cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pulmonic Valve Endocarditis in a Normal Heart

The patient was a 55-year-old man admitted for acute parotitis approximately 1 month after dental extraction of decayed teeth for which he had received prophylactic antibiotics. On admission to an outside hospital, he had fever, trismus, an elevated white blood cell count, and blood cultures positive for Streptococcus viridans. A transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) revealed normal findings. He was transferred to our institution where he underwent operative drainage of a masseter muscle abscess and broad-spectrum antibiotics were administered. A repeated TTE produced negative results. The patient improved clinically after surgical drainage but because of the risk of bacterial endocarditis, a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) was performed 5 days after the second TTE. It revealed a 1.- 1-cm mass attached to the arterial surface of the pulmonic valve (PV) (Figures 1 and 2). The rest of the examination revealed normal findings. He was treated with 4 weeks of intravenous antibiotics with resolution of his PV mass and a complete return to his former state of good health. The first PV vegetation was reported in 1977 in a patient with a history of intravenous drug use. 1 Since that time, echocardiography has dramatically improved the physician’s ability to diagnose PV endocarditis before autopsy. The PV is rarely involved in subacute bacterial endocarditis, being present in less than 2% of autopsies performed for suggested endocarditis. 2 Significant risk factors include intravenous drug use and congenital heart disease, but also alcoholism, sepsis, and central line infection. Clinical presentation is often subtle but may include pleural effusion, pneumonia, or pulmonary infarction from vegetation emboli. Although a murmur of pulmonic regurgitation is often present, it develops late in the disease. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common organism isolated, although a variety of culprits have been identified.
Birds shed RNA-viruses according to the pareto principle.

A major challenge in disease ecology is to understand the role of individual variation of infection load on disease transmission dynamics and how this influences the evolution of resistance or tolerance mechanisms. Such information will improve our capacity to understand, predict, and mitigate pathogen-associated disease in all organisms. In many host-pathogen systems, particularly macroparasites and sexually transmitted diseases, it has been found that approximately 20% of the population is responsible for approximately 80% of the transmission events. Although host contact rates can account for some of this pattern, pathogen transmission dynamics also depend upon host infectiousness, an area that has received relatively little attention. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis of pathogen shedding rates of 24 host (avian) – pathogen (RNA-virus) studies, including 17 bird species and five important zoonotic viruses. We determined that viral count data followed the Weibull distribution, the mean Gini coefficient (an index of inequality) was 0.687 (0.036 SEM), and that 22.0% (0.90 SEM) of the birds shed 80% of the virus across all studies, suggesting an adherence of viral shedding counts to the Pareto Principle. The relative position of a bird in a distribution of viral counts was affected by factors extrinsic to the host, such as exposure to corticosterone and to a lesser extent reduced food availability, but not to intrinsic host factors including age, sex, and migratory status. These data provide a quantitative view of heterogeneous virus shedding in birds that may be used to better parameterize epidemiological models and understand transmission dynamics.
Ore deposits of the western United States in relation to mass distribution in the crust and mantle

Colored, digital residual Bouguer gravity maps of the conterminous United States at different cutoff wavelengths reveal significant compositional heterogeneities in the lithosphere, providing a new tool for the studies of controls of mineralization. Examples are presented showing correlations between main endogenic ore deposits of the western United States and gravity anomalies in the residual Bouguer gravity maps at 250-, 625-, and 1,000-km wavelength cutoffs. Some of the clusters of ore deposits are in or adjacent to regions of gravity lows (for example, the majority of deposits of the Colorado mineral belt). Most of the high-amplitude gravity lows reflect low-density igneous masses emplaced along zones of tectonic weakness which guided the ascent of magmatic fluids and caused major geochemical changes in the lithosphere. Some clusters of ore deposits (for example, the group of Tertiary deposits of the Salt Lake City area, Utah, including Bingham, Tintic, Park City, and others) are along the flanks of major zones of gravity highs. In the Salt Lake City area, the major concentrations of metals occur near the eastern edge of a broad gravity high that correlates with crustal thinning. These relations (and others) between the location of major ore deposits and mass distribution in the crust and upper mantle may serve as general guidelines in mineral exploration on a regional scale.
Perception of Problem Severity, Treatment Motivations, Experiences, and Long-term Plans among Pregnant Women in a Detoxification Inpatient Unit

The purpose of this study was to examine pregnant women’s substance use from initial use, to recognition of problem severity, motivations for treatment, and ultimately to treatment entry. The sample consisted of 114 pregnant women receiving inpatient detoxification treatment at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center. Qualitative and quantitative measures, collected via face to face interviews, were used to examine participants’ demographics, substance use history, problem severity, perceptions/satisfaction with treatment, treatment motivation, and long-term treatment plans. The following themes emerged from the qualitative data analysis. Substance use typically began as experimentation. Most viewed their substance use as severe and were happy to be in treatment. Sobriety was the main long-term treatment goal. Current pregnancy was the top treatment motivator. Majority reported some type of formal, post-treatment discharge plan. Future research should explore problem severity. Identifying factors that influence substance-using women to actually recognize the severity of their problem may shed light on treatment entry behaviors.
In-frame cDNA library combined with protein complementation assay identifies ARL11-binding partners.

The cDNA expression libraries that produce correct proteins are essential in facilitating the identification of protein-protein interactions. The 5′-untranslated regions (UTRs) that are present in the majority of mammalian and non-mammalian genes are predicted to alter the expression of correct proteins from cDNA libraries. We developed a novel cDNA expression library from which 5′-UTRs were removed using a mixture of polymerase chain reaction primers that complement the Kozak sequences we refer to as an “in-frame cDNA library.” We used this library with the protein complementation assay to identify two novel binding partners for ras-related ADP-ribosylation factor-like 11 (ARL11), cellular retinoic acid binding protein 2 (CRABP2), and phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (PGAM1). Thus, the in-frame cDNA library without 5′-UTRs we describe here increases the chance of correctly identifying protein interactions and will have wide applications in both mammalian and non-mammalian detection systems.
Near-equilibrium dynamics of Dio models for liquid crystal polymer flows: Catastrophic and regularized behavior

Doi models for flows of concentrated solutions of homogeneous liquid crystal polymers (LCPs) are analyzed in the quadratic closure approximation. Our purpose is to clarify a remarkable near-equilibrium behavior of these equations which has apparently gone unnoticed; these results are important for any numerical or experimental interpretations of LCP flows based on Doi models near mechanical and nematic equilibria. To reveal this behavior, we analytically solve the linearized Doi nematodynamic equations; this calculation explicitly captures the coupling between the pure nematic and pure hydrodynamic linearized dynamics. The original Doi model without solvent viscosity is analyzed first: the low concentration (N 8/3) prolate nematic phase yield well-posed linearized dynamic; at higher concentration both the isotropic phase (N>3) and the oblate nematic phase (N>3) yield catastrophic linearized dynamics, with exponential growthrates proportional to the amplitude of the wavevector of the linearized disturbance. This result implies that there is unbounded growth in vanishingly small length scales for data near these equilibria. We then explore three physical regularizations of the original Doi model: solvent viscosity, finite-range intermolecular interactions, and spatial inhomogeneity in LCP concentration. Each effect yields well-posed linearized dynamics of all flow-nematic equilibria, with bounded growth rates. Solvent viscosity and spatial inhomogeneity alone are not sufficient to produce a finite wavelength instability cutoff of the high-concentration isotropic and oblate nematic equilibria, whereas a finite-range intermolecular potential alone yields a finite cutoff. The flow-orientation interactions for unstable nematic phases produce a spatial wavevector dependence of the instability from which we reveal a flow-induced spatially anisotropic (or directional) instability of the oblate phase.
In the Company of Owners: The Truth About Stock Options and Why Every Employee Should Have Them

The article reviews the book “In the Company of Owners: The Truth About Stock Options and Why Every Employee Should Have Them,” by Joseph Blasi, Douglas Kruse and Aaron Bernstein.
Differential modulation of organophosphate‐sensitive muscarinic receptors in rat brain by parathion and chlorpyrifos

We previously reported similar levels of brain cholinesterase inhibition but marked differences in toxicity following acute maximum tolerated doses of the organophosphate pesticides parathion and chlorpyrifos. Because extensive acetylcholinesterase inhibition often induces compensatory changes in cholinergic receptor populations, we compared the effects of parathion and chlorpyrifos on brain muscarinic receptors. Adult male rats were treated with vehicle or the maximum tolerated dose of parathion (18 mg/kg, sc) or chlorpyrifos (279 mg/kg, sc) and observed for signs of acute toxicity. Similarly treated animals were sacrificed at 2, 7, or 14 days after treatment for measurement of cholinesterase activity and binding to the nonselective muscarinic antagonist [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate, the M2-preferential antagonist [3H]AFDX-384, and the high-affinity agonist [3H]cis-methyldioxolane. More acute toxicity was noted after parathion treatment. Both insecticides caused similar levels (> 85%) of maximal cholinesterase inhibition and reductions (up to 55%) in atropine-sensitive quinuclidinyl benzilate binding (i.e., total muscarinic receptors) and [3H]AFDX-384 binding in cortex and striatum. Parathion also reduced, whereas chlorpyrifos increased, total muscarinic receptor binding and [3H]AFDX-384 binding in the cerebellum. When tissues were preincubated with paraoxon (10 microM), radiolabeling of a subset of quinuclidinyl benzilate binding sites was blocked and the apparent densities of these organophosphate-sensitive receptors in all three tissues were decreased (16% maximal) by parathion but increased (up to 37%) by chlorpyrifos. Similarly, parathion decreased whereas chlorpyrifos increased [3H]cis-methyldioxolane binding sites in all three brain regions. We propose that differential modulation of these organophosphate-sensitive muscarinic receptors contributes to differences in acute toxicity following exposure to these pesticides.
Neurosteroid action at the GABAA receptor in fetal rat forebrain

Abstract In utero exposure to diazepam (DZ), a positive modulator of the GABA A ( γ -aminobutyric acid type A) receptor exerts profound effects on the offspring that become most apparent after the maturation of the brain during puberty and that are often sex specific, suggesting that the early exposure might have interfered with organizing actions of sex steroids. In addition to genomic actions, many reduced steroids interact directly with membrane receptors, including the GABA A receptor. In the present study, the effect of in vitro exposure to neurosteroids on GABA-stimulated 36 chloride uptake in synaptoneurosomes from adult cerebral cortex or fetal forebrain (gestation day 20) was examined. The initial study examined the effects of incubation with DZ (10 μ M) and the neuroactive steroid, 3 α ,5 β -THP (500 nM), alone and in combination. In adult tissue, the presence of either drug alone decreased the EC 50 for GABA stimulation, and incubation with both drugs had an additive effect. In fetal tissue, while both compounds decreased the EC 50 , an additive effect was apparent only when comparing the combined exposure to 3 α ,5 β -THP alone. DZ alone reduced the EC 50 as much as both drugs together. In the second study, the effect of in vitro exposure to androsterone (2.5 μ M) was evaluated in male and female fetal tissue separately as well as in the adult. Androsterone enhanced the sensitivity to GABA in all groups but also reduced the efficacy of GABA in fetal tissue, irrespective of gender. While neurosteroids and DZ elicited similar responses in fetal and adult tissue, the study identified a greater vulnerability of fetal GABA A receptors to modulatory compounds.
Custom, Tradition and Science in the South Pacific: Fiji's New Environmental Management Act and Vanua

Sustainable development in the South Pacific is critical to the world’s environmental sustainability. The Pacific Ocean covers 40% of the earth’s surface, and within that region, the concentration of biodiversity in proportion to each countries’ total land area exceeds that of anywhere else on earth. Given the tremendous importance of the South Pacific to the world’s biodiversity resources, Professor Sutton posits that the enactment of the Fiji Environment Management Act of 2005 has worldwide significance. This article analyzes the Fiji Environment Management Act and considers its methods of implementation, particularly in its relation to the centuries old indigenous traditions and customs of environmental management.
Mueller matrix scatter polarimetry of a diamond-turned mirror

A novel technique for measuring the polarization light scattering function of surfaces using a Mueller matrix imaging scatter polarimeter is presented. This technique measures the near-specular scatter of reflective surfaces as Mueller matrix images, enabling the diattenuation, retardance, and depolarization of the scattered light to be determined. An example of measurements of a diamond-turned aluminum mirror with an rms roughness of 11.4 nm is presented and interpreted. The most surprising result in our data was that this scattering process created partially elliptical polarized light from unpolarized incident light, where we had expected essentially partially linearly polarized light.
Using Social Media in Times of Crisis

ABSTRACT The role of social media in crisis communications is an embryonic area of research in tourism, thus the purpose of this study was to examine drivers of social media use during crises. An online survey of 2,416 tourists from Australia, Brazil, China, India, and Korea was conducted. Hierarchical regression revealed that the drivers were risk perceptions associated with crime, disease, health-related, physical, equipment failure, weather, cultural barriers, and political crises when controlling for nationality, as well as use of a smartphone during past travel when controlling for nationality and risk perceptions. Implications and recommendations are discussed.
Early stages on the graphitization of electrostatically generated PAN nanofibers

Carbon nanofibers were produced from polyacrylonitrile/N, N-Dimethyl Formamide (PAN/DMF) precursor solution using electrospinning and vacuum pyrolysis at temperatures from 773 K to 1273 K for 0.5, 2, and 5 hours, respectively. Their conductance was measured. It was found that the conductivity increases sharply with the pyrolysis temperature, and increases considerably with pyrolysis time at the lower pyrolysis temperatures of 873, 973 and 1073 K, but varies, less obviously, with pyrolysis time at the higher pyrolysis temperatures of 1173 and 1273 K.
Healing without inflammation

ischemia followed by reperfusion, traumatic injury, muscle unloading followed by reloading, or many other types of injury result in a vigorous inflammatory response followed by eventual healing or ultimate demise of the damaged tissue. The inflammatory response is characterized by neutrophil
Application of extended Kalman filtering to hyperthermia

The success of treating cancerous tissue with heat depends on the temperature elevation, the amount of tissue elevated, and the length of time that the tissue is heated. The temperature of most of the treatment volume is unknown because only a small number of temperature sensors can be inserted into the issue. A state space model based on a finite difference approximation of the bioheat transfer equation is developed for identification purposes. The extended Kalman filter is applied to estimate both the unknown blood perfusion parameters and the unmeasured temperature states. Simulation results show that the success of the estimation scheme depends on the number and location of the temperature sensors. >
Mild gestational hypertension remote from term: Progression and outcome

Abstract Objective: Limited information is available regarding the progression of disease in women with mild gestational hypertension. Our purpose was to describe the prognostic signs in the natural course of mild gestational hypertension and pregnancy outcomes in women who were remote from term with mild gestational hypertension that was expectantly managed. Study Design: Women with mild gestational hypertension participating in an outpatient hypertension monitoring program were studied. Inclusion criteria were patients with a singleton pregnancy between 24 and 35 weeks' gestation who had no proteinuria by dipstick (0 or trace) on the first 2 days of program participation. Progression to preeclampsia was the primary outcome. The rate of progression to severe preeclampsia, obstetric complications, and neonatal outcomes were secondary measures. Data were compared by independent Student t and Fisher exact tests where applicable. Results: A total of 748 patients were studied during the observation period; preeclampsia (persistent proteinuria ≥1+) developed in 343 (46%), and 72 (9.6%) had antepartum progression to severe preeclampsia. No significant differences in maternal age, race, marital status, or tobacco use were observed between those women in whom persistent proteinuria developed and those in whom it did not develop. Gestational age of the infants at delivery (36.5 ± 2.4 vs 37.4 ± 2.0 weeks), birth weight (2752 ± 767 vs 3038 ± 715 g), incidence of small-for-gestational-age newborns (24.8% vs 13.8%), and duration of neonatal hospital stay (7.1 ± 10 vs 5.0 ± 9.3 days) differed significantly in the patients with versus those without proteinuria ( P Conclusions: In patients with mild gestational hypertension remote from term, 46% ultimately had preeclampsia, with progression to severe disease in 9.6%. The development of proteinuria is associated with an earlier gestational age at delivery, lower birth weight, and an increased incidence of small-for-gestational age newborns. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001;184:979-83.)
Dietary practices and use of the ketogenic diet in the UK

Abstract With the introduction of Internet communications, parental interest has increased in the use of the ketogenic diet for epilepsy. It was decided to audit current practice in the use of the ketogenic diet in the UK. All paediatric dietitians who were members of the Paediatric Group of the British Dietetic Association were surveyed by a postal questionnaire. There was a 51% response rate. Twenty-two hospitals (17%) used the ketogenic diet with 101 patients being treated. Fifty-nine percent used the traditional 4 : 1 (four parts fat : one part carbohydrate, one part protein) classical ketogenic diet and 41% used the medium chain triglyceride diet (60% MCT fat). The age of patients ranged from 1 to over 11 years. There were wide variations in its application, with 66% of hospitals initiating the diet in hospital and 33% at home. The dietary energy administered varied from 60 to 90 kcal /kg /day, and there was no consistent policy on vitamin and mineral supplementation. Twenty-five patients continued to follow the diet after 12 months. Therefore, the ketogenic diet is commonly used for the treatment of intractable epilepsy in the UK. Further research work is needed on its nutritional safety and application.
Development and Validation of a Measure of Attitudes Toward Malocclusion

The Orthodontic Attitude Survey was designed to assess children's and their parents' attitudes toward malocclusion and orthodontic treatment. Five consistent clusters of attitudes had discriminant validity, and were significantly related to plans for orthodontic treatment and to objective and subjective indicators of the child's occlusal status and appearance.
Ultra-wideband signal acquisition with hybrid DS-TH spreading

The usage of long spreading sequences and the fine timing resolution result in a large search space during acquisition in ultra-wideband (UWB) systems. This paper presents a two-stage signal acquisition scheme for UWB systems employing a hybrid signaling format involving direct sequence (DS) spreading and time hopping (TH), which significantly reduces the search space. The resulting acquisition system consists of two stages, one each for the acquisition of the TH and DS sequences. The dense multipath channel typical of UWB systems implies that there can exist more than one phase to which the receiver can lock on and achieve satisfactory demodulation performance subsequent to acquisition. We define the set of such phases as the hit set. The hybrid signaling format coupled with the multi-phase hit set help significantly improve the acquisition performance of the UWB system. The performance of the proposed acquisition system, measured in terms of the mean detection time, is evaluated analytically and supported by computer simulation
Teaching Reading Fluency to Struggling Readers: Method, Materials, and Evidence

Reading fluency has been identified as a key component in reading and in learning to read. Moreover, a significantly large number of students who experience difficulty in reading manifest difficulties in reading fluency that appear to contribute to their overall struggles in reading. In this article we explore the nature of effective instruction in fluency. We examine proven methods for teaching fluency as well as instructional routines that combine various methods into synergistic lessons. We also take issue with more mechanical approaches to fluency instruction that emphasize reading rate as the major goal of such instruction. Instead, we attempt to make the case for more authentic approaches to fluency instruction, approaches that employ texts meant to be practiced and performed.
“Not Another Square Foot!” German Liberalism and the Rhetoric of National Ownership in Nineteenth-Century Austria

Early on in volume 3 of his massive political memoirs, German Liberal party leader Ernst von Plener offhandedly introduces the reader to a I new word that had entered Austrian political discourse in the 1880s. The word is Nationalbesitzstand, or “national property,” and Plener calls it “ a word taken from our party's rhetoric.” Most historians remember Plener as the quintessential Austrian centralist, a Liberal party leader of the bureaucratic mold whose annoyance with German nationalist agitation was equaled only by his discomfort with the public demands forced on him by constituent politics. And yet in the late 1880s and early 1890s we find the sober Plener increasingly resorting to an aggressively nationalist rhetoric organized around this concept of Nationalbesitzstand, a rhetoric often invoked by the very radical nationalists, populists, and anti-Semites he scorned. In this article I explore the growing use of such rhetoric by Liberals like Plener in the 1880s as a way to suggest some new approaches to understanding the development of German nationalism among nineteenth-century Austrians. In particular I consider how the concept of Nationalbesitzstand mediated a transformation in the rhetoric employed by self-identified Germans in the monarchy to justify their privileged position vis-a-vis other national groups. Where formerly German nationalists had rejected arguments based on empirical data like population or land ownership statistics to legitimize their political claims, in the 1880s and 1890s they began to embrace such arguments.
International Negotiations and Domestic Conflicts: A Case for Counterlobbying

International economic negotiation should not be considered as a simple game between delegates who represent the “national interest” of the countries they belong to, but as a two-level game or as the layers of two kinds of games: one with diplomatic negotiations and the other between interest groups within a country (Putnam, 1988). This chapter attempts to formulate trade disputes concerning tariff rates as a two—level game. In contrast to the rent—seeking literature, where lobbying activities exhaust the rent, we assume that some part of lobbying expenditures is transferred to the government agent. It is shown that counter-lobbying, that is, lobbying across the national border, will often be beneficial to the consumer interest in both countries engaging in international trade.
High-temperature single-crystal 3C-SiC capacitive pressure sensor

Single-crystal 3C-silicon carbide (SiC) capacitive pressure sensors are proposed for high-temperature sensing applications. The prototype device consists of an edge-clamped circular 3C-SiC diaphragm with a radius of 400 /spl mu/m and a thickness of 0.5 /spl mu/m suspended over a 2-/spl mu/m sealed cavity on a silicon substrate. The 3C-SiC film is grown epitaxially on a 100-mm diameter silicon substrate by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition. The fabricated sensor demonstrates a high-temperature sensing capability up to 400/spl deg/C, limited by the test setup. At 400/spl deg/C, the device achieves a linear characteristic response between 1100 and 1760 torr with a sensitivity of 7.7 fF/torr, a linearity of 2.1%, and a hysterisis of 3.7% with a sensing repeatability of 39 torr (52 mbar). A wide range of sensor specifications, such as linear ranges, sensitivities, and capacitance values, can be achieved by choosing the proper device geometrical parameters.
Linkage map organization of expressed sequence tags and sequence tagged sites in the mosquito, Aedes aegypti.

A composite genetic linkage map for the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti was constructed based on restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) markers. The map consists of 146 marker loci distributed across 205 cM, and includes several morphological mutant marker loci. Most of the genetic markers are derived from random cDNAs or Ae. aegypti genes of known function. A number of markers are derived from random genomic DNAs, including several cloned RAPD-PCR fragments, and also several cDNAs from Drosophila melanogaster. Most of the random cDNAs (80.2%) have high BLAST X sequence identities to known genes, with the majority of matches to genes from D. melanogaster. Access to sequence data for all markers will facilitate their continued development for use in high-throughput SNP marker analyses and also provides additional physical anchor points for an anticipated genome sequencing effort.
Cell Migration: Sinking in a Gradient

How chemoattractant gradients form and persist in complex tissues is a key question in cell migration. Two studies now show that CXCR7 acts as a sink in the migrating zebrafish lateral line primordium to generate SDF1 gradients.
Keeping it Real User-Generated Pornography, Gender Reification, and Visual Pleasure

/ Recently, some scholars have suggested that new media technologies are opening up spaces for the sexual emancipation of previously marginalized groups. These ‘DIY’ web cultures would facilitate different, more authentic, representations of gender and sexuality than conventionally available in mainstream pornography. This study examines these propositions by analyzing a sample of 100 user-generated ‘amateur’ videos on YouPorn, an adult video-sharing website. It is demonstrated how an adherence to a masculine, heteronormative ‘pornoscript’ structures the possible ways in which sexual pleasure is enacted and visualized in these videos. Simultaneously, their alleged proximity to ‘real life’ works to naturalize these representations, enabling the reification of their gender ideology through a denial of their imaginary dimension. It is concluded that, rather than providing a space for alternative sexual representations, YouPorn manifests itself as a site where pornography, participatory media, and the represe...
Secundum‐Type Atrial Septal Defects with Failure to Thrive in the First Year of Life

This article summarizes the case histories of six infants who had isolated secundum-type atrial septal defects (ASDs) and presented with failure to thrive in the first year of life. Patients underwent operative closure of their ASD with the expectation that this would improve their feeding and growth pattern. Five of the six children demonstrated little or no improvement in symptoms following operation. Each of these five patients have subsequently shown signs of developmental delay. Our experience with this group suggests that failure to thrive associated with a secundum ASD will frequently have a noncardiac basis.
Left ventricular assist device-induced reverse ventricular remodeling

Left ventricular assist devices provide chronic pressure and volume unloading of the dilated left ventricle in patients with end-stage heart failure. This is associated with reverse structural remodeling (normalization of the passive pressure-volume relationship), reverse molecular remodeling (increased expression of several genes involved in calcium metabolism that are down-regulated in heart failure), improved baseline contractility, and improved contractile response to increased heart rate and to beta-agonist stimulation. These findings indicate the profound degree of recovery of myocardial properties in hearts previously considered to have invincible end-stage heart failure. Copyright 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company
A program for prevention in massachusetts

Abstract Since 1900 life expectancy at birth in the United States has increased by about 25 years, an increase attributable mainly to a decline in infant and child mortality. In place of deaths and disability from communicable diseases, the nation has witnessed a major increase in heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, lung cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, accidents, homicide, and suicide. These have been linked to human behavior, individual as well as collective. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has embarked on a major new program in prevention. As the principal administrative unit within the state government charged with the protection and promotion of the somatic health of the citizens of the Commonwealth, the Department is in a unique position to play an important role in the development of strategies for health promotion. The Department has selected several target areas on which to concentrate its efforts, including: diet and nutrition, physical inactivity, substance abuse, tobacco and drugs, accidents, communicable diseases, and hypertension. Strategies for intervention include community and worksite demonstration projects, regulatory and legislative initiatives, school health programs, and the use of media. The Department has listed a modest program of goals and objectives to be reached within a 3-year period.
EFFECTIVENESS OF FLOW CONTROL FOR ALLEVIATION OF TWIN-TAIL BUFFET

Effectiveness of active flow control for twin- tail buffet alleviation is investigated. Tangen- tial leading-edge blowing (TLEB) and flow suction along the vortex cores (FSVC) of the lead- ing edges of the delta wing are used to delay the vortex breakdown flow upstream of the twin tail. The combined effect of the TLEB and FSVC is also investigated. A parametric study of the effects of the spanwise position of the suction tubes and volumetric suction flow rate on the twin-tail buffet response are also investigated. The TLEB moves the path of leading-edge vortices laterally towards the twin tail, which increases the aero- dynamic damping on the tails. The FSVC effectively delays the breakdown location at high angles of attack. The computational model consists of a sharp-edged delta wing of aspect ratio one and swept-back flexible twin tail with taper ratio of 0.23. This complex multidisciplinary problem is solved sequentially using three sets of equations for the fluid flow, aeroelastic response and grid deformation, on a dynamic multi-block grid structure. The computational model is pitched at 30 deg. angle of attack. The freestream Mach number and Reynolds number are 0.3 and 1.25 million, respectively. The model is investigated for the inboard position of the twin tails, which corresponds to a separation distance between the twin tails of 33% of the wing span.
Multifunctional nanoprobes for pathogen-selective capture and detection

The synthesis of magnetic and fluorescent particles is described. The particles are biofunctionalized by binding pathogen-specific proteins to the particles via interactions between His-tags of proteins and zinc of the quantum dots. Detection ofSalmonella and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) by these particles is demonstrated.
Effects of IV and ICV hypocretin-1 (orexin A) in hypocretin receptor-2 gene mutated narcoleptic dogs and IV hypocretin-1 replacement therapy in a hypocretin-ligand-deficient narcoleptic dog.

Study Objectives: Using two different canine models of narcolepsy, we evaluated the therapeutic effects of hypocretin-1 on cataplexy and sleep. Measurements and Results: Intracerebroventricular administration of hypocretin-1 (10 and 30 nmol per dog) but not intravenous administration (up to 6µg/kg) induced significant wakefulness in control dogs. However, hypocretin-1 had no effect on cataplexy or wakefulness in hypocretin receptor-2 gene (Hcrtr2) mutated narcoleptic Dobermans. Only very high intravenously doses of hypocretin-1 (96 - 384 µg/kg) penetrated the brain, to produce a short-lasting anticataplectic effect in a hypocretin-ligand-deficient animal. Conclusions: Hypocretin-1 administration, by central and systemic
Blood flow in normal and denervated muscle during exercise in conscious rats.

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that extrinsic mechanical factors, i.e., the dynamic shortening and lengthening imposed on a muscle during limb movements and the rhythmic compressions as surrounding muscles contract and relax, contribute to the initial muscle hyperemia during locomotion in conscious male Sprague-Dawley rats. Soleus and lateral head of gastrocnemius muscles were surgically denervated in one hindlimb several hours before exercise to remove 1) local metabolic vasodilator effects, 2) vasoconstrictor or vasodilatory influences mediated through sympathetic postganglionic fibers, and 3) intrinsic mechanical pumping. Blood flow was measured with radioactive microspheres during preexercise and at 30 s and 5 min of exercise in rats walking at 15 m/min or a motor-driven treadmill. Glycogen concentrations were also measured as an indicator of muscular activity to verify the denervation. Blood flows to control muscles in the normal limb were similar to previously reported values during preexercise and exercise. Denervation, however, decreased preexercise blood flow (69-88%) to muscle composed predominantly of oxidative fibers and increased flow (53%) to muscle composed predominantly of glycolytic fibers. During exercise, blood flow to denervated muscles either remained unchanged or decreased. These data suggest that extrinsic mechanical factors do not significantly contribute to the initial hyperemic response at the onset of low-intensity exercise in normal muscle.
Variables associated with outcome in patients with bilateral vestibular hypofunction: Preliminary study.

Background Vestibular rehabilitation (VR) improves symptoms and function in some but not all patients with bilateral vestibular hypofunction (BVH). Objective The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine change following vestibular rehabilitation and to identify factors associated with rehabilitation outcome in patients with BVH. Methods Data from 69 patients with BVH were analyzed. Factors studied included patient characteristics, subjective complaints and physical function. Outcome measures included symptom intensity, balance confidence, quality of life, gait speed, fall risk, and dynamic visual acuity. Bivariate correlations were used to examine relationships of patient characteristics and baseline measures with outcome measures. One-way ANOVAs were used to compare outcomes in patients with BVH versus unilateral vestibular hypofunction (UVH). Results As a group, patients with BVH improved in all outcome measures except disability following a course of vestibular rehabilitation (VR); however, only 38-86% demonstrated a meaningful improvement, depending on the specific outcome measure examined. Several factors measured at baseline - age, DGI score, gait speed and perceived dysequilibrium - were associated with outcomes. For example, greater age was related to higher DVA scores at discharge; lower initial DGI scores were related to higher Disability scores at discharge. Compared to patients with UVH, reported previously [9], a smaller percentage of patients with BVH improve and to a lesser extent. Conclusion Consideration of baseline factors may provide guidance for setting patient goals. Further research is needed determine what factors predict outcome and to develop more effective treatment strategies for those patients who do not improve.
Control of Multi-Domain Networks

We are considering network control algorithms that make use of available information to provide acceptable grade of service to end-users of multi-domain networks. Route configuration is studied in packet-switched networks consisting of two domains which are individually monitored and controlled via their own Network Control Centers (NCCs). The two NCCs exchange a limited amount of information, and each has limited information and control over the other domain. The grade of service considered is the average end-to-end packet delay for the multi-domain network. We establish a methodology for this problem that requires an amount of information exchange on the order of the number of inter-domain (gateway) links and two iterative procedures are presented which implement it. In most cases, our algorithms were found to yield delays close to a lower bound obtained when significantly more information is available to the NCCs about the inter-domain traffic requirements.
Anesthesia Simulation - Demonstration

Human error can be reduced and performance enhanced in the practice of anesthesiology by providing a wide range of controlled experience. These demonstrations illustrate the viability of simulation in addressing the issue of human error in the practice of anesthesiology.
Arthritis. The cumulative impact of a common chronic condition.

OBJECTIVE To document the extent of disability related to arthritis among working-age (18-64-year-old) and elderly (greater than or equal to 70-year-old) individuals. METHODS Data from the 1970-1987 National Health Interview Surveys were used to determine the prevalence of arthritis-related disability among working-age adults. The Longitudinal Study on Aging was used to determine the prevalence of arthritis-related disability among the elderly. RESULTS Among working-age persons, 3.734 million men and 5.649 million women reported having arthritis, of whom in excess of 2 million and 3 million, respectively, reported activity limitation (the definition of disability in the National Health Interview Survey). Labor force participation among men with arthritis was approximately 20% lower than among those without arthritis and approximately 25% lower among women with arthritis than among those without. Among elderly individuals, 55% reported having arthritis and, of these, more than three-quarters were limited in a physical activity and more than one-third were limited in an activity of daily living. Moreover, disability rates for persons with arthritis were found to be increasing, even on an age-adjusted basis. CONCLUSION The impact of arthritis in terms of disability was shown to be high and was probably underestimated, given the high prevalence of the disease among women and elderly persons, and the limitations in the methods used in contemporary social surveys to establish the extent of disability, in these 2 population groups in particular.
Peripatus as a Living Fossil

Peripatus is sometimes considered a living fossil because it and other onychophorans are transitional between Arthropoda and Annelida and retain a large number of archaic features (Bouvier 1905, 1907; Zacher 1933; Cuenot 1968). Although Peripatus was originally described as a leg-bearing slug (Guilding 1826), it looks more like a caterpillar or a soft-bodied centipede with claws at the end of its stubby appendages. Hoyle and del Castillo (1979) object to calling onychophorans living fossils on the grounds that they have certain “unique features,” but this only means that divergent evolution has occurred. The annelidan character of the eyes (Eakin and Westfall 1965) is but one example of a conservative feature. Except for the mode of reproduction, the group is quite homogeneous. There are about 70 species in two families.
Evidence-Based Treatment Planning for Substance AbuseTherapy

Publisher Summary Treatment planning is a process in which the therapist tailors, to the greatest extent possible, the application of available treatment resources to each client's individual goals and needs. A thorough multidimensional assessment is essential to individualized treatment planning. In addition, a carefully kept accurate record of each client's assessment, ongoing treatment, and outcome evaluation is necessary for planning and fine-tuning each client's program. Carefully collected data can be aggregated to provide program evaluation, leading to eventual improvement in client-treatment-matching knowledge. The guidelines for treatment planning presented here can be adapted for use at any level of treatment, but probably are most flexible at the outpatient level. Treatment planning should be integrated in the client's therapeutic process from the first meeting. Setting goals and specifying methods of achieving those goals provide a blueprint for treatment and a therapeutic structure for the client. Substance abuse clients often feel over-whelmed by their problems and not in control of the most important aspects of their lives. Providing the structure of a set of goals and procedures can help relieve anxiety and enhance the client's self-efficacy.
Gauge invariant formalism for second order perturbations of Schwarzschild spacetimes

The ``close limit,'' a method based on perturbations of Schwarzschild spacetime, has proved to be a very useful tool for finding approximate solutions to models of black hole collisions. Calculations carried out with second order perturbation theory have been shown to give the limits of applicability of the method without the need for comparison with numerical relativity results. Those second order calculations have been carried out in a fixed coordinate gauge, a method that entails conceptual and computational difficulties. Here we demonstrate a gauge invariant approach to such calculations. For a specific set of models (requiring head on collisions and quadrupole dominance of both the first and second order perturbations), we give a self-contained gauge invariant formalism. Specifically, we give (i) wave equations and sources for first and second order gauge invariant wave functions, (ii) the prescription for finding Cauchy data for those equations from initial values of the first and second fundamental forms on an initial hypersurface, and (iii) the formula for computing the gravitational wave power from the evolved first and second order wave functions.
Finance Job Market Advice

Finance job market advice based on my subjective job market experiences and my years as an assistant professor. Targets job candidates that attend the AFA/FMA conference and aim for a research-focused position in R1 U.S. universities.
Importance of demographic surveys and public lands for the conservation of eastern hellbenders Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis in southeast USA

Comparisons of recent and historic population demographic studies of eastern hellbenders Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis have identified significant population declines and extirpations associated with habitat degradation, poor water quality and disease, leading to nomination as a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act. However, populations in the southern Appalachian region of the range have received less attention despite relatively high levels of watershed protection due to the establishment of federally protected National Forest and National Park public lands. These watersheds likely represent some of the best remaining available habitat, yet the lack of published studies make assessment of population stability and viability very difficult. Our objectives were to (1) conduct a capture-mark-recapture (CMR) demographic study and a point transect survey on the Hiwassee River in Tennessee which is designated a National Scenic River, and is largely contained within the Cherokee National Forest, (2) quantify the size structure of the population, (3) compare abundance, survival and recruitment with historic and contemporary hellbender populations across the range, (4) assess the importance of this population and the significance of National Forest and National Park lands in the context of hellbender population conservation in the southeastern United States. We detected all age classes present, with larval hellbenders comprising 21.5% of captures. Using a combination of static life table and CMR methods, we determined that survival rates during the first year were low (~10%), but were high (68-94%) for taggable sized hellbenders. Density of hellbenders at the study site was very high (84 taggable sized hellbenders per 100m of river) compared to recent demographic studies conducted in other regions of the range. We detected hellbenders over ~28 km of river, with a mean density of 23 taggable sized hellbenders per 100m of river, and a total population estimate of 6440 taggable hellbenders. National Forest and National Park lands are likely to continue to play a particularly important role in providing suitable habitat for hellbenders in the southern Appalachians. In fact, only six of 21 known hellbender locations in Tennessee appear to show consistent larval recruitment, all of which are located within or adjacent to National Forest or National Park land.
“Managed” Urban Land Markets

In this article we derived the socially optimal conditions for the implementation of growth management policies in urban areas. We showed that prior research could be biased because it failed to model a land transition process explicitly. Next, we demonstrated the conditions under which growth management is equivalent to the perfectly competitive model. Finally, we assessed the desirability of each policy given the practical realities of urban land markets.