High resolution ultrastructural mapping of total calcium: electron spectroscopic imaging/electron energy loss spectroscopy analysis of a physically/chemically processed nerve-muscle preparation

We report on a procedure for tissue preparation that combines thoroughly controlled physical and chemical treatments: quick-freezing and freeze-drying followed by fixation with OsO4 vapors and embedding by direct resin infiltration. Specimens of frog cutaneous pectoris muscle thus prepared were analyzed for total calcium using electron spectroscopic imaging/electron energy loss spectroscopy (ESI/EELS) approach. The preservation of the ultrastructure was excellent, with positive K/Na ratios revealed in the fibers by x-ray microanalysis. Clear, high-resolution EELS/ESI calcium signals were recorded from the lumen of terminal cisternae of the sarcoplasmic reticulum but not from longitudinal cisternae, as expected from previous studies carried out with different techniques. In many mitochondria, calcium was below detection whereas in others it was appreciable although at variable level. Within the motor nerve terminals, synaptic vesicles as well as some cisternae of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum yielded positive signals at variance with mitochondria, that were most often below detection. Taken as a whole, the present study reveals the potential of our experimental approach to map with high spatial resolution the total calcium within individual intracellular organelles identified by their established ultrastructure, but only where the element is present at high levels.     

Impending malunions of the hand. Treatment of subacute, malaligned fractures

Malunions of the hand present a challenging problem to the orthopaedic surgeon. Angular and rotational deformities, and shortening and articular incongruity, can lead to significant functional impairment or dysesthetic appearance. The prevention of malunion should remain a primary goal. When displaced fractures of the metacarpals or phalanges present within the first or second weeks, properly performed closed or open reduction with percutaneous pinning or internal fixation are excellent options with predictable results. Malaligned fractures that present later frequently cannot be readily reduced. Once fully united, treatment options have included corrective osteotomy if function is significantly impaired or if appearance is objectionable; for patients who are not suitable for surgery for medical or other reasons, or for whom appearance is acceptable, intensive occupational therapy to maximize function may yield sufficiently serviceable clinical results. During the past several years, the senior author (BL) has chosen to be more proactive in the prevention of malunions of the hand. In the authors' experience, results of aggressive surgical treatment of subacute, malaligned fractures in selected patients have produced results comparable with or superior to those reported for later reconstructive procedures. With the proliferation of managed care, there has been an increasing frequency of delayed referral patterns for fracture treatment by hand specialists. Definitive treatment of these "impending malunions" is preferable to passive treatment delay and secondary reconstructive procedures, offering both earlier correction of alignment and earlier opportunity for return of function.     

Adolescent Adjustment Before and After HIV-Related Parental Death.

The impact of HIV-related parental death on 414 adolescents was examined over a period of 6 years. The adjustment of bereaved adolescents was compared over 4 time periods relative to parental death and was also compared with the adjustment of nonbereaved adolescents. Bereaved adolescents had significantly more emotional distress, negative life events, and contact with the criminal justice system than nonbereaved youths; these behaviors did not remain significantly higher after parental death. Depressive symptoms and passive problem solving increased soon after parental death, as compared with nonbereaved adolescents. One year subsequent to parental death, depression and passive problem solving were similar to the levels of nonbereaved peers. Only sexual risk behaviors increased following parental death. These results suggest the importance of early family intervention soon after parental HIV diagnosis, prior to parental death, and sustained over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developing an Automated Enzyme Immunoassay for High-Throughput Screening of Bovine Serum Antibodies to Neospora Caninum

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for Neospora caninum antibodies was automated with a robotic workstation, the Beckman Coulter Biomek 2000, to screen 200 bovine sera. Comparing these results with manually run ELISA data, a 95.92% agreement (K = 0.9592) between the two assays was obtained. The automated assay was specific and sensitive with excellent positive and negative predictive values. The results were repeatable and reproducible. The automation flexibility was high and the operation complexity was minimal. High-throughput screening (HTS) for bovine antibodies to Neospora caninum was achieved. The assay was developed according to the internationally recognized ISO17025 standard requirements.     

Modeling Ultrasonic Pulse-Echo Signals from a Flat-Bottom Hole in Immersion Testing Using a Multi-Gaussian Beam

This paper proposes an ultrasonic measurement model that can predict the pulse-echo signals from a flat-bottom hole in an isotropic, homogeneous solid specimen immersed in water in a computationally efficient manner. To develop such a model, a measurement model approach is adopted based on two important assumptions: the paraxial approximation for the transducer beam and the small flaw assumption for the flat-bottom hole. The modular model that results from these two assumptions contains three terms: a diffraction correction term, a far-field scattering amplitude term and a system efficiency factor term. The diffraction correction is defined based on a multi-Gaussian beam model which allows the rapid evaluation of the wave field incident on the hole. The far-field scattering amplitude of the flat-bottom hole is obtained using the Kirchhoff approximation together with the small flaw assumption. The system efficiency factor is determined by deconvolution of an experimental front surface reflection signal by a reference reflector model. Here, the contribution of each of these three terms to the overall measurement model are described in detail and the accuracy of the proposed model is verified by the comparison of the model-based predictions to experiments.     

Colonial Settlers and the Metropole: Racial discourse in the early 19th-century Cape Colony,Australia and New Zealand

The ways that British settlers in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, particularly those engaged in the extension of commercial sheep farming, constructed a certain discourse of colonialism during the first half of the 19th century are discussed. It is argued that this discourse was formulated, at least in part, in opposition to that of humanitarians within each colony and in Britain, who challenged settler capitalist practices on the fringes of Britain's expanding empire. Representations of a civilizing impact on the landscape were one component of the new racialized understandings and identities that settlers at each site constructed in their defence. Through attention to three colonial sites and their relations with each other and with the metropole, it is aimed to highlight the ways in which discourses of colonial landscapes and their inhabitants travelled across an imperial terrain.     

Discrete Events in Power Systems

The relevance of Discrete Event System theory (whether synthetic or analytic) to power system analysis and control is not clear. However, based on several characterizations of the domain of discrete systems set forth in the January 1989 Special Issue of the IEEE Proceedings, on Dynamics of discrete event systems (Ho, 1989), we attempt to delineate several power system control problems that may be amenable to analysis by DEDS methodologies. While the author is not qualified to judge whether the latter can speak to any of the examples, it may be relevant that in all cases the problems are non-trivial and in need of further contributions toward improved solutions, especially in view of the ongoing radical restructuring of the industry. The continuous process that is instantiated in the functioning of a power system is observed via three more or less diverse variables. Two of these, the scaler system frequency and the vector system voltage profile, are in principle mensurable physical phenomena; the third, system security, is a quality represented by a set membership conditioned on an inferred relationship between the two physical system variables and future realizations of one or more classes of autonomous stochastic phenomena. (These latter may be internal or external to the physical system, such as, e.g., respectively, equipment failure mechanisms and weather events.)