Determination of the critical absolute blood volume for intradialytic morbid events

The reduction of blood volume below a critical threshold is assumed to trigger intradialytic morbid events (IME). Recently, we presented a simple method to determine the absolute blood volume during routine hemodialysis (HD) carried out without blood sampling and without injection of dyes or radiolabeled markers. Such information could be used to detect excessive volume reduction during HD and to prevent IME. Therefore, we performed a pilot study in IME‐prone patients to identify the absolute blood volume at which they developed clinical symptoms. A volume of 240 mL of ultrapure dialysate was automatically infused into the extracorporeal circulation using the bolus function of a commercial online hemodiafiltration machine incorporating a blood volume monitor (BVM). The increase in relative blood volume (RBV) caused by the infusion was measured and used to determine the absolute blood volume at that time. The blood volume per kilogram body mass at the time of symptomatic IME was also determined. All IME‐prone patients of a single‐dialysis center were included in the study. Ten out of 12 patients became symptomatic at a specific blood volume between 65 and 56 mL/kg (mean 62 mL/kg) whereas RBV showed a wide scatter (82–97%). A specific blood volume of 65 mL/kg seems to represent the threshold for IME by this method. The technique could be completely automated without altering the hardware of the dialysis device. Present feedback systems for automated blood volume‐controlled ultrafiltration could be adapted to maintain absolute blood volume above this critical volume to safely prevent volume‐dependent IME.     

Set/Reset Bilaterally Controllable Resistance Switching Ga-doped Ge2Sb2Te5 Long-Term Electronic Synapses for Neuromorphic Computing

Long-term plasticity of bio-synapses modulates the stable synaptic transmission that is quite related to the encoding of information and its emulation using electronic hardware is one of important targets for neuromorphic computing. Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ (GST) based phase change random access memory (PCRAM) has become a strong candidate for complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) compatible integrated long-term electronic synapses to cope with the high-efficient and low power consumption data processing tasks for neuromorphic computing. However, the performance of PCRAM electronic synapses is still quite limited due to the challenges in linear and continuous conductance regulation, which originates from the fast and uncontrollable resistance switching characteristic of conventional PCRAM for the data storage application. Here an in-depth study is reported on the impact of gallium (Ga) doping on GST (GaGST) structural properties and on the corresponding 0.13 µm CMOS technology fabricated PCRAM integrated devices with a mushroom structure. The Ga doping effectively retarded the crystallization process of GST by augmenting the local disorder of GeTe_4-nGe_n tetrahedron, which subsequently leads to the Set/Reset bilaterally controllable resistance switching of corresponding PCRAM devices. The optimized 6.5%GaGST electronic synapses demonstrate gradual resistance switching characteristics and a good multilevel retention feature and eventually exhibit outstanding long-term synaptic plasticity like potentiation/depression and spiking time dependent plasticity in four forms. Such long-term electronic synapses are applied to handwritten digits recognition (96.22%) and CIFAR-10 image categorization (93.6%) and attain very high accuracy for both tasks. These results provide an effective method to achieve high performance PCRAM electronic synapses and highlight the great potential of GaGST PCRAM as a component for future high-performance neuromorphic computing.     

Towards cooperation of heterogeneous,autonomous robots: A case study of humanoid and wheeled robots

In this paper a case study of the cooperation of a strongly heterogeneous autonomous robot team, composed of a highly articulated humanoid robot and a wheeled robot with largely complementing and some redundant abilities is presented. By combining strongly heterogeneous robots the diversity of achievable tasks increases as the variety of sensing and motion abilities of the robot system is extended, compared to a usually considered team of homogeneous robots. A number of methodologies and technologies required in order to achieve the long-term goal of cooperation of heterogeneous autonomous robots are discussed, including modeling tasks and robot abilities, task assignment and redistribution, robot behavior modeling and programming, robot middleware and robot simulation. Example solutions and their application to the cooperation of autonomous wheeled and humanoid robots are presented in this case study. The scenario describes a tightly coupled cooperative task, where the humanoid robot and the wheeled robot track a moving ball, which is to be approached and kicked by the humanoid robot into a goal. The task can be fulfilled successfully by combining the abilities of both robots.     

Control processes before and after passing a developmental deadline: Activation and deactivation of intimate relationship goals.

This study addressed activation and deactivation of partnership goals in a sample of 116 recently separated or committed individuals in young adulthood and late midlife. Across adulthood, the opportunities for forming a partnership decrease dramatically. The authors argue that such deteriorating opportunity structures (developmental deadlines) call for a shift from goal realization efforts to goal disengagement. The findings showed that younger as compared with older separated persons more frequently reported partnership goals, expressed greater control striving for partnership realization, and responded more to positive than to negative information about partnerships. Separated persons in late midlife disengaged from partnership goals and redirected their resources to other social domains. A longitudinal follow-up at 15 months showed that age differences in control processes were related to improvement in emotional well-being of separated individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental regulation before and after a developmental deadline: The sample case of "biological clock" for childbearing.

This quasi-experimental research investigates developmental regulation around a critical life-span transition, the "biological clock" for childbearing. The action-phase model of developmental regulation proposes contrasting control orientations in individuals approaching versus those having passed a developmental deadline. Individuals in an urgency phase close to the deadline should be invested in goal pursuit, whereas those who have passed the deadline without attaining the goal should focus on goal disengagement and self-protection. In 2 studies, women at different ages and with or without children were compared with regard to various indicators of primary and secondary control striving for goal attainment versus goal disengagement and self-protection. Findings support the action-phase model of developmental regulation. Patterns of control striving congruent with the participants' status as pre-versus post-deadline were associated with superior psychological well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Primary and secondary control strategies for managing health and financial stress across adulthood.

The study examined the relation among three types of control strategies (persistence, positive reappraisals, lowering aspirations) and subjective well-being across adulthood (N?=?3,490). Specifically, the authors investigated whether age-adapted endorsement of control strategies is conducive to subjective well-being if individuals experience health or financial stress. The results reveal an overall enhanced reliance on control strategies in older as compared with younger adults. In addition, persistence showed a stronger positive relation to subjective well-being in young adulthood as compared with old age. In midlife and old age, positive reappraisals had a stronger positive relation to subjective well-being than persistence. Lowering aspirations was negatively related to subjective well-being, independent of age. Age differences in the relation of control strategies to subjective well-being were particularly salient in individuals who faced either health or financial stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Uranium fluoride and metallic uranium as target materials for heavy-element experiments at SHIP

In this contribution we describe the production and application of uranium targets for synthesis of heavy elements. The targets are prepared from uranium fluoride (UF₄) and from metallic uranium with thin carbon foils as backing. Targets of UF₄ were produced by thermal evaporation in a similar way as the frequently applied targets out of Bi, Bi₂O₃, Pb, PbS, SmF₃, and NdF_3, prepared mostly from isotopically enriched material [Birgit Kindler, et al., Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 561 (2006) 107; Bettina Lommel, et al., Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 561 (2006) 100]. In order to use more intensive beams and to avoid scattering of the reaction products in the target, metallic uranium is favorable. However, evaporation of metallic uranium is not feasible at a sustainable yield. Therefore, we established magnetron sputtering of metallic uranium. We describe production and properties of these targets. First irradiation tests show promising results.