cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Brain Bilirubin Deposition and Brain Blood Flow during Acute Urea-Induced Hyperosmolality in Newborn Piglets

ABSTRACT: Acute hyperosmolality-induced blood brain barrier breakdown has been demonstrated to increase the permeability of sucrose, which is similar in molecular weight to bilirubin, independently of changes in regional brain blood flow. We studied three groups of piglets given continuous bilirubin infusions to maintain serum bilirubin concentrations at approximately 8 mg/dl. Normal serum osmolality was maintained throughout the study in control animals. Two experimental groups were made hyperosmolar (330 and 375 mosmol/liter) with bolus urea infusions during the last hour of the study. Regional brain bilirubin concentrations were elevated in the 375 mosmol/liter hyperosmolal experimental group, but not in the 330 mosmol/liter group. Regional brain albumin concentrations also were increased over the control group in the 375 mosmol/liter animals. There were no differences in regional brain blood flows to account for the increases in brain bilirubin concentrations. Our results show that brain bilirubin deposition occurs following breakdown of the blood brain barrier by acute, severe hyperosmolality (375 mosmol/liter) and that the deposited bilirubin is derived from both bound and unbound fractions. The bilirubin deposition occurs independently of changes in regional brain blood; flow; however, regional differences in the blood brain barrier permeability to albumin also occur.
Our Quest for Mutualism in University–School Partnerships

Abstract If a university–school partnership is to be viewed as a mutualistic relationship, benefits should be provided not only to the preservice teachers, but to the members of the school environment as well. As a means of exemplifying how to connect the learning of students, in-service and preservice teachers, and teacher educators, this article describes three partnerships that involve teaching undergraduate English language arts, science, and mathematics methods courses on site in local public elementary schools.
Voluntary Attention Modulates Processing of Eye-Specific Visual Information:

Visual attention functions to select relevant information from a vast amount of visual input that is available for further processing. Information from the two eyes is processed separately in early stages before converging and giving rise to a coherent percept. Observers normally cannot access eye-of-origin information. In the research reported here, we demonstrated that voluntary attention can be eye-specific, modulating visual processing within a specific monocular channel. Using a modified binocular-rivalry paradigm, we found that attending to a monocular cue while remaining oblivious to its eye of origin significantly enhanced the competition strength of a stimulus presented to the cued eye, even when the stimulus was suppressed from consciousness. Furthermore, this eye-specific attentional effect was insensitive to low-level properties of the cue (e.g., size and contrast) but sensitive to the attentional load. Together, these findings suggest that top-down attention can have a significant modulation effect at the eye-specific stage of visual information processing.
Ask the Experts: What do we know (and not know) about prescription opioid misuse in the context of chronic pain management?

James Zacny received his PhD in Psychology at West Virginia University (WV, USA) in 1984. From 1984 to 1986 he did a postdoctoral fellowship at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (MD, USA) in the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He then became Research Associate in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Chicago (IL, USA) and conducted both preclinical and human psychopharmacology studies. In 1992 he joined the faculty in the Department of Anesthesia & Critical Care at the University where he is currently Professor. His two primary research interests have been in studying the psychopharmacological effects of drugs used in anesthesiology, chiefly inhaled and intravenous general anesthetics at subanesthestic doses, and opioid analgesics, in healthy nondrug-abusing volunteers. The unique research environment he is in fostered a large body of research that systematically characterized the subjective, psychomotor and reinforci...
Control mechanisms of arctic lake ecosystems: a limnocorral experiment

To assess the potential impact of human exploitation on arctic lakes and to determine how these eco systems are regulated we initated a limnocorral experiment in Toolik Lake, Alaska, in the summer of 1983. The limnocorrals were 5 m in diameter and from 5–6 m in depth and were open to the sediments. In 1983 four limnocorrals were deployed in an isolated bay of Toolik Lake within a cross-classified treatment regime of high and low inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus additions and high and low free swimming fish additions. The objective of the nutrient addition was to stimulate phytoplankton growth and determine the extent to which increased plant production was passed through pelagic and benthic food chains. The objective of the fish addition was to determine the impact of fish predation on large-bodied zooplankton, especially the zooplanktivorous copepod Heterocope, then to study the effect of altered Heterocope densities on small-bodied zooplankton species population dynamics. In 1984 two more limnocorrals were deployed, one a low fish, 1 × nutrient addition treatment and the other a no fish, no nutrient treatment. The fish manipulation was changed to confining several fish in cages with the cages held in corrals for varying lengths of time.
Randomized phase II study of multiple dose levels of CCI-779, a novel mammalian target of rapamycin kinase inhibitor, in patients with advanced refractory renal cell carcinoma.

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of multiple doses of CCI-779, a novel mammalian target of rapamycin kinase inhibitor, in patients with advanced refractory renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Patients and Methods Patients (n = 111) were randomly assigned to receive 25, 75, or 250 mg CCI-779 weekly as a 30-minute intravenous infusion. Patients were evaluated for tumor response, time to tumor progression, survival, and adverse events. Blood samples were collected to determine CCI-779 pharmacokinetics. Results CCI-779 produced an objective response rate of 7% (one complete response and seven partial responses) and minor responses in 26% of these advanced RCC patients. Median time to tumor progression was 5.8 months and median survival was 15.0 months. The most frequently occurring CCI-779–related adverse events of all grades were maculopapular rash (76%), mucositis (70%), asthenia (50%), and nausea (43%). The most frequently occurring grade 3 or 4 adverse events were hyperglycemia (17%)...
Chemical activity in YBa2Cu3O7 − δ across the normal to superconducting phase transition

Abstract The Gibbs free enthalpy, chemical activity across the transition temperature to superconductivity, Tc in YBa2Cu3O7 − δ is obtained from reciprocally enhanced X-Ray absorbance, XAS and diffraction, XRD data near the Ba L3,2 edges' energy Ea, and orientations in the X-ray beam for preferred Miller indexed [HKL] planes' scattering, that are enhanced near Tc. The standard enthalpy and entropy for the formation of mixed normal metal/superconducting domains above Tc, determined individually across the two Ba L3,2 edges, to better than a percent accuracy: ΔH≠≥ = − 220 meV, and ΔS≠≥ = − 2 meV/K when 121 ≥ T ≥ 92 K ≈ Tc1, indicate that energy is gained, with an increased order by forming a mixture with reduced entropy. Below Tc the standard enthalpy and entropy to form at least two mixed superconducting phases are halved to ΔH≠≤ = − 86 meV, ΔS≠≤ = − 1 meV/K when 92 K ≥ T ≥ Tc2 ≈ 72 K. Thus reciprocal XAS/XRD enhancement at orientations in the X-ray field, of preferred 2D planes, induced by the transition to superconductivity in the layer solid, indicates one, the importance of the 2D-plane electron density scattering near Tc, and two, identifies the 2D-plane chemical activity, by the electron density leading to symmetry allowed excitations, a role similar to that of the electron density in linear bonds for molecular activity.
Neural Network Methods for Optimization Problems

In a talk entitled "Trajectory Control of Convergent Networks with applications to TSP", Natan Peterfreund (Computer Science, Technion) dealt with the problem of controlling the trajectories of continuous convergent neural networks models for solving optimization problems, without affecting their equilibria set and their convergence properties. Natan presented a class of feedback control functions which achieve this objective, while also improving the convergence rates. A modified Hopfield and Tank neural network model, developed through the proposed feedback approach, was found to substantially improve the results of the original model in solving the Traveling Salesman Problem. The proposed feedback overcame the 2n symmetric property of the TSP problem.
A remark on the existence of equilibria in markets without ordered preferences and with a Riesz space of commodities

Abstract We show the existence of competitive equilibria in economies without ordered preferences and a Hausdorff locally convex solid Riesz space of commodities. Our principal assumptions are that the commodity space has a predual and that its positive cone has a non-empty interior.
P2B-17 Single-Chip Solution for Ultrasound Imaging Systems: Initial Results

Traditionally, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) are used for supporting the computational and data rate requirements of medical ultrasound systems. Utilizing the previously-developed efficient front-end algorithms and the continuing advances in solid state devices, we developed a hybrid programmable architecture to support core ultrasound signal processing. With the advent of new- generation digital signal processors (DSPs) (e.g., Texas Instruments' TMS320C6455 and IBM's Cell Broadband Engine), this hybrid field programmable gate array (FPGA)- DSP architecture can evolve towards a single-chip solution after overcoming the following challenges: (a) inefficient data access during dynamic focusing and (b) multiple, parallel data- transfer paths from ADCs. In this paper, we present a new single-DSP architecture, where an advanced DSP handles all the front- and back-end processing in software. To enable this new architecture, we have (a) developed a new stepwise dynamic focusing method, where the same delay curve is utilized for a group of samples along the depth direction and (b) investigated use of serial interfaces for ADC to DSP data transfer. It was found that the TMS320C6455 can meet the requirements of a 32-channel B-mode imaging system using 56.6% and 85.4% of the computing and serial I/O resources of the DSP, respectively. These results indicate that a single DSP chip solution can meet the hardware requirements for lower-end medical ultrasound systems.
The San Andreas and Walker Lane fault systems, western North America: transpression, transtension, cumulative slip and the structural evolution of a major transform plate boundary

Abstract Relative right-lateral Pacific–North American transform motion across the western US is largely taken up by the San Andreas and Walker Lane fault systems. Cumulative lateral displacement on active strands of the San Andreas system is 3–4 or more times greater than across faults of the Walker Lane. The San Andreas system is transpressional while the Walker Lane system is transtensional. The relatively more complex, discontinuous and broader system of faults composing the Walker Lane system is attributed to lower cumulative slip and an attendant extensional component of motion. Greater slip accompanied by a small component of contraction has yielded the simpler, more continuous and generally throughgoing set of faults that comprise the San Andreas system. With respect to the contrasting amounts of cumulative slip, the San Andreas is at a more mature stage of structural development than the Walker Lane. Despite differences in gross patterns of faulting, the systems also share similarities in deformation style. Slip along each is locally accommodated by clockwise rotation of crustal blocks that has produced structural basins and oblique components of slip are commonly partitioned into subparallel strike-slip and dip-slip faults.
Safe use of livers from donors with positive hepatitis B core antibody.

Thirty-five patients received liver transplants using liver donors who had positive test results for the hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb). In the same time frame, 195 patients received HBcAb-negative liver donors. Mean follow up for patients receiving HBcAb-positive donors was 25 months. All patients receiving HBcAb-positive donors were monitored for recurrence of hepatitis B (HBV) with HBV DNA assays. There was no de novo HBV in recipients of HBcAb-negative grafts. In the group of patients receiving HBcAb-positive donors, 4 of 35 patients died within 3 months after transplant with no evidence of HBV recurrence at time of death. Four patients were transplanted for HBV-related disease and were postoperatively placed on lamivudine and hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG). HBV recurrence was seen in one of these patients. Of the remaining 27 patients, three of three mismatched patients (HBcAb-positive donor to HBcAb-negative recipient) developed de novo HBV (100%). Of 24 matched patients (HBcAb-positive donor to HBcAb-positive recipient), only two (7%) developed recurrent HBV allograft reinfection. All de novo and recurrent HBV infections were successfully managed with HBIG and lamivudine therapy. Survival for this subgroup of patients receiving HBcAb-positive donors for non-HBV–related liver disease was 100%. We conclude that the judicious use of HBcAb-positive donors is reasonably safe and associated with low morbidity and mortality, with the appropriate follow-up protocols. Additionally, lamivudine use can be reserved for those cases with de novo or recurrent HBV in the liver allograft, or, selectively, as prophylaxis in those recipients patients who are naive to HBV and receive an HBcAb-positive donor. (Liver Transpl 2002;8:556-561.)
Hopi Indians, "cultural" selection, and albinism.

The incidence of albinism in Hopi Indians has been estimated as approximately 1 in 200 individuals. It has been suggested that "cultural" selection as the result of a mating advantage of males with albinism has been important in the maintenance of this high incidence. To examine this hypothesis quantitatively, a model that includes male-mating advantage, mutation, and viability selection is analyzed. In order to play an important role in the maintenance of the high incidence of albinism, the necessary mating advantage of males with albinism appears unrealistically high. However, if the extent of viability selection against individuals with albinism is not as large as previously assumed, the necessary amount of mating advantage is not as high. Other related aspects are also discussed here, such as the type of albinism in Hopi Indians and its impact, the conditions for a polymorphism with male-mating advantage and viability selection, and the time necessary to change the incidence of albinism either by the relaxation or institution of male-mating advantage.
An approach to sensor fusion in medical robots

This paper proposes a multi-sensor data fusion technique to determine the complex interactions between the sensory, muscular and mechanical components of the human locomotor systems (neuromechanics). We investigated the use of an array of accelerometers, rate gyroscopes, force plates and electromyogram for the assessment of x-y-z components of the hip, thigh, shank and foot acceleration and velocity in the sagittal plane. The objective here is to determine the impact factor each body segment's acceleration has in terms of producing a functional gait. Six able-bodied subjects were employed in this experiment; and subject walked at three different speeds and his/her dynamic/kinematic behaviors of the lower limb recorded with the sensors afore mentioned. Eight distinct gait variability for each subject recorded was detected by our sensing system. Fuzzy fusion technique was employed to evaluate the empirical results and the output matrix shows the relation between the body segments in question in terms of their x-y-z acceleration components. The implementation of this fusion matrix will enhance modeling and building medical robots intended for paraplegic rehabilitation as well as intelligent mobile robots for effective industrial manufacturing.
Securing Structured Overlays against Identity Attacks

Structured overlay networks can greatly simplify data storage and management for a variety of distributed applications. Despite their attractive features, these overlays remain vulnerable to the Identity attack, where malicious nodes assume control of application components by intercepting and hijacking key-based routing requests. Attackers can assume arbitrary application roles such as storage node for a given file, or return falsified contents of an online shopper's shopping cart. In this paper, we define a generalized form of the Identity attack, and propose a lightweight detection and tracking system that protects applications by redirecting traffic away from attackers. We describe how this attack can be amplified by a Sybil or Eclipse attack, and analyze the costs of performing such an attack. Finally, we present measurements of a deployed overlay that show our techniques to be significantly more lightweight than prior techniques, and highly effective at detecting and avoiding both single node and colluding attacks under a variety of conditions.
Employment Status of the Wife‐Mother: Psychological, Social, and Socioeconomic Influences1

This study was designed to determine factors that affect the employment status of the wife-mother. A multiple regression technique with successive elimination of independent socioeconomic, psychological, and social variables was used. The results of a confusion matrix (cross-tabulation of the observations of the predicted and the actual employment status of the wives) suggested that the variables used in the present study were good predictors of employment status of the wife-mother. The general hypothesis tested was that factors influencing the employment status of the wife-mother would be similar in both “typical” and “disadvantaged” samples. The results in both samples offer some support for this hypothesis. Three variables, husband's feelings about the wife working, youngest child's educational status, and frequency of family members' help around the house, were “universal”—statistically significant in the final regressions run on both samples. The findings suggest that psychological and social variables, as well as the commonly used socioeconomic variables, should be included in future studies concerned with explaining employment status of the wife-mother.
The Effect of Formulation Composition and Dissolution Parameters on the Gel Strength of Controlled Release Hydrogel Tablets

The impact of hydrogel polymers and dissolution media on tablet gel strength, Gamma, of controlled release (CR) hydrogel tablets was investigated. CR tablets containing either hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), or carbomer were formulated with theophylline and Fast Flo lactose, to produce tablets with a polymer content of 8, 15, and 30% w/w. Gamma was measured using a previously reported method. The drug dissolution profiles were similar, irrespective of polymer type or dissolution media (DI water, 0.1 N HCl, and pH 6.8 phosphate buffer), at the same % w/w level of polymer. Gamma, however, showed large and significant differences (p HPC HXF > carbomer 971P (same % w/w) with absolute Gamma values at 30% w/w in DI water of 6600, 4600, and 1600 ergs/cm3, respectively. Gamma for HPMC based tablets was independent of changes in dissolution media, while the Gamma values for HPC tablets were 18% lower in acid and buffer than in DI water. Of the polymers tested, carbomer based tablets had the lowest Gamma values in all dissolution media and an unexpected 58% lower Gamma in buffer compared with DI water or acid. Gamma provides a quantitative measure of the effect of formulation and dissolution parameter changes on tablet gel layer strength, under in vitro stress conditions that may parallel in vivo tablet performance, but which cannot be deduced from a comparison of dissolution profiles or polymer viscosity.
Human tumor cells grown in fetal calf serum and human serum: Influences on the tests for lymphocyte cytotoxicity, serum blocking and serum arming effects

Peripheral blood lymphoid cells (PBL) from cancer patients and normal donors were tested against three melanoma cell lines grown in either 10% fetal calf serum (FCS) or 2.5-5% human AB serum in order to determine if the heterologous membrane (HM) antigen or other FCS antigens acquired from the bovine serum supplement could influence lymphoid cell-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro. FCS-grown melanoma cells were more susceptible than the AB serum-grown subline to lymphocyte cytotoxic effects. Arming effects by autologous sera on normal donor lymphocytes and to a lesser extent on lymphocytes of cancer patients were more pronounced on the FCS-grown M12 melanoma cells. This effect was abrogated when the cells were grown in human AB serum for at least 8 weeks. The non-HM tumor-associated antigen remained at the same original low level. Blocking effects were more evident on the AB-grown M14 melanoma line. These data suggest that the FCS antigens on the cell surface may have been responsible for the augmented PBL cytotoxicity. The anti-FCS antibody present in normal and cancer patients' blood induced an antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Elimination of arming activity against HM or other FCS antigens from AB-grown cells may have made the serum blocking factors more apparent. However, cytotoxicity against tumor cells by PBL from normal donors was still apparent even on the human serum-grown cells, suggesting that a different antigen-antibody system was also responsible for this "non-specific" activity.
On the Mitotic Movements of Chromosomes

My conclusions, which, I confess, are tentative and based mainly on studies of one kind of cell, the grasshopper neuroblast, may be summarized as follows. The late prophase orientation of the chromosomes is a carry-over from the late telophase orientation. It is apparently maintained by means of the centromeres, which appear to be attached within a limited region of the nucleus throughout telophase, interphase, and prophase. Metaphase orientation of the chromosomes may be explained as the resultant of two forces: a force involving the centromere and spindle, which is responsible for keeping the centromeres in the equatorial plane of the spindle, and a repulsion force involving the noncentromeric portion of the chromosomes, which results in a tendency toward uniform spacing of the chromosomes outside the spindle. Anaphase separation of sister chromatids and their subsequent movement toward the poles of the spindle involves at least four distinct phases: (i) the initial poleward movement of the centromeres, which may be due to intrinsic repulsion or to a force acting between spindle and centromeres that produces an angle of almost 90 degrees between the separated and unseparated portions of the chromatids; (ii) the autonomous separation of the noncentromeric part of the chromosome; (iii) elongation of the spindle, beginning just after the sister chromatids are separated proximally and ending when the longer chromatids are about to lose contact distally; and (iv) the later movement apart of the daughter chromosomes, probably resulting from a pushing force exerted by elongation of the interzonal fibers.
Melting temperatures of poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide) in methylene chloride solutions: Thermodynamic analysis

Melting temperatures were observed visually for poly-(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) in methylene chloride at nine concentrations (polymer weight fractions ranging from 0.0042 to 0.2362). The data were analyzed upon the assumptions that ΔHu and ΔSu, the molar heat and entropy of fusion per polymer unit, are constant over the temperature range studied, and that a Flory-Huggins chemical potential expression with a concentration-independent pair interaction parameter, χ1 = (0.5 + ψ1) + ψ1Φ/T, satisfactorily describes the polymer unit activity in the binary solutions. Computation gave ΔHu = 1404 cal/mole of units (therefore Δh = 11.7 cal/g), ψ1 = −0.5691, and Φ = 342.4°K. The effect of using various combinations of data points upon the values of these three parameters, as determined by least-squares linear regression treatment of the melting temperature expression, is indicated.
Heart Rate at Hospital Discharge in Patients With Heart Failure Is Associated With Mortality and Rehospitalization

Background Whether heart rate upon discharge following hospitalization for heart failure is associated with long‐term adverse outcomes and whether this association differs between patients with sinus rhythm (SR) and atrial fibrillation (AF) have not been well studied. Methods and Results We conducted a retrospective cohort study from clinical registry data linked to Medicare claims for 46 217 patients participating in Get With The Guidelines®–Heart Failure. Cox proportional‐hazards models were used to estimate the association between discharge heart rate and all‐cause mortality, all‐cause readmission, and the composite outcome of mortality/readmission through 1 year. For SR and AF patients with heart rate ≥75, the association between heart rate and mortality (expressed as hazard ratio [HR] per 10 beats‐per‐minute increment) was significant at 0 to 30 days (SR: HR 1.30, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.39; AF: HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.29) and 31 to 365 days (SR: HR 1.15, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.20; AF: HR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.08). Similar associations between heart rate and all‐cause readmission and the composite outcome were obtained for SR and AF patients from 0 to 30 days but only in the composite outcome for SR patients over the longer term. The HR from 0 to 30 days exceeded that from 31 to 365 days for both SR and AF patients. At heart rates <75, an association was significant for mortality only for both SR and AF patients. Conclusions Among older patients hospitalized with heart failure, higher discharge heart rate was associated with increased risks of death and rehospitalization, with higher risk in the first 30 days and for SR compared with AF.
Impact of Reduced-Risk Insecticides on Soybean Aphid and Associated Natural Enemies

Insect predators in North America suppress Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae) populations; however, insecticides are required when populations reach economically damaging levels. Currently, insecticides used to manage A. glycines are broad-spectrum (pyrethroids and organophosphates), and probably reduce beneficial insect abundance in soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr. Our goal was to determine whether insecticides considered reduced-risk by the Environmental Protection Agency could protect soybean yield from A. glycines herbivory while having a limited impact on the aphid's natural enemies. We compared three insecticides (imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, and pymetrozine,) to a broad-spectrum insecticide (λ-cyhalothrin) and an untreated control using two application methods. We applied neonicotinoid insecticides to seeds (imidacloprid and thiamethoxam) as well as foliage (imidacloprid); pymetrozine and λ-cyhalothrin were applied only to foliage. Foliage-applied insecticides had lower A. glycines populations and higher yields than the seed-applied insecticides. Among foliage-applied insecticides, pymetrozine and imidacloprid had an intermediate level of A. glycines population and yield protection compared with λ-cyhalothrin and the untreated control. We monitored natural enemies with yellow sticky cards, sweep-nets, and direct observation. Before foliar insecticides were applied (i.e., before aphid populations developed) seed treatments had no observable effect on the abundance of natural enemies. After foliar insecticides were applied, differences in natural enemy abundance were observed when sampled with sweep-nets and direct observation but not with yellow sticky cards. Based on the first two sampling methods, pymetrozine and the foliage-applied imidacloprid had intermediate abundances of natural enemies compared with the untreated control and λ-cyhalothrin.
Preclinical Examination of Ocular Photoradiation Therapy

Hematoporphyrin derivative photoradiation therapy is an effective therapeutic modality for several types of solid tumors 1,2. One area of recent clinical interest is the exploitation of HpD PRT for the treatment of ocular malignancies 3,4. New therapies which can provide effective tumor destruction and minimal normal ocular tissue damage are needed since the current modalities used for treating eye tumors (external beam radiation, radioisotope plaques, photocoagulation and cryotherapy) are not totally satisfactory 5,6. HpD PRT may provide a modality which can be utilized for the treatment of both retinoblastoma and uveal melanoma. In addition, this procedure may be useful as both a primary modality in selective instances as well as a secondary modality following recurrence.
Theorien der magnetischen Kristalle und das Magneton

Die bis jetzt untersuchten ferromagnetischen Kristalle sind Pyrrhotit, Fe7S8, der anscheinend hexagonal ist, Magnetit, Fe3O4, vom kubischen System, die Eisenkristalle, vom kubischen System und Ramatit, Fe2O3, der rhomboedrisch und hemiedrisch ist. Die Mehrzahl der Forschungen verdanken wir P. Weiss und seinen Mitarbeitern.
Microstructure and optical properties of GaN films grown on porous SiC substrate by MBE

GaN thin films were grown on porous SiC substrates using reactive molecular beam epitaxy with ammonia as the nitrogen source. Microstructure analysis and optical characterization were performed to assess the quality of the effect of pores on the growth and the quality of the GaN films. Results indicate that the GaN films on porous SiC are slightly less defective and more strain-relaxed (some completely relaxed) when grown on porous SiC substrate, as compared to growth on standard 6H-SiC substrates. Rocking curve FWHMs of 3.3 arcmin for (0002) diffraction and 13.7 arcmin for (1012) diffraction were obtained for sub-micron thick GaN films. Excitonic transition with FWHM as narrow as 9.5 meV was observed at 15K on the GaN layer grown on porous SiC without a skin layer.
Test of a Fuzzy Set Based Decision Model as an Aid in Solving Human Factors Design Problems

Fuzzy Set Theory has proved popular for development of decision making models. However, most such models have not been tested using problems such as commonly found in Human Factors system design. This study used a decision model that combined Fuzzy Set decision rules with an eigenvector weighting rule. Five experienced Human Factors Designers solved six design problems, half manually, and half using a computer program that served as a decision making aid, using the model. On completion of the procedure, the computer model made a recommendation for a solution. The user could accept or reject the model's choice. Comparisons were made between manual and computer aided decision making, and the Fuzzy Set decision rule was compared with other possible decision rules using the same data. Results showed that use of the model-based decision aid was accepted by the users, and were reasonable. In addition, a possible measure of decision making quality was found in the measure of weighting inconsistency which is part...
Expression of an arctic chickweed dehydrin, CarDHN, enhances tolerance to abiotic stress in tobacco plants

Dehydrin proteins are known to serve a wide variety of intracellular protective functions and enhance the capability of plants to deal with abiotic stresses. The gene for a SK5 type dehydrin from the arctic chickweed plant Cerastium arcticum (CarDHN) was introduced into tobacco plants. Stress responses of the transgenic plants were evaluated. Compared to the untransformed wild type plants, the CarDHN-expressing plants exhibited improved tolerance to salt and osmotic stress during seed germination and seedling growth, and survived in −10 °C freezing treatment. These CarDHN plants also accumulated lower levels of free proline under salt stress and exhibited lower transcription levels of HSP70 and HSP26 under drought or salt stress, suggesting a possible pleiotropic effect of CarDHN on stress response at cellular or molecular level. However, no significant phenotypic differences were observed between the wild type and the CarDHN-expressing plants under drought stress. Our study demonstrated the specific role of the arctic chickweed dehydrin in tolerance to salt, osmotic and freezing stress.
Large-cell lymphoma with diffuse sclerosis. A B-cell neoplasm of late-secretory, preplasma cells.

Malignant lymphoma with diffuse sclerosis and bulky disease is a relatively rare tumor characterized by an aggressive mediastinal mass with superior vena cava obstruction. The tumor is resistant to radiation or chemotherapy, and the prognosis is poor. To better understand the nature of the proliferating cell in aggressive large-cell lymphoma with diffuse sclerosis, we used frozen-section immunohistologic techniques to study tissue from a 24-year-old man who died of the disease. Immunotyping demonstrated a B-cell neoplasm (Til−, Leu5−, B1+, Leul4+). B-cell-subset immunotyping disclosed an absence of markers expressed earlier in B-cell maturation (B2-, LN2-, J 5− , I2−), but uniform expression of later, preplasma-cell, secretory blast-stage antigens (IgG+, kappa+, LN1+, PCA+). These immunohistologic observations may be helpful in interpreting biopsies of sclerosing lymphomas with mediastinal presentations.
Synergism of Two Benzoylphenyl Urea Insect Growth Regulators

An omnivorous leafroller, Platynota stultana Walsingham, and the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hubner), are respectively tolerant and susceptible to the benzoylphenyl ureas diflubenzuron and Bay Sir 8514 (2-chloro- N -(((4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenyl)amino)carbonyl)benzamide). LC50 values for diflubenzuron and Bay Sir 8514 in artificial diet for 1st in stars were, respectively, 6938 and 173 ppm with P. stultana and 1.10 and 8.06 ppm with S. exigua . DEF® (S,S,S-tributylphosphorotrithioate), an esterase inhibitor, synergized diflubenzuron and Bay Sir 8514 3,319- and 45-fold, respectively, in P. stultana , but was not synergistic in S. exigua . Piperonyl butoxide, an oxidase inhibitor, did not synergize either benzoylphenyl urea in either insect.
Apoptosis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells induced by the HBV positive serum and its significance

Aim To appraise the role of HBV in apoptosis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs). Methods PBMCs were isolated from 10 healthy blood donors. PBMCs from one blood donor were devided into two samples. One sample was cultured with the HBV positive serum. Another sample was cultured with the serum of healthy person. After 72 hours incubation,the cells were harvested and stained with PI. Then apotosis of the PBMCs was assayed by flow cytometry. Results Apoptotic rate of PBMCs incubated with HBV positive serum(39.56±7.03)% was significantly higher than that with the serum of normal person(27.57±7.78)%(P∨0.02). Conclusion HBV can induce apoptosis of PBMCs. It may be an important mechanism of peripheral immune tolerance in HBV chronic infection.
Design Rules for Resilient Banking Systems

Effective financial policy design should incorporate design principles encouraging financial activity and innovation while discouraging excessive risk-taking, into an inclusive, environmental approach to financial system governance. Examining banking systems in Australia, Brazil, Canada and China – whose financial systems proved more resilient than those in the US and much of Europe in the recent global financial crisis – helps us to uncover design rules which strengthen the financial environment and enhance financial resilience. In effect, policy-makers in these four countries struck an oligopolistic bargain with their domestic top banks. This bargain established national banking boundaries behind which indigenous national banks developed, protected banks from foreign competition and threat of acquisition, and enabled banks to pursue lower risk banking business. In return, banks acted as stewards of their financial environments. This bargain recognized the interlinked, network nature of financial risk and integrated governmental regulation with private actor governance structures.
Recent advances in SERS detection of perchlorate

Perchlorate has recently emerged as a widespread environmental contaminant of healthy concern. Development of novel detection methods for perchlorate with the potential for field use has been an urgent need. The investigation has shown that surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique has great potential to become a practical analysis tool for the rapid screening and routine monitoring of perchlorate in the field, particularly when coupled with portable/handheld Raman spectrometers. In this review article, we summarize progress made in SERS analysis of perchlorate in water and other media with an emphasis on the development of SERS substrates for perchlorate detection. The potential of this technique for fast screening and field testing of perchlorate-contaminated environmental samples is discussed. The challenges and possible solutions are also addressed, aiming to provide a better understanding on the development directions in the research field.
Video Lecture Capture Technology Helps Students Study without Affecting Attendance in Large Microbiology Lecture Courses.

Recording lectures using video lecture capture software and making them available for students to watch anytime, from anywhere, has become a common practice in many universities across many disciplines. The software has become increasingly easy to use and is commonly provided and maintained by higher education institutions. Several studies have reported that students use lecture capture to enhance their learning and study for assessments, as well as to catch up on material they miss when they cannot attend class due to extenuating circumstances. Furthermore, students with disabilities and students from non-English Speaking Backgrounds (NESB) may benefit from being able to watch the video lecture captures at their own pace. Yet, the effect of this technology on class attendance remains a controversial topic and largely unexplored in undergraduate microbiology education. Here, we show that when video lecture captures were available in our large enrollment general microbiology courses, attendance did not decrease. In fact, the majority of students reported that having the videos available did not encourage them to skip class, but rather they used them as a study tool. When we surveyed NESB students and nontraditional students about their attitudes toward this technology, they found it helpful for their learning and for keeping up with the material.
Telepsychiatry: Current Outcomes and Future Directions

Telepsychiatry is an evolving field in the treatment of mental illness. Although it is used since 1950, its application is widely expanded in the past one decade. Telepsychiatry is defined as the use of technology to communicate with the people and provide psychiatry services from a distance. It requires a collaborative and supportive team consisting of patients, psychiatrists, referring physicians, nurses, families, and health care facilities. Telepsychiatry is very feasible and is applicable to a wide range of patient population having diverse cultural backgrounds. It can also be used in different clinical settings and is proven to be effective in reducing disease severity in several disorders like anxiety, attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, and psychosis. Telepsychiatry is effective both clinically and academically. Clinically, it is used for diagnosing and managing the patient, conducting neuropsychological testing, and providing psychotherapy. Academically telepsychiatry can be used for education, training, and research purposes. Although it is very effective in many ways, few challenges in this field include training and recruiting physicians who can provide care using such services, access to patients, and continuously update health care facilities with the recent advancements in the information and communication technology. Telepsychiatry is mainly helpful to decrease the gap in delivering psychiatric care to people in rural and/or underserved areas. So, more insight should be provided to patients and physicians about the advantages of using telepsychiatry services. In this review, we discussed the challenges, different treatment outcomes, effectiveness, and future directions of telepsychiatry.
Automated low-order to high-order mesh conversion

An algorithm is presented for the CAD-free conversion of linear unstructured meshes into curved high-order meshes, which are necessary for high-order flow simulations. The algorithm operates via three steps: (1) autonomous detection of feature curves along the mesh surface, (2) reconstruction of the surface curvature from the combination of surface node positions and feature curve positions, and (3) alignment of the mesh interior to the newly curved surface. The algorithm is implemented in our freely available cross-platform graphical software program meshCurve, which transforms existing linear meshes into high-order curved meshes
Opponent Chromatic Mechanisms Predict Hue Naming

It now seems certain, as suggested by THOMAS YOUNG (1) some 175 years ago, that human color vision is mediated by three types of receptors, maximally sensitive at different regions of the visible spectrum, but broadly overlapping in responsivity. Although the underlying photopigments have not been isolated, data from microspectrophotometry (2, 3, 4), reflection densitometry (5, 6) and psychophysics (7, 8, 9, 10), converge on estimating the peak sensitivites at about 435, 530, and 562 nanometers (nm). These data also suggest that the shapes of the spectral absorption curves are similar when plotted on a frequency scale. The existence of three receptors of this kind is, of course, consistent with the trivariance of color mixture. The relation between perceived hue and receptor activity, however, appears to be less simple.
The Development of Verbal Reasoning: Pragmatic, Schematic and Operational Aspects

Becoming literate, that is, mastering the use of written language, has been assumed to carry with it consequences for the way people think and how they use spoken language. Havelock (1973) has argued that the Greek’s invention of the alphabetic writing system led to new modes of thought because storage of information for later use released “the human brain from certain formidable burdens of memorization while increasing the energies available for conceptual thought” (Havelock, 1973:60). Goody and Watt (1963) contend that literacy led to new regard for “literal” truth and fostered critical analysis because logical inconsistencies became apparent in written prose. Writing permitted the development of the rules of formal logic, as in Aristotle’s Analytics.
Average neutron time-of-flight instrument response function inferred from single D-T neutron events within a plastic scintillator

The apparent ion temperature and neutron-reaction history are important characteristics of a fusion plasma. Extracting these quantities from a measured neutron-time-of-flight signal requires accurate knowledge of the instrument response function (IRF). This work describes a novel method for obtaining the IRF directly for single DT neutron interactions by utilizing n-alpha coincidence. The t(d,α)n nuclear reaction was produced at Sandia National Laboratories' Ion Beam Laboratory using a 300 keV Cockcroft-Walton generator to accelerate a 2.5 μA beam of 175 keV D+ ions into a stationary ErT2 target. The average neutron IRF was calculated by taking a time-corrected average of individual neutron events within an EJ-228 plastic scintillator. The scintillator was coupled to two independent photo-multiplier tubes operated in the current mode: a Hamamatsu 5946 mod-5 and a Photek PMT240. The experimental setup and results will be discussed.
The normal electrocardiogram

The electrical activity generated during the cardiac cycle can be measured from the body surface as the ECG. This chapter will summarize the correlation between cardiac events and the ECG in the normal heart and will follow the time course of cardiac activation.
Change in gaze-based attention bias in adolescents with Social Anxiety Disorder.

Although attention bias (AB) toward threat has been associated with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), concerns regarding the ability of current measures to detect change in AB following treatment exis...
Aerobic training and vascular protection: Insight from altered blood flow patterns.

NEW FINDING What is the central question of this study? This study sought to determine whether prior upper limb aerobic training can attenuate the vascular dysfunction resulting from negative alteration of blood flow patterns. What is the main finding and its importance? We demonstrated that the microvasculature of young men with prior upper limb aerobic training (rowing) was equally susceptible to negatively altered blood flow patterns when compared with untrained control subjects. This finding reveals that aerobic training does not provide adequate protection against this type of vascular insult, highlighting the importance of reducing known vascular insults regardless of training status. ABSTRACT Acute alteration of blood flow patterns can substantially reduce blood vessel function and, if consistently repeated, may chronically reduce vascular health. Aerobic exercise training is associated with improved vascular health, but it is not well understood whether aerobic training-induced vascular adaptations provide protection against acute vascular insults. This study sought to determine whether prior upper limb aerobic training can attenuate the vascular dysfunction resulting from an acute vascular insult (increased retrograde/oscillatory shear). Ten young arm-trained (AT) men (rowers; 22 ± 1 years of age) and 10 untrained (UT) male control subjects (21 ± 3 years of age) were recruited for this study. Subjects completed two brachial artery (BA) flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) tests separated by an acute bout of subdiastolic cuff inflation (SDCI) of the distal forearm. Brachial artery dilatation (normalized for the shear stimulus) and reactive hyperaemia evaluated during the BA FMD test were used to determine conduit artery and microvascular function, respectively. Data were presented as mean values ± SD. The AT group reported significantly greater whole body (peak oxygen uptake; P = 0.01) and forearm aerobic capacity (P < 0.001). The SDCI intervention significantly increased retrograde (P < 0.001) and oscillatory shear (P < 0.001) in both groups. After the SDCI, microvascular function (post-cuff release hyperaemia), but not conduit artery function (shear-induced BA dilatation), was significantly reduced from pre-SDCI values (P = 0.001) independent of group. This study revealed that young men with prior upper limb aerobic training, when compared with untrained control subjects, were equally susceptible to the microvascular dysfunction associated with an acute increase in retrograde/oscillatory shear.
The Impact of China’s 2008 R&D Tax Credit on R&D Expenditure – Evidence from National Statistics Data

This paper evaluates the research and development (RD POE and especially FIE respond more positively to R&D tax credit. This paper not only increases our understanding of the institutional detail of China’s R&D policy, but also adds to a stream of literature that examine the effectiveness of governmental R&D subsidies.