cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Cardiac Pathology of Chronic Exogenous Obesity

Appraisal of the gross and microscopic anatomy of the heart was carried out at necropsy in 12 subjects (six men, six women) with marked chronic obesity. In each case the observed heart weight was considerably greater than that predicted at ideal body weight. Nine of the 12 subjects were found to have increase in left ventricular wall thickness, and two increase in right. The increases in heart weight and ventricular wall thickness were due to muscle hypertrophy involving the left ventricle or both left and right ventricles. Neither isolated nor predominant right ventricular hypertrophy was observed. It has been concluded that myocardial hypertrophy is a more specific and significant anatomic alteration in the hearts of very obese subjects than are the previously reported findings of excess epicardial fat and fatty infiltration of the myocardium. The relationship between chronic augmentation of the work of the heart in these subjects and the development of cardiac hypertrophy has been discussed. The findin...
Within-subject comparison of the psychopharmacological profiles of oral hydrocodone and oxycodone combination products in non-drug-abusing volunteers

Abstract Background Non-medical use and abuse of prescription opioids is a significant problem in the United States. Little attention has been paid to assessing the relative psychopharmacological profile (including abuse liability-related effects) of specific prescription opioids. The purpose of this study was to directly compare the psychopharmacological profile of two widely prescribed and abused oral opioid combination products within the same subject. Methods Twenty non-drug-abusing volunteers participated in a crossover, randomized, double-blind study in which they received, all p.o.: placebo; 975 mg acetaminophen (ACET); 10 mg oxycodone (OXY)/487 mg ACET; 20 mg OXY/975 mg ACET; 15 mg hydrocodone (HYD)/487 mg ACET; and 30 mg HYD/975 mg ACET. OXY and HYD doses were chosen to equate the drugs on an objective measure of opiate effects: miosis. Dependent measures were subjective, psychomotor/cognitive, reinforcing, and physiological effects, and relative potency estimates. Results In general, the two opioid combination products at equi-miotic doses produced similar prototypic opiate-like effects and psychomotor impairment, and of similar magnitude. The higher dose of OXY/ACET produced slightly more abuse liability-related subjective effects than the higher dose of HYD/OXY, but also produced slightly more negative effects. Neither drug at either dose functioned as a reinforcer, as measured by the Multiple Choice Procedure. Relative potency ratios indicated that OXY/ACET was approximately 1.5 times more potent than HYD/ACET. Conclusions Consistent with a recent study published in this journal using identical doses of HYD and OXY (without ACET) in prescription opioid abusers (Walsh, S.L., Nuzzo, P.A., Lofwall, M.R., Holtman Jr., J.R., 2008. The relative abuse liability of oral oxycodone, hydrocodone and hydromorphone assessed in prescription drug abusers. Drug Alcohol Depend. 198, 191–202), we found little difference in the pharmacodynamic effects of HYD/ACET and OXY/ACET in non-drug-abusing volunteers.
From deterministic to probabilistic approaches to solve inverse problems

A simple but naive way to fit a model to a given data or to solve an inverse problem is to match directly the sequence of observed data with the output of the model by minimizing some measure of mismatch between them. This approach can give satisfaction when the number of unknown parameters describing the solution is very small with respect to the number of independent data. In other cases, a prior knowledge on the solution is needed to find a satisfactory solution. The regularization theory then gives satisfactory solutions, but to deal with inaccuracies on data and uncertainties on models and to give some measure of the confidence on the solution is easier in a probabilistic approach. However, these two approaches are intimely related. The main object of this work is to present, in a simple and unifying way, this relation and discuss on the main limitations and advantages of each approach.
Effective source-level debugging of wireless sensor networks

Sensor network debugging is notoriously difficult because many bugs manifest themselves only when they encounter the real world -- exactly when most powerful debugging tools can no longer be applied. There are currectly two common approaches to source level debugging in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), (i) simulation-based debugging [3], and (ii) wire-based debugging via logic analyzers or in-circuit emulators [1]. The former do not capture the true dynamics of a real deployment while the latter do not scale with the number of nodes and geographic size of the network. Thus, existing source-level debugging approaches for WSNs cannot be used in many real deployment environments.
Cefsulodin in treatment of pseudomonas urinary tract infection in patients with spinal cord injury comparison with aminoglycosides

Male patients with spinal cord injury and urinary tract infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa were treated with cefsulodin (1.0 or 1.5 Gm) every six hours or an aminoglycoside (amikacin 5 mg/Kg or tobramycin 1 mg/Kg) every eight hours for seven days. The study was discontinued after treating 6 patients with aminoglycosides because of the poor results with these antibiotics. At five to nine days after completing treatment P. aeruginosa was eliminated from the urine of 12 to 15 patients (80%) treated with cefsulodin and 3 of 6 patients (50%) treated with an aminoglycoside. When examined at four to six weeks 5 of 15 (33%) of the cefsulodin group had persistent infection or relapse, while 5 of 6 (83%) infections treated with an aminoglycoside either persisted or relapsed. Cefsulodin was discontinued in 1 patient, known to be allergic to penicillin, because of hypersensitivity resulting in periorbital edema and rash. No other serious side effects were noted with cefsulodin or the aminoglycosides. These results indicate that cefsulodin is an effective antibiotic in the treatment of urinary tract infection with P. aeruginosa in patients with neurogenic bladder resulting from spinal cord injury and confirmed previous observations of a poor response of Pseudomonas urinary tract infection to aminoglycosides in this group of patients.
Automated Radiographic Diagnosis via Feature Extraction and Classification of Cardiac Size and Shape Descriptors

One goal of digital processing of radiographic images is to provide the radiologist with quantitative measurements of human anatomy as well as an indication as to whether or not this anatomy is within normal limits. A computer algorithm is described, designed to automatically detect, extract quantitative measurements from, and diagnose the cardiac projection present in full-size anteriorview chest radiographs. A normal-abnormal diagnosis is demonstrated utilizing abnormal data from five classes of heart disease. In addition, normal-abnormal as well as normal-differential diagnoses are demonstrated for the rheumatic heart disease class. A feature extraction algorithm is developed using several ad hoc techniques, some of which were adapted from other feature extraction uses. The extracted features are classified into diagnostic classes using linear and quadratic discriminant functions. A concurrent study of physician diagnostic accuracy is also undertaken using the averaged diagnostic rates of ten radiologists on a representative subset of the radiographs used in the computer study.
Cellular mechanism of hormone action in the kidney: messenger function of calcium and cyclic AMP.

Considerable progress has been made in the past decade to define the messenger functions of Ca 2+ and cyclic AMP in the actions of peptide and amine hormones [1–8]. It has become increasingly apparent that these two intracellular messengers serve interrelated rather than separate functions. To emphasize the interrelated nature of their actions and note the nearly universal association of the cyclic AMP messenger system with the calcium messenger system in the regulation of cellular responses, the concept of synarchic (syn—together; archon— ruler or herald) regulation was introduced [3]. The central theme of this concept is that in nearly all animal cells, Ca 2+ and cyclic AMP serve together to regulate the cell response to this class of extracellular messengers. However, rather than functioning in a single stereotyped fashion, the interactions between these two systems display an amazing plasticity. As a consequence, the nature of their interactions vary from tissue to tissue. Within this variety of expression, five general patterns of Ca 2+ -cyclic AMP interactions can be identified: coordinate, hierarchical, redundant, antagonistic, and sequential. In any given tissue, it is often possible to describe the major mode of control as conforming to one of these five patterns. However, when one does so, it is equally common to find that one or another of the other patterns provides a minor theme in the regulatory repertoire. Within the past 3 to 4 years there has been considerable progress in defining the more intimate details by which events within these two messenger systems are interrelated, particularly those dealing with calcium. Much of this new knowledge has been gained from studies of hormone action in tissues other than the kidney. Yet, if one agrees with the authors that mammalian cells are more alike than unlike, then the knowledge gained from studies of angiotensin II action in liver, adrenal glomerulosa, and smooth muscle cells is directly relevant to the action of this hormone on proximal tubular function particularly since, in the other three tissues, the basic mechanism by which this hormone acts appears to be the same. Likewise, studies of the action of ACTH on adrenal glomerulosa cells may well be relevant to those of PTH on nephron segments. Thus, rather than review in detail the actions of angiotensin II, PTH, and vasopressin on the renal tubule as has been done quite recently by others [9–12], this review will summarize data obtained largely from studies in other tissues and then consider the actions of kidney hormones in the light of these data and the models of cell activation constructed from them.
Cardiovascular Risk Profiles of Oral Contraceptive Users and Nonusers: A Population-Based Study

Abstract Background. The purpose of this population-based study was to evaluate whether women taking oral contraceptive products (OCPs) have more favorable cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk profiles than women not taking OCPs. Methods. Data including sociodemographic variables and CVD risk factors from 5,239 women of reproductive age were gathered in six cross-sectional household surveys. Differences in CVD risk factor profiles between OCP users and nonusers were compared using logistic regression. Younger users and older users were compared with nonusers of the same age groups. Results. Women using OCPs (n = 807) were younger and had higher socioeconomic status than nonusers (n = 4,432). More users than nonusers were current smokers (43.1% vs 36.6%, P = 0.0011), had a total serum cholesterol level ≥ 240 mg/dl (12.7% vs 6.0%, P = 0.0001), and tended to rate themselves to be at low risk for CVD (48.3% vs 45.5%, P = 0.17). Fewer OCP users than nonusers had an HDL cholesterol level ≤ 35 mg/dl (4.0% vs 6.9%, P = 0.0039). Conclusions. Although they tended to perceive themselves to be at low risk, women taking OCPs in this study had worse CVD risk profiles than women not reporting hormonal contraception and are candidates for cardiovascular risk reduction strategies.
Internalization and sequestration of the human prostacyclin receptor.

Abstract Prostacyclin (PGI2), the major product of cyclooxygenase in macrovascular endothelium, mediates its biological effects through its cell surface G protein-coupled receptor, the IP. PKC-mediated phosphorylation of human (h) IP is a critical determinant of agonist-induced desensitization (Smyth, E. M., Hong Li, W., and FitzGerald, G. A. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 23258–23266). The regulatory events that follow desensitization are unclear. We have examined agonist-induced sequestration of hIP. Human IP, tagged at the N terminus with hemagglutinin (HA) and fused at the C terminus to the green fluorescent protein (GFP), was coupled to increased cAMP (EC50 = 0.39 ± 0.09 nm) and inositol phosphate (EC50 = 86.6 ± 18.3 nm) generation when overexpressed in HEK 293 cells. Iloprost-induced sequestration of HAhIP-GFP, followed in real time by confocal microscopy, was partially colocalized to clathrin-coated vesicles. Iloprost induced a time- and concentration-dependent loss of cell surface HA, indicating receptor internalization, which was prevented by inhibitors of clathrin-mediated trafficking and partially reduced by cotransfection of cells with a dynamin dominant negative mutant. Sequestration (EC50 = 27.6 ± 5.7 nm) was evident at those concentrations of iloprost that induce PKC-dependent desensitization. Neither the PKC inhibitor GF109203X nor mutation of Ser-328, the site for PKC phosphorylation, altered receptor sequestration indicating that, unlike desensitization, internalization is PKC-independent. Deletion of the C terminus prevented iloprost-induced internalization, demonstrating the critical nature of this region for sequestration. Internalization was unaltered by cotransfection of cells with G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRK)-2, -3, -5, -6, arrestin-2, or an arrestin-2 dominant negative mutant, indicating that GRKs and arrestins do not play a role in hIP trafficking. The hIP is sequestered in response to agonist activation via a PKC-independent pathway that is distinct from desensitization. Trafficking is dependent on determinants located in the C terminus, is GRK/arrestin-independent, and proceeds in part via a dynamin-dependent clathrin-coated vesicular endocytotic pathway although other dynamin-independent pathways may also be involved.
Reliable Source or Ususal Suspects? Cue-taking, Information Transmission, and Legislative Committees

This paper critiques the expectation that informative legislative committees, those that provide policy-relevant information to their parent body, will be "microcosms of their parent chamber" (Krehbiel 1991, 95), with the median committee ideal point close to the floor median and remaining ideal points distributed about the committee median. Drawing on the concept of cue-taking (Matthews and Stimson 1975), I show that a similarity of medians is not necessary for a committee to inform its parent body; a nonmedian committee can easily perform this function if the right mix of legislators is appointed. However, heterogeneity is found to be a critical factor in facilitating a committee's informational role Accordingly, comparisons of committee and floor medians designed to identify informative committees may lead scholars to incorrect conclusions. The final section of the paper uses this intuition to reevaluate Krehbiel's (1990) and Hall and Grofman's (1990) analysis of committees in the 99th Congress.
Calciomics: prediction and analysis of EF-hand calcium binding proteins by protein engineering.

Ca2+ plays a pivotal role in the physiology and biochemistry of prokaryotic and mammalian organisms. Viruses also utilize the universal Ca2+ signal to create a specific cellular environment to achieve coexistence with the host, and to propagate. In this paper we first describe our development of a grafting approach to understand site-specific Ca2+ binding properties of EF-hand proteins with a helix-loop-helix Ca2+ binding motif, then summarize our prediction and identification of EF-hand Ca2+ binding sites on a genome-wide scale in bacteria and virus, and next report the application of the grafting approach to probe the metal binding capability of predicted EF-hand motifs within the streptococcal hemoprotein receptor (Shr) of Streptococcus pyrogenes and the nonstructural protein 1 (nsP1) of Sindbis virus. When methods such as the grafting approach are developed in conjunction with prediction algorithms we are better able to probe continuous Ca2+-binding sites that have been previously underrepresented due to the limitation of conventional methodology.
Choice of finite-temperature single-particle potential and preservation of thermodynamic relations.

A method for choosing and deriving a suitable single-particle potential for many-body calculations at finite temperature is suggested. With this potential one can readily determine the self-consistent correlated chemical potential and consequently the resulting equations of state rigorously satisfy a number of basic thermodynamic relations. Application of our method to a Brueckner-Hartree-Fock nuclear matter calculation yields results in remarkably good agreement with the Hugenholtz\char21{}Van Hove theorem.
Stability of the radiation-induced γ' phase in 316 stainless steel

Abstract The γ' phase observed in AISI 316 is only stable during irradiation. It dissolves during annealing at the temperature of its formation in a manner which suggests that the dissolution rate is sensitive to the precipitate radius. The instability of this precipitate in the absence of irradiation confirms the expectation that this precipitate will exhibit a sensitivity to displacement rate.
Coordination isomers of biological iron transport compounds III. (1) transport of A-cis-chromic desferriferrichrome by Ustilago sphaerogena

Microbial iron transport studies of the structure and conformation dependent ferrichrome uptake system in Ustilago sphaerogena have been limited previously to kinetically labile metal ions such as the native ferrichrome complex and the aluminum(III) and gallium(III) analogs. Although two coordination isomers are possible (λ-cis amd δ-cis), no information can be obtained concerning their biological activity using kinetically labile complexes. In this report, both the ligand and chromic ion moieties of kinetically inert λ-cis-chromic [14C]-desferriferrichrome are shown to be taken up in Ustilago sphaerogena at rates comparable to that of ferrichrome. The λ-cis coordination isomer must be therefore at least one of the biologically active isomers and the transport system cannot rely on the rapid isomerization or dissociation of the labile ferric complex.
Hydrogen peroxide signaling is required for glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis in lymphoma cells

Abstract Glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis is exploited clinically for the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Determining the required molecular events for glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis will identify resistance mechanisms and suggest strategies for overcoming resistance. In this study, we found that glucocorticoid treatment of WEHI7.2 murine thymic lymphoma cells increased the steady-state [H 2 O 2 ] and oxidized the intracellular redox environment before cytochrome c release. Removal of glucocorticoids after the H 2 O 2 increase resulted in a 30% clonogenicity; treatment with PEG–CAT increased clonogenicity to 65%. Human leukemia cell lines also showed increased H 2 O 2 in response to glucocorticoids and attenuated apoptosis after PEG–CAT treatment. WEHI7.2 cells that overexpress catalase (CAT2, CAT38) or were selected for resistance to H 2 O 2 (200R) removed enough of the H 2 O 2 generated by glucocorticoids to prevent oxidation of the intracellular redox environment. CAT2, CAT38, and 200R cells showed a 90–100% clonogenicity. The resistant cells maintained pERK survival signaling in response to glucocorticoids, whereas the sensitive cells did not. Treating the resistant cells with a MEK inhibitor sensitized them to glucocorticoids. These data indicate that: (1) an increase in H 2 O 2 is necessary for glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis in lymphoid cells, (2) increased H 2 O 2 removal causes glucocorticoid resistance, and (3) MEK inhibition can sensitize oxidative stress-resistant cells to glucocorticoids.
Modernity and Fertility Preference in Taiwan

To study the effects of modernity and social status on fertility preferences this study draws on data collected in 1979 through personal interviews with 973 Taiwan women between the ages of 15-44 who had at least 1 child and were living with their husbands. The sample was drawn randomly from 30 cities precincts and townships in north central and southern regions of the island. Questions were formulated to identify the respondents orientation toward modern versus traditional values with respect to 4 dimensions: nonfatalistic attitudes; activity orientation; planning values; and kinship orientation. A 5-point response scale was used to measure the dimensions with lower scores representing more traditional attitudes and higher scores more modern attitudes. The major study purpose was to assess the relationship between social status and modernity and fertility. Modern values and attitudes of Taiwanese women were found to contribute significantly to the prediction of fertility preferences. These psychological traits were primarily influenced by the respondents educational attainment and much less by her husbands occupational status and respondents residence. The intervening function of modern values and attitudes between socioeconomic status and fertility indicators suggested in the literature was not substantiated in the study. Using path analysis it was possible to demonstrate that modern values and attitudes function very much as a determinant of fertility preferences independent of the structural variables. The indirect effects of the social status variables on fertility preferences via modern values and attitudes were negligible. Individual modernity exerted direct impact on fertility preferences as did socioeconomic attributes with the effect of the former being considerably stronger than the latter. The strong direct effects of modernity combined with negligible indirect effects of socioeconomic status on fertility preferences testify to the fact that total modernity operates as an independent fertility determinant leading to the conclusion that for the Taiwanese sample modern values and attitudes of childbearing women fail to function as intervening variables between social status and fertility but rather as determinants of fertility independent of social status. Husbands occupation was pertinent to womens modernity and fertility preferences but this influence of husbands social status was far less important than womens own educational experiences. The respondents residence played a lesser role in influencing individual modernity and fertility preferences.
High-priority communication I Antagonism of corticotropin-releasing factor attenuates the enhanced responsiveness to stress observed during protracted ethanol abstinence

Abstract One of the most critical attributes of chronic abstinence from alcohol is a state of anxiety, which can lead to mood disturbances and negative affect that can last for months or even years in alcoholics. Within hours after their final exposure to ethanol in experimental conditions, laboratory animals also exhibit an anxiety-like state. This state is accompanied by an enhanced stress response and can persist for weeks after withdrawal. One possible mechanism underlying these behavioral changes observed weeks after withdrawal is increased corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) activity. In the present study, we sought to examine the role of CRF in the regulation of behavior in the elevated plus-maze during protracted abstinence by using intracerebroventricular administration of the CRF receptor antagonist [d-Phe 12 ,Nle 21,38 ,CαMeLeu 37 ]rCRF (12–41) (d-Phe-CRF (12–41) ). Rats were surgically implanted with a guide cannula aimed at the lateral ventricles and subsequently fed a nutritionally complete ethanol [10% (vol./vol.)] or control liquid diet for 21 days. Rats were further divided into groups receiving microinjections of d-Phe-CRF (12–41) or vehicle and 15 min of restraint stress, or d-Phe-CRF (12–41) or vehicle and no restraint. Six weeks after removal of the liquid diet, rats were injected and then placed in a restraint tube or returned to their home cages for 15 min before testing in the elevated plus-maze. Rats with a history of ethanol dependence explored the open arms of the plus-maze significantly less when exposed to restraint stress compared with findings for all other groups, an effect attenuated by pretreatment with d-Phe-CRF (12–41) . Results of the current experiment demonstrated that continuous exposure to ethanol over a 3-week period leads to an increased behavioral responsiveness to stress, which seems to be regulated by CRF.
Developmental outcomes of children with auditory neuropathy/dyssynchrony (auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder)

Background This paper reviews current knowledge about the developmental outcomes of children with auditory neuropathy/auditory dyssynchrony (ANAD). Aim The article discusses the diverse variables that can impact developmental outcomes of this population of children with hearing loss and what is currently known in the literature. Since two-thirds of the children with ANAD have additional disabilities, this population of children is very complex. Patients The article discusses three children with very diverse developmental profiles including the differential diagnostic evaluations that supported decisions about communication approaches. Methods Three case histories of children with ANAD representing different individual characteristics and developmental trajectories are discussed. These three cases were chosen to represent the diversity of the population of children with ANAD. Results Case A is a child who received bilateral cochlear implantation and successfully developed listening and spoken language skills. Case B is a child who received bilateral cochlear implantation which did not result in successful listening and spoken language because of a breakdown at the level of the auditory cortex but is using sign language as a primary approach to learn to communicate. Case C is a child with significant co-morbidities including cerebral palsy and global developmental delays who is communicating through both spoken and signed language without the use of amplification. Conclusion Children with ANAD have significant diversity in their ability to access spoken language without amplification, with hearing aids and with cochlear implants. However, despite this diversity, when children are provided access to language through individualization and appropriate matching of both auditory and visual communication approaches, they can become successful language learners.
Microsurgical Fertilization Procedures: The Absence of Stringent Criteria for Patient Selection

Subzonal sperm insertion and partial zona dissection were applied in 250 in vitro fertilization cycles in couples (n =200) with abnormal semen analyses; 61 clinical pregnancies were established (24% per egg retrieval). Patients were selected without using minimal cutoff criteria. The study included patients with 0% normal sperm forms (strict criteria), no motile sperm (but some live cells), and sperm counts which could be assessed only after centrifugation. Patients were categorized into three subsets. Group A (n =116 cycles) failed to fertilize in a previous cycle. Group B (n =40) was excluded from IVF due to the severity of sperm profiles, such as a maximum of 2% normal forms. Group C (n =94) constitutes those patients for whom a standard cycle could possibly result in failure. Monospermic fertilization rates were 18% (A), 19% (B), and 24% (C). The incidences of embryo replacement were 63% (A), 53% (B), and 69% (C). Rates of clinical pregnancy were 22% (A), 23% (B), and 28% (C). The presence of one, two, or three semen abnormalities did not correlate with the outcome of microsurgical fertilization. Twenty-two percent of patients with combined oligoasthenoteratozoospermia became pregnant. Moreover, ongoing pregnancies were established in instances with 0% normal sperm forms and no progressively motile spermatozoa. It is concluded that stringent cutoff criteria may not be necessary when both partial zona dissection and subzonal sperm insertion are performed efficiently.
PARTICIPATION IN COLLEGE SPORTS: MOTIVATIONAL DIFFERENCES

A modified version of Kenyon's Attitude Toward Physical Activity Inventory evaluated the sports motivation of 85 college sports participants, 48 men and 37 women, across three levels of participati...
Diffused optical waveguides with exponential profile: effects of metal-clad and dielectric overlay.

Diffusion techniques have provided an alternative to thin film technology for the fabrication of LiNbO3 and LiTaO3 light guiding layers. The effects of metal and dielectric film overlays on the propagation of TE and TM modes in diffused LiNbO3 optical waveguides with expontential profile are investigated. Also examined are strip loaded metal-clad optical waveguides providing 2-D confinement to the light beam.
Attitude Instrument Analysis: An Examination of Factor Consistency across Two Samples.

The factor analytic model of the practitioner-oriented Opinions About People (OAP) was tested with a population of gerontological practitioners (N = 558). A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to ascertain the degree-of-fit between these data and the published OAP factor model. After results supported the hypothesis that the two samples differed, a second factor analysis was designed to yield estimates of communalities by a least squares multiple regression technique. This analysis eliminated nine items not warranting inclusion in the instrument, redistributed the factors, and brought out a completely new factor. Finally, to test the hypothesis that attitudes toward aging and the aged are uncorrected, a third analysis was performed in which the six scales of the oblique solution were refactored. The resulting higher order dimensions tended to support this hypothesis.
A survey evaluating the beliefs of radiology residency program directors regarding incorporation of numeric standards into accreditation standards1

Abstract Rationale and objectives Numeric standards do not exist for the evaluation and comparison of radiology resident education. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has recently proposed the evaluation and assessment of residents by using numeric values for films read in various radiology modalities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate radiology residency program directors’ perceived need for numeric standards for radiology residency programs. Materials and methods Program directors were surveyed via a three-part questionnaire. Initial contact was made by e-mail, with follow-up by telephone if necessary. The survey questions were: (1) Do you feel that a need exists for a set of numerical standards for the number of films read by radiology residents in each of the various subspecialties? (2) Specify the needs that you see. (3) What are the barriers and disadvantages to acquiring such data? Results Survey responses were received from 44 of 192 radiology residency programs (23% response rate). Overall, 34 (77%) of 44 program directors were against implementation of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education proposal, whereas 8 (18%) of 44 program directors were in favor of the proposal and 2 (5%) of 44 were undecided. A variety of reasons, both for and against the proposal, were provided by program directors. Conclusion Among the program directors responding to the survey, there was strong opposition to implementation of mandatory standards for specific numbers of radiologic examinations by residents as the basis for program accreditation.
Sonic film memory

The sonic film memory represents a novel approach to the storage of digital information. Thin magnetic films and scanning strain waves are combined to realize a memory in which information is stored serially. The remanent property of magnetic films is used for nonvolatile storage. The effect of strain waves on magnetic films is used to obtain serial accessing. This effect is also used to derive a nondestructive read signal for interrogation.
Age-related increase in top-down activation of visual features

Previous research suggests that, during visual search and discrimination tasks, older adults place greater emphasis than younger adults on top-down attention. This experiment investigated the relative contribution of target activation and distractor inhibition to this age difference. Younger and older adults performed a singleton discrimination task in which either an E or an R target (colour singleton) was present among distractor letters. Relative to a baseline condition in which the colours of the targets and distractors remained constant, an age-related slowing of performance was evident when either the colour of the target or that of the distractors varied across trials. The age-related slowing was more pronounced in response to target colour variation, suggesting that older adults place relatively greater emphasis on the top-down activation of target features.
Polarization of protons from the 9Be(d, p)10Be reaction

Abstract The polarization of protons from the 9Be(d, p)10Be reaction has been measured for deuteron energies between 1 and 6 MeV. Angular distributions of the polarization for the ground state proton group (Q=4.59 MeV) have been measured for laboratory angles 10° and 135° at 2.5, 4.0 and 5.5 MeV. The polarization at a laboratory angle of 30° was measured in 0.2 MeV steps between 1 and 6 MeV. In addition the polarization of protons leaving 10Be in its first excited state (Q=1.22 MeV) was measured between 10° and 90° for a deuteron bombarding energy of 5.5 MeV. Measurements were made by conventional double-scattering techniques using elastic scattering from helium at 45° as the analyser. The results show a strong energy dependence contrary to what one might expect on the basis of the lack of structure in the cross section. The maximum polarization observed at each energy is about 0.35.
The government, financial system, and large private enterprises in the economic development of South Korea

Abstract The paper investigates the main characteristics of the government-business relationship in South Korea in the past three decades to find out how it may have contributed to South Korea's economic development. It proposes that the government and large private enterprises in South Korea should be viewed as constituting an internal organization, namely a quasi-internal organization. As such, extensive intervention by the government with South Korea's financial system can be viewed as an internal capital market and, consequently, it could have led to a more efficient allocation of credit than possible in a free-market financial system. It also argues that the quasi-internal organization has made it possible for the government to efficiently implement its developmental policies. It is, however, pointed out that for the quasi-internal organization to be successful in accelerating the pace of economic development the country must have a political leadership committed to the goal of economic development and must adopt an outward-oriented development policy.
World of Warcraft as a global artifact

The goal of the panel is to engage a group of distinguished scholars from the social sciences and humanities to consider how World of Warcraft, as a virtual world and as a sociotechnical system, creates and sustains a global community, as well as the nature of that community. Panelists will discuss the interlocking human and technical agencies at play in World of Warcraft, the complex social ecology that has evolved around the game, and research strategies that scale to a world of 12 million players.
Local intensity tests for optimal detectability

This paper develops a method to model the two parameter Constant False Alarm Rate (CFAR) detector as an intensity test. For optimality we show that the shape of the stencil should be matched to the radial intensity profile of the target. Using principal component analysis (PCA) we show experimentally that the first gamma kernel is a good approximation to the target profile, which explains the good results of the (gamma) -CFAR detector, and may lead to configurable stencils for better detectability.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a lifesaving modality in the treatment of pediatric patients with burns and respiratory failure.

Abstract Purpose Several case series have described successful utilization of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for the treatment of pediatric burn patients with respiratory failure. This study examines the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry experience in the treatment of these patients. Methods The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry was queried from 1999 to 2008 for all patients not older than 18 years who suffered a burn-related injury. Results Thirty-six patients met inclusion criteria. The mean age was 4.45 years, with an average weight of 20.9 kg. Survivors vs nonsurvivors had a shorter average time to ECMO (97 vs 126 hours, P = .890) and shorter average ECMO run times (193 vs 210 hours, P = .745). Seventeen patients underwent venovenous ECMO and 19 patients underwent venoarterial ECMO, with survival of 59% (n = 10) and 47% (n = 9), respectively ( P = .493; odds ratio, 1.587; 95% confidence interval, 0.424-5.945). Overall survival was 53% (n = 19). Complications occurred in 28 patients (33 mechanical, 101 medical). The venoarterial group had 21 mechanical (n = 8) and 61 medical complications (n = 17), compared with the venovenous group with 12 mechanical (n = 8) and 40 medical complications (n = 11). Conclusions Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation can be a lifesaving modality for pediatric burn patients with respiratory failure. Survival is comparable to the reported survival of non–burn-related pulmonary failure pediatric patients requiring ECMO.
Regulation of interleukin-1β by the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist in the glutamate-injured spinal cord: Endogenous neuroprotection

Abstract Elevation of extracellular glutamate contributes to cell death and functional impairments generated by spinal cord injury (SCI), in part through the activation of the neurotoxic cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β). This study examines the participation of IL-1β and its regulation by the endogenous interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) in glutamate toxicity following SCI. Glutamate, glutamatergic agonists and SCI had similar effects on levels of IL-1β and IL-1ra. Following spinal cord contusion or exposure to elevated glutamate, concentrations of IL-1β first increased as IL-1ra decreased, and both then changed in the opposite directions. Applying the glutamate agonists NMDA and S-AMPA to the spinal cord caused changes in IL-1β and IL-1ra levels very similar to those produced by contusion and glutamate. The glutamate antagonists MK801 and NBQX blocked the glutamate-induced changes in IL-1β and IL-1ra levels. Administering IL-1β elevated IL-1ra, and administering IL-1ra depressed IL-1β levels. Infusing IL-β into the spinal cord impaired locomotion, and infusing IL-1ra improved recovery from glutamate-induced motor impairments. We hypothesize that elevating IL-1ra opposes the damage caused by IL-1β in SCI by reducing IL-1β levels as well as by blocking binding of IL-1β to its receptor. Our results demonstrate that IL-1β contributes to glutamate damage following SCI; blocking IL-1β may usefully counteract glutamate toxicity.
Delayed sternal ossification in infants with congenital heart disease.

A review of the lateral chest radiographs of 118 children less than two years old and suspected of having congenital heart disease yielded 11 who had delayed ossification of the mesosternum. In all 11 congenital heart disease was confirmed by cardiac catheterization, with the most frequent lesions being patent ductus arteriosus, ventricular septal defect, and atrial septal defect. A review of the lateral chest radiographs of 110 normal infants failed to demonstrate any case of delayed ossification of the sternum. If sternal segments do not appear ossified on chest radiographs of infants having no other clinical abnormalities, congenital heart disease should be suspected.
Solitary Blood Cultures as a Quality Assurance Indicator

For patients with suspected bacteremia, at least two separate blood cultures are recommended to achieve maximum sensitivity and to properly interpret re sults. Since a single blood collection may signify an improper procedure with serious consequences if the diagnosis of blood stream infection is missed, we in vestigated this problem with studies at three teaching hospitals (A, B, and C) and by a survey of 38 other hospitals. The incidence of solitary blood cultures ranged from 1 to 99% (median 26%) at the surveyed institutions. Among the cases investigated at hospitals B and C, between 10 and 30% of solitary blood cul tures were not clinically indicated, while most of the others were caused by the physician not knowing that one culture was insufficient or by failure to complete the diagnostic plan. Focused concurrent intervention at hospital B was associated with reductions in soli tary blood cultures from 40.0 to 24.6% (p = 0.045) and a decline in those not indicated from 38.1 to 12.5% (p = 0.192). Glob...
Critical care transport

Despite the sophistication of the ICU, not all patient care can be performed there. Patients must be transferred to radiology, to the operating room, and to other places away from the unit to have special tests or procedures performed. More importantly, patients may require transport from outlying clinics and hospitals to medical centers with critical care facilities for more specialized care. In the past decade, an increasing number of transports have been brought about by changes in methods of reimbursement to hospitals and increasing fiscal restraints on health care. Significant advances in therapeutic and diagnostic techniques for the critically ill patient have occurred. Some of these advances require qualified technical personnel and staggering financial outlays, which severely limit their availability beyond the largest medical centers. Thus, critically ill patients may be transported by air or ground ambulance to such facilities. 6 As the problem of transporting the critically ill patient is considered, it behooves us to understand the transport environment, the personnel, the equipment, the vehicles, and the constraints that apply to this arena. Transport of patients includes both organized transport within the hospital (intrahospital) and transports out of the hospital environment (external). External transports may be accomplished by a number of vehicle types; however, it is convenient to consider two broad groups of external transports: ground and air.
Identification of Peptide Lv, a Novel Putative Neuropeptide That Regulates the Expression of L-Type Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels in Photoreceptors

Neuropeptides are small protein-like signaling molecules with diverse roles in regulating neural functions such as sleep/wake cycles, pain modulation, synaptic plasticity, and learning and memory. Numerous drugs designed to target neuropeptides, their receptors, or relevant pathways have been developed in the past few decades. Hence, the discovery and characterization of new neuropeptides and their functions have received considerable attention from scientific research. Computational bioinformatics coupled with functional assays are powerful tools to address the difficulties in discovering new bioactive peptides. In this study, a new bioinformatic strategy was designed to screen full length human and mouse cDNA databases to search for novel peptides. One was discovered and named peptide Lv because of its ability to enhance L-type voltage-gated calcium channel (L-VGCC) currents in retinal photoreceptors. Using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), peptide Lv was detected in the culture media, which indicated that it was secreted from 661W cells transfected with the gene. In vitro treatments with either glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion peptide Lv or synthesized peptide Lv enhanced L-VGCC channel activities in cone photoreceptors. At the molecular level, peptide Lv stimulated cAMP production, enhanced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and increased the protein expression of L-VGCCα1 subunits in cone photoreceptors. Therefore, the biological activities of peptide Lv may be very important in the modulation of L-VGCC dependent neural plasticity.
Consequences of a past encounter of the earth with an interstellar cloud

In its motion through the Galaxy the sun may have suffered a number of encounters with dense interstellar clouds for which the number density of molecular hydrogen is in excess of 1000 per cu cm. Several authors have shown that this is sufficient density to stop the solar wind inside earth's orbit. Earth's atmosphere would be subjected to an interstellar H2 flux of more than 7 billion per sq cm/sec for periods of the order of 100,000 years. Simple scaling arguments are used to examine several consequences for earth's atmosphere: (1) the ionospheric F region would largely disappear; (2) the water-vapor content of the middle atmosphere would be greatly enhanced, reducing the mesospheric ozone concentrations and thereby lowering the average temperature and altitude of the mesopause; (3) as a result of (2), widespread mesospheric ice clouds would occur, increasing the planetary albedo; and (4) the resultant radiative cooling at the surface may have been sufficient to 'trigger' an ice age.
Extensions of the Tseng-Cheng Pattern Synthesis Technique

The Tseng-Cheng distribution, applicable to a planar array with a rectangular grid and a rectangular boundary, and which gives a Dolph-Chebyshev pattern in every O -cut, is reviewed. It is shown that the limitation of equal numbers of elements in each direction can be lifted, and that not all ring side lobes need be at the same height. Null-filling is feasible, and the case of a flat top beam in every o -cut, with controllable side lobes, is emphasized because of its potential importance in communication satellite applications.
Protection of weanling hamsters from experimental infection with wild-type parainfluenza virus type 3 (para 3) by cold-adapted mutants of para 3.

Abstract Parainfluenza virus type 3 (para 3) was adapted to replicate at 20 degrees C, a nonpermissive temperature for wild-type (wt) para 3. Serial passage at 20 degrees C resulted in the generation of cold-adapted (ca) and temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants. These mutant viruses have been characterized both in vitro and in vivo [Belshe and Hissom (1982): Journal of Medical Virology 10:235-242; Crookshanks and Belshe (1984): Journal of Medical Virology 13:243-249]. We now report the evaluation of three mutants (clone 1150, passaged 12 times in the cold [cp12], clone 1146, passaged 18 times in the cold [cp18], and clone 1328, passaged 45 times in the cold [cp45]) for their ability to protect hamsters from infection by wild-type para 3. Ether-anesthetized male syrian hamsters were intranasally vaccinated with either wt para 3 (clone 127) or one of the ca para 3 mutants and on day 28 post-vaccination; each animal was intranasally challenged with 10(5.0) pfu of wt para 3. On days 1, 2, 3, and 4 post-challenge, 4 to 13 hamsters from each group were sacrificed, and the quantity of para 3 in the nasal turbinates and lungs was determined. Wt virus induced protection from challenge. cp12, cp18, and cp45 reduced the peak titer of wt replication in the lungs by greater than 100-fold, tenfold, and tenfold, respectively. The duration of virus replication was shortened also by intranasal vaccination with the mutants. These data give evidence of an inverse relationship between the degree of protection induced by vaccination with cold-adapted mutants and the number of passages of the virus in the cold.