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Autism is a complex condition which affects different individuals in markedly different ways. The autism spectrum is often referred to for exactly this reason, accounting for great variation in many distinct categories of symptoms of autistic people. Understanding of this broad range in how autism can present in different individuals needs to increase because, otherwise, many individuals are at risk of remaining undiagnosed. When autism is overlooked and goes undiagnosed in females, biological inevitabilities of menses and menopause, along with the possibility of pregnancy, stand to bring greater disruption to the undiagnosed individual than to the general population of females. As such, the underdiagnosis of autism in females urgently needs attention.

Mitochondrial diseases, characterized by a respiratory chain deficiency, are considered as rare genetic diseases but are the most frequent among inherited metabolic disorders. The complexity of their diagnosis is due to the dual control by the mitochondrial (mtDNA) and the nuclear DNA (nDNA), and to the heterogeneous clinical presentations; illegitimate association of symptoms should prompt the clinician to evoke a mitochondrial disorder. The goals of this review are to provide clinicians a better understanding of mitochondrial diseases in adults. After a brief overview on the mitochondrial origin and functions, especially their role in the energy metabolism, we will describe the genetic bases for mitochondrial diseases, then we will describe the various clinical presentations with the different affected tissues as well as the main symptoms encountered. Even if the new sequencing approaches have profoundly changed the diagnostic process, the brain imaging, the biological, the biochemical, and the histological explorations are still important highlighting the need for a multidisciplinary approach. While for most of the patients with a mitochondrial disease, only supportive and symptomatic therapies are available, recent advances in the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms have been made and new therapies are being developed and are evaluated in human clinical trials.

MOMIRPPC PROJECT

A trawl survey was conducted in the Saint Marys River during 2010–2011 and we compared our results to a prior trawl survey conducted during 1979–1983 to look for long-term changes in the fish community, especially in terms of changes induced by invasive species. We found no substantive temporal differences in fish density, fish biomass, or fish diversity; lower trawl biomass during 2010–2011 was likely a result of day versus night trawling. The Saint Marys River remains a center of high fish diversity, invasive species remain rare, and the system continues to exhibit overall long-term stability. Trawling captured a wide range of fish species, but was likely not an effective stock assessment tool for managed game fish because catch rates were low or variable for all game species except yellow perch. Trawling appeared to be an effective tool for sampling connecting channel diversity, especially when large numbers of individuals are needed for directed studies, but annual sampling would be needed to use data to assess recruitment.

Objectives To establish recommendations on immunization for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Background Vaccines have been suspected in the past to trigger MS and relapses. With the extension of the immunoactive treatment arsenal, other concerns have been raised more recently about an increased risk of infection or a decreased effectiveness of immunization in immunosuppressed patients. Methods The French Group for Recommendations into Multiple Sclerosis (France4MS) performed a systematic search of papers in Medline and other university databases (January 1975–June 2018). The RAND/UCLA appropriateness method was chosen to review the scientific literature and to formalize the degree of agreement among experts on 5 clinical questions related to immunization and MS. Readers from the steering committee conducted a systematic analysis, wrote a critical synthesis and prepared a list of proposals that were evaluated by a rating group of 28 MS experts. The final version of the recommendations was finally reviewed by a reading group of 110 health care professionals and classified as appropriate, inappropriate or uncertain. Results Neurologists should verify the vaccination status as soon as MS is diagnosed and before disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) are introduced. The French vaccination schedule applies to MS patients and seasonal influenza vaccination is recommended. In the case of treatment-induced immunosuppression, MS patients should be informed about the risk of infection and the vaccination standards of the French High Council of Health should be applied. Live attenuated vaccines are contra-indicated in patients recently treated with immunosuppressive drugs, including corticosteroids; other vaccines can be proposed whatever the treatment, but their effectiveness may be partly reduced with some drugs. Conclusion Physicians and patients should be aware of the updated recommendations for immunizations of patients with MS.

Trotz der unbestrittenen Bedeutung der Qualitat der Facharztweiterbildung zur Arztin/zum Arzt fur Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie existieren in Deutschland bisher keine systematischen Untersuchungen zu diesem Thema und, abgesehen von der Evaluation der praktischen Weiterbildung durch die Arztekammern, kaum Daten. In dieser Arbeit werden die Organisation der theoretischen Weiterbildung der Akademie-OWL, eines Weiterbildungsverbunds psychiatrischer Kliniken in Ostwestfalen-Lippe, und Evaluationsergebnisse dargestellt. Die Akademie-OWL fuhrt seit 2009 regelmasige Befragungen der Teilnehmer zur Qualitat der vermittelten Weiterbildungsinhalte durch. Der in Blockwochen organisierte theoretische Unterricht wird regelmasig durch die Teilnehmer mittels eines Fragebogens evaluiert, und die Ergebnisse werden an die jeweiligen Dozenten zuruckgemeldet. Diese Ergebnisse werden hier anhand eines Beispiels und in aggregierter Form als Zeitreihen anhand eines Globalbeurteilungsitems dargestellt. Sie zeigen, dass 1. die Bandbreite der Beurteilungsmoglichkeiten durch die Kandidaten genutzt wird, 2. die fachlichen Kompetenzen der Dozenten besser beurteilt werden als ihre didaktischen, 3. weder innerhalb des einzelnen Weiterbildungsverlaufs noch uber die verschiedenen Weiterbildungs-Generationen hinweg systematische Veranderungen zu beobachten sind und 4. graduelle Unterschiede der Evaluation zwischen Themengebieten und/oder Dozenten beobachtbar sind. Die Ergebnisse sprechen fur eine weitergehende systematische Untersuchung des Themas und eine systematische Forderung der didaktischen Kompetenzen der Dozenten.

Invasion of North American waters by nonnative Dreissena polymorpha and D. rostriformis bugensis has resulted in declines of the Unionidae family of native North American mussels. Dreissenid mussels biofoul unionid mussels in large numbers and interfere with unionid movement, their acquisition of food, and the native mussels' ability to open and close their shells. Initial expectations for the Great Lakes included extirpation of unionids where they co-occurred with dreissenids, but recently adult and juvenile unionids have been found alive in several apparent refugia. These unionid populations may persist due to reduced dreissenid biofouling in these areas, and/or due to processes that remove biofoulers. For example locations inaccessible to dreissenid veligers may reduce biofouling and habitats with soft substrates may allow unionids to burrow and thus remove dreissenids. We deployed caged unionid mussels (Lampsilis siliquoidea) at 36 sites across the western basin of Lake Erie to assess spatial...

Adventitial cystic disease of the venous system is an uncommon pathology. The diagnostic workup, therapeutic options, and long-term outcomes are not well delineated. We present a case of a 37-year-old male who had an incidental finding of a cystic structure compressing his common femoral vein. Initially, the cyst was aspirated, but because of recurrence and new symptoms, the patient required surgical excision.

Examination of angler-caught piscivore stomachs revealed that Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush, Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, and Walleyes Sander vitreus altered their diets in response to unprecedented declines in Lake Huron's main-basin prey fish community. Diets varied by predator species, season, and location but were nearly always dominated numerically by some combination of Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus, Rainbow Smelt Osmerus mordax, Emerald Shiner Notropis atherinoides, Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus, or terrestrial insects. Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (steelhead), Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch, and Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar had varied diets that reflected higher contributions of insects. Compared with an earlier (1983–1986) examination of angler-caught predator fishes from Lake Huron, the contemporary results showed an increase in consumption of nontraditional prey (including conspecifics), use of smaller prey, and an increase in insects in the diet, suggesting that ...

Long-term surveys are useful in understanding trends in connecting channel fish communities; a gill net assessment in the Saint Marys River performed periodically since 1975 is the most comprehensive connecting channels sampling program within the Laurentian Great Lakes. We assessed efficiency of that survey, with intent to inform development of assessments at other connecting channels. We evaluated trends in community composition, effort versus estimates of species richness, ability to detect abundance changes for four species, and effects of subsampling yellow perch catches on size and age-structure metrics. Efficiency analysis revealed low power to detect changes in species abundance, whereas reduced effort could be considered to index species richness. Subsampling simulations indicated that subsampling would have allowed reliable estimates of yellow perch ( Perca flavescens ) population structure, while greatly reducing the number of fish that were assigned ages. Analyses of statistical power and efficiency of current sampling protocols are useful for managers collecting and using these types of data as well as for the development of new monitoring programs. Our approach provides insight into whether survey goals and objectives were being attained and can help evaluate ability of surveys to answer novel questions that arise as management strategies are refined.

Reported population biomass of Limnocalanus macrurus in Lake Huron has been underestimated by several-fold owing to application of an inappropriate length–weight regression model. During August and September the underestimates can exceed three-fold, suggesting that secondary production of the species in the lake is greater than previously thought. Increased representation of the species in the plankton community in recent years is associated with a decrease in its trophic level deduced through nitrogen stable isotope analysis of specimens from opportunistic samples obtained in 1993, 1995, and 2009. Limnocalanus 15 N enrichment relative to primary herbivores appears to have decreased by 1.5‰ over this time period. Similarly, Diaptomus 15 N enrichment relative to primary herbivores appeared to decrease by 1.1‰ from 1993 to 2009. Our data offer at least two possible explanations for this shift. (1) Limnocalanus has adopted a more herbivorous diet in response to the ecological changes in Lake Huron or (2) hypolimnetic Diaptomus have adopted a more herbivorous diet and Limnocalanus is relying in part on Diaptomus as a food source.

In this work, the energy transfer from intense continuous-wave laser beams with a wavelength of 1070 nm, a power in the kilowatt range, and with diameters in the millimeter and centimeter range to metal samples is investigated. While the absorptivity of iron and steel samples is almost constant for laser intensities below 3.4 kW/cm2, a decrease in the absorptivity is observed for higher intensities which is attributed to the formation of a vapor plume in the interaction zone. The dynamics of the formation and expansion as well as the emission of light in the visible spectral range from the vapor plume are further characterized with a fixed beam diameter of 2.6 mm at a laser power of 10 kW in detail for iron and aluminum samples. The analysis of high speed video sequences yields expansion velocities of the vapor plume of 5.0 m/s for the iron and 0.29 m/s for the aluminum samples. In the spectra from the aluminum samples, emission lines from atomic aluminum as well as emission bands from molecular aluminum monoxide are identified and allow for the estimation of the basic thermodynamic parameters. A special focus is on the investigation of the effect of vapor and plasma formation on the energy transfer from the laser to the sample and on the analysis of the role of inverse bremsstrahlung in this process. The measurements indicate that the metal vapor is partially ionized and that there is a significant contribution of inverse bremsstrahlung to the absorption of laser energy in the partially ionized vapor plume.

Despite of the undisputed impact of education quality on becoming a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapist, systematic studies in this field do not exist in Germany, apart from the evaluation of practical education by the medical councils.The Akademie-OWL, an education union of psychiatric clinics in the East Westphalia region of Germany, has provided 12-item questionnaire-based routine evaluations of theoretical education seminars since 2009. Seminars are held by consultants of psychiatry and psychotherapy within six separate weeks over a period of four years. All lecturers receive feedback from the evaluation. The results of this ongoing evaluation are presented using a typical example and in an aggregated format as a time series on the basis of one global item.The data show that (1) the full range of a five-point Likert scale is used by the candidates, (2) psychiatric competences of the lecturers are more positively evaluated than their didactic competences, (3) neither within the four-years period of psychiatric education nor between different generations of candidates are systematic changes of evaluation results observed, and (4) minor to moderate differences of evaluation were observed between the different thematic fields of psychiatry and psychotherapy.These results indicate the need of more systematic education research on establishing valid and reliable specific instruments as well as the need of systematic training of didactic competences of teaching consultants.

Because it is not possible to identify species with echosounders alone, trawling is widely used as a method for collecting species and size composition data for allocating acoustic fish density estimates to species or size groups. In the Laurentian Great Lakes, data from midwater trawls are commonly used for such allocations. However, there are no rules for how much midwater trawling effort is required to adequately describe species and size composition of the pelagic fish communities in these lakes, so the balance between acoustic sampling effort and trawling effort has been unguided. We used midwater trawl data collected between 1986 and 2008 in lakes Michigan and Huron and a variety of analytical techniques to develop guidance for appropriate levels of trawl effort. We used multivariate regression trees and re-sampling techniques to i. identify factors that influence species and size composition of the pelagic fish communities in these lakes, ii. identify stratification schemes for the two lakes, iii. determine if there was a relationship between uncertainty in catch composition and the number of tows made, and iv. predict the number of tows required to reach desired uncertainty targets. We found that depth occupied by fish below the surface was the most influential explanatory variable. Catch composition varied between lakes at depths

We compared Bythotrephes population demographics and dynamics to predator (planktivorous fish) and prey (small-bodied crustacean zooplankton) densities at a site sampled through the growing season in Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie. Although seasonal average densities of Bythotrephes were similar across lakes (222/m 2 Erie, 247/m 2 Huron, 162/m 2 Michigan), temporal trends in abundance differed among lakes. In central Lake Erie where Bythotrephes' prey assemblage was dominated by small individuals (60%), where planktivorous fish densities were high (14,317/ha), and where a shallow water column limited availability of a deepwater refuge, the Bythotrephes population was characterized by a small mean body size, large broods with small neonates, allocation of length increases mainly to the spine rather than to the body, and a late summer population decline. By contrast, in Lake Michigan where Bythotrephes' prey assemblage was dominated by large individuals (72%) and planktivorous fish densities were lower (5052/ha), the Bythotrephes population was characterized by a large mean body size (i.e., 37–55% higher than in Erie), small broods with large neonates, nearly all growth in body length occurring between instars 1 and 2, and population persistence into fall. Life-history characteristics in Lake Huron tended to be intermediate to those found in Lakes Michigan and Erie, reflecting lower overall prey and predator densities (1224/ha) relative to the other lakes. Because plasticity in life history can affect interactions with other species, our findings point to the need to understand life-history variation among Great Lakes populations to improve our ability to model the dynamics of these ecosystems.

Maintaining aquatic biodiversity in urban or suburban areas can be problematic because urban landscapes can be nearly devoid of aquatic habitats other than engineered basins for storm water management. These areas are usually of questionable value for fish, but we examined a case study in which five regionally imperiled fish species were reintroduced into an artificial storm water detention pond and subsequently thrived. Although not a formal experiment, postintroduction survey data suggested that three of the five species maintained high population densities for 10 years after initial stocking, and two persisted in lower numbers. Success was likely due to a combination of unique design features and prior habitat preparation that resulted in clear water conditions that supported dense vegetation. Stocked fish persisted despite occasional bouts of low dissolved oxygen and increased chloride levels resulting from road salt application within the watershed. Transplanted fish served as a source popul...

The opossum shrimp (Mysis diluviana) is a vital component of Great Lakes food webs. Baseline data on the nutritional condition of Mysis populations are necessary to evaluate potential impacts of recent, dramatic changes in the lower food webs of lakes Michigan and Huron. Information on lipid and fatty acid content can reveal patterns of health and physiological condition of mysids, including inferences on availability and quality of food. We sampled Mysis populations in the two lakes in spring and late summer/early fall 2008 and analyzed total lipid content and fatty acid profiles to describe Mysis nutritional condition. On average, adult Mysis in Lake Huron had lower total lipids and elevated concentrations of the fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid compared with Lake Michigan, although differences were not always significant. Results suggest that Lake Huron Mysis could have been starving during spring 2008.

Every organization, no matter how big or small, is a potential target for an increasingly sophisticated group of individuals looking to dip into your bank account without invitation. And these folks don't discriminate. If they can get your banking information and you haven't taken the proper steps to protect yourself, they'll help themselves to your hard-earned money. This article provides advice on what best practice organizations are doing to protect themselves against the three areas where most are vulnerable: check fraud, p-card fraud, and electronic payment fraud. © 2011 Mary S. Schaeffer

We examined trends in species composition and abundance of the St. Marys River fish community. Abundance data were available approximately once every six years from 1975 through 2006, and size and age data were available from 1995 through 2006. We also compared survey data in 2006 with results of a concurrent creel survey that year, as well as data from prior surveys spanning a 69 year time frame. The St. Marys River fish community was best characterized as a coolwater fish community with apparent little variation in species composition, and only slight variation in overall fish abundance since 1975. However, we did find recent trends in abundance among target species sought by anglers: centrarchids increased, percids appeared stable, and both northern pike Esox lucius and cisco Coregonus artedii declined. Survey results suggested that walleye ( Sander vitreus ) and yellow perch ( Perca flavescens ) experienced moderate exploitation but benefited from recent strong recruitment and faster growth. Mechanisms underlying declines of northern pike and cisco were not clear; reduced abundance could have resulted from high exploitation, variation in recruitment, or a combination of both factors. Despite these challenges, the St. Marys River fish community appears remarkably stable. We suggest that managers insure that creel surveys occur simultaneously with assessments, but periodic gill net surveys may no longer provide adequate data in support of recent, more complex management objectives. While additional surveys would add costs, more frequent data might ensure sustainability of a unique fish community that supports a large proportion of angler effort on Lake Huron.

Accounts payable definitely affects your company's cash flow and cash management. The author explains several tactics your firm can use to improve its cash position-as well as one or two that will inadvertently harm it. This article is excerpted from Controller and CFO's Guide to Accounts Payable (John Wiley & Sons). © 2007 by Mary S. Schaeffer

Blowfly larvae and porcine tissue contaminated with gunshot residue (GSR) were collected during summer and winter months, over a 37-day and a 60-day sampling period, respectively. Wound samples were microwave-digested and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the detection of antimony, barium, and lead. During summer, the 37-day sampling period encompassed all stages of decomposition, except skeletonization. The three elements were detected in larvae only on days 3 and 4 after death but were detected at significant levels in tissue samples throughout the entire sampling period. In winter, no significant decomposition was observed throughout the 60-day sampling. Although temperatures were too low for blowfly activity, the three elements were detected in the tissue samples at relatively constant, significant levels. Hence, GSR determination in tissue was more dependent on decomposition stage rather than time since death.

Future alterations in land cover and climate are likely to cause substantial changes in the ranges of fish species. Predictive distribution models are an important tool for assessing the probability that these changes will cause increases or decreases in or the extirpation of species. Classification tree models that predict the probability of game fish presence were applied to the streams of the Muskegon River watershed, Michigan. The models were used to study three potential future scenarios: (1) land cover change only, (2) land cover change and a 3°C increase in air temperature by 2100, and (3) land cover change and a 5°C increase in air temperature by 2100. The analysis indicated that the expected change in air temperature and subsequent change in water temperatures would result in the decline of coldwater fish in the Muskegon watershed by the end of the 21st century while cool- and warmwater species would significantly increase their ranges. The greatest decline detected was a 90% reduction i...

Restoration of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush stocks in Lake Huron is a fish community objective developed to promote sustainable fish communities in the lake. Between 1985 and 2004, 12.65 million lake trout were stocked into Lake Huron representing eight different genetic strains. Collections of bona fide wild fish in USGS surveys have increased in recent years and this study examined the ancestry and diet of fish collected between 2004 and 2006 to explore the ecological role they occupy in Lake Huron. Analysis of microsatellite DNA revealed that both pure strain and inter-strain hybrids were observed, and the majority of fish were classified as Seneca Lake strain or Seneca Lake hybrids. Diets of 50 wild age-0 lake trout were examined. Mysis, chironomids, and zooplankton were common prey items of wild age-0 lake trout. These results indicate that stocked fish are successfully reproducing in Lake Huron indicating a level of restoration success. However, continued changes to the benthic macroinvertebrate community, particularly declines of Mysis, may limit growth and survival of wild fish and hinder restoration efforts.

Deepwater sculpin Myoxocephalus thompsonii are an important component of Great Lake's offshore benthic food webs. Recent declines in deepwater sculpin abundance and changes in bathymetric distribution may be associated with changes in the deepwater food web of Lake Huron, particularly, decreased abundance of benthic invertebrates such as Diporeia. To assess how deepwater sculpins have responded to recent changes, we examined a fifteen-year time series of spatial and temporal patterns in abundance as well as the diets of fish collected in bottom trawls during fall of 2003, 2004, and 2005. During 1992–2007, deepwater sculpin abundance declined on a lake-wide scale but the decline in abundance at shallower depths and in the southern portion of Lake Huron was more pronounced. Of the 534 fish examined for diet analysis, 97% had food in the stomach. Mysis, Diporeia, and Chironomidae were consumed frequently, while sphaerid clams, ostracods, fish eggs, and small fish were found in only low numbers. We found an inverse relationship between prevalence of Mysis and Diporeia in diets that reflected geographic and temporal trends in abundance of these invertebrates in Lake Huron. Because deepwater sculpins are an important trophic link in offshore benthic food webs, declines in population abundance and changes in distribution may cascade throughout the food web and impede fish community restoration goals.

Spatial patterns in the biomass of pelagic fish in Lake Huron have persisted over 10 years even though biomass decreased 86% and the fish community shifted from dominance by non-native species (rainbow smelt, Osmerus mordax ) to dominance by native species (bloater, Coregonus hoyi ). Based on multivariate analyses of acoustic biomass data and abiotic variables from the years 1997, 2004, 2005, and 2007, the strength of relationships between abiotic variables (primarily bottom depth) and fish community composition gradients decreased with fish biomass, suggesting that at high biomass, the influence of the measured abiotic variables is minimal. We observed consistently higher biomass in the North Channel and Georgian Bay than in the Main Basin, and as a result, we conclude that these smaller basins are likely important contributors to lakewide fish biomass, production, and dynamics. These results suggest that at current biomass levels, efforts to understand ecology, population dynamics, and lakewide abundance need to incorporate the effects of depth and geographic variation on fish distributions and ecology.

Lake Huron has a rich aquatic habitat diversity that includes shallow embayments, numerous tributaries, shallow mid-lake reef complexes, archipelagos, and profundal regions. These habitats provide support for warm, cool, and cold water fish communities. Diversity of fishes in Lake Huron reflects post-glaciation colonization events, current climate conditions, accidental and intentional introductions of non-indigenous species, and extinctions. Most extinction events have been largely associated with habitat alterations, exploitation of fisheries, and interactions with non-indigenous species. The most recent historical survey of extirpated and imperiled species conducted in the late 1970s identified 79 fish species in Lake Huron proper and about 50 additional species in tributaries. Of those 129 species, 20 are now considered extirpated or imperiled. Extirpated species include Arctic grayling, paddlefish, weed shiner, deepwater cisco, blackfin cisco, shortnose cisco, and kiyi. Six species have declined appreciably due to loss of clear-water stream habitat: the river redhorse, river darter, black redhorse, pugnose shiner, lake chubsucker, redside dace, eastern sand darter, and channel darter. While numerous agencies, universities, and other organizations routinely monitor nearshore and offshore fish distribution and abundance, there is a need for more rigorous examination of the distribution and abundance of less-common species to better understand their ecology. This information is critical to the development of management plans aimed at ecosystem remediation and restoration.

Invasive species have had major impacts on the Great Lakes. This is especially true of exotic dreissenid mussels which are associated with decreased abundance of native macroinvertebrates and changes in food availability for fish. Beginning in 2001, we added a benthic macroinvertebrate survey to the USGS-Great Lakes Science Center's annual fall prey fish assessment of Lake Huron to monitor abundance of macrobenthos. Mean abundance of Diporeia, the most abundant benthic taxon in Lake Huron reported by previous investigators, declined greatly between 2001 and 2007. Diporeia was virtually absent at 27-m sites by 2001, decreased and was lost completely from 46-m depths by 2006, but remained present at reduced densities at 73-m sites. Dreissenids in our samples were almost entirely quagga mussels Dreissena bugensis. Zebra mussels Dreissena polymorpha were virtually absent from our samples, suggesting that they were confined to nearshore areas shallower than we sampled. Loss of Diporeia at individual sites was associated with arrival of quagga mussels, even when mussel densities were low. Quagga mussel density peaked during 2002, then decreased thereafter. During the study quagga mussels became established at most 46-m sites, but remained rare at 73-m sites. Length frequency distributions suggest that initial widespread recruitment may have occurred during 2001–2002. Like other Great Lakes, Lake Huron quagga mussels were associated with decreased abundance of native taxa, but negative effects occurred even though dreissenid densities were much lower. Dreissenid effects may extend well into deep oligotrophic habitats of Lake Huron.

In this economy, payment fraud may be on the rise. But there are some simple tactics you can use to prevent payment fraud. The author explains what they are, and how to use them. This article is adapted from Fraud in Accounts Payable: How to Prevent It by Mary S. Schaeffer, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Long-term fish community surveys were carried out in the Michigan waters of Lake Huron using bottom trawls from 1976 to 2006. Trends in abundance indices for common species (those caught in 10% or more of trawl tows) were estimated for two periods: Early (1976-1991) and late (1994-2006). All common species significantly decreased in abundance during the late period with the exception of the johnny darter Etheostoma nigrum and spottail shiner Notropis hudsonius, which showed no significant trends, and the round goby Neogobius melanostomus, which increased in abundance. Percentage decreases in abundance indices between 1994-1995 and 2005-2006 ranged from 66.4% to 99.9%, and seven species decreased in abundance by more than 90%. The mean biomass of all common species in 2006 was the lowest observed in the time series and was less than 5% of that observed in the mid-1990s. The mean number of common species captured per trawl has also decreased since the mid-1990s. Several factors, including recent in...

Emerald shiners Notropis atherinoides were formerly common in Lakes Huron and Michigan, but declined during the 1960s as the exotic alewife Alosa pseudoharengus proliferated. The Lake Huron emerald shiner population was chronically depressed through 2004; however, we detected resurgence in emerald shiner density and biomass in Lake Huron during acoustic and midwater trawl surveys conducted during 2004–2006. Emerald shiners were not found during 2004, but by 2006 main basin density exceeded 500 fish/ha, biomass estimates exceeded 0.5 kg/ha, and emerald shiners contributed more to pelagic biomass than alewives or rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax. Length frequency distributions suggested that increased density was the result of two consecutive strong year classes in 2005 and 2006. Emerald shiner distributions also expanded from a focus in western Lake Huron in 2005 to a lakewide distribution in 2006. Emerald shiners occurred offshore, but were nearly always associated with epilimnetic surface waters warmer than 19°C. Resurgence of emerald shiners was likely a consequence of reduced alewife abundance, as they declined concurrently with alewife proliferation during the early 1960s. Return of this species may benefit native nearshore piscivores; however, benefits to Pacific salmonids Oncorhynchus spp. are uncertain because emerald shiners are smaller and still less abundant than historically important prey species, and they may be thermally segregated from salmonines.

Traditionally, fish habitat requirements have been described from local-scale environmental variables. However, recent studies have shown that studying landscape-scale processes improves our understanding of what drives species assemblages and distribution patterns across the landscape. Our goal was to learn more about constraints on the distribution of Michigan stream fish by examining landscape-scale habitat variables. We used classification trees and landscape-scale habitat variables to create and validate presence-absence models and relative abundance models for Michigan stream fishes. We developed 93 presence-absence models that on average were 72% correct in making predictions for an independent data set, and we developed 46 relative abundance models that were 76% correct in making predictions for independent data. The models were used to create statewide predictive distribution and abundance maps that have the potential to be used for a variety of conservation and scientific purposes.

Localized natural reproduction of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Huron has occurred since the 1980s near Thunder Bay, Michigan. During 2004–2006, USGS spring and fall bottom trawl surveys captured 63 wild juvenile lake trout at depths ranging from 37–73 m at four of five ports in the Michigan waters of the main basin of Lake Huron, more than five times the total number captured in the previous 30-year history of the surveys. Relatively high catches of wild juvenile lake trout in bottom trawls during 2004–2006 suggest that natural reproduction by lake trout has increased and occurred throughout the Michigan waters of the main basin. Increased catches of wild juvenile lake trout in the USGS fall bottom trawl survey were coincident with a drastic decline in alewife abundance, but data were insufficient to determine what mechanism may be responsible for increased natural reproduction by lake trout. We recommend further monitoring of juvenile lake trout abundance and research into early life history of lake trout in Lake Huron.

The Saginaw Bay walleye population (Sander vitreus) has not fully recovered from a collapse that began in the 1940s and has been dependent on stocking with only limited natural reproduction. Beginning in 2003, and through at least 2005, reproductive success of walleye surged to unprecedented levels. The increase was concurrent with ecological changes in Lake Huron and we sought to quantitatively model which factors most influenced this new dynamic. We developed Ricker stock-recruitment models for both wild and stock fish and evaluated them with second-order Akaike's information criterion to find the best model. Independent variables included adult alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) abundance, spring water temperatures, chlorophyll a levels and total phosphorus levels. In all, 14 models were evaluated for production of wild age-0 walleyes and eight models for stocked age-0 walleyes. For wild walleyes, adult alewife abundance was the dominant factor, accounting for 58% of the variability in age-0 abundance. Production of wild age-0 fish increased when adult alewives were scarce. The only other plausible factor was spring water temperature. Predictably, alewife abundance was not important to stocked fish; instead temperature and adult walleye abundance were more significant variables. The surge in reproductive success for walleyes during 2003–2005 was most likely due to large declines in adult alewives in Lake Huron. While relatively strong year classes (age-1 and up) have been produced as a result of increased age-0 production during 2003–2005, the overall magnitude has not been as great as the initial age-0 abundance originally suggested. It appears that over-winter mortality is higher than in the past and may stem from higher predation or slower growth (lower condition for enduring winter thermal stress). From this it appears that low alewife abundance does not assure strong walleye year classes in Saginaw Bay but may be a prerequisite for them.

Accounts payable definitely has a cash flow/cash management component, the author reminds us. And there are several tactics accounts payable can use to improve your company's cash flow. What are they, and how can you use them effectively? © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.