Laterally, this alteration grades into potassic alteration (secondary K feldspar and biotite), which affects all porphyries except the latest dikes. Andesitic wall rocks within a hundred meters of the intrusions are dominated by dark hydrothermal biotite. An outer halo of propylitic alteration (epidote-chlorite-albite-calcite) extends up to 1 km into the andesites. Feldspar-destructive alteration (sericite + pyrite ± clay minerals ± gypsum) overprints the potassic and propylitic alteration in the volcanic rocks and all porphyries. The alteration is locally controlled by faults and late fractures and developed most pervasively upon the outer part of the potassic zone and toward the transition to propylitic alteration in the upper part of the deposit. Mass-balance calculations show small positive changes in net volume for the potassic alteration and minor volume decreases for the chlorite-epidote and feldspar-destructive alteration. The intensely quartz-magnetite veined sample of quartz-magnetite alteration indicates a total volume increase of 350 percent.

Copper and gold are intimately associated at all scales. They occur as composite gold sulfide grains (chalcopyrite, rarely bornite), show a close correlation of ore grades in sample assays, and have a closely overlapping distribution on the mine scale. A well-developed ore shell coincides with potassic alteration and partly with the distribution of intense quartz ± magnetite veins, even though the bulk of the ore minerals now occupy texturally late positions in vugs and fractures. A barren zone with intense quartz-magnetite ± potassic alteration and veins, but little or no sulfides, is interpreted as the focus of upflow of high-temperature ore fluids, prior to ore mineral saturation and coprecipitation of copper sulfides and gold in the ore shell.


The life story, or narrative identity, is a psychosocial construction that brings together and integrates the self and experience within a broad story-based framework. Personality psychologists typically capture aspects of this inner story by prompting participants for descriptions of life chapters and/or specific and self-definitional autobiographical key scenes (e.g., high points, low points, turning points). Features of participants' responses are then quantified for their thematic and/or structural content. There exists a number of additional and complementary assessment techniques that could buttress study of, and theory pertaining to, narrative identity. Here, I work to identify these assessments, which include self-reports, informant reports, and behavioral observations, and organize them within narrative identity's nomological network. This work concludes with a number of suggestions for the ways in which traditional assessments may be better attuned to capture narrative identity's integrative nature.


The mutual understanding in conversation is very important for human relations. This study investigates the mental function of the formation of mutual understanding between two people in conversation using the embodied approach. Forty people participated in this study. They are divided into pairs randomly. Four conversation situations between two (make/listen to fun or pleasant talk, make/listen to regrettable talk) are set for four minutes each, and the finger plethysmogram (200 Hz) of each participant is measured. As a result, the attractors of the participants who reported "I did not understand my partner" show the collapsed shape, which means the fluctuation of their rhythm is too small to match their partner's rhythm, and their cross correlation is low. The autonomic balance of both persons tends to resonate during conversation, and both LLEs tend to resonate, too. In human history, in order for human beings as weak mammals to live, they may have been with others; that is, they have brought about resonating characteristics, which is called self-organization. However, the resonant feature sometimes collapses, depending on the lifestyle that the person was formed by himself after birth. It is difficult for people who do not have a lifestyle of mutual gaze to resonate their biological signal waves with others'. These people have features such as anxiety, fatigue, and confusion tendency. Mutual understanding is thought to be formed as a result of cooperation between the features of self-organization of the persons who are talking and the lifestyle indicated by mutual gaze. Such an entanglement phenomenon is called a nonlinear relation. By this research, it is found that the formation of mutual understanding is expressed by the rhythm of a biological signal showing a nonlinear relationship. Keywords—Embodied approach, finger plethysmogram, mutual understanding, nonlinear phenomenon.


Separation and purification of biomacromolecules either in biopharmaceuticals and fine chemicals manufacturing, or in diagnostics and biological characterization, can substantially benefit from application of microfluidic devices. Small volumes of equipment, very efficient mass and heat transfer together with high process control result in process intensification, high throughputs, low energy consumption and reduced waste production as compared to conventional processing. This review highlights microfluidics-based separation and purification of proteins and nucleic acids with the focus on liquid–liquid extractions, particularly with biocompatible aqueous two-phase systems, which represent a cost-effective and green alternative. A variety of microflow set-ups are shown to enable sustainable and efficient isolation of target biomolecules both for preparative, as well as for analytical purposes.


Fuel cell hybrid power systems have potential for the highest electrical power generation efficiency. Fuel cell gas turbine hybrid systems are currently under development as the first step in commercializing this technology. The dynamic interdependencies resulting from the integration of these two power generation technologies is not well understood. Unexpected complications can arise in the operation of an integrated system, especially during startup and transient events. Fuel cell gas turbine systems designed to operate under steady state conditions have limitations in studying the dynamics of a transient event without risk to the more fragile components of the system. A 250kW experimental fuel cell gas turbine system test facility has been designed at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), U.S. Department of Energy to examine the effects of transient events on the dynamics of these systems. The test facility will be used to evaluate control strategies for improving system response to transient events and load following. A fuel cell simulator, consisting of a natural gas burner controlled by a real time fuel cell model, will be integrated into the system in place of a real solid oxide fuel cell. The use of a fuel cell simulator in the initial phases allows for the exploration of transient events without risk of destroying an actual fuel cell. Fuel cell models and hybrid system models developed at NETL have played an important role in guiding the design of facility equipment and experimental research planning. Results of certain case studies using these models are discussed. Test scenarios were analyzed for potential thermal and mechanical impact on fuel cell, heat exchanger and gas turbine components. Temperature and pressure drop calculations were performed to determine the maximum impact on system components and design. Required turbine modifications were designed and tested for functionality. The resulting facility design will allow for examination of startup, shut down, loss of load to the fuel cell during steady state operations, loss of load to the turbine during steady state operations and load following.Copyright © 2002 by ASME


Nanoelectronic devices based upon self-assembled semiconductor nanowires are excellent research tools for investigating the behavior of structures with sub-lithographic features as well as a promising basis for future information processing technologies. We describe two unique approaches to successfully fabricate nanowire devices, one based upon harvesting and positioning nanowires and one based upon the direct growth of nanowires in predefined locations. Test structures are fabricated and electronically characterized to probe the fundamental properties of chemical-vapor-deposition grown silicon nanowires. Important information about current transport and fluctuations in materials and devices can be derived from noise measurements, and low frequency 1/f noise has traditionally been utilized as a quality and reliability indicator for semiconductor devices. Both low frequency 1/f noise and random telegraph signals are shown here to be powerful methods for probing trapping defects in nanoelectronic devices.


This paper concerns Hopf's boundary point lemma, in certain C-1,C-Dini-type domains, for a class of singular/degenerate PDE-s, including p-Laplacian. Using geometric properties of levels sets for harmonic functions in convex rings, we construct sub-solutions to our equations that play the role of a barrier from below. By comparison principle we then conclude Hopf's lemma.


Pica is defined as the consumption of non-edible substances for at least one month. Although there are reports about the causes of pica emphasizing nutritional deficiencies and psychosocial stress, the etiology and treatment approaches still remain unclear. In this case, a patient with pica accompanied by serious psychiatric and medical comorbidities which occur after witnessing a suicide, during adolescence is described firstly in the literature. (Anatolian Journal of Psychiatry 2014; 15(Suppl.1):S39-S42)


Crosses were made between strains of Dictyostelium discoideum involving two drug resistance markers and the mating-type locus. Over 6000 progeny from 263 individual germinated macrocysts from four single-factor crosses, five two-factor crosses and one three-factor cross were characterized. In most cases the progeny from a single macrocyst were of one genotype, although in the population of macrocysts from any two-factor cross all possible parental and recombinant genotypes were recovered. There was no evidence of linkage between any of the markers examined. No selection against progeny carrying the methanol or the cycloheximide resistance markers was found in two-factor crosses, but selection against progeny carrying both resistance markers was found in the three-factor cross. Germination of macrocysts in all crosses was poor, only once exceeding 2.5 % of the total macrocyst population. A variety of crosses and back-crosses with different parental strains indicated that germination might be influenced by both extrinsic (environmental) and multiple genetic factors. About 10% of the macrocysts yielded progeny spores that were ambivalent in their mating reactions. After extensive recloning these populations could be resolved to the normal matA (formerly Al) and mata (formerly A2) mating-types and might therefore have represented aneuploids. The results obtained with D. discoideum macrocysts differ from those obtained with other cellular slime moulds Dictyostelium mucoroides, Dictyostelium giganteum and Polysphondylium pallidum and are reminiscent of the results reported for germinated zygospores of Phycomyces blakesleeanus.


Purpose: The role of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) in managing nonmassive pulmonary embolism (PE) is well known. In unstable cases, especially after thrombolytic therapy for massive PE, unfractionated heparin (UFH) is preferred for PE management. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of LMWH after thrombolytic therapy. Methods: A prospective, observational multicenter trial was performed in 249 patients with acute PE who required thrombolysis. Massive and submassive PEs were categorized into 2 groups depending on whether they were treated with LMWH or UFH after thrombolytic treatment. The primary end point was all-cause mortality during the first 30 days; the secondary end point included all-cause mortality, nonfatal symptomatic recurrent PEs, or nonfatal major bleeding. Results: The mean age at diagnosis was 60.7 ± 15.5 years. The PE severity was massive in 186 (74.7%) patients and submassive in 63 (25.3%). The incidence of all-cause 30-day death was 8.2% and 17.3% in patients with LMWH and UFH, respectively (P = .031). Major hemorrhage occurred in 4% (n = 5) and 7.9% (n = 10) of patients and minor hemorrhage occurred in 9% (n = 11) and 13.4% (n = 17) of the cases treated with LMWH and UFH, respectively. Conclusion: These results suggest that LMWH treatment can be used safely in patients with PE after thrombolytic therapy.


Most hairs found at crime scenes yield low quality and/or low quantities of nuclear DNA. This DNA is further depleted when stringent hair cleaning procedures are applied in the laboratory, suggesting that detectable DNA exists exogenously. The phenomenon of exogenous hair DNA is the subject of this study. DNA was extracted from washed and unwashed hairs and the resulting Profiler™ Plus STR genotypes were compared with those of reference (buccal) swabs from the hair donors. The DNA extraction procedure involved no prior cleaning of the hair sample and no dissolution of the hair during digestion, in contrast to standard procedures. The STR genotyping success was measured by recording the two dominant alleles at each locus and comparing them with the reference DNA profile. The effect of hair cleanliness was examined by leaving donors' hair unwashed for periods of 1, 3 and 7 days before sampling. It was found that the genotyping success for unwashed hair was significantly higher than that for freshly washed hair, with the majority of clean hair samples producing little or no DNA. Genotyping success was also lower for donors with cosmetically treated hair compared with those having untreated hair. Although the quality of STR profiles (i.e. allele dropout, differential amplification) from hair shafts or telogen hair clubs is reduced compared with those from other biological sources, the genotypes obtained in this study may be usable and are certainly discriminating if alternative interpretational methods are applied.


Objectives: (1) To examine U.S. national trends in the use of concomitant pharmacotherapy with the stimulant class of psychotropic drugs in youth; and (2) to present these trends in the context of (a) extant safety and efficacy data, and (b) overall trends in concomitant pharmacotherapy with psychotropic drugs for youth. Methods: Prescribing data for youths under age 18 years from National Ambulatory Medical Surveys from 1993 to 1998 were analyzed. The visits were categorized into monotherapy (only one psychotropic prescribed) and concomitant pharmacotherapy (>1 psychotropic prescribed). The proportions of these groups were computed as a percentage of all visits during which a psychotropic medication was prescribed. Differences in proportions between surveys were analyzed to determine trends. Results: Between 1993-94 and 1997-98, the proportions of visits for concomitant pharmacotherapy in association with the stimulant class increased nearly five-fold. This increase paralleled an overall increase in the proportion of visits involving prescription of more than one psychotropic medication among youth. Conclusions: The growth in concomitant pharmacotherapy with the stimulants class has out-paced the increase in safety/efficacy data to inform the use of this practice, resulting in a mismatch between trends in prescribing and growth in knowledge. A simultaneous trend of note is the overall increase in the use of concomitant pharmacotherapy with all psychotropic drugs in youth. Controlled trials are particularly needed to support commonly used combinations of stimulants with antidepressants in youth. In the absence of definitive data, clinical guidelines based on expert consensus and limited data are available and are useful.


The purpose of this chapter is a focused analysis and review of rare thyroid malignan‐ cies including anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), medullary thyroid cancer (MTC), primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL), and primary thyroid sarcoma (PTS). The focus will be on the epidemiology, risk factors, workup, and a contemporary review of manage‐ ment of these rare entities.


Over the course of his astonishing fifty-year career, V.S. Naipaul's writing has been characterized by a commitment to truth that gives his work a unique luminosity and brilliance. In "A Writer's People" he brings unmatched clarity and rich experience to an exploration of the ways we think, see and feel. The range of this extraordinary book reflects an intellect deeply engaged with the challenges of assimilation faced by the 'serious traveller', one for whom there can be no single world view. Naipaul writes about the classical world what we have retained from it, what we have forgotten and the more recent past. Figures as diverse as Mahatma Gandhi, Derek Walcott and Gustave Flaubert come under his compassionate scrutiny, as do his own early years in Trinidad, the silences in his family history and the roles played by Anthony Powell and Francis Wyndham in his first encounters with literary culture. Part meditation, part remembrance, as elegant as it is revelatory, "A Writer's People" is a privileged insight, full of gentleness, humour and feeling, into the mind of one of our greatest writers.


This study compared advantages and disadvantages of using a topical anesthetic while fitting twenty first time RGP contact lens wearers. Changes in attitude and corneal health were compared between subject groups. The experimental group received one drop of 0.5% proparacaine OU just prior to initial lens insertion while the control group received a placebo drop. Anesthetic was used at the fitting visit only. Corneal health was established prior to subjects being fit with lenses, immediately after being fit, and then again monitored at one week and one month of lens wear. Subjects answered questionnaires before and immediately after being fit with RGP lenses. Follow-up questionnaires were then answered at one week and one month of lens wear to assess differences in adaptation and attitude. Results indicated that subjects receiving anesthetic required less time to be fit and were more likely to be confident about their chances for becoming successful rigid lens wearers. No significantly adverse effects to corneal health or integrity were noted. Preliminary data from one week and one month follow-up visits indicated that subjects receiving anesthetic may be more likely to feel adapted to their lenses within two weeks. We have suggested, baring any outward contraindication, that anesthetic can be advantageous when used with unusually tense or apprehensive patients.


Optimal selection and sizing of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) is an important research problem for the advancement of distributed power systems. This paper presents detail studies on optimal sizing of DER for integrated microgrids using Evolutionary Strategy (ES). Integrated microgrid is an innovative architecture in distributed power systems, in which several microgrids are interconnected with each other for superior control and management of the distributed power systems. Right coordination among DER in microgrids, and proper harmony among the microgrids and the main distribution grid are critical challenges. Types of DER and capacities of them are needed to optimize such that proposed integrated microgrid provides reliable supply of energy at cheap cost. In this research, the problem is formulated as a nonlinear mixed-integer minimization problem which minimizes capital and annual operational cost of DER subject to a variety of system and unit constraints. Evolutionary strategy was developed for solving the minimization problem. The proposed methodology was used to design integrated microgrids for A*Star IEDS (Intelligent Energy Distribution System) project. The design results have shown that the proposed methodology provides excellent convergence and feasible optimum solution.


An increase in the length of the standard in-center hemodialysis treatment by 30 to 45 minutes per session was not associated with an improvement in mortality in long-term hemodialysis patients enrolled in the HEMO study. Testing the possibility that delivering still higher doses of hemodialysis may have a beneficial effect on patient outcomes will require the use of more frequent hemodialysis or a much longer duration for each dialysis session. "Short-daily hemodialysis," actually 6 times per week hemodialysis for 1.5 to 3 hours per session, can provide some increase in small molecule clearance as measured by urea kinetics. "Long nocturnal daily hemodialysis," actually 6 times per week hemodialysis for 6 to 8 hours per session, provides a significant increase in both small-molecular-weight and large-molecular-weight clearance and often alleviates the need to take phosphate binders. The National Institutes of Health is sponsoring 2 clinical trials via the Frequent Hemodialysis Network to determine the impact of these 2 modalities on intermediate outcomes, compared with standard 3-times-per-week hemodialysis.


Production scheduling is an important function that determines the efficiency and productivity of a production system. Many optimization methods, techniques, tools, and heuristics have been used to solve production scheduling problems, accordingly priority rules are implemented for customers' orders in real-world applications. Simulations and heuristic methods are quite useful for making decisions, and they are used mostly to design and improve production systems by reducing their complexity. In this study, a Priority Rule-Based Genetic Algorithm Scheduling (PRGA-Sched) module was developed to provide shorter total completion time in production scheduling. The module was integrated with the Faborg-Sim simulation tool. As a case study, a heating boiler manufacturing system was analyzed and simulated with six products and customers' orders by using production data from the PRGA-Sched module in Faborg-Sim. The results showed that a shorter total completion time is obtained and saved than the initial situation by via PRGA-Sched module. (Received in July 2014, accepted in April 2015. This paper was with the authors 3 months for 2 revisions.)


This paper presents a novel approach for seam tracking using ultrasonics. An ultrasonic seam tracking system has been developed for robotic welding which tracks a seam that curves freely on a two-dimensional surface. The seam is detected by scanning the area ahead of the torch and monitoring the amplitude of the waves received after reflection from the workpiece surface. Scanning is accomplished by using two ultrasonic sensors (a transmitter and a receiver) mounted on a stepper motor such that the transmitter angle is the same as the receiver angle. The motor is mounted on the end-effector just ahead of the welding torch and covers a ninety degree arc in front of the torch. If there is no seam then the receiver receives most of the transmitted waves after reflection, but if there is a seam then most of the transmitted waves are dispersed in directions other than that of the receiver. The system has been tested and is very robust in the harsh environments generated by the arc welding process. The robustness of the system stems from using various schemes such as time windowing, a waveguide, air and metal shields, and an intelligent sensor manager. This ultrasonic system offers some distinct advantages over traditional systems using vision and other sensing techniques. It can be used to weld very shiny surfaces, and is a very economical method in terms of cost as well as computational intensity. The system can be used to detect seams less than 0.5 mm wide and 0.5 mm deep.


Measured spectral shifts due to intrinsic stellar variability (e.g., pulsations, granulation) and activity (e.g., spots, plages) are the largest source of error for extreme-precision radial-velocity (EPRV) exoplanet detection. Several methods are designed to disentangle stellar signals from true center-of-mass shifts due to planets. The Extreme-precision Spectrograph (EXPRES) Stellar Signals Project (ESSP) presents a self-consistent comparison of 22 different methods tested on the same extreme-precision spectroscopic data from EXPRES. Methods derived new activity indicators, constructed models for mapping an indicator to the needed radial-velocity (RV) correction, or separated out shape- and shift-driven RV components. Since no ground truth is known when using real data, relative method performance is assessed using the total and nightly scatter of returned RVs and agreement between the results of different methods. Nearly all submitted methods return a lower RV rms than classic linear decorrelation, but no method is yet consistently reducing the RV rms to sub-meter-per-second levels. There is a concerning lack of agreement between the RVs returned by different methods. These results suggest that continued progress in this field necessitates increased interpretability of methods, high-cadence data to capture stellar signals at all timescales, and continued tests like the ESSP using consistent data sets with more advanced metrics for method performance. Future comparisons should make use of various well-characterized data sets—such as solar data or data with known injected planetary and/or stellar signals—to better understand method performance and whether planetary signals are preserved.


Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-dependent neurodegenerative disorder and the most common cause of dementia. The early stages of AD are characterized by short-term memory loss. Once the disease progresses, patients experience difficulties in sense of direction, oral communication, calculation, ability to learn, and cognitive thinking. The median duration of the disease is 10 years. The pathology is characterized by deposition of amyloid beta peptide (so-called senile plaques) and tau protein in the form of neurofibrillary tangles. Currently, two classes of drugs are licensed by the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of AD, ie, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors for mild to moderate AD, and memantine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, for moderate and severe AD. Treatment with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors or memantine aims at slowing progression and controlling symptoms, whereas drugs under development are intended to modify the pathologic steps leading to AD. Herein, we review the clinical features, pharmacologic properties, and cost-effectiveness of the available acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and memantine, and focus on disease-modifying drugs aiming to interfere with the amyloid beta peptide, including vaccination, passive immunization, and tau deposition.


The classic version of the linguistic relativity principle, formulated by Boas and developed especially in the work of Whorf, suggests that the particular lexicogrammatical patterns of a given language can influence the thought of its speakers. A second version of the argument emerged in the 1970s and shifted the focus to the indexical aspect of language: any given language includes a particular set of indexical signs, and these essentially shape the contexts produced in speaking that language. In this article, we propose a third locus of linguistic relativity. Our argument is based on recent work in conversation analysis that has shown how the resources of a given language provide the tools for accomplishing basic actions in interaction. To develop our argument, we consider the way in which the resources of three different languages (Caribbean English Creole, Finnish, and Lao) are deployed by speakers to agree with a prior assessment while at the same time claiming greater epistemic authority over the matter assessed. Our case study indicates that the language-specific tools used to accomplish this action (the lexicogrammatical resources) introduce collateral effects and in this way give the action a local spin or inflection.


Business process models have gained significant importance due to their critical role for managing business processes. In particular, process models support the common understanding of a company's business processes, enable the discovery of improvement opportunities, and serve as drivers for the implementation of business processes. Still, a wide range of quality problems have been observed. For example, literature reports on error rates between 10% and 20% in industrial process model collections. Most research in the context of quality issues of process models puts a strong emphasis on the outcome of the process modeling act by analyzing the resulting model. However, it is rarely considered that process model quality is presumably dependent on the process followed to create the process model. This thesis strives for addressing this gap by specifically investigating the process of creating process models. In this context, different actions on several levels of abstraction might be considered, including elicitation and formalization of process models. During elicitation information is gathered, which is used in formalization phases for actually creating the formal process model. This thesis focuses on the formalization of process models, which can be considered a process by itself—the Process of Process Modeling (PPM). Due to the lack of an established theory, we follow a mixed method approach to exploratively investigate the PPM. This way, different perspectives are combined to develop a comprehensive understanding. In this context, we attempt to address the following research objectives. First, means for recording and performing a detailed analysis of the PPM are required. For this, a specialized modeling environment— Cheetah Experimental Platform (CEP)—is developed, allowing a systematic investigation of the PPM. Further, a visualization for the PPM, i.e., Modeling Phase Diagrams (MPDs), is presented to support data exploration and hypotheses generation. Second, we attempt to observe and categorize reoccurring behavior of modelers to develop an understanding on how process models are created. Finally, we investigate factors that influence the PPM to understand why certain behavior can be observed. The findings are condensed to form a model on the factors that influence the PPM. Summarized, this thesis proposes means for analyzing the PPM and presents initial findings to form an understanding on how the formalization of process models is conducted and why certain behavior can be observed. While the results cannot be considered an established theory, this work constitutes a first building block toward a comprehensive understanding of the PPM. This will ultimately improve process model quality by facilitating the development of specialized modeling environments, which address potential pitfalls during the creation of process models.


Fifteen sugarcane progenies comprising 10 best progenies identified from preliminary yield testing along with five standard check varieties were evaluated in replicated trials in four locations in Nigeria for plant crop (2011-2012 and ratoon crop (2012-2013) with the aim of identifying superior progenies which could be recommended for testing in the various sugar plantations in Nigeria's savannah ecologies. The combined analysis of variance indicated that environment (E) and genotype x environment (GE) interaction were highly significant (P?0.001) for cane and sucrose yields. The GGE biplot accounted for 96.9 and 87.7% of treatment sum of square for sugarcane cane and sucrose yield, respectively. Progenies USRI 08/63 had the highest mean cane yield (78.09t/ha) performance while USRI 08/46 was adjudged the best sucrose (21.58) yielding progeny. Cane yield positively and highly significantly correlated with number of millable stalks (r=0.869**) and tillers (r=0.844**). Bacita was relatively the most ideal environment for identification of superior sugarcane genotypes. USRI 08/63, USRI 08/03, USRI 08/46 and USRI 08/16 are recommended for testing in the various sugar plantations in Nigeria's savannah ecologies.


1. Brief introduction In this paper, an adaptive control is proposed to maximize the energy conversion for a wind turbine driven by a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) Inverter. This paper focuses on the optimization of the current loops of the machine. Two different strategies of wind turbine management have been tested in steady and transient state (with the variation of the load). The principle of the optimization consists of minimizing Joule losses in PWM and Generator. The second strategy (adaptive) is implemented with successful results.


With autonomous vehicles (AV) set to integrate further into regular human traffic, there is an increasing consensus of treating AV motion planning as a multi-agent problem. However, the traditional game theoretic assumption of complete rationality is too strong for the purpose of human driving, and there is a need for understanding human driving as a bounded rational activity through a behavioral game theoretic lens. To that end, we adapt three metamodels of bounded rational behavior; two based on Quantal level-k and one based on Nash equilibria with quantal errors. We formalize the different solution concepts that can be applied in the context of hierarchical games, a framework used in multi-agent motion planning, for the purpose of creating game theoretic models of driving behavior. Furthermore, based on a contributed dataset of human driving at a busy urban intersection with a total of ~4k agents and ~44k decision points, we evaluate the behavior models on the basis of model fit to naturalistic data, as well as their predictive capacity. Our results suggest that among the behavior models evaluated, modeling driving behavior as pure strategy Nash equilibria with quantal errors at the level of maneuvers with bounds sampling of actions at the level of trajectories provides the best fit to naturalistic driving behavior, and there is a significant impact of situational factors on the performance of behavior models.


Rapid climate change at high latitudes is projected to increase wildfire extent in tundra ecosystems by up to fivefold by the end of the century. Tundra wildfire could alter terrestrial silica (SiO2) cycling by restructuring surface vegetation and by deepening the seasonally thawed active layer. These changes could influence the availability of silica in terrestrial permafrost ecosystems and alter lateral exports to downstream marine waters, where silica is often a limiting nutrient. In this context, we investigated the effects of the largest Arctic tundra fire in recent times on plant and peat amorphous silica content and dissolved silica concentration in streams. Ten years after the fire, vegetation in burned areas had 73% more silica in aboveground biomass compared to adjacent, unburned areas. This increase in plant silica was attributable to significantly higher plant silica concentration in bryophytes and increased prevalence of silica‐rich gramminoids in burned areas. Tundra fire redistributed peat silica, with burned areas containing significantly higher amorphous silica concentrations in the O‐layer, but 29% less silica in peat overall due to shallower peat depth post burn. Despite these dramatic differences in terrestrial silica dynamics, dissolved silica concentration in tributaries draining burned catchments did not differ from unburned catchments, potentially due to the increased uptake by terrestrial vegetation. Together, these results suggest that tundra wildfire enhances terrestrial availability of silica via permafrost degradation and associated weathering, but that changes in lateral silica export may depend on vegetation uptake during the first decade of postwildfire succession.


The RET proto-oncogene encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase expressed in neural crest derived tissues. Germline mutations in the RET proto-oncogene are responsible for three diVerent dominantly inherited cancer syndromes: multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN 2A), type 2B (MEN 2B), and familial medullary thyroid carcinoma (FMTC). MTC can also occur sporadically. Molecular characterisation of the RET proto-oncogene has been performed by PCR-SSCP analysis, direct DNA sequencing, and restriction enzyme analysis in 49 unrelated, Spanish, MEN 2 families: 30 MEN 2A families, six FMTC families, and 13 families classified as "other". Germline missense mutations in one of six cysteine codons (609, 611, 618, and 620 in exon 10, and codons 630 and 634 in exon 11), which encode part of the extracellular cysteine rich domain of RET, have been detected in the majority of these families: 100% of MEN 2A families, 67% of FMTC families, and 54% of families classified as "other". No RET mutations in exons 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, or 16 were detected in the remaining families. The most frequent RET mutation in MEN 2A Spanish families is C634Y, occurring in 73% of cases. Haplotype analysis does not exclude the possibility of founder eVects in Spanish MEN 2A families with the C634Y mutation. (J Med Genet 1999;36:68–70)


Background: The juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the main rheumatic disease in pediatric age. The rheumatic diseases are main causes of physical disability and have high economic costs for society. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the physical activity can prevent the decline in balance related diseases in children with previous diagnosis of JIA. Materials and Methods: Fifty-six subjects were enrolled in this study. Thirty-nine healthy subjects were included in the control group (CG) and seventeen in juvenile idiopathic arthritis group (JIAG). Subsequently, the JIAG was stratified in two ones, respectively: JIAG active (JIAG-ACT) and JIAG sedentary (JIAG-SED). The analysis was measured through the FreeMed posturography system (by Sensor Medica). STATISTICA software was adopted to perform an unpaired t test. A P value lower than 0.05 was considered to be statistically relevant. Results: Significant differences were identified in JIAG-SED vs CG in many parameters considered (Length of sway path of the CoP, P< 0,0001; Ellipse surface, p<0,05; Y mean, p<0,05). Against, except Length of sway path (p<0,05), the JIAG-ACT showed a similar trend respect to CG. Conclusion: This pilot confirms the benefits for children with JIA to perform a training program due to prevent future diseases and increase the balance levels. Clearly, the sample is not adequate to make conclusions. More data coming from larger sample size studies are necessary to confirm these results.


This paper seeks to show problems which follow from wrong assumptions about the key drivers of innovation policy and theory. A theoretical evolving network model is proposed for that purpose, taking into consideration innovation opportunities that are not necessarily driven by technological discoveries, R&D or knowledge diffusion. Innovation is defined by a new combination of means of production, and is introduced to the initial condition by rewiring a regular graph model. Dynamics of the diffusion process are captured by the statistical reconstruction of the solutions for recurrence equations within a discrete time perspective. Simulation results show that innovation gives rise to essentially unstable turbulent dynamics. Stability analysis implies an alternative interpretation of the nature of innovations and their dynamics. As a source of economic change, innovations are conjectured to be dependent on scale and diversity. They are closely linked to novelty, rather than to previous states of knowledge or technology.JEL Codes: C51, C61, E32, O11, O33


We report on our analysis of a 300 ks observation of the Vela pulsar with the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). The double-peaked, pulsed emission at 2 - 30 keV, which we had previously detected during a 93 ks observation, is confirmed with much improved statistics. There is now clear evidence, both in the spectrum and the light curve, that the emission in the RXTE band is a blend of two separate components. The spectrum of the harder component connects smoothly with the OSSE, COMPTEL and EGRET spectrum and the peaks in the light curve are in phase coincidence with those of the high-energy light curve. The spectrum of the softer component is consistent with an extrapolation to the pulsed optical flux, and the second RXTE pulse is in phase coincidence with the second optical peak. In addition, we see a peak in the 2-8 keV RXTE pulse profile at the radio phase.


Diwan and Mubayi asked how many edges of each color could be included in a $3$-edge-colored multigraph containing no rainbow triangle.  We answer this question under the modest assumption that the multigraphs in question contain at least one edge between every pair of vertices.  We also conjecture that this assumption is, in fact, without loss of generality.


Compact subsystems are pivotal to aeronautical applications, inclusive of advanced energy concepts. Regarding size minimization, an "exergogravimetric" approach has recently begun that attempts an exergy-aided weight reduction of advanced energy systems (inclusive of fuel); and this is based upon the added design insights afforded by Second Law considerations. The chief rationale and objective are to leverage the advancements that exergoeconomics affords in the realm of cost-effective thermal system design to aid size-effective thermal system design. A conceptual solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system for long-duration unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications has been initially modeled and simulated, inclusive of exergy analysis, and preliminary findings are discussed. Additionally, the concepts and methodologies can be extended to other advanced energy system technologies.There are project-specific and general milestones and conclusions drawn from the initial investigation. Specific to the project, a conceptual SOFC system simulation was completed via physics-based and literature-verified models along with structured language (i.e., MATLAB) numerical implementation. Specific component-level contributions to lost power potential and added mass were preliminarily resolved. Thermal exergy destruction and loss are predominant sources of unutilized specific power potential. Operational and physical degrees-of-freedom were explored, with the aid of exergy analysis, to resolve better design pathways. This included a counterintuitive preliminary finding that larger cell interconnects may facilitate smaller and more efficient system operation.Generally, exergy analyses allow a system design opportunity to gain higher resolution insights (i.e., to component- and spatial-extents) regarding inefficiencies throughout a thermal system, and this is afforded by the comprising blend of 1st Law and 2nd Law considerations. There is also an added means of accounting for 2nd Law effects. The traditional 2nd Law verification point of entropy generation being non-negative does not provide the same level of process analysis closure as does the related constraint that all processes have to account for exergy being stored, converted, destroyed or rejected through any defined control volume. This alternative 2nd Law perspective facilitates verification and validation of simulations.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


Instrumental approaches to remotely and wirelessly monitoring chemical species are increasingly needed. Together with the electronic developments, efforts to optimize and validate the performance of these new devices are required. In this work, the analytical performance of a recently developed potentiometer-radiofrequency tag connected to ion-selective electrodes is evaluated. This credit card sized and extremely low power consumption device yield results that are comparable to those obtained with more sophisticated, lab-based tools. Advantages such as portability and autonomy, together with unique features, such as the ability to be read through the walls in a closed vessel are demonstrated. Future perspectives opened by this new generation of devices, such as their use in wearable devices and in decentralized settings are discussed.


Abstract Texture is one of the most significant physical properties of soils. Over the years, several methods of its measuring were developed. The paper presents a method for determining the particle size composition of soils, based on the separation of particles in the sedimentation process. Density of suspension is determined on the basis of apparent weight changes of a float submerged in it. The weight of the float suspended on a thin line, at a given depth in the suspension, is measured with a sensitive piezoelectric dynamometer. The Stokes equation is used to calculate the content of soil fractions with equivalent diameters in the range of 0.001 to 0.1 mm. Digital transmission of results from the dynamometer, the temperature sensor and measurements of the distance defining the depth of immersion of the float to the computer enable calculations of particle size composition to be performed automatically. This paper presents the results of measurements of the particle size composition of artificially generated mixtures of 'silt' and 'clay'. The results are compared with results obtained with other methods (including the laser method). A high level of repeatability of the results and satisfactory compatibility in relation to the reference pipette method are noted.


Aim To examine the usefulness of blood tests in classifying cause of stillbirth by providing new, supplementary or confirmatory information to gold standard postmortem and placental pathology. Methods Retrospective study of 204 consecutive stillbirths at the Simpson Centre for Reproductive Health, Edinburgh, October 2003–2009. Clinical findings and results of pathological investigations were reviewed to determine stillbirth cause. As national criteria for reporting stillbirth cause changed during this period, stillbirths were classified using both the Wigglesworth Classification and CEMACE criteria. The ability of seven blood tests (HBA1C, anticardiolipin antibodies, lupus anticoagulant, viral serology, Kleihauer test, blood culture and thrombophilia screen) to provide new, additional or confirmatory information to clinical and pathological findings was assessed. Results 184/204 women (90.2%) had one or more blood test performed. The uptake of postmortem was 155/204 (76.0%) and 175/204 (85.8%) had placental pathology. In 40/184 (21.7%) of cases blood test results provided additional or confirmatory information. In 8/184 (4.3%) cases blood tests provided new information, changing stillbirth classification from being unexplained. Lupus anticoagulant yielded the highest number of positive results (19 of 154 tests performed; 12.3%), while blood cultures provided the least (2 of119 tests performed; 1.7%). Conclusion Blood tests were useful in stillbirth classification, and can provide information in stillbirths which would otherwise be unexplained. Results may affect subsequent pregnancy management. Blood tests should be offered as part of stillbirth investigation as an adjunct to postmortem examination and placental histology.


The linear electrical properties of muscle fibres have been examined using intracellular electrodes for a. c. measurements and analyzing observations on the basis of cable theory. The measurements have covered the frequency range 1 c/s to 10 kc/s. Comparison of the theory for the circular cylindrical fibre with that for the ideal, one-dimensional cable indicates that, under the conditions of the experiments, no serious error would be introduced in the analysis by the geometrical idealization. The impedance locus for frog sartorius and crayfish limb muscle fibres deviates over a wide range of frequencies from that expected for a simple model in which the current path between the inside and the outside of the fibre consists only of a resistance and a capacitance in parallel. A good fit of the experimental results on frog fibres is obtained if the inside-outside admittance is considered to contain, in addition to the parallel elements Rm = 3100 Ωcm2 and Cm = 2.6 μF/cm2, another path composed of a resistance Re = 330 Ωcm2 in series with a capacitance Ce = 4.1 μF/cm2, all referred to unit area of fibre surface. The impedance behaviour of crayfish fibres can be described by a similar model, the corresponding values being Rm = 680 Ωcm2, Cm = 3.9 μF/cm2, Re = 35 Ωcm2, Ce = 17 μF/cm2. The response of frog fibres to a step-function current (with the points of voltage recording and current application close together) has been analyzed in terms of the above two-time constant model, and it is shown that neglecting the series resistance would have an appreciable effect on the agreement between theory and experiment only at times less than the halftime of rise of the response. The elements Rm and Cm are presumed to represent properties of the surface membrane of the fibre. Re and Ce are thought to arise not at the surface, but to be indicative of a separate current path from the myoplasm through an intracellular system of channels to the exterior. In the case of crayfish fibres, it is possible that Re (when referred to unit volume) would be a measure of the resistivity of the interior of the channels, and Ce the capacitance across the walls of the channels. In the case of frog fibres, it is suggested that the elements Re, Ce arise from the properties of adjacent membranes of the triads in the sarcoplasmic reticulum . The possibility is considered that the potential difference across the capacitance Ce may control the initiation of contraction.


Despite unequivocal evidence that folate deficiency increases risk for human pathologies, and that folic acid intake among women of childbearing age markedly decreases risk for birth defects, definitive evidence for a causal biochemical pathway linking folate to disease and birth defect etiology remains elusive. The de novo and salvage pathways for thymidylate synthesis translocate to the nucleus of mammalian cells during S- and G2/M-phases of the cell cycle and associate with the DNA replication and repair machinery, which limits uracil misincorporation into DNA and genome instability. There is increasing evidence that impairments in nuclear de novo thymidylate synthesis occur in many pathologies resulting from impairments in one-carbon metabolism. Understanding the roles and regulation of nuclear de novo thymidylate synthesis and its relationship to genome stability will increase our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying folate- and vitamin B12-associated pathologies.