Imperfect quarter-waveplate compensation in Sagnacinterferometer-type current sensors

We analyze scale factor errors associated with integrating imperfect quarter-waveplates into loop and in-line Sagnac interferometer fiber-optic current sensors. We show that relatively large imperfections in the quarter-waveplates can be tolerated in the loop version when the birefringence axes of the two quarter-waveplates are oriented 45° with respect to each other. For the in-line version, we demonstrate an electronic signal processing scheme that desensitizes the scale factor to imperfections in the quarter-waveplate     

Metabolic responses of postmenopausal women to supplemental dietary boron and aluminum during usual and low magnesium intake: boron, calcium, and magnesium absorption and retention and blood mineral concentrations

The regulation by neuropeptide Y of alpha2-adrenoceptors in the nucleus tractus solitarii was evaluated in the adult normotensive Wistar Kyoto rat and the adult spontaneously hypertensive rat. The microinjection of a submaximal dose of l-noradrenaline (800 pmol in 50 nl) alone into the nucleus tractus solitarii produced a significant reduction in the mean arterial blood pressure in either strain. The threshold dose (1 pmol in 50 nl) of neuropeptide Y(1-36) for the vasodepressor response in the Wistar Kyoto rat was five times higher than that (0.2 pmol in 50 nl) in the spontaneously hypertensive rat. Furthermore, neuropeptide Y(1-36) at 0.2 pmol in 50 nl could significantly counteract the vasodepressor response to l-noradrenaline (800 pmol in 50 nl) in the spontaneously hypertensive rat, but not in the Wistar Kyoto rat, in which 1 pmol in 50 nl of neuropeptide Y(1-36) must be employed to counteract the vasodepressor response to l-noradrenaline (800 pmol in 50 nl), although the vasodepressor responses are of a similar magnitude. The in situ hybridization and quantitative receptor autoradiographical experiments showed that the alpha2A-adrenoceptor messenger RNA levels and the B(max) value of the alpha2-adrenoceptor agonist [3H]p-aminoclonidine binding sites measured in the nucleus tractus solitarii of the spontaneously hypertensive rat were substantially lower than those in the Wistar Kyoto rat. The quantitative receptor autoradiographical results were consistent with the cardiovascular results and showed that in the spontaneously hypertensive rat, neuropeptide Y(1-36) at 1 nM led to a significant increase in the K(d) value of [3H]p-aminoclonidine binding sites. In the Wistar Kyoto rat, neuropeptide Y(1-36) produced this effect only at 10 nM. The present study provides evidence for an increase of the potency of neuropeptide Y(1-36) to antagonistically modulate alpha2-adrenoceptors in the nucleus tractus solitarii of the spontaneously hypertensive rat. This enhanced antagonistic action may partly be related to a reduction in the number of alpha2A-adrenoceptors in the nucleus tractus solitarii of the spontaneously hypertensive rat, since a decrease has been observed in the alpha2A-adrenoceptor messenger RNA levels and the alpha2-adrenoceptor binding sites in the spontaneously hypertensive rat. This increased potency of neuropeptide Y(1-36) to antagonize alpha2-adrenoceptor function in the nucleus tractus solitarii of the spontaneously hypertensive rat may contribute to the development of high blood pressure in this hypertensive strain.     

Early intervention: Implications of Public Law 99-457 for professional child psychology.

We review components of Public Law (PL) 99-457 and discuss several concerns related to the practice of psychology and early intervention. PL 99-457 establishes a new national blueprint for expanding the opportunities and benefits of early intervention and preschool services to children and families. We examined implications of the new law in terms of the following broad categories: assessment and diagnosis, intervention, planning and case management, program evaluation, and interagency collaboration. On the basis of practice needs in these areas, we propose several areas of needed training for child practitioners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Positron emission tomography in partial epilepsies: the clinical point of view

Epilepsy research using positron emission tomography (PET) has advanced our understanding of the pathophysiology and neurochemical correlates of both focal and generalized epilepsies, but from the clinical viewpoint its major contribution has been in the presurgical evaluation of patients with medically intractable partial seizures. Depending on the tracer used, PET may provide information on regional cerebral blood flow and glucose metabolism, and the binding of specific ligands to receptors that are thought to be related to the genesis and propagation of epileptic activity. In this communication, we discuss the diagnostic yield, limitations and perspectives of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and 11C-flumazenil (FMZ) PET in partial epilepsies. The current evidence regarding the pathophysiology of the focal changes is also presented, with an emphasis on issues which must be carefully addressed for effective and reliable clinical research.