COLOPHON 2013

International audienceIn 2010 the Mimar Sinan University of Istanbul started a research project on the Ionian town of Colophon which is conducted in close collaboration with the University of Vienna [1]. It aims at the exploration of the ancient urban area as well as on the distribution of the necropoleis. For the campaign of the year 2013 the Austrian research team concentrated on the following topics [2]. 1. Survey in the area of the ancient city This year, the main focus of the investigations in the area within the fortification walls was laid on the exploration of the urbanistic organisation of the city by magnetic survey and by ground penetrating radar. For this purpose two areas were chosen. The first area consisted of fields in the plain between the brooks Kabaklidere and Kurudere in the north eastern quarters of the ancient city. Here the existence of houses has been proven by excavations by the museum of Izmir about 10–15 years ago. The remains of walls were also visible in several trenches opened by illegal diggers both on the plains and in the forested area near the slopes of the surrounding hills. The geophysical prospection confirmed the assumed existence of several buildings and streets in the area. In addition we conducted an extensive survey in adjacent fields and collected pottery from the holes dug by illegal diggers. The finds included roof tiles and a small amount of pottery with a chronological range from the 6 th to the 4 th c. BC. A detailed documentation of the present land-use and land-division of this area, already begun in 2012, was continued with the aim of a diachronical understanding of the landscape's historical development. This included the description of modern features in the fields as well as interviews with owners and tenants. The second area chosen for a geophysical prospection is situated to the south of the Halil Ağa Tepesi, where W. Höpfner proposed to locate the ancient agora [3]. Both magnetic survey and ground penetrating radar prospections were carried out here. Further examination of the data is currently being carried out. The exemplary geophysical prospection will give important insights into the organisation and layou

COLOPHON 2013

International audienceIn 2010 the Mimar Sinan University of Istanbul started a research project on the Ionian town of Colophon which is conducted in close collaboration with the University of Vienna [1]. It aims at the exploration of the ancient urban area as well as on the distribution of the necropoleis. For the campaign of the year 2013 the Austrian research team concentrated on the following topics [2]. 1. Survey in the area of the ancient city This year, the main focus of the investigations in the area within the fortification walls was laid on the exploration of the urbanistic organisation of the city by magnetic survey and by ground penetrating radar. For this purpose two areas were chosen. The first area consisted of fields in the plain between the brooks Kabaklidere and Kurudere in the north eastern quarters of the ancient city. Here the existence of houses has been proven by excavations by the museum of Izmir about 10–15 years ago. The remains of walls were also visible in several trenches opened by illegal diggers both on the plains and in the forested area near the slopes of the surrounding hills. The geophysical prospection confirmed the assumed existence of several buildings and streets in the area. In addition we conducted an extensive survey in adjacent fields and collected pottery from the holes dug by illegal diggers. The finds included roof tiles and a small amount of pottery with a chronological range from the 6 th to the 4 th c. BC. A detailed documentation of the present land-use and land-division of this area, already begun in 2012, was continued with the aim of a diachronical understanding of the landscape's historical development. This included the description of modern features in the fields as well as interviews with owners and tenants. The second area chosen for a geophysical prospection is situated to the south of the Halil Ağa Tepesi, where W. Höpfner proposed to locate the ancient agora [3]. Both magnetic survey and ground penetrating radar prospections were carried out here. Further examination of the data is currently being carried out. The exemplary geophysical prospection will give important insights into the organisation and layou

Intra-Annual Variation in the Stable Oxygen and Carbon and Trace Element Composition of Sclerosponges

This paper presents data to support the presence of (1) intra-annual signals in the chemical composition (δ18O and Sr/Ca) of the skeletons ofsclerosponges from the Bahamas and (2) variable rates of skeletal accretion. These conclusions are based on data obtained by using a microsampling method for the stable oxygen and carbon isotopes in which material was extracted at a resolution of one sample every 34 μm and a laser microprobe which obtained trace element data every 20 μm (Sr, Mg, and Pb). An age model was established using a combination of changes in the concentration of Pb, the change in the δ13C of the skeleton of the sclerosponges, and U/Th isotopic measurements. These methods yield a mean growth rate of 220 μm/yr but suggest that the growth rate in this particular sclerosponge was not constant. The calculated growth rate is within error identical to that determined by U/Th methods. The variable growth rate was confirmed through spectral analysis of the δ18O and Sr/Ca data that showed peaks corresponding to the annual cycle in these parameters as well as peaks corresponding to growth rates of approximately 128, 212, 270, and 400 μm/yr. The presence of these additional frequencies suggests a growth rate between approximately 100 and 300 μm/yr. These conclusions were supported by modeling of oxygen isotopic data measured on a scleractinian coral as well as model isotope data generated on synthetic time series. These findings have important implications for the use of sclerosponges as proxies of paleoclimate because they emphasize the need for a precise yearly chronology in order that proxy data can be compared with climatic variables. Copyright 2002 by the American Geophysical Union

Interactional Structure Applied to the Identification and Generation of Visual Interactive Behavior: Robots that (Usually) Follow the Rules

Peer reviewe

Electrophysiological effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine on isolated human atrial myocytes, and the influence of chronic beta-adrenoceptor blockade

<b>1.</b> 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) has been postulated to play a proarrhythmic role in the human atria via stimulation of 5-HT<sub>4</sub> receptors. <b>2.</b> The aims of this study were to examine the effects of 5-HT on the L-type Ca<sup>2+</sup> current (<i>I</i><sub>CaL</sub>) action potential duration (APD), the effective refractory period (ERP) and arrhythmic activity in human atrial cells, and to assess the effects of prior treatment with β-adrenoceptor antagonists. <b>3.</b> Isolated myocytes, from the right atrial appendage of 27 consenting patients undergoing cardiac surgery who were in sinus rhythm, were studied using the whole-cell perforated patch-clamp technique at 37ºC. <b>4.</b> 5-HT (1 n-10 μM) caused a concentration-dependent increase in <i>I</i><sub>CaL</sub>, which was potentiated in cells from β-blocked (maximum response to 5-HT, E<sub>max</sub>=299±12% increase above control) compared to non-β-blocked patients (E<sub>max</sub>=220±6%, P<0.05), but with no change in either the potency (log EC<sub>50</sub>: -7.09±0.07 vs -7.26±0.06) or Hill coefficient (<i>n</i><sub>H</sub>: 1.5±0.6 vs 1.5±0.3) of the 5-HT concentration-response curve. <b>5.</b> 5-HT (10 μM) produced a greater increase in the APD at 50% repolarisation (APD50) in cells from β-blocked patients (of 37±10 ms, i.e. 589±197%) vs non-β-blocked patients (of 10±4 ms, i.e. 157±54%; P<0.05). Both the APD<sub>90</sub> and the ERP were unaffected by 5-HT. <b>6.</b> Arrhythmic activity was observed in response to 5-HT in five of 17 cells (29%) studied from β-blocked, compared to zero of 16 cells from the non-β-blocked patients (P<0.05). <b>7.</b> In summary, the 5-HT-induced increase in calcium current was associated with a prolonged early plateau phase of repolarisation, but not late repolarisation or refractoriness, and the enhancement of these effects by chronic β-adrenoceptor blockade was associated with arrhythmic potential

Physics of Ultra-Peripheral Nuclear Collisions

Moving highly-charged ions carry strong electromagnetic fields that act as a field of photons. In collisions at large impact parameters, hadronic interactions are not possible, and the ions interact through photon-ion and photon-photon collisions known as {\it ultra-peripheral collisions} (UPC). Hadron colliders like the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), the Tevatron and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) produce photonuclear and two-photon interactions at luminosities and energies beyond that accessible elsewhere; the LHC will reach a $\gamma p$ energy ten times that of the Hadron-Electron Ring Accelerator (HERA). Reactions as diverse as the production of anti-hydrogen, photoproduction of the $\rho^0$, transmutation of lead into bismuth and excitation of collective nuclear resonances have already been studied. At the LHC, UPCs can study many types of `new physics.'Comment: 47 pages, to appear in Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Scienc

Severity of Depression Predicts Remission Rates Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Background: Multiple factors likely impact response and remission rates in the treatment of depression with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Notably the role of symptom severity in outcomes with rTMS is poorly understood.Objective/Hypothesis: This study investigated the predictors of achieving remission in patients suffering from depression who receive ≥3 rTMS treatments per week. Methods: Available data on 41 patients treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center from 2009 to 2014 were included for analysis. Patients received a range of pulse sequences from 3,000 to 5,000 with left sided or bilateral coil placement. Primary outcome measures were total score on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) or the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology—Self Rated (QIDS-SR). Remission was defined as a total score less than five, and response was defined as a 50% decrease in the total score on both outcome metrics. Outcomes in patients diagnosed as suffering from mild or moderate depression were compared to those suffering from severe depression. Results: Of the 41 patients receiving treatment, 16 reached remission by the end of treatment. Remission rate was associated with the initial severity of depression, with patients with mild or moderate depression reaching remission at a significantly higher rate than those with severe depression. Total number of rTMS sessions or length of treatment were not predictors of remission. Conclusion: Patients with a baseline level of depression characterized as mild or moderate had significantly better outcomes following rTMS compared to patients with severe depression

Electrophysiological and arrhythmogenic effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine on human atrial cells are reduced in atrial fibrillation

5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is proarrhythmic in atrial cells from patients in sinus rhythm (SR) via activation of 5-HT<sub>4</sub> receptors, but its effects in atrial cells from patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are unknown. The whole-cell perforated patch-clamp technique was used to record L-type Ca<sup>2+</sup> current (<i>I</i><sub>CaL</sub>), action potential duration (APD) and arrhythmic activity at 37 °C in enzymatically isolated atrial cells obtained from patients undergoing cardiac surgery, in SR or with chronic AF. In the AF group, 5-HT (10 μM) produced an increase in <i>I</i><sub>CaL</sub> of 115 ± 21% above control (<i>n</i> = 10 cells, 6 patients) that was significantly smaller than that in the SR group (232 ± 33%; <i>p</i> 0.05; <i>n</i> = 27 cells, 12 patients). Subsequent co-application of isoproterenol (1 μM) caused a further increase in <i>I</i><sub>CaL</sub> in the AF group (by 256 ± 94%) that was greater than that in the SR group (22 ± 6%; p < 0.05). The APD at 50% repolarisation (APD<sub>50</sub>) was prolonged by 14 ± 3 ms by 5-HT in the AF group (<i>n</i> = 37 cells, 14 patients). This was less than that in the SR group (27 ± 4 ms; <i>p</i> < 0.05; <i>n</i> = 58 cells, 24 patients). Arrhythmic activity in response to 5-HT was observed in 22% of cells in the SR group, but none was observed in the AF group (p < 0.05). Atrial fibrillation was associated with reduced effects of 5-HT, but not of isoproterenol, on <i>I</i><sub>CaL</sub> in human atrial cells. This reduced effect on <i>I</i><sub>CaL</sub> was associated with a reduced APD<sub>50</sub> and arrhythmic activity with 5-HT. Thus, the potentially arrhythmogenic influence of 5-HT may be suppressed in AF-remodelled human atrium

Relations between children’s metamemory and strategic performance: Time-varying covariates in early elementary school

Although much is known about the development of memory strategies and metamemory in childhood, evidence for linkages between these memory skills, either concurrently or over time, has been limited. Drawing from a longitudinal investigation of the development of memory, repeated assessments of children’s (N=107) strategy use and declarative metamemory were made, in order to examine the development of these skills and the relations between them over time. Latent curve models were used first to estimate the trajectories of children’s strategy use and metamemory and then to examine predictors of children’s performance in each of these domains. Children’s metamemory at the beginning of Grade 1 was linked to child- and home-level factors, whereas the development of both skills was related to maternal education level. Additional modeling of the longitudinal relations between strategic sorting and metacognitive knowledge indicated that metamemory at earlier time points was predictive of subsequent strategy use