cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Morning surge of ventricular arrhythmias in a new arrhythmogenic canine model of chronic heart failure is associated with attenuation of time-of-day dependence of heart rate and autonomic adaptation, and reduced cardiac chaos.

Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) exhibit a morning surge in ventricular arrhythmias, but the underlying cause remains unknown. The aim of this study was to determine if heart rate dynamics, autonomic input (assessed by heart rate variability (HRV)) and nonlinear dynamics as well as their abnormal time-of-day-dependent oscillations in a newly developed arrhythmogenic canine heart failure model are associated with a morning surge in ventricular arrhythmias. CHF was induced in dogs by aortic insufficiency & aortic constriction, and assessed by echocardiography. Holter monitoring was performed to study time-of-day-dependent variation in ventricular arrhythmias (PVCs, VT), traditional HRV measures, and nonlinear dynamics (including detrended fluctuations analysis α1 and α2 (DFAα1 & DFAα2), correlation dimension (CD), and Shannon entropy (SE)) at baseline, as well as 240 days (240d) and 720 days (720d) following CHF induction. LV fractional shortening was decreased at both 240d and 720d. Both PVCs and VT increased with CHF duration and showed a morning rise (2.5-fold & 1.8-fold increase at 6 AM-noon vs midnight-6 AM) during CHF. The morning rise in HR at baseline was significantly attenuated by 52% with development of CHF (at both 240d & 720d). Morning rise in the ratio of low frequency to high frequency (LF/HF) HRV at baseline was markedly attenuated with CHF. DFAα1, DFAα2, CD and SE all decreased with CHF by 31, 17, 34 and 7%, respectively. Time-of-day-dependent variations in LF/HF, CD, DFA α1 and SE, observed at baseline, were lost during CHF. Thus in this new arrhythmogenic canine CHF model, attenuated morning HR rise, blunted autonomic oscillation, decreased cardiac chaos and complexity of heart rate, as well as aberrant time-of-day-dependent variations in many of these parameters were associated with a morning surge of ventricular arrhythmias.
Sex, Aspiration Level, and Perceptual Discrimination.

Certain sex differences in aptitudes have been consistently found by various researchers. It has been suggested that the level of aspiration of the individual participant is important as well as the significance of sex. In this study some of the differences in a perceptual discrimination performance task due to: (1) sex and (2) level of aspiration of each group of participants were investigated. It was found that the discrimination performance of females was greater than that of males; level of aspiration does affect both groups, but the female participants to a greater degree; and there is an interaction effect between femaleness, maleness, and aspiration level.
A complication of scleral expansion surgery for treatment of presbyopia

Abstract PURPOSE: To report a patient who developed complications from an experimental technique using scleral expansion to treat presbyopia. METHODS: Case report of a 46-year-old woman who underwent scleral expansion surgery on her right eye. Postoperatively, the patient developed chronic pain and swelling that necessitated removal of the scleral expanders. RESULTS: After removal of the scleral expanders, the patient demonstrated a −1.4 diopter myopic shift in the right eye relative to her preoperative refraction. Axial length of the right eye was 1.15 mm longer than of the left, whereas preoperative axial lengths were equal. CONCLUSION: This patient developed scleral thinning with resultant axial lengthening and myopic shift, akin to the phenomenon observed with scleral buckles used to treat retinal detachments. We believe this was responsible for improved near vision in her right eye, rather than any increased accommodative potential purported to result from this operation.
Isolation of a subpopulation of adherent peritoneal cells with anti-tumour activity

WE have reported that adherent peritoneal cells from normal mice stimulated the growth of many lymphomas in vitro, while adherent peritoneal cells from mice injected with Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) were far less stimulatory1. The latter were overtly cytostatic when tested on L929 cells1, as well as on several other adherent fibroblastic malignant targets (unpublished). This leads us to speculate that adherent murine peritoneal cells consist of at least two subpopulations, one that tends to stimulate and one that tends to inhibit the proliferation of susceptible target cells. According to this view, infection of the mouse with BCG might lead to increased numbers or activity of the cytostatic subpopulation at the expense of the stimulatory subpopulation. We have now isolated an adherent, esterase-positive, poorly phagocytic mononuclear peritoneal cell with potent tumour-inhibitory capacity, which may represent the postulated cytostatic subpopulation.
Optimal admission control for tandem loss systems with two stations

Abstract We study a system of two queues in tandem with finite buffers, Poisson arrivals to the first station, and exponentially distributed service times at both stations. Losses are incurred either when a customer is rejected at the time of arrival to the first station or when the second station is full at the time of service completion at the first station. The objective is to determine the optimal admission control policy that minimizes the long-run average cost.
Protein kinase C inhibitors alter neurotensin receptor binding and function in prostate cancer PC3 cells.

Abstract Prostate cancer PC3 cells expressed constitutive protein kinase C (PKC) activity that under basal conditions suppressed neurotensin (NT) receptor function. The endogenous PKC activity, assessed using a cell-based PKC substrate phosphorylation assay, was diminished by PKC inhibitors and enhanced by phorbol myristic acid (PMA). Accordingly, PKC inhibitors (staurosporine, Go-6976, Go-6983, Ro-318220, BIS-1, chelerythrine, rottlerin, quercetin) enhanced NT receptor binding and NT-induced inositol phosphate (IP) formation. In contrast, PMA inhibited these functions. The cells expressed conventional PKCs (α, βI) and novel PKCs (δ, e), and the effects of PKC inhibitors on NT binding were blocked by PKC downregulation. The inhibition of NT binding by PMA was enhanced by okadaic acid and blocked by PKC inhibitors. However, when some PKC inhibitors (rottlerin, BIS-1, Ro-318220, Go-69830, quercetin) were used at higher concentrations (> 2 μM), they had a different effect characterized by a dramatic increase in NT binding and an inhibition of NT-induced IP formation. The specificity of the agents implicated novel PKCs in this response and indeed, the inhibition of NT-induced IP formation was reproduced by PKCδ or PKCe knockdown. The inhibition of IP formation appeared to be specific to NT since it was not observed in response to bombesin. Scatchard analyses indicated that the PKC-directed agents modulated NT receptor affinity, not receptor number or receptor internalization. These findings suggest that PKC participates in heterologous regulation of NT receptor function by two mechanisms: a) — conventional PKCs inhibit NT receptor binding and signaling; and b) — novel PKCs maintain the ability of NT to stimulate PLC. Since NT can activate PKC upon binding to its receptor, it is possible that NT receptor is also subject to homologous regulation by PKC.
IT workforce planning: a modular design science approach

Strategic benefits offered by well-executed investments in information technology (IT) have been acknowledged extensively. Among other factors, successful return on IT investments depends upon timely availability of quality of IT personnel. IT workforce planning necessitates active projections of a firm's workforce transformation from both known technology evolutions such as shifting among platforms, and personnel transition scenarios such as retirement, turnover, and other career decisions. Using a design science approach, we propose the development of a modular workforce planning system that captures current workforce inventory, projected personnel transitions, and projected skill evolutions to generate future workforce states. This proposed system has implications for development and design of systems for succession, transition, training, and hiring/exit decisions for an IT workforce environment.
Objective radiographic assessment of abdominal sand accumulation in horses

Gastrointestinal sand accumulation is a common cause of equine colic. Subjective assessment of sand accumulation on abdominal radiographs has been used as a diagnostic aid; however, there is poor correlation between clinical, diagnostic, and surgical findings. The purpose of this study was to develop an objective method of assessing radiographic sand accumulation in order to improve the diagnostic utility of radiography for sand colic. Fifty-one equine abdominal radiographic examinations were reviewed, with approximately half of the imaged patients having a clinical diagnosis of sand colic. Initially, four observers independently reviewed these radiographic studies to subjectively decide whether or not sand accumulation was sufficient to cause colic. Subsequently, an objective scoring system was developed using various radiographic parameters that yielded a score ranging from one to 12 for quantity and apparent density of sand accumulation. Inter- and intraobserver results using the subjective scoring method had significant differences among all observers. Subjective assessment was also deemed to be inaccurate for colic prediction. Using the objective scoring system, there were no significant differences between or within the observers' results. A score of seven out of 12 was found to have an 83% likelihood of being associated with a positive diagnosis of sand colic. The designed objective scoring method creates a more uniform and accurate method to assess the sand accumulation.
Highly excited mesons, linear Regge trajectories, and the pattern of the chiral symmetry realization

The chiral symmetry of QCD shows up in the linear Weyl-Wigner mode at short Euclidean distances or at high temperatures. On the other hand, low-lying hadronic states exhibit the nonlinear Nambu-Goldstone mode. An interesting question was raised as to whether the linear realization of the chiral symmetry is asymptotically restored for highly excited states. We address it in a number of ways. On the phenomenological side we argue that to the extent the meson Regge trajectories are observed to be linear and equidistant, the Weyl-Wigner mode is not realized. This picture is supported by quasiclassical arguments implying that the quark spin interactions in high excitations are weak, the trajectories are linear, and there is no chiral symmetry restoration. Then we use the string/gauge duality. In the top-down Sakai-Sugimoto construction the nonlinear realization of the chiral symmetry is built in. In the bottom-up AdS/QCD construction by Erlich et al. and Karch et al. the situation is more ambiguous. However, in this approach linearity and equidistance of the Regge trajectories can be naturally implemented, with the chiral symmetry in the Nambu-Goldstone mode. Asymptotic chiral symmetry restoration might be possible if a nonlinearity (convergence) of the Regge trajectories in an 'intermediate window' ofmore » n, J, beyond the explored domain, takes place. This would signal the failure of the quasiclassical picture.« less
General Considerations on Unit Lesson Plans in Modern Language Teaching

Author's Summary— This is the introduction to a series of specimen lesson plans in modern language teaching. This article gives a general over-view of the principles and purposes of lesson planning.
Specification and analysis of access control policies for mobile applications

Mobile applications allow individuals on-the-move access to resources "anytime, anywhere" using hand-held mobile devices. We argue that for critical and sensitive resources this is often times not desirable -- a lost or stolen mobile device can be tampered with to view or alter sensitive information. We need authorization policies that take into account time of access and location of the user in addition to the credentials of the user. Towards this end, we propose a new spatio-temporal role-based access control model. It improves upon existing models by providing features that are useful for mobile applications. Thus, an application using our model can specify different types of spatio-temporal constraints. We discuss how such an application using our spatio-temporal access control model can be verified using the UPPAAL model checker. We also demonstrate how to reduce the state-space explosion problem that is inherent in model checkers.
Characterization of the Trichomonas vaginalis surface-associated AP65 and binding domain interacting with trichomonads and host cells

AP65 is a prominent adhesin of Trichomonas vaginalis that mediates binding of parasites to host vaginal epithelial cells (VECs). AP65 with no secretion signal sequence, membrane targeting peptide, and anchoring motif was recently found to be secreted. We first wanted to demonstrate surface association of AP65 to the parasite followed by the identification of the binding epitope interacting with both organisms and VECs. AP65 was found to bind to trichomonads, but not to trypsin-treated parasites, in an auto-ligand assay, suggesting the existence of a surface protein associating with AP65. Since rabbit antiserum IgG antibodies reactive with epitopes localized to the N-terminal region of AP65 inhibit the attachment of live parasites to VECs, we hypothesized that the binding domain was localized to this region. We subcloned five overlapping fragments of AP65 called c1 through c5, and expression of recombinant clones was confirmed with antibodies to AP65. Each purified recombinant protein was then tested for binding activity using an established ligand assay, and fragment c1 with the first twenty-five amino acids in the N-terminal domain was required for binding to VECs and, surprisingly, also to parasites. Importantly, c1 competed with the binding of AP65 to both cells types. T. vaginalis AP65 is a secreted, surface-associated protein and a model is proposed to explain how this secreted protein functions as an adhesin.
Lipid composition and viscosity of parotid saliva in Sjögren syndrome in man.

Extraction of the dialysed and lyophilized saliva of patients with this syndrome by chloroform-methanol yielded 15.9 +/- 2.4 mg of lipid/100 ml of secretion, a level 2-times higher than in normal individuals. The saliva of such patients also had 3-times more glycolipid and 20-times more phospholipid than normal, but differences in the content of neutral lipids were less apparent. The neutral lipids, however, had higher proportions of glycerides, and lower proportions of cholesterol and cholesteryl esters than normal. Viscosity measurements, made with a cone/plate viscometer at shear rates between 1.15 and 230 s-1, revealed similarities between the saliva of normal individuals and Sjogren's syndrome.
Structure of the amino-terminal domain of phage 434 represser at 2.0 Å resolution☆

The crystal structure of the amino-terminal domain of phage 434 represser has been solved using molecular replacement methods and refined to an R-factor of 19.3% against data to 2.0 A resolution. The protein comprises five short α-helices. Two of these form a helix-turn-helix motif, very similar to those found in related proteins. The protein is remarkably similar to the Cro protein from the same phage.
Melatonin for sleep disturbances in Parkinson's disease.

Abstract Background and purpose Many patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) experience sleep-related symptoms. Studies in other populations indicate that melatonin can increase sleep efficiency, decrease nighttime activity, and shorten sleep latency, but there has been little research on the use of melatonin in PD. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two doses of melatonin to placebo on sleep, daytime sleepiness, and level of function in patients with PD who complained of sleep disturbances. Patients and methods A multi-site double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over trial was employed; 40 subjects completed the 10-week protocol. There was a 2-week screening period, 2-week treatment periods, and 1-week washouts between treatments. Nocturnal sleep was assessed by actigraphy and diaries, whereas daytime sleepiness and function were assessed by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS), and General Sleep Disturbance Scale (GSDS). Results Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed a significant improvement in total nighttime sleep time during the 50mg melatonin treatment compared to placebo. There was significant improvement in subjective sleep disturbance, sleep quantity, and daytime sleepiness during the 5mg melatonin treatment compared to placebo as assessed by the GSDS. Conclusions Although we found a statistically significant improvement in actigraphically measured total sleep time on 50mg melatonin compared to 5mg or placebo, this small improvement (10min) may not be clinically significant. However, the significant improvement found in subjective sleep disturbance suggests that these modest effects may be clinically relevant in this patient population.
The Meaning of the Nuclear Evolution: China's Strategic Modernization and US-China Security Relations

Will China's development of a new generation of nuclear weapons impact US-China security relations in important ways? One's answer depends on how one views the following: whether or not Chinese lea...
Customers as contributors and reliable evaluators of creativity in the service industry

Using hair stylists, we examined the nature of creativity in a service setting and the impact of customers as part of the social context for employee creativity. We also assessed whether customers could serve as reliable evaluators of creativity. To do so, we collected data from multiple sources: service providers, supervisors, and customers. Results demonstrated that customer input and customer affective-based trust made significant, positive, and independent contributions to service-related creativity. Moreover, customers in the service industry proved to be reliable raters of employee creativity, compatible with supervisors. Finally, input and trust were associated differently with service-related and organization-related creativity. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An Outbreak of Pox in Turkeys with Notes on Diagnosis and Immunization

Abstract ON JUNE 3, 1937, two Bronze turkey poults (Fig. 1) were presented at the Laboratory of Animal Pathology and Hygiene, University of Illinois, for diagnosis. The general condition appeared good and both poults manifested normal vigor, alertness, and appetite. Locomotion was somewhat impaired mechanically by a large exuberant swelling on the right foot of each specimen. This lesion, apparently originating within the outer web and mushrooming over the toes, was moderately firm and of uniform texture throughout, yet quite pliable to manipulation. The surface integument presented an irregular papillomatous appearance without evidence of an active inflamatory involvement. Except for the lesion at the right commissure of the mouth of the individual to the right in Figure 1, no abnormality was observed on clinical or necropsy examination of either bird. This lesion, unlike those of the feet, was suggestive of the early post-vesicle stage of fowl-pox infection. It was learned that . . .
Effects of toremifene on neonatal rat uterine growth and differentiation.

In the developing rodent uterus, the estrogen agonist activity of triphenylethylene antiestrogens such as tamoxifen alters uterine luminal epithelium morphology and inhibits uterine gland genesis. We examined uterine growth and differentiation in female offspring from date-mated Sprague-Dawley rats given the structurally related antiestrogen, toremifene, by s.c. injection in 10 microl of sesame oil on postnatal days (PND) 1-5, 10-14, or 20-24. Toremifene given on PND 10-14, a period of rapid uterine gland differentiation, caused a dose-related increase in uterine weight, tripled luminal epithelium cell height, and completely inhibited uterine gland development on PND 14 at doses of 10 microg or higher. Based on this dose-response analysis, a 10-microg dose of toremifene was chosen to assess uterine development after neonatal exposure (PND 1-5). Uterine weights and luminal epithelium cell heights were significantly increased by toremifene on PND 5 but returned to control levels by PND 26. Uterine gland numbers were reduced to 50% those of controls on PND 26. Dose-related uterine weight and luminal epithelium cell height increases were also observed in rats given toremifene on PND 20-24. This estrogen agonist activity of toremifene, revealed primarily in the uterine luminal epithelium, indicates that toremifene is developmentally toxic.
Local employment concentration and hourly earnings

Abstract Using data from the 1980 PUMS D and OLS regression, I indirectly test a model of how local labor market structure affects individual hourly earnings through the intra-area rollout effect. I find (1) beyond influencing wages through the jobs individuals receive, the local labor market's employment structure has a very small impact on individual hourly earnings and (2) local employment concentration in high paying industries tends to have a positive impact on individual net hourly earnings; employment concentration in low paying industries tends to negatively influence individual net hourly earnings.
Dynamical approach to analytic continuation of quantum Monte Carlo data.

A new method of analytic continuation from a Matsubara single-particle Green's function to a spectral function is presented. We recast this problem onto a new one where we dynamically minimize a suitably defined potential. Our method allows the imposition of physical constraints such as smoothness and adherence to the sum rule. The method is applied to the symmetric Anderson impurity model. We show how the spectral function changes with the Kondo temperature ${T}_{K}$, the hybridization witdth \ensuremath{\Delta}, and the Coulomb potential U.
Father Death and Adult Success among the Tsimane: Implications for Marriage and Divorce.

Human fathers are heavily involved in the rearing of children around the world. Early evolutionary explanations focused on the greater need of human children and mothers compared to other species and the consequent increased benefits available to investing fathers and pairbonded husbands. Contrary to this hypothesis, research suggests that the impact of men's care on the survivorship and physical well-being of juvenile offspring is cross-culturally variable and often unsubstantial. Proper testing of the hypothesis, however, also requires exploring how well children raised with paternal investment fare as adults, compared to those raised in the absence of fathers. We explore this issue among the Tsimane, who exhibit high levels of paternal provisioning and very low divorce rates, by testing the impact of early father death on five measures of adult success: completed height, body mass index (BMI), age of first reproduction, completed fertility for age and number of surviving offspring for age. Of these five tests, a significant effect in the predicted direction was found only for body mass index of adult daughters. Therefore, there is no substantial evidence that Tsimane fathers have a large impact on the success of adult children. We explore alternative explanations for the high levels of paternal involvement and low divorce rates observed among the Tsimane, including the positive effects of men's investments on couple fertility and the constraints imposed by female preferences and the availability of alternative partners.
REDUCING FUZZY ALGEBRA TO CLASSICAL ALGEBRA

This paper presents three main ideas. They are the Metatheorem, the lattice embedding for sets, and the lattice embedding for algebras. The Metatheorem allows you to convert existing theorems about classical subsets into corresponding theorem about fuzzy subsets. The concept of a fuzzyfiable operation on a powerset is defined. The main result states that any implication or identity which can be stated using fuzzyfiable operations is true about fuzzy subsets if and only if it is true about classical subsets. The lattice embedding theorem for sets shows that for any set X, there is a set Y such that the lattice of fuzzy subsets of X is isomorphic to a sublattice of the classical subsets of Y. In fact it is further proved that if X is infinite, then we can choose Y = X and get the surprising result that the lattice of fuzzy subsets of X is isomorphic to a sublattice of the classical subsets of X itself. The idea is illustrated with an example explicitly showing how the lattice of fuzzy subsets of the closed unit interval &#x1d540; = [0,1] embeds into the lattice of classical subsets of &#x1d540;. The lattice embedding theorem for algebras shows that under certain circumstances the lattice of fuzzy subalgebras of an algebra A embeds into the lattice of classical subalgebras of a closely related algebra A′. The following sample use of this embeding theorem is given. It is a well known fact that the lattice of normal subgroups of a group is a modular lattice. The embeding theorem is used here to conclude that lattice of fuzzy normal subgroups of a group is a modular lattice too.
Non-planar deviation of an initially straight moving crack

Abstract The problem of dynamic crack curving in a brittle solid is investigated as a first step towards determining the velocity dependence of the stability of a running crack. By using a perturbation technique and the complex potential method, a solution for the slightly curved deviation of a running crack under mixed-mode loading conditions is presented. To the first order the angular distribution of the singular stress near the curved crack tip for a smooth running crack is found to depend only on the instantaneous crack-tip velocity and is independent of the crack-tip acceleration and the curvature. For steel the analysis indicates that cracks propagating more slowly than the critical branching velocity will exhibit nearly the same characteristics as those for quasi-static crack deviation and stability. The calculations also show that the critical branching velocity may increase with increasing Poisson's ratio of the material. The estimates of the crack path dependence on velocity presented here are consistent with the quasi-static crack growth solution of Sumi et al. [Int. J. Fracture21, 67–79 (1983)].
The Division of Spoils: Rent-Sharing and Discrimination in a Regulated Industry

Until the middle of the 1970s, regulations constrained banks' ability to enter new markets. Over the subsequent 25 years, states gradually lifted these restrictions. This paper tests whether rents fostered by regulation were shared with labor, and whether firms were discriminating by sharing these rents disproportionately with male workers. We find that average compensation and average wages for banking employees fell after states deregulated. Male wages fell by about 12 percent after deregulation, whereas women's wages fell by only 3 percent, suggesting that rents were shared mainly with men. Women's share of employment in managerial positions also increased following deregulation.
Imaging of American football injuries in children

It is estimated that 3.2 million children ages 6 to 14 years participated in organized youth football in the United States in 2007. Approximately 240,000 children play football in the nation’s largest youth football organization, with tackle divisions starting at age 5 years. The number of children playing unsupervised football is much higher, and the overall number of children participating in American football is increasing. Sports are the leading cause of injury-related emergency room visits for teenagers, and football is a leading precipitating athletic activity for these visits. Football is also the most hazardous organized sports in the United States. Though most pediatric football-related injuries are minor, such as abrasions, sprains, and strains of the extremities, football accounts for more major and catastrophic injuries than any other sport. Given football’s popularity with children in the United States, combined with the high rate of injury associated with participation in this activity, radiologists should be familiar with the imaging features and injury patterns seen in this patient population.
American India Pale Ale matrix rich in xanthohumol is potent in suppressing proliferation and elevating apoptosis of human colon cancer cells

Summary American India Pale Ales (IPAs) with and without addition of dark/roasted malts (DRM) and dry hopping (DP) were analysed to determine whether these processes will increase total phenolic content (TP), antioxidant capacity (AA) and the levels of bioactive compounds (xanthohumol, XN and isoxanthohumol, IX). In addition, bioactivity of whole beer matrices, that is, the ‘phytochemical team approach,’ was compared to isolated compounds, the ‘silver bullet approach,’ by measuring antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic properties using HCT 116 human colon cancer cells. DP and addition of DRM elevated the XN, IX, TP and AA. Dark malts reduced losses in XN and TP due to filtration. Xanthohumol content positively correlated with phenolic content (r = 0.88, P = 0.0002), indicating that the processes which increased xanthohumol content also elevated other bioactive compounds in beer. However, whole extract from IPAs were more potent in suppressing proliferation and elevating apoptosis in colon cancer cells compared with xanthohumol alone.
Sex and the Barnum Effect: Rationality versus Helpfulness

In 1998 Piper-Terry and Downey found that women accepted friends' bogus test interpretations more readily than did men and the researchers attributed this to women's helpfulness. Layne countered that women are more open and thus rationally expected their friends' interpretations to be more accurate. Later Downey asked participants how accurately they believed their friends could describe their personalities. Although this pilot study's sensitivity to differences was low, the women's accuracy ratings still tended to exceed those of men (p <.06) as Layne predicted. This may suggest that the rationality hypothesis is better supported than the female-helpfulness hypothesis.
Density expansion (DEX) mixing rules: Thermodynamic modeling of supercritical extraction

Conformal solution theory and the density expansion expression of the radial distribution function of fluids are used to derive a set of mixing rules. The new mixing rules are composition, density, and temperature dependent. To test the new mixing rules they are used for thermodynamic modeling of supercritical extraction. Comparison of the result of calculation by the mixing rules with the van der Waals mixing rules indicates a profound improvement over the latter in prediction of properties of mixtures consisting of species with large molecular size and shape differences.
The Fungibility of Health Aid: Reconsidering the Reconsidered

AbstractLu et al. found that health aid displaces domestically-raised government health expenditure, which renders health aid at least partially fungible. These findings are questioned in The Fungibility of Health Aid Reconsidered. Van de Sijpe’s emphasis on disaggregating on- and off-budget aid is a valid contribution, although his empirical conclusions are overstated. We re-evaluate the data he criticises and find they sufficiently capture on-budget aid. To re-measure health aid fungibility, we update the Lu et al data, adding 23 countries and four years of data. Despite the confidence we have in these data, we employ two estimation specifications, each of which addresses the measurement error discussed by Van de Sijpe. The extended data and alternative methods show that development assistance for health channelled to governments remains significantly fungible.
Is heart failure with decent systole due to bad diastole

Epidemiologic studies tell us that nearly half of all patients who present with symptoms of cardiac failure and fluid overload have ejection fractions (EF) too high to be explained by weakened systolic contraction. This seems particularly true when heart failure develops in older women with longstanding hypertension. Employing a cutoff of EF 45–50%, this syndrome has been straight forwarded termed heart failure with normal ejection fraction (HFnlEF). However, it is also commonly referred to as diastolic heart failure (DHF) based on what is thought to be its primary mechanism—a heart that is abnormally stiff in diastole and does not relax or fill properly. The first name is purely descriptive, whereas the second implies a mechanism and thus focused target for treatment. Although different names for the same thing often arise in biomedicine, this duality has triggered recent controversy, with studies supporting and others questioning the relative role of diastole, systole, and noncardiac factors to the syndrome. The core of the debate is whether diastolic abnormalities are the primary problem in most if not all such patients, or whether this is but one (and variable one at that) component of a multifaceted disorder. Unfortunately, there remain relatively few adequately measured data to address the question, and just how the data are measured appears itself to influence the conclusion. Recent perspectives have turned to modeling analysis, but this is only as good as the model and can add confusion if results are taken as real without knowing the model assumptions. In this issue of Journal of Cardiac Failure, Maurer and colleagues add useful new data and fuel to the debate. They studied 145 individuals—many younger subjects with normal hearts, but also patients with HF-nlEF (EF 50%) with or without a chronic history of hypertension. The normotensive group had either hypertrophic or restrictive cardiomyopathy, whereas hypertensive patients were older,
DETERMINATION OF DISABILITY FOR PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED LUNG DISEASE

For the patient with advanced pulmonary disease who has not reached retirement age, the ability to work and support self and family may be lost because of limitations imposed by the disease. In addition to treating the disease and minimizing its complications, physicians can help their patients by providing objective medical documentation required to apply for disability benefits to which the patient is legally entitled.
β2-Adrenergic Receptor Signaling and Desensitization Elucidated by Quantitative Modeling of Real Time cAMP Dynamics

G protein-coupled receptor signaling is dynamically regulated by multiple feedback mechanisms, which rapidly attenuate signals elicited by ligand stimulation, causing desensitization. The individual contributions of these mechanisms, however, are poorly understood. Here, we use an improved fluorescent biosensor for cAMP to measure second messenger dynamics stimulated by endogenous beta(2)-adrenergic receptor (beta(2)AR) in living cells. beta(2)AR stimulation with isoproterenol results in a transient pulse of cAMP, reaching a maximal concentration of approximately 10 microm and persisting for less than 5 min. We investigated the contributions of cAMP-dependent kinase, G protein-coupled receptor kinases, and beta-arrestin to the regulation of beta(2)AR signal kinetics by using small molecule inhibitors, small interfering RNAs, and mouse embryonic fibroblasts. We found that the cAMP response is restricted in duration by two distinct mechanisms in HEK-293 cells: G protein-coupled receptor kinase (GRK6)-mediated receptor phosphorylation leading to beta-arrestin mediated receptor inactivation and cAMP-dependent kinase-mediated induction of cAMP metabolism by phosphodiesterases. A mathematical model of beta(2)AR signal kinetics, fit to these data, revealed that direct receptor inactivation by cAMP-dependent kinase is insignificant but that GRK6/beta-arrestin-mediated inactivation is rapid and profound, occurring with a half-time of 70 s. This quantitative system analysis represents an important advance toward quantifying mechanisms contributing to the physiological regulation of receptor signaling.
Shape- and Symmetry-Dependent Mechanical Properties of Metallic Gold and Silver on the Nanoscale

The mechanical properties of anisotropic nanoparticles like gold nanorods (AuNRs) and silver nanorods (AgNRs) are different from those of isotropic shapes such as nanospheres. We probed the coherent lattice oscillations of nanoparticles by following the modulation of the plasmonic band frequency using ultrafast laser spectroscopy. We found that while the frequency of the longitudinal vibration mode of AgNRs is higher than that of AuNRs of similar dimensions, similarly sized gold and silver nanospheres have similar lattice vibration frequencies. Lattice vibrations calculated by finite element modeling showed good agreement with the experimental results for both AgNRs and AuNRs. The accuracy of the calculations was improved by using actual pentagonal shapes rather than cylinders that did not agree well with the experimental results. As the plasmon energy is transferred into lattice vibrations, the temperature of the nanoparticle necessarily increases as a result of this electron–phonon relaxation process. T...
Disappearance of flow and the in-medium nucleon-nucleon cross section.

Based on a Boltzmann equation, the transverse momentum distributions are calculated for central {sup 40}Ar+{sup 51}V collisions with an aim to determine the in-medium nucleon-nucleon cross section. Indeed, the calculations suggest that measurements of the energy of balance, {ital E}{sub bal}, can provide a powerful tool to pin down the in-medium nucleon-nucleon cross section. Within our improved Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck (BUU) model, the in-medium nucleon-nucleon cross section is narrowed down to {sigma}{sub {ital N}{ital N}}{approx}30--40 mb, for the first time, using recent experimental data.
‘Less Abused than I had Reason to Expect’: The Reception of The Wealth of Nations in Britain, 1776–90

When Adam Smith set out to re-shape the dominant economic policies and assumptions of his time, he knew success in pressing for ‘free trade’ would depend on his ability to imprint his views on the minds of contemporary statesmen and legislators. But he was never confident that this operation might take place during his lifetime. In the Wealth of Nations , he declared that to expect freedom of trade to be accepted entirely in Great Britain was ‘as absurd as to expect that an Oceana or Utopia should ever be established in it’, and this was by no means an offhand remark. Much of the massive book was coloured by Smith's awareness that liberal economic doctrines, whatever their considerable intellectual merits, ran far ahead of actual political and social attitudes in eighteenth-century Europe. In the first half of the nineteenth century, a variety of political and economic developments of course refuted Smith's view that ‘free trade’ was an unattainable ideal. But the historical verification of his economic thinking was a slow, difficult, and limited process.
Regional Variation and Factors Associated With Image Guidance Utilization During Endoscopic Sinus Surgery in the Ambulatory Setting

Objective:Determine regional variation and factors associated with the use of image guidance (IG) during endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) in the ambulatory surgery center setting.Methods:All cases of ESS in 2010 were extracted from the state ambulatory surgery databases for New York, North Carolina, Florida, Iowa, and California. Current Procedural Terminology codes for individual sinusotomies and IG and International Classification of Diseases codes along with insurance and regional data were analyzed to determine factors that were associated with the use of IG during ESS.Results:Among 36 646 ambulatory ESS procedures (mean age 46.0 years; 49.0% female), 6676 cases utilized IG (18.2%). Polyps were present in 27.9% of cases. North Carolina had the highest utilization rate for IG (26.0%), whereas Iowa had the lowest (12.8%). On multivariate analysis, use of IG was associated with state, insurance status, community setting, total ethmoidectomy, frontal sinusotomy, sphenoidotomy, and polyps (all P < .001), but...
‘There is no end to learning’: Lifelong education and the joyful learner

Originally aimed at young learners, Robert Schumann’s maxim that ‘There is no end to learning’ also applies to increasing numbers of people beginning and continuing to learn music as adults.This article presents a discussion on how researchers in the field of adult education discuss the adult learner and learning.Topics include: (1) adults’ motivations to participate in continuing education; (2) differences in child and adult learners; (3) the notion of ‘embodiment’ in adult learning; and (4) the value of current findings on non-western approaches to adult learning for music educators.The article concludes with recommendations for how music teachers who work with adults might employ strategies learned from adult education to ensure joyful learning experiences for their adult students.
Business Students Chart a New Course for Promoting the University Library

The Monmouth University Library undertook a collaborative project with a promotional strategies class in the university's MBA program to develop a promotional plan to increase awareness of library services. This article describes the process of approaching teaching faculty to participate in a collaborative project, developing a case study scenario, interacting with students to insure successful project results, participating in presentations of their findings, and ultimately taking the recommendations presented and turning them into an actionable plan for the library.
Women in mystical Islam

Abstract Women played a positive role in Sufism. Even though the early ascetics were rather negative in their statements about women, it was a woman who introduced the concept of pure love into Islamic mysticism, and has been venerated for this reason throughout the centuries. One meets women in almost every avenue of Sufism. They act as patrons of Sufi khānqāhs and as shaykhas of certain convents. They have been venerated as saints and accepted as spiritual guides. The symbol of the woman-soul who embodies the highest ambition of the God-seeking human being, has been popular in the Sufi tradition of Indo-Pakistan. As mothers, many mystically inclined women have deeply influenced their sons who in turn became leading masters of the Path thanks to their early education. The role of women for the expansion of mystically tinged Islamic thought in the countryside and down to the lowest levels of population cannot be overrated; they were the most important depositories of mystical lore and the simple, unassuming faith in God and the Prophet.
Sweet and Bitter Taste of Ethanol in C57BL/6J and DBA2/J Mouse Strains

Studies of inbred strains of rats and mice have suggested a positive association between strain variations in sweet taste and ethanol intake. However, strain associations by themselves are insufficient to support a functional link between taste and ethanol intake. We used conditioned taste aversion (CTA) to explore the sweet and bitter taste of ethanol and ability to detect sucrose, quinine and ethanol in C57BL/6J (B6) and DBA/2J (D2) mouse strains that are frequently used in alcohol research. The present study showed that C57BL/6J mice generalized taste aversions from sucrose and quinine solutions to 10% ethanol and, reciprocally, aversions to 10% ethanol generalized to each of these solutions presented separately. Only conditioned aversions to quinine generalized to ethanol in the DBA/2J strain but an aversion conditioned to ethanol did not generalize reciprocally to quinine. Thus, considering these two gustatory qualities, 10% ethanol tastes both sweet and bitter to B6 mice but only bitter to D2. Both strains were able to generalize taste aversions across different concentrations of the same compound. B6 were able to detect lower concentrations of quinine than D2 but both strains were able to detect sucrose and (in contrast to previous findings) ethanol at similar concentrations. The strain-dependent gustatory profiles for ethanol may make an important contribution to the understanding of the undoubtedly complex mechanisms influencing high ethanol preference of B6 and pronounced ethanol avoidance of D2 mice.
Identification of the envelope V3 loop as the primary determinant of cell tropism in HIV-1

Cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage are targets for human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection in vivo. However, many laboratory strains of HIV-1 that efficiently infect transformed T cell lines replicate poorly in macrophages. A 20-amino acid sequence from the macrophage-tropic BaL isolate of HIV-1 was sufficient to confer macrophage tropism on HTLV-IIIB, a T cell line--tropic isolate. This small sequence element is in the V3 loop, the envelope domain that is the principal neutralizing determinant of HIV-1. Thus, the V3 loop not only serves as a target of the host immune response but is also pivotal in determining HIV-1 tissue tropism.
Molecular hydrogen formation on interstellar dust grains

EARLY estimates of the maximum temperature, TM, of interstellar dust grains (IDGs) consistent with efficient H2 formation on their surface, yielded values near 10 K (refs 1–3). The expression for TM is where EH is the binding energy of hydrogen to the dust grain ≃ 400 K, S is the sticking coefficient of H on the grain ≃ 0.5, v is the average velocity of H atoms in the dust clouds ≃ 105 cm s−1, nH is the hydrogen density in the cloud ≃ 102 cm−3, A is the surface area of a dust grain ≃ 10−9cm2, and τ0 ≃ 6×10−13s. Observations have shown this TM to be unacceptably low (see, for example, refs 5 and 4), and have led to proposals of new or revised mechanisms for interstellar H2 formation5–9. Here we point out that for a certain class of gas–solid systems the characteristic desorption lifetime, τ0 , is many orders of magnitude longer than that used in refs 1–3. For grains made of these materials the original “physisorption model”1–3 will work for grain temperatures up to 30 K.
Morphological and Molecular Evidence of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Associations in Costa Rican Epiphytic Bromeliads1

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence the growth, morphology, and fitness of a variety of plant species, but little is known of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal associations of plant species in forest canopies. Plant species' associations with AM fungi are most often elucidated by examining the roots for fungal structures; however, morphological data may provide a limited resolution on a plant's mycorrhizal status. We combined a traditional staining technique with a molecular marker (the 18S ribosomal gene) to determine whether or not a variety of epiphytic bromeliads form arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal associations. Using these methods we show that the epiphytic bromeliad Vriesea werkleana forms arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal associations with members of the genus Glomus. AM fungal sequences of this plant species formed three distinct clades nested within a larger Glomus clade; two of the clades did not group with any previously sequenced lineage of Glomus. Novel clades may represent novel species. Although Vriesea werkleana is associated with multiple AM fungal species, each individual plant is colonized by a single lineage. The combination of morphological and molecular methods provides a practical approach to the characterization of the mycorrhizal status of epiphytic bromeliads, and perhaps other tropical epiphytes.