A critical review of anti-adrenergic therapy in patients with heart failure and diabetes mellitus

Anti-adrenergic therapy has been widely accepted as an important therapeutic intervention in patients with chronic heart failure. However, there has been continuing controversy regarding the risks and clinical significance of metabolic effects of different anti-adrenergic drugs. This review summarizes what has been learned from clinical trial evidence regarding the benefits of anti-adrenergic drugs in diabetic patients with chronic heart failure

MIX-crowds, an anonymity scheme for file retrieval systems

In this paper, we propose an anonymous scheme for file retrieval systems, MIX-Crowds, in which it is harder for an attacker to identify the requester of the file by making use of the idea of MIX [7] and Crowds [20] to establish a path from the requester to the file holder. Result shows that predecessor attack [26] is much more difficult to succeed compared with Crowds [20]. We are able to reduce the estimated number of rounds needed for successful predecessor attack for MIX-Crowds. We also propose a file transfer strategy according to file size. With such strategy, requests for small size files can be completed faster while the downloading time of large size files only increases slightly. © 2009 IEEE.published_or_final_versionThe 28th International Conference on Computer Communications (IEEE INFOCOM 2009), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 19-25 April 2009. In Proceedings of the IEEE Infocom, 2009, p. 1170-117

Compatibility of Nd and Ba in YBa2Cu3Oy superconductor

A series of samples with nominal compositions of YBa2-xNdxCu3Oy were prepared by solid state reactions and investigated by X-ray diffraction, magnetic and electrical measurements. The solubility, x, was determined to be x0.3 Tc0 drops sharply to about 84 K, and finally for x=0.5 Tc on falls to 30 K and Tc0 is below 10 K. Our results suggest that the small compatibility of Nd and Ba in YBa2 Cu3Oy system does not seriously suppress the superconductivity.published_or_final_versio

Preparation and characterization of NdBa2Cu3O y thin films

C-axis oriented epitaxial NdBa2Cu3Oy thin films on (100) SrTiO3 substrates were prepared by off-axis rf sputtering. Thin films with Tc0=90 K in a deviation of 0.5 K were prepared reproducibly under the optimal depositing conditions. A parabolic relation of Tc0 to c-axis lattice parameter corresponding to a typical electronic phase diagram for high-Tc superconductors was observed, indicating an optimal oxygen content for the best superconductivity. The oxygen out-diffusion and thermal expansion of the films were studied by an in-situ high temperature x-ray diffraction.published_or_final_versio

Enhanced film quality of Y-Ba-Cu-O by using Eu-Cu-O buffer layer on Sr-Ti-O substrates

Eu2CuO4 (ECO) has been used as a buffer layer for growing of YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) thin films on SrTiO3 (STO) (100) substrates. The epitaxy, crystallinity and surface of YBCO thin films have been significantly improved by using ECO buffer layer as investigated by x-ray diffraction, rocking curves, scanning electron microscope, surface step profiler and x-ray small angle reflection. The best value of the full width at half maximum of the YBCO (005) peak can be greatly reduced down to less than 0.1 degree. The scanning electron microscope photos indicate very smooth surface for the YBCO thin films. The average roughness is less than 5 nm over a wide scanning region of 2000 μm. The results of x-ray small angle reflection indicate a very clear and flat interface between YBCO and ECO layers. Our results suggest that ECO should be a good barrier candidate for fabricating high-Tc superconductor junctions.published_or_final_versio

Preparation of continually graded barriers of YPrBaCuO for HTS Josephson junctions

We report preparation of a novel barrier structure for high Tc superconducting multilayer Josephson junctions using a simple composite target technique. Such a barrier consists of Yx Pr1-xBa2Cu3Oy with a continually varied concentration of yttrium. In this barrier no lattice mismatch and other incompatibility problems occur between adjacent layers. Thus the formation of interfacial defects and structural strain can be mostly prevented. The Josephson coupling takes place at the electrically formed interfaces rather than the structural interfaces. A particular feature of these junctions is that the effective thickness of the barrier strongly depends on the measuring temperature and the concentration gradient. The absence of the structural interface in the weak link region greatly enhances the reproducibility and the performance of these junctions.published_or_final_versio

Growth and characterization of Eu-Cu-O thin films on YSZ(100) substrates

High quality epitaxial Eu2CuO4 (ECO) thin films have been deposited on yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) (100) substrates by magnetron rf sputtering method. The obtained ECO films are highly c-axis-oriented and well crystallized, as shown by x-ray diffraction, rocking curves. The influence of oxygen out-diffusion on the c-axis length and the resistance behavior were studied. The post vacuum annealing removes the excess oxygen from the structure of ECO. As a result, the c-axis length decreases and the resistivity increases. By using ECO as a buffer layer, extremely smooth surface of YBCO was obtained on YSZ substrates.published_or_final_versio

Ultrathin films of YBaCuO grown on YSZ substrates with a new buffer layer Nd-Cu-O

YSZ is one of the most widely used substrates to grow oxide superconducting thin films. However, the large lattice mismatch and occurrence of intermediate layer often degrade the quality of grown films. We used a new buffer material, neodymium copper oxide (Nd2 CuO4), to improve the quality of YBCO ultrathin films grown on YSZ. Good superconducting transitions have been obtained on these films with thickness 10-12 nanometers. Such a Nd2CuO 4 layer has a stable crystal structure and behaves as an oxide semiconductor. At 77 K, its resistivity is ~40 times higher than that of PrBaCuO, which has been commonly used as buffer layer and barrier material. The lattice mismatch between Nd2CuO4 and YBCO is much smaller than that between YSZ and YBCO. It allows highly epitaxial growth of YBCO without forming big defects and the intermediate layer. Measurements by using XRD, rocking curve, and cross-sectional TEM indicated that the crystallinity of YBCO films grown on Nd2CuO4 buffer layer had been significantly improved. Besides, the smooth surface of Nd2CuO4 layer and buffered YBCO films are observed by SEM.published_or_final_versio

Role of bone morphogenetic protein-7 in renal fibrosis

published_or_final_versio

Regulatory Compliance when the Rule of Law Is Weak: Evidence from China’s Environmental Reform

What drives regulatees’ behaviors when the institution of law is weak? This study seeks to answer the question by examining environmental regulation enforcement in China. Based on survey and interview data on Hong Kong-owned manufacturing enterprises in the Pearl River Delta Region, Guangdong Province, we found that their decisions to adopt basic and proactive environmental management practices were less driven by concerns for legality than by their perceptions of the regulators’ actions and gestures. Enterprises adopted basic environmental practices to avoid potential punishment and more proactive practices to avoid potentially arbitrary impositions from regulatory officials. Regulated enterprises were more likely to adopt both basic and proactive environmental practices if they had less difficulties in understanding the enforced regulations. These findings suggest important ways in which regulatory compliance behaviors in a developmental context may differ from those in Western countries.postprin