cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A subpopulation of striatal gabaergic neurons expresses the epidermal growth factor receptor.

Abstract Epidermal growth factor and transforming growth factor alpha are mitogenic polypeptides that act at the epidermal growth factor receptor, a protein tyrosine kinase. 10,16,18,24 Studies have shown that epidermal growth factor and transforming growth factor alpha support the survival and promote the differentiation of central nervous system neurons in vitro . 13,21,33 Messenger RNAs for both transforming growth factor alpha and the epidermal growth factor receptor have been identified in the adult and developing mammalian central nervous system, particularly within the neostriatum of young animals. 11,15,27,28,30 However, the cell types that synthesize these messenger RNAs in striatum are not well understood. The present study investigates the hypothesis that epidermal growth factor receptor and transforming growth factor alpha are synthesized by striatal GABAergic neurons using double-labeling in situ hybridization in the rat. Most neurons within the neostriatum that intensely expressed messenger RNA for the 67,000 mol. wt isoform of glutamate decarboxylase also expressed messenger RNA for the epidermal growth factor receptor. Scattered striatal cells with neuronal morphology were immunoreactive for epidermal growth factor receptor protein, indicating that epidermal growth factor receptor messenger RNA expressed by striatal neurons is translated. Striatal neurons that expressed high levels of the 67,000 mol. wt isoform of glutamate decarboxylase messenger RNA did not appear to express transforming growth factor alpha messenger RNA. The present study indicates that epidermal growth factor receptor is synthesized by a subpopulation of GABAergic striatal neurons, supporting the hypothesis that transforming growth factor alpha and epidermal growth factor act directly upon neurons to produce their neurotrophic effects. These neurons may be GABAergic interneurons, which have been shown to be relatively resistant to degeneration in Huntington's disease and excitotoxic models of this disease. 6,7,9
Translation caching: skip, don't walk (the page table)

This paper explores the design space of MMU caches that accelerate virtual-to-physical address translation in processor architectures, such as x86-64, that use a radix tree page table. In particular, these caches accelerate the page table walk that occurs after a miss in the Translation Lookaside Buffer. This paper shows that the most effective MMU caches are translation caches, which store partial translations and allow the page walk hardware to skip one or more levels of the page table. In recent years, both AMD and Intel processors have implemented MMU caches. However, their implementations are quite different and represent distinct points in the design space. This paper introduces three new MMU cache structures that round out the design space and directly compares the effectiveness of all five organizations. This comparison shows that two of the newly introduced structures, both of which are translation cache variants, are better than existing structures in many situations. Finally, this paper contributes to the age-old discourse concerning the relative effectiveness of different page table organizations. Generally speaking, earlier studies concluded that organizations based on hashing, such as the inverted page table, outperformed organizations based upon radix trees for supporting large virtual address spaces. However, these studies did not take into account the possibility of caching page table entries from the higher levels of the radix tree. This paper shows that any of the five MMU cache structures will reduce radix tree page table DRAM accesses far below an inverted page table.
Magnitude scale and quantification of earthquakes

Despite various shortcomings, the earthquake magnitude scale is one of the most fundamental earthquake source parameters to be used for catalogs. Although use of a uniform scale is desirable, it is not always possible because of changes in instrumentation, the data reduction method and the magnitude formula, the station distribution, etc. As a result, various magnitude scales have been developed and are currently in use. Recent developments in seismometry and earthquake source theories provide more quantitative source parameters than the magnitude. In order to maintain continuity and uniformity of the data, it is important to relate these magnitude scales and the new parameters. In view of this importance, relations between different magnitude scales are examined with an emphasis on the difference in the period of the waves used for the magnitude determination. Use of several magnitude scales determined at different periods provides a convenient method for characterizing earthquakes. The moment magnitude can be used to quantify both shallow and deep earthquakes on the basis of wave energy radiated, and provides a uniform scheme.
Performance Evaluation of Professional Support Personnel: A Survey of the States.

Counselors, school psychologists, librarians/media specialists, school nurses . . . 1 These professional support personnel represent a growing and invaluable group of educators who fulfill an array of duties and responsibilities that are fundamental to the support of students, teachers, and, indeed, the entire educational enterprise. As American schools in recent decades have labored to include and educate all children, the role of these specialists has expanded to serve these students' many and diverse needs. In some schools, support personnel constitute upwards of 25% 2 of the professional staff. Despite the vital roles fil!ed by these individuals in contemporary schooling, evaluation of professional support personnel has been relatively rare and inadequate (Gorton & Ohlemacher, 1987; Lamb & Johnson, 1989; Norton & Perlin, 1989; Stronge & Helm, 1991; Tucker, Bray, & Howard, 1988). The purpose of this study was to investigate current state policies and practices regarding the evaluation of professional support personnel. Specifically, the article reports findings from a 1993 national survey of the states in which a comparative analysis of Iegal mandates for teacher evaluation and professional support personnel evaluation is drawn. Additionally, the level of technical support offered by state education agencies (SEA) specifically for the evaluation of professional support personnel is detailed, along with discussion of policy implications for performance evaluation in education.
Impact of organizational interventions on the delivery of patient education in a diabetes clinic.

Abstract Patient education is widely regarded as an essential component of chronic disease care and effective health promotion. Nevertheless, the patient education process is seldom the subject of systematic investigation. In a previous study we determined that only a minimal amount of patients' time was devoted to education in a multidisciplinary diabetes clinic. The present study was designed to assess whether organizational manipulations would influence the delivery of patient education. Nurses' responsibility for management of patient flow was reduced, and an education checklist was included in the medical record. These simple modifications of clinic operation to increase the availability of professional time for patient education and to stimulate educational interactions were successful in significantly increasing patient education time. Time spent in assessing patient need increased by about one half (P
Specific identification of fibrin(ogen) degradation products in plasma and serum using blotting and peroxidase labeled antiserum.

We describe a method for identifying fibrinogen and fibrin split products using electrophoresis on agarose gel with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) followed by blotting in nitrocellulose paper. Detection of these derivatives after blotting is accomplished with per-oxidase-conjugated rather than by isotopically labeled antibodies. This technique can detect diverse fibrinogen derivatives produced in vivo or in vitro by the combined action of thrombin, plasmin, and factor XIII. This methodology is applicable to plasma, serum, and other body fluids including urine and ascitic fluid. This sensitive and specific assay, distinguishing the products of cross-linked fibrin from those of fibrinogen and detecting fibrin polymers in plasma, can be achieved without the use of radioactivity.
Marriage Transactions: Labor, Property, Status

Marriage transactions-bridewealth dowry indirect dowry and so on-and the absence of transactions have been shown to have a patterned distribution worldwide. This article attempts to account for these patterns by looking at marriage transactions as mechanisms by which households provide for labor needs distribute property and maintain or enhance status. A major factor in determining type of marriage transaction is the presence and type of property controlled by the household. Bridewealth circulates property and women while dowry and indirect dowry concentrate them. The former is found where property is limited in tribal societies and among the landless poorer classes in traditional states whereas the latter is found in property- owning classes of landed or commercial pastoral peoples. This article pays particular attention to dowry and indirect dowry using ethnographic and historical data to explain their functions. (EXCERPT)
State-to-state collision dynamics of molecular free radicals

State-to-state collision dynamics of molecular radicals were investigated by the laser-induced fluorescence technique in a pulsed, crossed-beam apparatus. Dramatically different product state distributions were observed for two prototypical radicals, NCO(X 2 $PI) and CH(X 2 $PI). Based on a quantum scattering formalism and general considerations of the potential energy surfaces these observations were interpreted as generic features for the inelastic scattering of 2 $PI radicals. The differences observed for NCO and CH are the results of well-known Hund's coupling classification of linear molecules.
Adjuvant Taxanes: More to the Story

Abstract Breast cancer is a common public health problem, and the most important prognostic factors in survival or recurrence after potentially curative surgery include the number of involved axillary lymph nodes and the biology of the disease. Systemic chemotherapy remains a critical component in the eradication of occult micrometastatic disease in the adjuvant setting. The 2000 Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group overview of polychemotherapy in breast cancer has demonstrated that anthracycline-based regimens are superior to non–anthracycline-based therapies in terms of disease-free survival and overall survival. The taxanes paclitaxel and docetaxel were well established in metastatic breast cancer and lack cross-resistance with anthracyclines and were therefore quickly deemed worthwhile for evaluation in the adjuvant setting. A large meta-analysis showed that the addition of a taxane to an anthracycline-based regimen improves outcomes in high-risk patients regardless of age, menopausal status, number of nodes involved, hormone receptor status, and type of taxane. There are several effective anthracycline/taxane combinations traditionally studied in patients with high-risk disease. In this overview, we will review some of the key trials that have advanced the standard of care in the adjuvant setting with regard to various chemotherapy combinations.
Structure and phase separation of Ag-Cu alloy thin films

We report an in situ electron diffraction study and microscopy observation of phase separation in Ag–Cu solution alloy thin films of different compositions and film thicknesses. The results show that the as-deposited films consist of nanocrystalline Ag- and Cu-rich phases of a few nanometers in size. Upon annealing, two stages of thin-film transitions are observed. In the first stage, the growth of Cu crystallites is responsible for phase separation in Ag50Cu50 or Ag-rich alloy. For the Cu-rich samples, the phase separation process is much slower. The second stage transition involves thin film dewetting. A combination of Z-contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging and electron diffraction reveal grain growth and phase separation between Ag and Cu in both stages. Atomic force microscopy results show the surface morphology of thin films only changes significantly at the late stage of phase separation when the thin film dewets.
Risk segmentation: Goal or problem?

This paper traces the evolution of economists' views about risk segmentation in health insurance markets. Originally seen as a desirable goal, risk segmentation has come to be viewed as leading to abnormal profits, wasted resources, and inefficient limitations on coverage and services. We suggest that risk segmentation may be efficient if one takes an ex post view (i.e., after consumers' risks are known). From this perspective, managed care may be a much better method for achieving risk segmentation than limitations on coverage. The most serious objection to risk segmentation is the ex ante concern that it undermines long-term insurance contracts that would protect consumers against changes in lifetime risk.
A cytologic analysis of the bag cell control of egg laying in Aplysia.

A fine structural analysis of the ovotestis in Aplysia was undertaken in order to analyze the site of action of the bag cell hormone. Five stages of oocyte development are described. Of particular interest is the fact that the yolk seems to be synthesized primarily by the granular endoplasmic reticulum. In addition, small muscle cells whose long, thin processes surround the follicle of the ovotestis have been pointed out. This paper suggests that bag cell extract has a direct action on these small muscle cells causing them to contract and thus expel oocytes from the ovotestis. The evidence for this suggestion is that (1) these muscle cells are the most obvious effector cells in the ovotestis, (2) there are no signs of neural innervation of these muscles, (3) the time course for the liberation of the oocytes is so short that any other method of oocyte release is unlikely, (4) there is no cytologic evidence for any other expulsion process except muscular contraction, and (5) the ripe oocytes are attached to other cells of the wall of the ovotestis only by very small, simple junctions, thus making them the most likely cells to be expelled by muscular contraction.
A Multi-wave Web-based Evaluation of Cognitive Content Specificity for Depression, Anxiety, and Anger

This study tested the cognitive content specificity hypothesis of Beck’s cognitive theory using a web based report of mood and cognitions for that day completed once a week for 5 weeks. The use of a multi-wave design and structural equation modeling allowed for the separation of occasion-specific variability from over-time stability, thereby increasing sensitivity to the relatively brief changes in negative affect typical of student populations. To further increase specificity, an expanded set of cognitive themes was tested for depression, anxiety, and anger. Consistent with models indicating that these mood states share a general negative mood, all cognitions had a significant non-specific relationship to all three mood states. For tests of occasion-specific cognitive content specificity, thoughts of Transgression were incrementally specific to angry mood whereas Defectiveness, Hopelessness, and Abandonment were each specific to depressed mood. Failure was more strongly related to depression and anxiety than anger. Contrary to hypotheses, both Dependence and Vulnerability to Harm were non-specific only.
Monte Carlo simulation of diffusion and reaction in two-dimensional cell structures

Diffusion and reaction processes control the dynamics of many different biological systems. For example, tissue respiration can be limited by the delivery of oxygen to the cells and to the mitochondria. In this case, oxygen is small and travels quickly compared with the mitochondria, which can be considered as immobile reactive traps in the cell cytoplasm. A Monte Carlo theoretical investigation quantifying the interplay of diffusion, reaction, and structure on the reaction rate constant is reported here for diffusible particles in two-dimensional, reactive traps. The placement of traps in overlapping, nonoverlapping, and clustered spatial arrangements can have a large effect on the rate constant when the process is diffusion limited. However, under reaction-limited conditions the structure has little effect on the rate constant. For the same trap fractions and reactivities, nonoverlapping traps have the highest rate constants, overlapping traps yield intermediate rate constants, and clustered traps have the lowest rate constants. An increase in the particle diffusivity in the traps can increase the rate constant by reducing the time required by the particles to reach reactive sites. Various diffusive, reactive, and structural conditions are evaluated here, exemplifying the versatility of the Monte Carlo technique.
Fiber architecture of the intrinsic muscles of the shoulder and arm in semiterrestrial and arboreal guenons.

The internal organization of myofibers and connective tissues has important physiologic implications for muscle function and for naturalistic behavior. In this study of forelimb muscle morphology and primate locomotion, fiber architecture is examined in the intrinsic muscles of the shoulder (musculi deltoideus, infraspinatus, supraspinatus, subscapularis, teres major, and t. minor) and arm (m. coracobrachialis, biceps brachii, brachialis, and triceps brachii) in the semiterrestrial vervets (Chlorocebus aethiops) and arboreal red-tailed guenons (Cercopithecus ascanius). Wet weights and lengths of whole muscles, lengths of fasciculi and their associated proximal and distal tendons, and angles of pinnation were measured to estimate morphologic correlates of physiologic properties of individual muscles: force, velocity/excursion, energy expense, and relative isometric or isotonic contraction. Neither mean total-shoulder:total-arm ratios for muscle mass nor total reduced physiological cross-sectional area exhibited significant (P < 0.05) interspecific differences, thus emphasizing the importance of fine-tuning musculoskeletal analyses by the data collected here. The results generally support those previously published for quadriceps femoris and triceps surae of the hind limb in these species (Anapol and Barry [1996] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 99:429–447). The fiber architecture of the semiterrestrial vervets is largely suited for higher velocity while running on the ground. By contrast, the architectural configuration of red-tailed monkeys implies relatively isometric muscle contraction and passive storage of elastic strain energy for exploitation of the compliant canopy, where substrate components are situated beneath the sagittal plane of the animal. With respect to relative distribution of maximum potential force output among muscles of either shoulder or arm groups in these otherwise hind limb-dominated quadrupedal primates, statistically significant interspecific differences are best interpreted in light of braking, climbing, and, for vervets, the transition between ground and canopy. The interspecific differences shown here for the intrinsic muscles of the shoulder and arm underscore the significance of intramuscular morphology in reconciling structure and function with regard to locomotor behavior. Its analysis and interpretation lend support to consideration of “semiterrestrial” as a bona fide locomotor category uniquely different from what is practiced by dedicated arboreal and terrestrial quadrupeds that occasionally visit the habitat of one another. Data from a more committed terrestrial species would clarify this enigma. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Fulfilling orders for steel plates from existing inventory

This paper investigates the steel plate order fulfilment problem from existing inventory, which is a generalization of one-dimensional cutting and packing problems. Semi-processed inventory of steel slabs can be burned, heated, rolled, and sheared to meet customer order requirements. This problem is an integral part of the day-to-day operations of steel plate manufacturing. A 0–1 integer programming formulation is presented and two heuristics, based on single-order formulations, are presented to quickly generate lower and upper bounds. The bounds are improved using Lagrangian relaxation and subgradient optimization, producing average optimality gaps of 2.12% on 17 real-world data sets. The upper bound improvements represent actual savings over the current solution method of 1.94%, or an average of about $230 000 over a 3-week period. An economic interpretation of the Lagrange multipliers is also discussed and shown to be useful for handling rush orders.
Histidine metabolism after portacaval shunt in the rat.

Abstract Following end-to-side portacaval shunt in the rat with a normal liver, there is a significant increase in enzymatic activity of histidase and histidine-pyruvate transaminase, but no significant change in urocanase activity is noted. Significantly increased excretion of histidine and histamine is observed after end-to-side portacaval shunt, but no significant difference is noted in the excretion of imidazolepyruvic acid. The mechanism of induction of these enzymes is unknown. Administration of substrate does not induce the aforementioned enzymes.
Fuzzy compensated computed torque control of a manipulator

ABSTRACTA great deal of research has been done in fuzzy logic control (FLC) and its applications since Mamdani's pionering papers in 19741 and 19772. FLC has also being applied to manipulator control which is a very challenging nonlinear control problem. Both classical andadvanced robot controllers have problems because of high nonlinearity or uncertainties in robotdynamics. FLC, as an alternate, suffer from lack of analytical methods for design ,tuning andstability analysis. A nonlinear controller which is robust in the presence of modeling errors and disturbances is presented in this paper. A computed torque controller (CTC) can be designedbased on an approximate (or available) model and FLC can be used to minimize the tracking error due to modeling errors and disturbance. Since the approximate model of the system reducesthe overall nonlinearity, FLC works with very simple rules and it is easy to tune.KEYWORDS: Fuzzy logic, robot control, nonlinear control, computed torque.1. INTRODUCTION
Blockade of D1 dopamine receptors in the medial prefrontal cortex attenuates amphetamine- and methamphetamine-induced locomotor activity in the rat

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a component of the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system involved in psychostimulant-induced hyperactivity and previous studies have shown that altering DA transmission or D2 receptors within the mPFC can decrease this stimulant effect. The goal of this study was to investigate a potential modulatory role for D1 receptors in the mPFC in amphetamine (AMPH)- and methamphetamine (METH)-induced hyperactivity. Locomotor activity in an open-field arena was measured in male, Sprague-Dawley rats given an intra-mPFC infusion of vehicle or the D1 receptor antagonist SCH 23390 (0.25 or 1.0 microg) prior to systemic (i.p.) injection of saline, AMPH (1 mg/kg), or METH (1 mg/kg). We found that SCH 23390 produced a dose-dependent decrease in AMPH- and METH-induced locomotion and rearing but had no significant effect on spontaneous behavior that occurred following systemic saline injections. Because SCH 23390 has been shown to have agonist-like properties at 5-HT(2C) receptors, a follow-up experiment was performed to determine if this contributed to the attenuation of METH-induced activity that we observed. Rats were given intra-mPFC infusions of both SCH 23390 (1.0 microg) and the 5-HT(2C) antagonist RS 102221 (0.25 microg) prior to METH (1 mg/kg, i.p.). The addition of the 5-HT(2C) antagonist failed to alter SCH 23390-induced decreases in METH-induced locomotion and rearing; infusion of RS 102221 alone had no significant effects on locomotion and produced a non-significant decrease in rearing. The results of these studies suggest that D1 activation in the mPFC plays a significant role in AMPH- and METH-induced hyperactivity.
TOXIC ACTION OF CYSTEINE ON ASCITES TUMOR CELLS IN VITRO.

Abstract Cysteine, especially in the absence of other substrates, has a progressive toxic action on Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. Measurements of cell survival in roller tube suspensions by the dye exclusion method and by rate of substratestimulated respiration indicated permanent cell damage at cysteine concentrations as low as 10 to 20 μg/ml. Substrates such as glutamine, glucose, and bovine albumin when added with the cysteine partially protected the cells against poisoning. Lowered oxygen tension and FeSO4 at low concentrations had a similar effect. The toxic action of cysteine and some other SH compounds was related to marked or total inhibition of endogenous respiration after an incubation period of one hour, but cysteine-poisoned cells continued to consume O2 in the presence of glutamine and lactate. Washing of cells after exposure to cysteine reduced their endogenous respiration to a much greater extent than did such treatment of normal cells. The participation of a metal ion in the effect of cysteine is indicated by the protective action of versene (EDTA). Oxidative formation of intracellular disulfide groups and loss of ability to oxidize fats are discussed as possible factors in the inhibitory action of cysteine.
Increased in vitro uptake of the complement C3b in the serum of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome, myasthenia gravis and dermatomyositis

To examine the role of complement in certain autoimmune neuromuscular diseases, we used an in-vitro quantitative complement uptake assay that allows measurement of the capacity of patients' sera to deposit fragments of the third complement component onto sensitized targets. C3 uptake was significantly higher in patients with active dermatomyositis, Guillain-Barre syndrome and myasthenia gravis, compared to inclusion body myositis and controls. The in-vitro C3 uptake assay supports the role of C3b neoantigen and Membranolytic Attack Complex deposition in the target tissues and may be a useful tool to monitor disease activity in patients with complement-mediated neurological disorders.
Adaptive Phase in Martensitic Transformation

It is shown that an adaptive transient phase can be formed along the martensitic transformation path to overcome thermodynamic and nucleation barriers caused by the transformation strain. A possible role of the adaptive phase in the thermal nucleation of the martensite is discussed. The structure of the adaptive phase is predicted from the strain accommodation condition. An example of the cubic→tetragonal transformation is considered. The crystal lattice parameters of the adaptive phase are expressed through those of the parent cubic phase and tetragonal normal martensite
Relationship of wall orientation to proximal ☐ design in inlay preparations

0 ne principle of inlay preparation design taught in many dental schools is that the facial axial and lingual axial internal line angles of the proximal box must diverge occlusally. Hereafter, the facial and lingual axial internal line angles are referred to as the internal line angles. A review of the literature indicates that most investigators avoid discussing the relative orientation of the internal line angles.‘-” Baum et al..” however, do address the subject. They state, “As they join the axial wall the proximal walls form an obtuse angle proceeding toward the cavosurface.” This statement supports [he traditional principle of inlay proximal box fIrsign. Experimental manipulation of the internal line angles is by necessity also a manipulation of the wall taper of the preparation, and wall taper has proved to be a factor in the retention of castings. Both Jfirgensen”’ and Rosenstiel’l have shown that as the opposing walls of a casting preparation approach parallelism, the retention of the subsequent casting increases. Wall taper values from 2.5 to 8, or 12 degrees from the line of draw, have been recommended.’ ’ ’ For the purposes of this study, clinically acceptable preparations have 3 ro 8 degrees of wall taper. This study tested the principle mathematically and delined the dimensions of inlay preparations that vioIate the principle of divergence. METHODS
Computational models for prediction of performance and design of tidal turbines

In this paper, the performance of a horizontal axis, 3-blade tidal turbine is predicted by a vortex lattice method, in which the fully unsteady wake alignment is utilized to model the trailing wake geometry. A blade design procedure, which combines a lifting line approach with the vortex lattice analysis method and a nonlinear optimization scheme, is proposed.© 2010 ASME
Purification of a novel DBI processing product, DBI39–75, and characterization of its binding site in rat brain

Abstract This report describes the purification and characterization from rat brain of DBI39–75, a novel, biologically active processing product of diazepam binding inhibitor (DBI). We have shown that DBI39–75 in nM concentrations stimulates pregnenolone synthesis in mitochondria of rat brain. Using cross-linking of 125I-DBI39–75 in steroidogenically active concentrations we have demonstrated for the first time that the DBI fragment has a specific high affinity binding site in rat brain. Displacement of [3H]PK 11195 and [3H]Ro5-4864 by DBI39–75 indicates more complex interaction than the competitive inhibition. Collectively, the data suggest that the function of DBI39–75 is mediated through a mitochondrial receptor complex which includes binding sites for PK 11195 and Ro5-4864.
First Spectroscopic Observation of Gas-Phase HOONO

A vibrational overtone photodissociation spectrum of HOONO formed in the reaction of OH with NO2 is reported. Rich vibrational structure, consistent with the existence of several HOONO conformers, is observed. A tentative vibrational assignment of the observed bands is proposed although complete assignment is not possible without further spectroscopic information. The ratio HOONO/HONO2 formed in the reaction of OH with NO2 is estimated to be about 5% at 253 K and 20 Torr.
Salt intake and reductions in arterial pressure and proteinuria is there a direct link

Abstract The preponderance of the medical literature supports the concept that modest or moderate dietary salt restriction enhances the blood pressure lowering responses to most antihypertensive medications and may permit either dose reduction or, in a few cases, complete drug withdrawal. Moreover, reduction in salt intake has a permissive action on the antiproteinuric responses of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and nondihydropyridine calcium channel blockers. It does not, however, affect proteinuria in those receiving dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers. The importance of selecting out those individuals who can most benefit from dietary salt modification (the “salt sensitive” groups of hypertensive patients) is important. Prospective randomized clinical studies are needed to assess the correlation between dietary salt intake and renal endpoints, such as time dialysis. This will be particularly important in different demographic groups that may have a greater predisposition to salt sensitivity, such as elderly or obese hypertensives, hypertensives of black or Hispanic descent, and those with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
Self-Assembly of Gold Nanorods

Self-assembly of gold nanorods (NRs) with aspect ratio of ∼4.6 (12 nm in diameter and 50−60 nm in length) has been studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Under appropriate conditions such as nanoparticle concentration, solvent evaporation, narrow size distribution, ionic strength, and surfactant concentration of the parent solution, gold nanorods assemble into one-, two-, and three-dimensional structures. Some of the three-dimensional assemblies extend to superlattices of NRs. The translation and orientation symmetries of the self-assembled structures are determined. The factors affecting the formation of the ordered self-assembly are discussed.
Psychophysiological prediction of choice: relevance to insight and drug addiction

An important goal of addiction research and treatment is to predict behavioural responses to drug-related stimuli. This goal is especially important for patients with impaired insight, which can interfere with therapeutic interventions and potentially invalidate self-report questionnaires. This research tested (i) whether event-related potentials, specifically the late positive potential, predict choice to view cocaine images in cocaine addiction; and (ii) whether such behaviour prediction differs by insight (operationalized in this study as self-awareness of image choice). Fifty-nine cocaine abusers and 32 healthy controls provided data for the following laboratory components that were completed in a fixed-sequence (to establish prediction): (i) event-related potential recordings while passively viewing pleasant, unpleasant, neutral and cocaine images, during which early (400–1000 ms) and late (1000–2000 ms) window late positive potentials were collected; (ii) self-reported arousal ratings for each picture; and (iii) two previously validated tasks: one to assess choice for viewing these same images, and the other to group cocaine abusers by insight. Results showed that pleasant-related late positive potentials and arousal ratings predicted pleasant choice (the choice to view pleasant pictures) in all subjects, validating the method. In the cocaine abusers, the predictive ability of the late positive potentials and arousal ratings depended on insight. Cocaine-related late positive potentials better predicted cocaine image choice in cocaine abusers with impaired insight. Another emotion-relevant event-related potential component (the early posterior negativity) did not show these results, indicating specificity of the late positive potential. In contrast, arousal ratings better predicted respective cocaine image choice (and actual cocaine use severity) in cocaine abusers with intact insight. Taken together, the late positive potential could serve as a biomarker to help predict drug-related choice—and possibly associated behaviours (e.g. drug seeking in natural settings, relapse after treatment)—when insight (and self-report) is compromised.
When States Choose to Die: Reassessing Assumptions About What States Want

In order to explain the creation and maintenance of a number of important international institutions, scholars must reconsider a commonly held assumption about what states want. Structural realists show that the assumption that states desire survival explains a wide range of outcomes. Yet the survival assumption prevents both realists and liberal institutionalists from offering a plausible account of international organizations that are costly to autonomy. The cultures of anarchy argument helps explain when the desire to survive is more or less salient but is burdened with the survival assumption nonetheless. I argue that it is useful to assume that states pursue the national interest and that survival is only a potential means to that end. By employing this assumption within the cultures of anarchy framework, we can begin to formulate an explanation for the willingness of states to cede autonomy to international institutions. Recent events in world politics make it necessary for international relations scholars to reassess the utility of one of the most important and long-standing assumptions in international relations theory. For millennia, prominent political thinkers have suggested that the primary aim of independent political entities is survival. For Aristotle, the test of a good government is its staying power (The Politics: 6.5.1). Cicero is even more explicit, saying, ‘‘the state ought to be so organized that it will endure forever y when a state is destroyed y it is somewhat as ifFto compare small things with greatFthis whole world should perish and collapse’’ (On the Commonwealth: 3.23). And of course, Machiavelli’s The Prince, if taken literally, is a kind of how-to book for the survival of a regime, if not a state. He says, ‘‘[c]ruelty can be described as well used (if it is permissible to say good words about something evil in itself) when it is performed all at once, for reasons of self-preservation’’ (27). Modern international relations theory is no less enamored with the idea that states seek to survive, even if the claim is posited less in normative terms than as a useful way of explaining events in international affairs. For prominent realists, institutionalists , and constructivists, the survival motive is understood to be the best shorthand for the aims and desires of states. Indeed, in order to explain the degree of cooperation or conflict in the world, contemporary international relations scholarshipFalmost to a personF begins by positing a survival motive. This paper
A review of water use in the U.S. electric power sector: insights from systems-level perspectives

Thermoelectric power production comprised 41% of total freshwater withdrawals in the U.S., surpassing even agriculture. This review highlights scenarios of the electric sector's future demands for water, including scenarios that limit both CO2 and water availability. A number of studies show withdrawals decreasing with retirement of existing electricity generating units. Consumption, the evaporative losses, also decreases in many scenarios. However, climate mitigation scenarios relying heavily on nuclear and carbon capture technologies may induce increases in water consumption. These increases in consumption represent a potential tradeoff between climate mitigation and adaptation of the electric sector to climate-related changes in water resources. It also points to the need for both analyses and technological solutions from the chemical engineering community.
A statistics of rare events method for transportation systems

A method is proposed for quantifying the expected number of accidents for a transportation system during some operating period. The operating period is divided into two parts. There is normal operation where everything is working correctly. These intervals can be studied deterministically by arguments-from-design or by tests. There is unsafe operation where equipment has failed, an error has occurred, or traffic perturbations have produced unusual circumstances. Such stochastic phenomena can be studied by experiments or simulation. These two types of operation create a natural partition. This paper proposes a Monte Carlo method based on this partition that appears appropriate for studying scarce events. Estimators for this method are developed. It is shown they are unbiased, and confidence intervals derived. There is also a discussion of integrating random failures with traffic flow in discrete event simulation.
Multimedia applications in nursing curriculum: The process of producing streaming videos for medication administration skills

Abstract Purpose Streaming videos (SVs) are commonly used multimedia applications in clinical health education. However, there are several negative aspects related to the production and delivery of SVs. Only a few published studies have included sufficient descriptions of the videos and the production process and design innovations. This paper describes the production of innovative SVs for medication administration skills for undergraduate nursing students at a public university in Jordan and focuses on the ethical and cultural issues in producing this type of learning resource. Method The curriculum development committee approved the modification of educational techniques for medication administration procedures to include SVs within an interactive web-based learning environment. The production process of the videos adhered to established principles for “protecting patients’ rights when filming and recording” and included: preproduction, production and postproduction phases. Medication administration skills were videotaped in a skills laboratory where they are usually taught to students and also in a hospital setting with real patients. The lab videos included critical points and Do's and Don’ts and the hospital videos fostered real-world practices. The range of time of the videos was reasonable to eliminate technical difficulty in access. Results Eight SVs were produced that covered different types of the medication administration skills. The production of SVs required the collaborative efforts of experts in IT, multimedia, nursing and informatics educators, and nursing care providers. Results showed that the videos were well-perceived by students, and the instructors who taught the course. Conclusions The process of producing the videos in this project can be used as a valuable framework for schools considering utilizing multimedia applications in teaching.
Rapid melt growth of Ge tunnel junctions for interband tunnel transistors

In this paper, the authors report on the simulated characteristics of Ge interband tunnel transistors and show the first characteristics of submicron p+n+ junction tunnel junctions using rapid melt growth of Ge. This process uses a phosphorus spin-on diffusant followed by rapid thermal annealing to form the n layer. Aluminum is then deposited by lift-off, capped with Si3N4, and liquified in a rapid thermal processor to dissolve back and regrow the p+ side of the tunnel junction.
The analysis of enterprise development with e-Learning: Take the information organization as an example

The development of the world wild Web, not only changed the mankindpsilas life, but also changed the learning method. The development of the enterprise digital learning can significantly reduce the training cost; raise the employeepsilas character and the organizationpsilas competition ability. The enterprise e-learning is subjected to be valued within its convenience, the student who is in training can be free from time and the space restriction, acquire the professional knowledge, and effectively control to learn the quality through the on-line evaluation system again. This is the present traditional type teaching hard attain. In this research, we study to explain the e-learning development current conditions, the influence e-learning, how duct the e-learning into the enterprise and give examples the substantial evidence, etc., summary with the enterprise e-learning future development again in the end. This research tries to give the enterprise the positively digital learning application reference information, unlikely enchants in the digital learning times of modern trend, whereas lose to duct the e-learning into the real meaning of the enterprise.
Specific dynamic action: a review of the postprandial metabolic response

For more than 200 years, the metabolic response that accompanies meal digestion has been characterized, theorized, and experimentally studied. Historically labeled “specific dynamic action” or “SDA”, this physiological phenomenon represents the energy expended on all activities of the body incidental to the ingestion, digestion, absorption, and assimilation of a meal. Specific dynamic action or a component of postprandial metabolism has been quantified for more than 250 invertebrate and vertebrate species. Characteristic among all of these species is a rapid postprandial increase in metabolic rate that upon peaking returns more slowly to prefeeding levels. The average maximum increase in metabolic rate stemming from digestion ranges from a modest 25% for humans to 136% for fishes, and to an impressive 687% for snakes. The type, size, composition, and temperature of the meal, as well as body size, body composition, and several environmental factors (e.g., ambient temperature and gas concentration) can each significantly impact the magnitude and duration of the SDA response. Meals that are large, intact or possess a tough exoskeleton require more digestive effort and thus generate a larger SDA than small, fragmented, or soft-bodied meals. Differences in the individual effort of preabsorptive (e.g., swallowing, gastric breakdown, and intestinal transport) and postabsorptive (e.g., catabolism and synthesis) events underlie much of the variation in SDA. Specific dynamic action is an integral part of an organism’s energy budget, exemplified by accounting for 19–43% of the daily energy expenditure of free-ranging snakes. There are innumerable opportunities for research in SDA including coverage of unexplored taxa, investigating the underlying sources, determinants, and the central control of postprandial metabolism, and examining the integration of SDA across other physiological systems.
A high level language for specifying graph based languages and their programming environments

The authors describe a high level language for specifying programming environments for programming languages that are based on directed attributed graphs. The high level language allows the specifier to describe views of portions of a program written in such a graph-based language, the editing operations used to create the program, animations of the execution of the program, and sufficient detail of the execution semantics to support the animations. The use of the specification language is demonstrated with a simple example of a graph-based language. The automatic generation of the programming environment is described for such graph based languages from descriptions made in the specification language. The specification language is based on using a grammar to describe the components of the graph based language and using a first-order logic based language to describe state changes in editing, execution, and animation. >
Charge state distribution and emission characteristics in a table top reflex discharge—Effect of ion confinement and electrons accelerated across the sheath

Tabletop reflex discharges in a Penning geometry have many applications including ion sources and eXtreme Ultra-Violet (XUV) sources. The presence of primary electrons accelerated across the cathode sheaths is responsible for the distribution of ion charge states and of the unusually high XUV brightness of these plasmas. Absolutely calibrated space resolved XUV spectra from a table top reflex discharge operating with Al cathodes and Ne gas are presented. The spectra are analyzed with a new and complete model for ion charge distribution in similar reflex discharges. The plasma in the discharge was found to have a density of ∼1018 m−3 with a significant fraction >0.01 of fast primary electrons. The implications of the new model on the ion states achievable in a tabletop reflex plasma discharge are also discussed.
Stakeholder Risk Assessment: An Outcome-Based Approach

Managing software projects can often degrade into fighting fires lit by the embers of unrecognized and unmanaged risks. Stakeholders are a recognized source of significant software project risk, but few researchers have focused on providing a practical method for identifying specific project stakeholders. Furthermore, no methods provide guidance in identifying and managing project risks arising from those stakeholders. We developed the outcome-based stakeholder risk assessment model to provide this practical guidance. OBSRAM offers the project team a step-by-step approach to identifying stakeholders during requirements engineering, identifying stakeholder influences on the project, identifying the project's impact on stakeholders, and assessing the risks that their potential negative responses pose. We illustrate OBSRAM using a case study of a simulated airline-crew-scheduling system project that aims to reduce aircraft ground turnaround time to 30 minutes or less