cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alcohol attenuates myocardial ischemic injury.

Background Moderate alcohol consumption is cardioprotective but the mechanism of action remains unclear. Nuclear factor κ-B regulates the expression of genes involved in inflammation, stress, and apoptosis. We used a swine model of diet-induced metabolic syndrome to investigate the effects of red wine and vodka on nuclear factor κ-B signaling and cytokine activity in chronically ischemic myocardium. Methods Yorkshire swine were given a high-fat diet for 4 weeks; an ameroid constrictor was then placed on the left circumflex artery. The high-fat diet was continued and the swine were divided into 3 groups for 7 weeks: hypercholesterolemic diet alone (control, n = 8), hypercholesterolemic diet with vodka (vodka, n = 8), and hypercholesterolemic diet with wine (wine, n = 8). Ischemic myocardium was analyzed by Western blot and cytokine array. Results Administration of alcohol was associated with decreased expression of inhibitor of κ-B kinase complex α, inhibitor of κ-B kinase complex β, and phosphorylated inhibitor of κ-B β in the ischemic myocardium compared with the control group. Alcohol administration demonstrated an increase in nuclear factor κ-B in the ischemic myocardium. Both wine and vodka demonstrated a significant decrease in leptin, interleukin-1α, IL-13, IL-15, and interferon-γ. Vodka demonstrated a significant decrease in phosphorylated BCL-2 and caspase-9. Conclusion In ischemic myocardium, alcohol modulates the nuclear factor κ-B pathway, which may contribute to the adaptive response of tissues to the stress of ischemia. Furthermore, both wine and vodka decreased multiple proinflammatory cytokines. This study provides a mechanism by which alcohol may be cardioprotective in ischemic myocardium.
Classifiers of massive and structured data problems: algorithms and applications

The last two decades have seen the emergence of vast and unprecedented data repositories. Extraordinary opportunities now present themselves for new data analysis methods that can harness these repositories. As larger and larger amounts of widely varying types of data are constantly being collected and assimilated, the task of making use of such data opens up interesting and challenging avenues of research. This thesis deals with specific problems in data mining and machine learning in this setting. In particular we describe algorithms and applications for classification problems where computational restrictions become limiting (resource bounded algorithms and online/streaming algorithms) as well as models and algorithms for certain problems where the structure of the input is leveraged to provide not only accurate, but also interpretable classifiers.
“Awful Gladness”: The Dual Political Rhetorics of Du Bois’s “Of the Passing of the First-Born”

W.E.B. Du Bois’s elegy for his infant son, “Of the Passing of the First-Born,” in The Souls of Black Folk, has received relatively scant attention from political theorists. Yet it illuminates cruci...
Early gestational mesenchymal stem cell secretome attenuates experimental bronchopulmonary dysplasia in part via exosome-associated factor TSG-6

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising tools for the treatment of human lung disease and other pathologies relevant to newborn medicine. Recent studies have established MSC exosomes (EXO), as one of the main therapeutic vectors of MSCs in mouse models of multifactorial chronic lung disease of preterm infants, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). However, the mechanisms underlying MSC-EXO therapeutic action are not completely understood. Using a neonatal mouse model of human BPD, we evaluated the therapeutic efficiency of early gestational age (GA) human umbilical cord (hUC)-derived MSC EXO fraction and its exosomal factor, tumor necrosis factor alpha-stimulated gene-6 (TSG-6). Conditioned media (CM) and EXO fractions were isolated from 25 and 30 weeks GA hUC-MSC cultures grown in serum-free media (SFM) for 24 h. Newborn mice were exposed to hyperoxia (> 95% oxygen) and were given intraperitoneal injections of MSC-CM or MSC-CM EXO fractions at postnatal (PN) day 2 and PN4. They were then returned to room air until PN14 (in a mouse model of severe BPD). The treatment regime was followed with (rh)TSG-6, TSG-6-neutralizing antibody (NAb), TSG-6 (si)RNA-transfected MSC-CM EXO and their appropriate controls. Echocardiography was done at PN14 followed by harvesting of lung, heart and brain for assessment of pathology parameters. Systemic administration of CM or EXO in the neonatal BPD mouse model resulted in robust improvement in lung, cardiac and brain pathology. Hyperoxia-exposed BPD mice exhibited pulmonary inflammation accompanied by alveolar-capillary leakage, increased chord length, and alveolar simplification, which was ameliorated by MSC CM/EXO treatment. Pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy was also corrected. Cell death in brain was decreased and the hypomyelination reversed. Importantly, we detected TSG-6, an immunomodulatory glycoprotein, in EXO. Administration of TSG-6 attenuated BPD and its associated pathologies, in lung, heart and brain. Knockdown of TSG-6 by NAb or by siRNA in EXO abrogated the therapeutic effects of EXO, suggesting TSG-6 as an important therapeutic molecule. Preterm hUC-derived MSC-CM EXO alleviates hyperoxia-induced BPD and its associated pathologies, in part, via exosomal factor TSG-6. The work indicates early systemic intervention with TSG-6 as a robust option for cell-free therapy, particularly for treating BPD.
Qualitative reasoning about dynamic change in the spatial properties of a physical system

Spatial reasoning is an essential part of human interaction with the physical world. Of the many models that have been developed to support automated spatial reasoning, most rely on numerical descriptions of a spatial scene. This dissertation addresses problems where only qualitative descriptions of a spatial scene are available, such as natural language understanding, qualitative design, and physics problem-solving. We provide the first set of solutions, given only a qualitative description of a spatial scene, for reasoning about dynamic change in both the spatial and non-spatial properties of a physical system. We use diagrams to compactly input the spatial scene for a problem, and text to describe any non-spatial properties. To match diagram and text objects so their descriptions can be integrated, we have developed a method for describing the conceptual class of objects directly in diagrams. Then, diagram and text objects can be matched based on their conceptual class. The given problem is solved through qualitative simulation, and all spatial reasoning is done with respect to an extrinsic Cartesian coordinate system. We model the relative positions of objects through inequality constraints on the coordinates of the points of interest. Changes due to translational motion are detected by noting changes in the truth values of inequality constraints. We model the orientation of an object through knowledge of its extremal points and its qualitative angle of rotation with respect to each coordinate axis. This model has been used to reason qualitatively about the effects of rotational motion, such as changes in the area projected by one object onto another. We have implemented our spatial representation as production rules and as model fragments in the QPC qualitative modeling system. The former has been used for solving static-world problems such as understanding descriptions of an urban scene. The latter has been used to reason about situations where changes in spatial properties play a critical role, such as the operation of transformers, oscillators, generators, and motors. To support dynamic spatial reasoning, we have expanded the modeling capabilities of QPC to include methods for modeling piecewise-continuous variables, non-permanent objects, and variables with circular quantity spaces.
TWO-DIMENSIONAL RECURSIVE FILTERING IN THEORY AND PRACTICE

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses some aspects of two-dimensional recursive filtering. It describes data acquisition in seismic exploration. The chapter discusses filter design problems. The application of digital data processing techniques to seismic data had its inception with the Geophysical Analysis Group at MIT. Prior to that time, little in the way of sophisticated computational analysis could be applied to large quantities of seismic data, as all interpretive work was carried out by hand using photographically recorded paper records. The advent of the digital computer changed the ways of working with seismic data. The data was recorded in the field on magnetic tape that could be digitized and processed by computer. Much of the pioneering work in developing new processing techniques was done by Sven Treitel and Enders Robinson, whose statistical analyses greatly advanced the abilities to extract information from the data obtained by the seismic method. In particular, the concept of filtering assumed a position of paramount importance in this work.
Problem Set 7.1 – Fluid Volumes, Glomerular Filtration, and Clearance

Publisher Summary This chapter presents various problem sets related to fluid volumes, glomerular filtration, and clearance, which include the amount of filtration coefficient and its magnitude when the average glomerular capillary pressure is about 55 mmHg, plasma oncotic pressure is about 28 mmHg, the hydrostatic pressure within Bowman's space is 20 mmHg, ultrafiltrate oncotic pressure is 0 mmHg, the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is 120 mL min21, and each kidney weighs 125 g; the lean body mass of a person weighing 105 kg and having total body water of 48 L; and the calculation of the percentage of body fat in excess of the lean body mass when the person weighs 105 kg and has total body water of 48 L.
On Very Large Scale Hamiltonian Neural Nets

This paper presents how to design very large scale lossless neural nets (LONN), which can be used as Walsh-spectrum analyzer. This analysis relies on the orthogonality of weight matrix W where W is Hurwitz-Radon matrix. The unique feature of the LONN is the possibility to treat them either as algorithms or as Hamiltonian physical objects (Walsh Transformation Processors).
A calibration capture–recapture model for inferring natural gas leak population characteristics using data from Google Street View cars

While new mobile monitoring technology has revolutionized our ability to measure pollutant levels over large regions, statistical methods for making inferences from data collected by these mobile systems are still being developed. We introduce a new capture–recapture model to answer key inferential questions from data collected by mobile monitoring systems. We apply our new method to characterize populations of natural gas (NG) leaks in urban areas using data collected by atmospheric methane analyzers placed on Google Street View cars. Leaks in urban NG distribution systems correspond to an economic loss, are a potential safety hazard, and are climate altering because NG is primarily composed of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The new calibration capture–recapture (CCR) model combines data from controlled methane release experiments and data collected from mobile air monitors to enable inference for several NG leak population characteristics, including the number of undetected leaks and the total methane output rate in a surveyed region. Our methodology is a novel application of capture–recapture modeling. The CCR model addresses challenges associated with using a capture–recapture model to analyze data collected by a mobile monitoring system such as a variable sampling effort. We develop a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm for parameter estimation and apply the CCR model to data collected in two U.S. cities. The CCR model provides a new framework for inferring the total number of leaks in NG distribution systems and offers critical insights for informing intelligent infrastructure repair policy that is both cost effective and environmentally friendly.
Type B intramural hematoma: thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) or conservative approach?

An intramural hematoma (IMH) is the second most common presentation of acute aortic syndrome, with an estimated occurrence of 1.98/100,000 person-years (1). In the majority of cases, an IMH is located in the descending thoracic aorta. The clinical symptoms are similar to those of aortic dissection (AD), yet the population is older, the morphology different, and the mortality rate lower compared to AD. IMH was first described by Krukenberg in 1920 (2). Ever since, the pathophysiology of the disease is yet to be elucidated. We currently have only retrospective series available to describe the natural history. This is partly due to relatively low incidence of the disease itself. The onset of IMH has been associated with the occurrence of intimal micro-tears, vasa-vasorum hemorrhage and undiscovered penetrating atherosclerotic ulcers (PAU) (3,4).
The Reporting of School District Efficiency: The Adequacy of Ratio Measures

Demands for accountability in education are not a new phenomenon, however, they have increased significantly in the recent past and have encompassed not only educational outcomes but also efficiency. In this study, ratio measures, similar to those recommended by the GASB, were compared to measures of relative efficiency determined through the use of data envelopment analysis (DEA). The consistency of the two approaches in distinguishing between relatively efficient and inefficient school districts was examined. It was found that compared to the DEA approach, the ratio measures, may be unable to provide reliable information for educational decision making.
Effect of undercoordinated Ag(111) defect sites on the adsorption of ethanol

In recent years, the use of silver-based materials for selective and highly active ethanol reactivity in single atom catalysis and the ethanol oxidation reaction in direct fuel cells highlights the importance of silver (Ag) in an ethanol economy. Understanding the interaction of ethanol with Ag(111) and the natural defects found on extended Ag(111) is critical to the overall understanding of more complex catalytic processes including ethanol activation over Ag-based catalysts. The research herein aims to characterize the interaction of ethanol molecules on undercoordinated defect sites of Ag(111) to mimic active sites found on Ag nanoparticle catalysts. The interaction between ethanol and Ag(111) was studied using temperature programed desorption (TPD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory (DFT). Molecular ethanol adsorption and desorption from Ag(111) and the distinction between undercoordinated Ag(111) adsorption sites were determined using TPD in correlation with DFT. Complete analysis of TPD data for ethanol adsorbed to terrace sites was used to calculate a kinetic prefactor (3.4 × 1015) and desorption energy (0.54 eV). A better understanding of defect-dependent behavior for ethanol on silver can lead to a greater insight into high surface area nanoparticle catalysts used in industries, catalytic converters, and photo-, electro-, and heterogeneous catalysis. The results suggest that ethanol preferentially adsorbs to undercoordinated sites on Ag(111), resulting in higher binding energies for these molecules (Redhead first order approximation for desorption energies is terrace, 0.54 eV; step edge, 0.57 eV; and kink sites, 0.61 eV). Furthermore, alteration of the silver surface can lead to a redistribution of these sites.
Application of polyoxymethylene passive air sampler to monitor hydrophobic organics in air around a confined disposal facility.

Abstract Volatile losses of hydrophobic organic contaminants from a confined disposal facility (CDF) containing dredged contaminated sediments is of substantial concern to surrounding communities. A partitioning passive sampling approach using polyoxymethylene (POM) was applied to measure long-term average (weeks to months) air concentrations resulting from evaporation at a CDF. Measurements at 10 locations surrounding the CDF using the POM air samplers indicated that the highest concentrations of ΣPCBs∼13 ng/m3 and ΣPAHs ∼65 ng/m3 were measured during an active dredge material placement period when the average temperature was 23 °C. The measurements were dominated by the more volatile, lower molecular weight compounds of each type. Partitioning to the POM during the post dredge material placement period with average temperature of 5 °C was corrected for temperature and the measured ∑PCBs and ∑PAHs were ∼3 ng/m3 and 45 ng/m3 respectively. The partitioning passive sampling measurements agreed well with the available weekly 24-h high-volume air samples (HVAS) averaged over the POM equilibration time for lower congener number PCBs (15, 18, 20/28 and 31) and naphthalene but were as much as 10 times lower than HVAS for high molecular weight PAHs. The difference was likely the result of the greater association of these PAHs with particulates and sources other than evaporation from the CDF. The POM air sampler achieved the goal of providing a long-term average air concentration without having to collect, analyze and average multiple HVAS samples although the technique is largely limited to the lower molecular weight PAHs and PCBs and different equilibration times for different compounds complicate its use and analysis.
Persistence of emerging viral fecal indicators in large-scale freshwater mesocosms

Abstract Fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) are typically used to monitor microbial water quality but are poor representatives of viruses due to different environmental fate. Viral fecal indicators have been proposed as alternatives to FIB; however, data evaluating the persistence of emerging viral fecal indicators under realistic environmental conditions is necessary to evaluate their potential application. In this study, we examined the persistence of five viral fecal indicators, including crAssphage and pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), and three bacterial fecal indicators (E. coli, enterococci and HF183/BacR287) in large-scale experimental ponds and freshwater mesocosms. Observed inactivation rate constants were highly variable and ranged from a minimum of −0.09 d−1 for PMMoV to a maximum of −3.5 d−1 for HF183/BacR287 in uncovered mesocosms. Overall, viral fecal indicators had slower inactivation than bacterial fecal indicators and PMMoV was inactivated more slowly than all other targets. These results demonstrate that bacterial fecal indicators inadequately represent viral fate following aging of sewage contaminated water due to differential persistence, and that currently used fecal indicator monitoring targets demonstrate highly variable persistence that should be considered during water quality monitoring and risk assessment.
Muscle Tension Dysphagia: Contributing Factors and Treatment Efficacy:

Objective:To determine factors contributing to disease etiology and treatment efficacy.Study Design:Original Report.Setting:Tertiary academic center.Methods:IRB approved prospective study of 20 pat...
Tandem gait test performance in healthy, physically active adults: Clinical implications for concussion evaluation.

Abstract Objectives To identify factors affecting performance on the tandem gait test in healthy, physically active adults. Design Cross-sectional. Methods Participants completed the tandem gait test according to Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 3 (SCAT3) guidelines. Dependent variables included time for best trial (initial 3 m, turn, final 3 m and total) and whether the trial was “pass” or “fail”. Independent variables included sex, concussion history, foot length, height and total number of trials. Results 55% (35/64) of participants passed the first trial of the tandem gait test; 19% (12/64) had a best time 0.05). There were no differences in turn times for those with and without a history of concussion (t = 0.26, p = 0.80). The number of trials was not significantly correlated with best time (þ = −0.04, p = 0.74). There were low (þ = −0.31) to negligible (þ Conclusions Current recommendations for the tandem gait test led to a high false-positive rate in healthy, physically active adults. Sex, concussion history, number of trials and foot length had little to no influence on scores on the test. Turning times were more variable than times on the straight portions of the test. Clinicians may use these results as a guideline when interpreting performance on the tandem gait test in healthy physically active adults.
The Broken Fourth Amendment Oath

The Fourth Amendment requires that warrants be supported by “Oath or affirmation.” Under current doctrine, a police officer may swear the oath to obtain a warrant based entirely on the third-hand account of an informant. This Article shows, however, that the Fourth Amendment, as originally understood, required that the real accuser with personal knowledge swear the oath. That real-accuser requirement persisted for nearly two centuries. Almost all federal courts and most state courts from 1850 to 1960 held that the “oath,” by its very nature, requires a witness with personal knowledge. Only in 1960 did the Supreme Court hold in Jones v. United States that a warrant could rely upon “hearsay”—radically altering criminal investigations. But Jones rested entirely on policy preferences, ignoring the text, original understanding, and the rich contrary precedent. This Article argues we should return to the original meaning that the oath requirement bans third-hand accounts. Remarkably, this is the first comprehensive study to consider whether the “oath” requires personal knowledge.
Predictors of consumers’ willingness to share personal information with fashion sales robots

Abstract This study investigates whether consumers' self-interests and social interactions predict their willingness to share their personal information with a fashion sales robot. The study develops hypotheses based upon the information sharing theory and tests them by building a decision tree predictive model. Using a video stimulus of a fashion sales robot, we conduct interviews, pretests, and main data collection (n = 464) in the United States. The results indicate that service quality, enjoyment, and usefulness, which reflect self-interest, and trust, which reflects social interaction, predict consumers’ willingness to share personal information with the robots. These results suggest that fashion marketers should focus strategically on service quality and enjoyment when they adopt AI sales robots and use them as a medium to share information in customer service.
The Ancient Constitution and the Expanding Empire: Sir Edward Coke’s British Jurisprudence

One of the great ironies in Anglo-American constitutional history is that Sir Edward Coke, the seventeenth-century mythologist of the ‘ancient constitution’1 and the English jurist most celebrated in early America, did not believe that subjects enjoyed the common law and many related liberties of Englishmen while overseas. The ancient constitution was an English constitution and, though non-English subjects of the English king could enjoy its liberties and privileges while in England, it did not apply to anyone outside that realm. Whether or not the ancient constitution existed time out of mind, it did not extend to land out of sight.
The syntax of Chichewa

1. Introduction 2. Phonetics and phonology 3. Clause structure 4. Relative clauses, clefts and question formation 5. Argument structure and verb stem morphology 6. Argument structure reducing suffixes 7. The verb stem as a domain of linguistic processes.
WHEN GROWTH IS NO LONGER THE NORM: TEACHING URBAN DESIGN IN A TIME OF TRANSFORMATION

Over the past few years, there has been increasing interest in cities that are rapidly losing population, so-called shrinking cities. This is becoming a global phenomenon, with shrinking cities found on every continent. The decline has been attributed variously to changing demographics, suburbanization, postsocialist transformation and deindustrialization. We are just beginning to develop approaches to dealing with shrinkage and its consequences – vacancy, abandonment, and limited public and private resources. However, there is currently little faith in the ability of design-related disciplines to deal with shrinking cities. Some authors argue that disciplines such as architecture, urban design and urban planning have always planned for growth and have reached their limits when dealing with shrinking cities (Oswalt, 2006). Still others suggest that restructuring should be seen as an opportunity (Vey, 2007). This paper challenges the first view and responds to the second by suggesting that design education can and must respond to these new realities. It critically examines a collaborative urban design studio that was part of an attempt to transform a part of a shrinking city in the American ‘rustbelt.’ The city, once a flourishing manufacturing center, is now facing steep economic decline along with the decline of the auto industry. It is also home to a university that is beginning efforts to revitalize neighborhoods adjacent to the campus. The studio, which brought together architecture and urban planning students from two different universities to work on a section of the city including the campus area, suggests possibilities for preparing students to work in an environment where economic growth is no longer the norm. The following lessons emerged: 1) In a shrinking city, urban designers may need to focus less on designing the solids and more on meeting the challenges of the voids. 2) In spite of urban design’s historical bias towards design, students need to be strongly grounded in the planning context, which interdisciplinary collaboration can help achieve. 3) Now more than ever, even a small urban design project has to be viewed in a larger scale - in the context of the entire city and region. 4) In an era of shrinking resources, the urban design studio can be an important source of ideas for cities facing the physical consequences of shrinkage.
Editor-in-Chief Commentary.

As Editor-in-Chief of Behavioral Sleep Medicine, I am happy to report that the journal is alive and well, and, in fact, thriving. Our impact factor is steadily increased (1.744 in 2013 to 2.340 in ...
Work in progress- incorporation of OPNET simulation into a telecommunications systems laboratory course

An integral part of the curriculum for the newly developed telecommunications systems M.S. degree at The University of Oklahoma (OU) Tulsa is a course entitled telecommunications systems laboratory. The course is designed to enhance the understanding of computer networking theories and concepts through simulation and hands-on networking exercises. Students utilize the resources of the OU-Tulsa Telecommunications interoperability laboratory to build flexible and interconnected network model configurations using multi-vendor ATM, IP, TDM, and WDM equipment, including fixed and mobile wireless components. Various testing equipment are used to evaluate network performance. For simulation, we have chosen OPNET modeler, from OPNET Technologies, Inc., as the software of choice. The role of simulation in the course is two-fold: to improve student comprehension of computer networking concepts and theories and to complement the hands-on experiments. This work-in-progress paper discusses our preliminary experiences with integrating OPNET modeler into the telecommunications systems laboratory course.
10. Field performance and evaluation

Publisher Summary A micro-irrigation system is defined as a localized irrigation system that can deliver water directly into the crop root zone. The system, if properly designed, can eliminate surface runoff and minimize deep percolation. In addition, both high uniformity of water application and high irrigation application efficiency can be achieved. A micro-irrigation system is designed based on the uniformity of water application with respect to the crops in the field. There are two types of micro-irrigation uniformity considerations; one is the system uniformity and the other is the spatial uniformity in the field. Historically, the development of micro-irrigation in the late 1960s marked a period of tremendous improvement in irrigation science and technology and resulted in more efficient water use in agricultural production. Micro-irrigation will play an even greater role in the future with the increasing significance of limited water resources and the increasing need for environmental protection. The key factors in future agricultural production are micro-irrigation system operation, irrigation scheduling, crop response, and economic considerations. Micro-irrigation can be used for all kinds of agricultural production, ranging from trees, fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, pastures, and a variety of commodity-type crops.
A field-emission monochromatic micro-x-ray source

Phase-contrast x-ray imaging as a developing technology requires unprecedented performance from an electron-gun tube-type source. Such a source is designed to provide the requirements of 20 mA through a 25 µm spot.
Effect of starvation on human muscle protein metabolism and its response to insulin

Although starvation is known to impair insulin-stimulated glucose disposal, whether it also induces resistance to insulin's antiproteolytic action on muscle is unknown. To assess the effect of fasting on muscle protein turnover in the basal state and in response to insulin, we measured forearm amino acid kinetics, using [3H]phenylalanine (Phe) and [14C]leucine (Leu) infused systemically, in eight healthy subjects after 12 (postabsorptive) and 60 h of fasting. After a 150-min basal period, forearm local insulin concentration was selectively raised by approximately 25 muU/ml for 150 min by intra-arterial insulin infusion (0.02 mU.kg-1. min-1). The 60-h fast increased urine nitrogen loss and whole body Leu flux and oxidation (by 50-75%, all P less than 0.02). Post-absorptively, forearm muscle exhibited a net release of Phe and Leu, which increased two- to threefold after the 60-h fast (P less than 0.05); this effect was mediated exclusively by accelerated local rates of amino acid appearance (Ra), with no reduction in rates of disposal (Rd). Local hyperinsulinemia in the postabsorptive condition caused a twofold increase in forearm glucose uptake (P less than 0.01) and completely suppressed the net forearm output of Phe and Leu (P less than 0.02). After the 60-h fast, forearm glucose disposal was depressed basally and showed no response to insulin; in contrast, insulin totally abolished the accelerated net forearm release of Phe and Leu. The action of insulin to reverse the augmented net release of Phe and Leu was mediated exclusively by approximately 40% suppression of Ra (P less than 0.02) rather than a stimulation of Rd. We conclude that in short-term fasted humans 1) muscle amino acid output accelerates due to increased proteolysis rather than reduced protein synthesis, and 2) despite its catabolic state and a marked impairment in insulin-mediated glucose disposal, muscle remains sensitive to insulin's antiproteolytic action.
A Political Theory of Foreign Aid.

Of the seeming and real innovations which the modern age has introduced into the practice of foreign policy, none has proven more baffling to both understanding and action than foreign aid. The very assumption that foreign aid is an instrument of foreign policy is a subject of controversy. For, on the one hand, the opinion is widely held that foreign aid is an end in itself, carrying its own justification, both transcending, and independent of, foreign policy. In this view, foreign aid is the fulfillment of an obligation of the few rich nations toward the many poor ones. On the other hand, many see no justification for a policy of foreign aid at all. They look at it as a gigantic boon-doggle, a wasteful and indefensible operation which serves neither the interests of the United States nor those of the recipient nations.
Geocaching, a tool to support environmental education!?– An explorative study

This article focuses on an increasingly popular idea: geocaching in combination with environmental education. The author will look at possible ways in which geocaching can be optimally used within environmental education. In the theoretical part, the author first defines environmental education and then examines the current discussion at the interface of geocaching and environmental education. Out of the theoretical part, the following questions arise: Which specific characteristics of a geocaching route might be useful for environmental education? What are the specific characteristics of a cache which might be suitable for environmental education? To answer these questions, the author used a qualitative interview study. In the findings section, the results of the interviews will be presented. Some of the different opportunities to use geocaching within the realm of environmental education will be discussed. Finally, the author will present some ideas on how investigations in this area might progress in future.
Effects of varying salinities on the toxicity of potassium permanganate to larval and juvenile striped bass, Morone saxatilis (Walbaum)

. Eight-day-old striped bass, Morone saxatilus (Walbaum) larvae, and one-month-old juveniles were held in varying salinities and exposed to a range of concentrations of potassium permanganate. Lethal concentrations of potassium permanganate for 50% of the larval fish exposed for96h (96h LC50) were 1middot;02, 2 middot;11, 1 middot;41 and 1 middot;73mg/1 for salinities of 0, 3, 6and 9 g/l, respectively; The 96h LC50S for juveniles were 0 middot;96, 3 middot;26, 1 middot;63 and 1 middot;48 mg/l for salinities of 0, 5, 10 and 15g/l, respectively. There were significant differences in 96h LC50 values at different salinities for both life stages. The 96 h LC50 values derived for both life stages revealed a decrease in toxicity as salinity increased from 0 to 3–5g/l. Results indicated potassium permanganate to be toxic in fresh water to striped bass larvae and fingerlings at recommended treatment levels (3 middot;0mg/l).
Bond strength of bimaterial acrylic resin combinations.

While further research is necessary on the subject of the strength and nature of the bond between different types of acrylic resins, our study shows that specimens fabricated from heat-accelerated BPM showed considerably higher transverse strength values when compared with the various bimaterial combinations. From this, and from the fact that all bimaterial combinations broke at the joining interface, it can be inferred that none of the acrylic resin bimaterial combinations developed a true "chemical bond."
Sum rules and the breathing mode

Abstract Through a study of sum rules it is shown that surface interactions and surface thickness play an important role in generating the collective 0 + state. It is also shown that care must be used in extrapolating compressibilities to the large- A limit.
RECIPROCAL DIFFERENCES IN INTRASPECIFIC CROSSES OF TOBACCO RESULT FROM EMBRYO DEATH

Tetraploid tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum) derived from cultured cell lines (TC) are partially cross-incompatible with their diploid progenitors (C). C x TC crosses (TC-derived tetraploids as the pollen parent) yield only 2% viable seed. The remaining seeds are normal size but lack an embryo (apoembryonic seeds). Apoembryonic seeds do not occur in the reciprocal TC x C crosses. Sections of ovules from C x TC crosses revealed that an embryo formed but that embryo growth slowed at 5 days postpollination and that by the 12th day following pollination, the embryo had disappeared although the ovule continued to develop. Endosperm degeneration occurred concurrently with embryo death. Culturing ovules from C x TC crosses has increased the yield of F1 plants from 2% to as much as 25% indicating that embryo rescue is possible. Surviving F1 plants from TC x C crosses have close to triploid chromosome numbers and are fertile. WHEN PLANT TISSUES are placed in culture, there is sometimes an increase in point mutations and chromosomal aberrations (Scowcroft and Larkin, 1982). In previous studies, tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum var. Wis. 38) were regenerated from both herbicide (paraquat)resistant and wild type cell lines (Miller and
High resolution statistical estimation of seafloor morphology: Oblique and orthogonal fabric on the flanks of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 34°–35.5° S

On the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) from 34°–35.5° S, three ridge segments span the 108 km distance between the Meteor Fracture Zone (FZ) and the Montevideo FZ. Each of these segments is perpendicular to the adjoining transforms. Magnetic isochrons in the southern half of the region are oblique to the spreading direction and are offset from the morphological expression of the plate boundary, revealing a transition from oblique to orthogonal spreading within the last 750,000 years. Changes in orientation and cross-sectional form of the rift valley, as modified by tectonic processes, are preserved in the off-axis abyssal-hill fabric. We present a new statistical method for describing size and orientation of abyssal hills based on local slopes. For a given offset, the range of sorted slopes from the first to third quartile provides a robust estimate of topographic variability. The variability can be parametrized by azimuthal direction, plan-view aspect ratio, characteristic height and width. We resolve lineation azimuth within 6°, and characteristic height, width and aspect ratio within 20–30%, using 18 by 21 km sample boxes crossed by multiple Sea Beam swaths covering approximately 30% of the box. In the northern portion of the survey, the azimuth is mainly ridge parallel, while in the southern portion, the azimuth rotates 23° clockwise from ridge strike. Characteristic height and width are greater in the southern half than in the northern half, while aspect ratios are lower. The asymmetry of quartiles about the median slope provides evidence that inward-facing normal faults bounding the rift valley are a significant source of topography. Fabric disrupted by migration of small-offset discontinuities has higher than average characteristic height. Characteristic height and width correlate positively with residual gravity, an indicator of crustal thinning. A residual gravity low, possibly the current focus of upwelling, coincides with a newly formed spreading axis. These correlations suggest that evolution of ridge geometry can be controlled by crust and mantle thermal structure. Either variation in magma supply, resulting in changes in stress normal to the ridge axis, or a major realignment of the Montevideo Transform, temporarily resulting in increased shear stress across newly activated faults, may have been responsible for changes in orientation and morphology of the spreading center.
Thermoelectrics Run Hot and Cold

Some materials exhibit thermoelectricity, a phenomenon not only useful for heating and cooling applications but also for power generation. In his Perspective, Tritt describes results reported by Sales et al . (p. 1325) on a class of thermoelectrics called skutterudites. These compounds are promising higher performance in applications such as deep space probes, new generation automobiles, and temperature stabilization.
Elimination of boiling incipience temperature drop in highly wetting fluids using spherical contact with a flat surface

Abstract This work examines the effectiveness of the zero-angle cavities created by curved contact with a flat surface in promoting vapor embryo capture, low temperature boiling incipience, and reduction or elimination of the incipience temperature overshoot with highly wetting liquids. Using FC-72 as a test liquid, both single and multiple spherical point contacts on a flat heater in both horizontal and vertical orientations are examined. The effects of contact force, material conductivity, and fluid flow obstruction as well as overall boiling behavior resulting from the surface contact are addressed. Boiling incipience behavior, for contact forces between 4.45 and 26.7 N, showed independence of force for all contact materials. Multiple contact points of insulative material with conductive tips showed the greatest improvement, virtually eliminating the temperature excursion often associated with incipience while still allowing sufficient liquid access to the boiling surface such that the critical heat flux was within only 6% of that for a bare surface. Because such features are large, it is unlikely that prolonged boiling or submersion would significantly degrade the boiling enhancement effects, as is the case with the small features resulting from surface roughening techniques.
T cells in mouse follicular lymphoma

Common B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (B-NHLs) arise by malignant transformation of defective germinal center (GC)–stage B cells.[1][1] These lymphomas include follicular lymphoma (FL) and more aggressive Burkitt (or Burkitt-variant) and diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. A characteristic t(14;18) is
Language and thought: talking, gesturing (and signing) about space

Recent research has reopened debates about (neo)Whorfian claims that the language one speaks has an impact on how one thinks---long discounted by mainstream linguistics and anthropology alike. Some of the most striking evidence for such possible impact derives, not surprisingly, from understudied "exotic" languages and, somewhat more surprisingly, from multimodal and notably gestural practices in communities which speak them. In particular, some of my own work on GuuguYimithirr, a Paman language spoken by Aboriginal people in northeastern Australia, and on Tzotzil, a language spoken by Mayan peasants in southeastern Mexico, suggests strong connections between linguistic expressions of spatial relations, gestural practices in talking about location and motion, and cognitive representations of space---what have come to be called spatial "Frames of Reference." In this talk, I will present some of the evidence for such connections, and add to the mix evidence from an emerging, first generation sign language developed spontaneously in a single family by deaf siblings who have had contact with neither other deaf people nor any other sign language.
Learning-induced multiple synapse formation in rat cerebellar cortex.

Strengthening of synaptic connections has been proposed to underlie information storage in the brain, and experience-dependent increases in synapse number have been observed. However, the effect of these new synapses on the specific connectivity, and thus function, of a given brain area remains largely unknown. We report here that motor learning specifically induces the formation of multiple synapses--two post-synaptic contacts at a single pre-synaptic varicosity--in the cerebellum. Rats undergoing motor learning had more multiple synapses (two Purkinje cell spines contacting a given parallel fiber varicosity) per Purkinje cell than did active or inactive controls. The formation of multiple synapses provides an additional connection between a given parallel fiber and Purkinje cell, thereby enhancing particular pathways, and may constitute a fundamental mechanism of neural encoding.
Atom correlations and spin squeezing near the Heisenberg limit: Finite-size effect and decoherence

We analyze a model for spin squeezing based on the so-called countertwisting Hamiltonian, including the effects of dissipation and finite system size. We discuss the conditions under which the Heisenberg limit, i.e., phase sensitivity $\ensuremath{\propto}1/N,$ can be achieved. A specific implementation of this model based on atom-atom interactions via quantized photon exchange is presented in detail. The resulting excitation corresponds to the creation of spin-flipped atomic pairs and can be used for fast generation of entangled atomic ensembles, spin squeezing, and applications in quantum information processing. The conditions for achieving strong spin squeezing with this mechanism are also analyzed.
Asthma and the flu: a tricky two-step

Seasonal and pandemic influenza virus infections cause substantial mortality and morbidity. At least 18 500 confirmed deaths occurred in the first year of the 2009 H1N1 influenza A pandemic, but modeling estimates suggest that over 200 000 respiratory deaths and an additional 85 000 cardiovascular deaths occurred worldwide, with the majority in Africa and Southeast Asia.1 Like most infectious diseases, influenza virus morbidity and mortality are skewed toward the very young ( 65 years) and pregnant women, conditions in which key elements of the immune system necessary to curtail influenza are compromised.
Ethnopolitical Mobilization in the North Sea Region

This article tests my earlier model of ethnopolitical mobilization using three similar cases, Faroe, Shetland, and Orkney, based in part on fieldwork done in 2008. That model anticipates Faroese ethnopolitical mobilization very closely, outperforming that of Miroslav Hroch, on which it is based. While the model seems to anticipate Shetlandic and Orcadian activism reasonably well, the low levels of mobilization there limit the robustness of the test, although the cases do provide important insights into the initial dynamics of ethnopolitical mobilization, the earlier study was unable to develop in detail.
Semicontinuous electrophoresis-convection

Abstract The method of electrophoresis-convection for the fractionation of proteins has been modified with the aim of separating quantitatively both electrophoretically slow- and rapid-migrating components, and of obtaining in a single operation pure rapid-moving component. The new technique involves the superposition of an upward flow of material on the convective circulation in the channel.
Testicular pain after inguinal hernia repair: an approach to resection of the genital branch of genitofemoral nerve.

Abstract Background The neuropathic groin pain after inguinal hernia repair is usually due to a neuroma of the ilioinguinal, iliohypogastric, or genitofemoral nerve. When the postherniorrhaphy pain symptoms include mostly testicular pain, then the genital branch of the genitofemoral nerve comes first in the differential diagnosis. Nerve blocks are helpful in determining which of the three nerves is implicated in the pain syndrome. Although the surgical approach to the ilioinguinal nerve is now well established, it has been difficult to identify the genitofemoral reliably enough to permit resection of this nerve. Study design Anatomic cadaver dissections of nerves exiting the lumbosacral plexus were performed. Their course was followed to their final terminations. Based on these findings, an operative approach was designed to address the involved nerve at a specific site. The results and outcomes were prospectively followed. Results The present anatomic study identifies the site within the inguinal canal where the genital branch of the genitofemoral nerve may be identified. The designed operative approach points to the proximal site of the canal to be opened for an exposure. It also dictates that the nerve should be dissected and resected proximal to the surgical repair or mesh reconstruction, which allows its retroperitoneal placement. All four patients were relieved of their preoperative symptoms using this approach. Conclusions Severe and chronic testicular pain after inguinal hernia repair can be treated by a designed approach that identifies the genital branch of the genitofemoral nerve in the proximal inguinal canal, its resection point proximal to the previous operative field, and placement behind the peritoneum.
Combination Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis B: Current Indications

Hepatitis B infection remains a major public health problem globally and in the United States, with significant use of healthcare resources. Several therapeutic agents active against viral and host targets are currently available for its treatment. The success of combination therapy in HIV infection, which has similarities to hepatitis B in both therapeutic targets and treatment options, stimulated studies on the efficacy and safety of various combinations of available drugs in the treatment of hepatitis B infection. In this review, we analyze the current role of combination therapy in chronic hepatitis B infection.