Ultrafast absorption kinetics of NADH in folded and unfolded conformations

The non-radiative energy transfer is shown to occur on a ~3ps time scale for NADH in the folded form in H2O. Addition of methanol thermodynamically favours the open form, for which energy transfer does not occur

The United States and Myanmar: from antagonists to security partners

This article provides an overview both of the considerable makeover that relations between the United States and Myanmar have undergone since Naypyidaw ushered in a programme of wide-ranging reforms, and of the main policy areas in relation to which Washington remains keen to induce further change. The article also aims to explain why, notwithstanding the significant improvement in bilateral relations and the Obama administration’s interest in also pursuing military engagement, progress in this field has remained rather limited. Focusing on the politics of US policymaking on Burma, the article argues that while the Obama administration was able to take the initiative on recalibrating US Burma policy, congressional resistance in particular, amid wider concerns shared by non-governmental organisations, has so far constrained the administration vis-à-vis US–Myanmar military-to-military relations

MR venography of the fetal brain using susceptibility weighted imaging

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108687/1/jmri24476.pd

Myanmar and the international community

This workshop aims to create a few reflections on Myanmar. (i) It aims to encourage a debate concerning the ‘dynamics of change’ as well as the ‘inertia to change’ as intertwined processes in Myanmar. (ii) It adds to the general on-going focus on Myanmar, the dimension of a discussion that includes the European Union. The European Union is too often neglected as an actor, which has been constructively operating in Myanmar towards its governance’s transformation; attention will be paid to this aspect. (iii) Furthermore, the United States and China are usually debated in relation to Myanmar and their balancing power in the region, whereas the EU is left aside. The way in which these three powers interact with Myanmar, considered against the background of both the balancing power context and the power politics race in the Pacific Southeast Asian region, is a supplementary aim. (iv)The aim of this workshop is to strengthen the interaction between the area of study of the EU’s external relations and Southeast Asia-led studies that too often develop separately

Imaging the Effects of Oxygen Saturation Changes in Voluntary Apnea and Hyperventilation on Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cerebrovascular oxygenation changes during respiratory challenges have clinically important implications for brain function, including cerebral autoregulation and the rate of brain metabolism. SWI is sensitive to venous oxygenation level by exploitation of the magnetic susceptibility of deoxygenated blood. We assessed cerebral venous blood oxygenation changes during simple voluntary breath-holding (apnea) and hyperventilation by use of SWI at 3T. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed SWI scans (3T; acquisition time of 1 minute, 28 seconds; centered on the anterior commissure and the posterior commissure) on 10 healthy male volunteers during baseline breathing as well as during simple voluntary hyperventilation and apnea challenges. The hyperventilation and apnea tasks were separated by a 5-minute resting period. SWI venograms were generated, and the signal changes on SWI before and after the respiratory stress tasks were compared by means of a paired Student t test. RESULTS: Changes in venous vasculature visibility caused by the respiratory challenges were directly visualized on the SWI venograms. The venogram segmentation results showed that voluntary apnea decreased the mean venous blood voxel number by 1.6% (P < .0001), and hyperventilation increased the mean venous blood voxel number by 2.7% (P < .0001). These results can be explained by blood CO2 changes secondary to the respiratory challenges, which can alter cerebrovascular tone and cerebral blood flow and ultimately affect venous oxygen levels. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the sensitivity of SWI to simple and noninvasive respiratory challenges and its potential utility in assessing cerebral hemodynamics and vasomotor responses

Мотив граалю як ідеологічний чинник у фентезійній Артуріані ХХ століття

У статті досліджено еволюцію традиційного мотиву Граалю в аспекті авторської інтерпретації, на матеріалі циклів фентезійних романів С.Лохеда, М.Ц.Бредлі та Г.Дж.Кея розглянуто особливості імплантації зазначеного мотиву у фантастичний текст та реалізацію його субмотивів і функцій у залежності від авторської ідеології.В статье исследуется эволюция традиционного мотива Грааля в аспекте авторской интерпретации, на материале циклов фэнтезийных романов С.Лохеда, М.Ц.Бредли та Г.Дж.Кея рассмотрены особенности имплантации указанного мотива в фантастический текст и реализацию его субмотивов и функций в зависимости от авторской идеологии.The article offers the analisys of traditional Grail motif in aspect of the author's interpretation; on a base of fantasy cycles by S.Lawhead, M.Z.Bradley and G.G.Key. There are examined specifics of such motif’s implantation into fantastic texts and instantiation of it’s submotifs and functions according to the author’s ideology

Not quite the 'Great Britain of the Far East': Japan's security, the US-Japan alliance and the 'war on terror' in East Asia

Japan, in responding to US expectations for support in the 'war on terror', has displayed a degree of strategic convergence on global security objectives, thus prompting policy-makers and observers to dub it the 'Great Britain of the Far East'. This article argues, however, that Japan is far from assuming this role. For Japan, the 'war on terror' serves more as a political pretext for legitimating long-planned changes in military security policy that are often only marginally related to the US's anti-terrorism agenda. Instead, Japan has focused much more on using the terror threat rationale as a means to push forward its response to the regional and traditional security challenges of North Korea and China, even if at times it attempts to depict both as 'new security challenges' or as involving elements of counterterrorism. The final conclusion is that US military hegemony may be weakened by Japan's and the Asia-Pacific's potential divergence from the US global security agenda