Orexin/hypocretin modulation of the basal forebrain cholinergic system: Role in attention

The basal forebrain cholinergic system (BFCS) plays a role in several aspects of attentional function. Activation of this system by different afferent inputs is likely to influence how attentional resources are allocated. While it has been recognized for some time that the hypothalamus is a significant source of projections to the basal forebrain, the phenotype(s) of these inputs and the conditions under which their regulation of the BFCS becomes functionally relevant are still unclear. The cell bodies of neurons expressing orexin/hypocretin neuropeptides are restricted to the lateral hypothalamus and contiguous perifornical area but have widespread projections, including to the basal forebrain. Orexin fibers and both orexin receptor subtypes are distributed in cholinergic parts of the basal forebrain, where application of orexin peptides increases cell activity and cortical acetylcholine release. Furthermore, disruption of orexin signaling in the basal forebrain impairs the cholinergic response to an appetitive stimulus. in this review, we propose that orexin inputs to the BFCS form an anatomical substrate for links between arousal and attention, and that these interactions might be particularly important as a means by which interoceptive cues bias allocation of attentional resources toward related exteroceptive stimuli. Dysfunction in orexin-acetylcholine interactions may play a role in the arousal and attentional deficits that accompany neurodegenerative conditions as diverse as drug addiction and age-related cognitive decline. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

E-Learning As A Career Path In Information Systems Curricula: A Blue Ocean Opportunity

E-learning is a rapidly growing industry with emerging career opportunities that require expertise in business, information technology, and instructional design. However, most academic institutions lack cohesive programs for preparing students for e-learning careers. We argue that information systems (IS) programs have a unique, “blue ocean” opportunity to prepare students for e-learning careers with nominal curricular adjustment. This paper builds on the MSIS 2006 model curriculum to describe an approach for incorporating e-learning as a career track in information systems (IS) graduate programs. An example e-learning curriculum from a large, public university in the western United States is also presented. We believe that an e-learning IS career track can enhance the appeal of the IS major by providing students with access to a multi-billion dollar industry and opening additional employment opportunities as they prepare for a career in business

Information Systems Appraisal and Coping: The Role of User Perceptions

Organizations increasingly rely on complex information systems (IS) to preserve and enhance competitive advantage. Prior work has shown that these IS are often underutilized, prompting researchers and practitioners to seek out better explanations to account for IS use behaviors. Coping theory has recently emerged as a promising foundation for understanding users’ post-adoptive reactions to IS. This paper takes a first step toward integrating theories of IS adoption and use with coping theory by examining how adoption-related IS perceptions influence individual-level post-adoptive IS appraisal. Survey data collected from IS users at a university health center indicate that performance and effort expectancies surrounding use of the IS strongly influence primary IS appraisal (judgments of what is at stake as a result of the IS), while the presence of facilitating conditions relates to secondary IS appraisal (judgments of what can be done in response to the IS)

Common MEFV Mutations in Palestinian Patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessive inflammatory disorder caused by mutations in the MEFV gene that encodes the pyrin protein. The disease is relatively common among people originating from the Mediterranean areas. The aim of this study was to determine the common MEFV gene mutations in 270 Palestinian patients diagnosed with FMF. The patients were screened for four common MEFV gene mutations namely, p. M694V, p. M694I, p. V726A, and p. E148Q using allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR). The results revealed that around 22% of the patients harbored two MEFV mutations, with the compound heterozygous forms being more prevalent than the homozygous ones. The most frequently encountered mutant allele was p. M694V which existed in around 12% of the tested chromosomes. The p. M694I, p. V226A and p. E148Q mutations were observed in around 9, 9 and 7% of the tested chromosomes, respectively. In about 29% of the patients only one mutant allele could be detected and around 49% of the patients did not show any of the investigated mutations. In conclusion, the four tested MEFV gene mutations have a significant contribution to FMF in the Palestinian population of Gaza strip. Screening for those mutations should be offered to FMF patients to confirm diagnosis and effect timely treatment. Further mutations analysis the MEFV gene should be conducted in this population in order to document additional MEFV mutations

Heaps and heapsort on secondary storage

AbstractA heap structure designed for secondary storage is suggested that tries to make the best use of the available buffer space in primary memory. The heap is a complete multi-way tree, with multi-page blocks of records as nodes, satisfying a generalized heap property. A special feature of the tree is that the nodes may be partially filled, as in B-trees. The structure is complemented with priority-queue operations insert and delete-max. When handling a sequence of S operations, the number of page transfers performed is shown to be O(∑i = 1S(1P) log(MP)(NiP)), where P denotes the number of records fitting into a page, M the capacity of the buffer space in records, and Ni, the number of records in the heap prior to the ith operation (assuming P ⩾ 1 and S > M ⩾ c · P, where c is a small positive constant). The number of comparisons required when handling the sequence is O(∑i = 1S log2 Ni). Using the suggested data structure we obtain an optimal external heapsort that performs O((NP) log(MP)(NP)) page transfers and O(N log2 N) comparisons in the worst case when sorting N records

Exploring Psychological Reactions to Social Media Logos

Modern social media platforms offer myriad benefits to individuals, organizations, and societies; yet, social media also has a potential “dark side”, including, among other elements, the potential negative consequences of social media overuse. We explore whether mere exposure to social media cues can induce subconscious pleasurable reactions, particularly among those who report high levels of social media craving and use. We report the results of an online experiment (n=201) that used the Affect Misattribution Procedure (AMP) to elicit pleasantness ratings of target stimuli associated with social media logos and other types of control and comparison images. Results demonstrate that participants who report high levels of social media craving and use subconsciously attribute greater favorability to target stimuli associated with social media logos vs. (a) non-social media stimuli and (b) low craving/use participants, suggesting a spontaneous hedonic reaction to social media cues that may reinforce overuse behavior

Land Use Impact on the Spatial and Seasonal Variation of the Contaminant Loads to Abou Ali River and Its Coastal Zone in North Lebanon

Rosana G. Moreira, Editor-in-Chief; Texas A&M UniversityThis is a paper from International Commission of Agricultural Engineering (CIGR, Commission Internationale du Genie Rural) E-Journal Volume 6 (2004): M. Massoud, M. El-Fadel, M. Scrimshaw, and J. Lester. Land Use Impact on the Spatial and Seasonal Variation of the Contaminant Loads to Abou Ali River and Its Coastal Zone in North Lebanon. (May 2004)