cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The role of the journal club in neurosurgical training.

OBJECTIVE: The journal club (JC) plays a traditional role in resident education. However, little has been written on its current role in neurosurgical training programs. Our goal was to determine resident perception of JCs, factors that make JCs successful, and identifying variables for improving JCs. METHODS: We electronically surveyed all resident members of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons to determine the format, prevalence, content, and efficacy of neurosurgical JCs. RESULTS: Eighty-five percent of the respondents stated that their residency programs have a JC. The perceived primary goal of JCs is for keeping current with the literature and the dissemination of information. Most JCs meet for 1 hour during the week on a monthly basis and review one to three articles. Residents generally present the articles, which are typically original research articles selected by either the faculty or the residents. Most residents consider JCs of good educational value with positive effects on reading habits. Resident and faculty attendance are important variables to a successful JC. Although the majority of residents have minimal background training in epidemiology, biostatistics, or research, fewer than one-third of the training programs provide any type of supplemental sessions or handouts regarding such methods. CONCLUSION: JCs have a high perceived value by neurosurgical residents and should be maintained at all neurosurgical residency training programs. Key factors to a successful JC include faculty and resident attendance. Additional studies are needed to assess optimal JC formats and the possible utilization of supplemental educational tools.
PHYSICIAN ESTIMATES OF PROGNOSIS IN HEART FAILURE

Anticipating adverse outcomes guides timely decisions, helping patients plan, but can be challenging in heart failure (HF). All faculty and trainees in internal medicine and cardiology at our institution were surveyed about palliative care and asked to estimate survival for standardized patients: 1
Gametogenesis and Chromosome Complement in Cylindrocorpus Longistoma and C. Curzii

Gametogenesis in C. longistoma and C. curzii follows the general pattern of most bisexual and hermaphroditic animals. Mitotic gonial divisions occur in the germinative zone of the gonads. Oocytes and spermatocytes undergo normal meicsis following a period of maturation. The diploid number is restored by fusion of the sperm and egg pronuclei. C. longistoma and C. curzii are distinct genetic species with different chromosomal mechanisms of sex determination. XX-XY and XX-XO sex determining mechanisms are inferred for C. longistoma and C. curzii, respectively.
Self-Assembly of Patterned Monolayers with Nanometer Features: Molecular Selection Based on Dipole Interactions and Chain Length

Patterned cocrystal monolayers self-assemble on HOPG in contact with solutions containing complementary pairs of 1,5-chain-substituted anthracene derivatives. Monolayer unit cells containing three or four molecules and spanning 9−11 nm are generated. The monolayers consist of alternating aromatic and aliphatic columns. The designs and dimensions of the cocrystal patterns (unit cells) are determined by (i) the preferred packing alignment of identical length side chains, (ii) the selectivity of each side chain for neighboring chains, (iii) the identities of the two side chains on each anthracene, and (iv) the 2D-chirality of 1,5-substituted anthracenes. The aliphatic columns form by interdigitation of identical length side chains arrayed in an antiparallel alignment, with the nth heavy atom of one side chain in registration with the (ω+2-n)th heavy atom of two adjacent chains ((ω ↔ 2) packing). Adjacent side chains are attached, alternately, to anthracenes in one of the two flanking aromatic columns. The pr...
Effects of peer versus computer‐assisted drill on mathematics response rates

This study investigated the functional relationship between student accurate response levels and two mathematics drill procedures using a BCBC across participant's single case research design (in this case, “B” represents peer drill and “C” represents computer drill). Each of four elementary school students was randomly assigned to one of two dyads and presented addition flashcards under a computerized drill condition and a peer-mediated drill condition. In both conditions, students were drilled for 3 minutes on addition facts with immediate feedback (i.e., “Correct” or “Not correct”). Results suggested that the two somewhat older students showed higher levels of accurate responding in the computer condition, while the two younger students showed higher levels of accurate responding in the peer-tutoring condition. Discussion focuses on potential hypotheses for performance discrepancies across dyads, importance of matching instructional conditions with idiosyncratic variables, and implications for practice and future research. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 637–646, 2005.
Self-Help as Mutual Protection: The Development of Hispanic Fraternal Benefit Societies

Research on self-help groups is plentiful yet published material on the origins, development and expansion of self-help groups organized by Hispanics to serve Hispanics remains scarce, as does material on fraternal benefit societies with ethnic, religious, or vocational bases. In this article, the author reports a test of three models advanced by Lieberman and Borman in a JABS special issue (1976) to explain the formation of self-help groups: the functionalist framework alternative pathways, and afflictive bond models. The history, ideologies, and activities of three Hispanic fraternal benefit societies were examined The findings support the explanatory power of Lieberman and Borman's three models; but indicate a fourth reason for the formation of self-help groups: mutual protection. The author concludes by calling for comparative studies to build a context for more empirical research on self-help groups organized as fraternal benefit societies, and for collaboration between policy makers and practitioner...
Motion based vehicle identification in car video

This work aims at detecting and tracking vehicles in in-car video. Rather than enhancing shape analysis of various vehicle types and road situations, this work focuses on vehicle and background motions because they are more general than shapes and colors of cars in various road environments. Basic features are tracked stably using corners, intensity peaks, and horizontal line segments. We use the HMM in the temporal domain to separate background and moving vehicles in the video. To realize this, we model the image motion of vehicles and background probabilistically according to the scene characteristic and vehicle driving mechanism, as well as the joint distribution of horizontal position and velocity of scenes. The identification and tracking are robust to various illumination and environments and the processing is performed in real time. The identification results based on motion only is good and a better result can be achieved further by fusing the motion result with the results from shape analysis.
Brain hemorrhage: restarting anticoagulation after intracranial hemorrhage.

Decisions regarding resumption of anticoagulation are difficult in patients who present with a warfarin-associated intracranial hemorrhage and also have atrial fibrillation or a prosthetic heart valve. Current guidelines suggest waiting 1–2 weeks on average, but new research suggests that the optimal time to restart anticoagulation could be much later.
Synthesis of albumin microbubbles using a microfluidic device for real-time imaging and therapeutics

A method for producing monodisperse albumin stabilized microbubbles (MBs) using a flow-focusing microfluidic device (FFMD) is introduced. This method allows for localized delivery of short life-time microbubbles with a biocompatible shell, thereby potentially improving patient safety. In this study, microbubbles stabilized with bovine serum albumin (BSA) are characterized for microbubble coalescence, size, and production rate using a high speed camera. Microbubbles were produced with diameters between 10-20 μm and production rates up to 6×105 MB/s were achieved. Microbubble diameter was observed to decrease linearly (R2 > 0.99) with liquid flow rate. Microbubble stability was evaluated acoustically using a clinical ultrasound scanner. The image intensity of a well-mixed solution containing 13 μm microbubbles returned to baseline from peak intensity within 30s. Delivery of the membrane impermeable fluorophore calcein was demonstrated using microbubbles produced in situ within an in vitro flow chamber. 11 μm diameter microbubbles insonated at a peak negative pressure (PNP) of 200 kPA resulted in 58.0% of cells to uptake calcein. To demonstrate the ability to stabilize microbubbles directly with blood, plasma was separated from whole bovine blood, input into the FFMD, and used to produce microubbbles. These plasma microbubbles were imaged under flow in a gelatin flow phantom and demonstrated a 6.5 dB increase in lumen contrast.
A university hospital's 10-year experience with tuberculin testing: Value of the 2-step tuberculin skin test

Background The usefulness of the 2-step tuberculin skin test as a tool for monitoring tuberculosis exposure among health care workers is controversial. Objectives We aimed to determine the cost-effectiveness and influence of initiation of a preemployment, 2-step tuberculin skin-testing program on the annual tuberculin skin conversion rate among a university hospital's health care workers. Methods The tuberculin skin test conversion rates among the recipients of 31,729 tuberculin skin tests over 10 years were retrospectively analyzed. Data from the first 6 years of this study were generated when a single preemployment tuberculin skin test was utilized. Data from the last 4 years were gathered after the advent of a preemployment 2-step program. A cost analysis of the 2-step tuberculin skin test process was performed to determine the annual cost of this program. Results Relative risk of a conversion was 8.43 times less during the 2-step period when compared with the years when a single tuberculin skin test was given at the start of employment (P Conclusion A greater than 8-fold reduction in the number of annual tuberculin skin test conversion coincided with, but could not be attributed solely to, the initiation of a 2-step program in our hospital. The Infection Control Committee concluded that the 2-step testing program is essential to achieve the hospital's goal of a 0% annual tuberculin skin test conversion rate and that the annual cost is justified.
Competitive Video Game Play An Investigation of Identification and Competition

Sports often go beyond simple games to something that individuals identify and relate to throughout their lives. Furthermore, passive and active sports consumption (i.e., video games) allows individuals to further create a sense of fanship and identification with their favorite teams. The following study manipulates player saliency to team, saliency to opponent, and competitive outcome to examine those impacts on enjoyment and hostility. A 3 (opponent saliency) × 2 (team identification) × 2 (competitive outcome; win vs. loss) experimental design was invoked to study these effects. Results indicate that competitiveness was significantly related to both enjoyment and hostility. Furthermore, data suggest a significant interaction between identification and competitive outcomes on hostility.
High-spectral resolution nonlinear microspectroscopy and imaging of soft condensed and biological media

Precise information on dispersion of the nonlinear optical susceptibility of Raman active media is essential in order to get an insight into physics and chemistry of intra- and inter-molecular interactions. We propose and experimentally demonstrate a method that is capable of resolving both real and imaginary parts of third-order nonlinearity (χ (3) ) in the vicinity of Raman resonances. Dispersion of χ (3) can be obtained from a medium probed within microscopic volumes with a spectral resolution of better than 0.1 cm -1 thus making our approach an essential tool in quantitative microscopic characterization of complex biological media. Time-domain CARS transients traced with femtosecond pulses within orders of magnitude in the signal decay can lead to resolution of fine spectral features in χ (3) dispersion that can not be reliably detected by frequency-domain Raman based spectroscopy/microscopy techniques, including coherent methods. We will present results of the method’s application in biological cells and tissue. Namely, we accessed a protein line at 1245 cm -1 in E-coli cell, major DNA and protein lines in red blood cells and triglyceride Raman active peaks in fat tissue.
Serum dopamine-β-hydroxylase in chronic alcoholism

Previous reports suggest that high serum dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) activity may be associated with vulnerability to alcoholism. However, there are also contradictory studies in the literature. Therefore we measured serum DBH in chronic alcoholics followed for 12 months in a treatment programme after psychiatric hospitalization for acute alcoholism. Mean serum DBH activity in the alcoholics was unchanged from controls at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months following hospital discharge. These data imply that serum DBH activity does not provide a useful metabolic screen for vulnerability to chronic alcoholism. However, prospective studies of patients at high risk to develop alcoholism will be helpful in further clarification of this issue.
Afterword: Considerations for Future Practice of Assessment and Accountability.

This afterword offers challenges and considerations as the assessment movement continues to develop.
Severe upper airway obstruction caused by ulcerative laryngitis

AIMS—To present our experience of severe upper airway obstruction caused by ulcerative laryngitis in children. METHODS—Retrospective case note review of 263 children with severe upper airway obstruction and a clinical diagnosis of croup admitted to a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) over a five year period. RESULTS—A total of 148 children (56%) underwent microlaryngoscopy (Storz 3.0 rigid telescope). Laryngeal ulceration with oedema was documented in 15 of these children (10%), median age 14 months (range 10-36) and median weight 10 kg (range 6-12). Twenty seven of the children who underwent microlaryngoscopy (18%) also had ulcerative gingivostomatitis consistent with herpes simplex virus infection. Ulcerative laryngitis was documented in nine of 27(33%) children with, and in six of 121 (5%) children without, coexistent ulcerative gingivostomatitis. One of the 15 children did not require airway intervention. Nine children required nasotracheal intubation for a median of 4 days (range 3-11) and median PICU stay of 6 days (range 4-14). Five children required tracheostomy ab initio, with a median PICU stay of 30 days (range 20-36), and duration of tracheostomy in situ for a median of 19 days (range 15-253). All 15 children survived. CONCLUSION—Ulcerative laryngitis is more common in our patient population than the few reports suggest. Early diagnostic microlaryngoscopy is recommended in children with severe croup who follow an atypical course.
Current status and future directions in technical developments of cardiac computed tomography.

Abstract Labeled as a dying modality in the late 1980s, the remarkable resurgence of computed tomography (CT) was the commercial availability of the helical CT and the multidetector-row CT (MDCT) scanners. The MDCT scanners in particular were responsible for creating new and promising opportunities for imaging the heart and the vascular system in a noninvasive manner. Recent introduction of the dual-source MDCT has further improved the temporal resolution for cardiac imaging. Work in progress on the potential of the dual-energy CT, the 256-slice MDCT, and the flat-panel volume CT, suggest the possibility of new and interesting cardiac applications. This review article describes the present status of CT in noninvasive cardiac imaging and highlights the future directions of the technology.
Degradation of Specific Nuclear Proteins Occurs in the Cytoplasm in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The ubiquitin/proteasome system has been characterized extensively, although the site of nuclear substrate turnover has not been established definitively. We report here that two well-characterized nuclear proteins are stabilized in nuclear export mutants in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The requirement for nuclear export defines a new regulatory step in intracellular proteolysis.
Therapeutic management of psychodermatological disorders.

Background: The skin and the brain interact through psychoneuroimmunoendocrine mechanisms and through behaviors that can strongly influence the initiation or flaring of skin disorders. Objective: To obtain knowledge of these factors to assist in designing treatment plans for specific skin disorders. Methods: Psychocutaneous disease literature for the past 80 years was reviewed. Results/conclusion: Therapeutic options include standard psychotropic drugs and alternative herbs and supplements, the placebo effect, suggestion, cognitive-behavioral methods, biofeedback, and hypnosis. When simple measures fail to produce the desired results, combinations of drugs or addition of nonpharmacological therapies may produce better results. Psychophysiological skin disorders may respond well to nonpharmacological therapies that counteract stress, supplemented when indicated by anxiolytic or antidepressant drugs. Treatment of primary psychiatric disorders that affect the skin often results in improvement of the associat...
Factorial combinations of protein interactions generate a multiplicity of florigen activation complexes in wheat and barley

The FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) protein is a central component of a mobile flowering signal (florigen) that is transported from leaves to the shoot apical meristem (SAM). Two FT monomers and two DNA-binding bZIP transcription factors interact with a dimeric 14-3-3 protein bridge to form a hexameric protein complex. This complex, designated as the 'florigen activation complex' (FAC), plays a critical role in flowering. The wheat homologue of FT, designated FT1 (= VRN3), activates expression of VRN1 in the leaves and the SAM, promoting flowering under inductive long days. In this study, we show that FT1, other FT-like proteins, and different FD-like proteins, can interact with multiple wheat and barley 14-3-3 proteins. We also identify the critical amino acid residues in FT1 and FD-like proteins required for their interactions, and demonstrate that 14-3-3 proteins are necessary bridges to mediate the FT1-TaFDL2 interaction. Using in vivo bimolecular fluorescent complementation (BiFC) assays, we demonstrate that the interaction between FT1 and 14-3-3 occurs in the cytoplasm, and that this complex is then translocated to the nucleus, where it interacts with TaFDL2 to form a FAC. We also demonstrate that a FAC including FT1, TaFDL2 and Ta14-3-3C can bind to the VRN1 promoter in vitro. Finally, we show that relative transcript levels of FD-like and 14-3-3 genes vary among tissues and developmental stages. Since FD-like proteins determine the DNA specificity of the FACs, variation in FD-like gene expression can result in spatial and temporal modulation of the effects of mobile FT-like signals.
Psychologists in secondary schools: Training and present patterns of service

Abstract Psychologists serving randomly selected secondary schools were surveyed regarding actual and preferred patterns of service and training. Though a small sample was employed, the random sampling procedure and high response rate attained were viewed by the investigators as effective means for controlling the sampling error that often occurs in survey research. As a group, respondents indicated little specialized training for working with the secondary school population. Traditional assessment and report writing activities occupied the main portion of respondents' working time although nearly all reported involvement in the design and implementation of intervention plans for a variety of client groups. The psychologist-to-student ratio was found to be 1:6180, and more than 60% of those surveyed reported plans for a career change out of school psychology. One-fourth of the districts surveyed reported that psychological services were not regularly available.
Photoinduced handedness switching in terahertz chiral metamolecules

Chiral metamaterials present interesting ways to manipulate and distinguish between different circular polarizations of light. Zhang et al. realize chiral metamaterials that exhibit photoinduced switching between left- and right-handed circular polarization interactions at terahertz frequencies.
Congruences Involving F-Partition Functions

The primary goal of this note is to prove the congruence 3 (3n + 2) 0 (mod 3), where 3 (n) denotes the number of F-partitions of n with at most 3 repetitions. Secondarily, we conjecture a new family of congruences involving c 2 (n), the number of F-partitions of n with 2 colors.
Courage as a Process of Pushing Beyond the Struggle

Six qualitative studies have been carried out to better understand courage among individuals who range in age from 14 to 94 years and are experiencing a variety of lingering threats to their well-being. The purpose of this meta-interpretation was to synthesize those works and further delineate an emergent formal theory of courage. Based on the findings, courage is a dynamic phenomenon that is precipitated by a perceived threat. The ability to be courageous develops over time and includes efforts to fully accept reality, problem solve based on discernment, and push beyond ongoing struggles. Courageous behavior is characterized by efforts to be productive, make contributions, and help others and results in a sense of personal integrity and thriving. Courage is promoted and sustained by several interrelated intrapersonal and interpersonal forces as well as the reflective awareness that one has developed a courageous persona.
Effect of the peripubertal pattern of LH and FSH secretion on in-vitro oestradiol-17β secretion and follicular growth within juvenile rat ovaries

Juvenile rat ovaries were placed in perfusion culture and exposed to (1) no gonadotrophin, (2) tonic NIH-FSH (200 ng RP-1 equiv./ml) or (3) NIH-FSH + NIH-LH pulses (2/h, amplitude = 80 ng RP-1 equiv./ml). After 3 h of perifusion, the ovaries were prepared for histological analysis and the perifusate assayed for oestradiol-17 beta. Since the NIH-FSH preparation is contaminated with LH, a second experiment was conducted using recombinant bovine LH and FSH. Ovaries were perifused for 3 h with (1) no hormones, (2) recombinant FSH (200 ng/ml) or (3) recombinant FSH plus 25 ng recombinant LH/ml. NIH-FSH alone increased the number of mid-size antral follicles (P less than 0.05) and decreased the number of small antral follicles (P less than 0.05). Pulsatile LH in the presence of FSH increased the number of mid-size antral follicles without reducing the number of small antral follicles. Studies with recombinant FSH and LH demonstrated that both FSH and LH are necessary to stimulate follicles to grow, indicating that the growth-promoting property of the NIH-FSH is due to the presence of both FSH and LH. Regardless of whether NIH or recombinant gonadotrophins were used, follicular growth was induced without increasing oestradiol secretion. These results demonstrate that enhanced oestradiol secretion is not essential for the induction of follicular growth, while both LH and FSH are necessary to stimulate small antral follicles to grow into mid-size antral follicles.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Evolution of Academic Emergency Medicine over a decade (1991-2001).

Objective To test the hypothesis that emergency medicine (EM) has made significant, quantifiable progress within U.S. academic medicine over the past ten years, 1991-2001. Methods Baseline (7/1/1991) and comparison (7/1/2001) data sets contained all Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)-accredited schools, Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine (AACEM)-recognized academic departments of EM, Residency Review Committee (RRC)-accredited EM residencies, and Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)-designated academic medical centers. The increase over ten years in the two primary variables of academic departmental status, and EM residencies located at academic medical centers, was examined in the aggregate, then stratified by medical schools grouped by academic rank. Differences over time are expressed as simple proportions, bounded by 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Results Between 1991 and 2001, the proportion of academic departments of EM at medical schools increased from 18% to 48% (95% CI for difference of 30% = 19% to 41%). The proportion of EM residencies at academic medical centers increased from 42% to 66% (95% CI for a difference of 24% = 11% to 36%). The largest increment of 37% (95% CI = 22% to 52%) in academic departments of EM, and of 36% (95% CI = 20% to 52%) in EM residencies located at academic medical centers, occurred within medical schools whose academic rank was above the median. Conclusions A quantitatively and statistically significant increase in academic departments of EM within medical schools and EM residency programs at academic medical centers has occurred over the past decade. Half of all medical schools now have academic departments of EM, and two-thirds of academic medical centers house EM residency programs. This has taken place largely within institutions whose academic ranking places them among the top half of all U.S. medical schools.
Resection of non-hepatic colorectal cancer metastasis

Colorectal cancer (CRC) continues to be one of the leading causes of significant health problems and cancer-related death in the world. Each year about one million people are diagnosed with CRC worldwide with an estimated 140,000 individuals being diagnosed in the United States (1). About one-half of patients will either present with colorectal liver metastasis (CLM) or develop them during the course of their disease (2,3). While roughly 20% of all patients will present with synchronous liver metastasis, another 25-30% will present with metachronous disease (4-7). Common sites of extra-hepatic metastatic disease include the lung, hilar/peri-hepatic lymph nodes, as well as the peritoneum (8-12). While systemic chemotherapy remains the cornerstone of therapy for patients with stage IV colorectal disease, some patients are optimally managed with the addition of surgical therapy (13-17). Previous data on patients with extrahepatic disease (EHD) and CLM have suggested that these patients have a poor prognosis (18-20). As such, in most instances, EHD was traditionally considered a strong relative or absolute contraindication to surgical resection. However, more recently our group, as well as others, have reported long-term survival after resection of EHD (9-12,21-25). As a consequence, resection of EHD from a colorectal primary has increasingly become accepted over the last decade. We herein review the management of patients with EHD metastatic disease from a colorectal primary tumor. Specifically, we highlight the data on the surgical management of patients with metastatic disease at the most common EHD sites (e.g. lung, hilar/peri-hepatic lymph nodes, peritoneum), as well as define general oncological principles for treating this challenging cohort of patients.
The atmospheric correction and measurement of chlorophyll concentration using the coastal zone color scanner1

The Coastal Zone Color Scanner on the Nimbus-7 satellite produces images of the sea in five colors (bands) of light, and these can be used to measure chlorophyll concentrations in the water, to visualize chlorophyll patterns, and to observe how these patterns change through time. However, 80-90% of the light observed by the instrument comes from the atmosphere, and removing this air light is difficult and usually requires considerable processing of the data. We describe here a new method to remove the influence of air light that is accurate, independent of external information, and requires far fewer computations than previous methods. This procedure should facilitate the use of CZCS data in biological oceanography, especially by investigators who may not have access to large computers and elaborate atmospheric correction procedures. The technique has been tested by comparing ship and satellite estimates of chlorophyll; the comparison shows very good agreement. In addition, a comparison of sequential chlorophyll images shows that the technique produces stable chlorophyll estimates under changing atmospheric conditions.
Loss of Floy Anchor Tags from White Bass

Abstract Tag-shedding rates were estimated for white bass Morone chrysops in the Brazos River and Whitney Reservoir, Texas, to estimate tag retention and to provide a correction for tag loss. Altogether, 487 white bass were double-tagged in 1989 and 215 in 1990 with Floy FD-68BC anchor tags. Mean total lengths of the fish were 342 mm (range, 230–429 mm) in 1989 and 312 mm (range, 123–553 mm) in 1990. Tagged fish were at liberty for up to 560 d, and tags were subsequently returned by anglers for cash rewards ranging from $5 to $100. One hundred three fish tagged in 1989 were recaught (85 in 1989 and 18 in 1990) and 62 fish tagged in 1990 were recaught (59 in 1990 and 3 in 1991). Sixteen percent of returns from the 1989 tagging and 13% of returns from the 1990 tagging consisted of single tags. Immediate posttagging loss resulting from mortality, improper tag placement, and nonreporting by anglers was negligible. Long-term shedding, estimated for up to 560 d, was 24.8% per year for one tag and 6.2% for both ...
Fun and Facts about American Business : Economic Education and Business Propaganda in an Early Cold War Cartoon Series

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, millions of theatergoers, students, and industrial workers saw one or more animated short films, shot in Technicolor and running eight to nine minutes, that were designed to build public support for the principles and practices of free enterprise. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation quietly funded the production of this series of cartoons, titled Fun and Facts about American Business , through multiple grants to industrial animation house John Sutherland Productions via Harding College, an evangelical college in rural Arkansas that would become known nationally for its anti-communist and conservative political activism. This article examines the creation and distribution of the Fun and Facts films in the years 1946 through 1952 as a notable case of ephemeral film and as an example of the Cold War public relations movement known as “economic education.” Further, the article examines the consequences of economic education as a conceptual category on the production and distribution of Cold War industrial propaganda.
TOSSIM: accurate and scalable simulation of entire TinyOS applications

Accurate and scalable simulation has historically been a key enabling factor for systems research. We present TOSSIM, a simulator for TinyOS wireless sensor networks. By exploiting the sensor network domain and TinyOS's design, TOSSIM can capture network behavior at a high fidelity while scaling to thousands of nodes. By using a probabilistic bit error model for the network, TOSSIM remains simple and efficient, but expressive enough to capture a wide range of network interactions. Using TOSSIM, we have discovered several bugs in TinyOS, ranging from network bit-level MAC interactions to queue overflows in an ad-hoc routing protocol. Through these and other evaluations, we show that detailed, scalable sensor network simulation is possible.
Chemical composition and physical properties of the related zeolites offretite and erionite

New chemical analyses as well as optical and X-ray data show that offretite and erionite are closely related hexagonal zeolites. Offretite is alkaline earth rich and has a Si/ (Al + Fe3+) ratio of 2.48, whereas erionite is generally alkali-rich and has a Si/(Al+Fea+) ratio of 2.92 to 3.74. Ferric iron may substitute for aluminum in erionites from sedimentary deposits. The optic sign is negative for offretite and positive for erionite. Offretite characteristical ly has indices of refraction that are higher than those for erionite. A decrease in the indices of refraction and the cell volume of erionite can be correlated with an increase in the Si/ (Al + Fea+) ratio.
Shear and Longitudinal Acoustic Communication and Power Transfer Through Plates Using Acoustic Wedges

Techniques for wireless acoustic communication and energy transfer along steel plates and piping to avoid physical penetrations and wire feed-throughs are presented. Longitudinal and shear acoustic waves (polarized in the direction of the plate/pipe wall thickness) transmitted into steel plates using steel wedges are analyzed using finite-element analysis. Propagation of steady-state waves at frequencies of 1 MHz in steel plates using triangular steel wedges with varying wave launch angles were used, where the steel plate was bounded by cement on one side and engine oil on the other. Successful simulation was achieved at large axial distance from the transmitting wedge with reception into a second reversed wedge, which is applicable for both power and data transmissions. At a distance of 0.41 m the energy transfer efficiency was seen to increase with increasing launch angle to 0.1 % for shear waves and 0.03 % for longitudinal waves when operating with an 80 degree wedge.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Prostaglandin-mediated inhibition of PTH-stimulated β-catenin signaling in osteoblasts by bone marrow macrophages

Bone marrow macrophages (BMMs), in the presence of cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox2) produced PGE2, secrete an inhibitory factor in response to Rankl that blocks PTH-stimulated osteoblastic differentiation. This study was to determine if the inhibitory factor also blocks PTH-stimulated Wnt signaling. Primary calvarial osteoblasts (POBs) were co-cultured with conditioned medium (CM) from Rankl-treated wild type (WT) BMMs, which make the inhibitory factor, and Cox2 knockout (KO) BMMs, which do not. PTH induced cAMP production was blocked by WT CM but not by KO CM. In the presence of KO CM, PTH induced phosphorylation at β-catenin serine sites, ser552 and ser675, previously shown to be phosphorylated by protein kinase A (PKA). Phosphorylation was blocked by WT CM and by H89, a PKA inhibitor. PTH did not increase total β-catenin. PTH-stimulated transcription factor/lymphoid enhancer-binding factor response element activity in POBs was blocked by WT CM and by serum amyloid A (SAA), the human recombinant analog of murine Saa3, which has recently been shown to be the inhibitory factor. In POBs cultured with Cox2 KO CM, PTH increased expression of multiple genes associated with the anabolic actions of PTH and decreased expression of Wnt antagonists. This differential regulation of gene expression was not seen in POBs cultured with WT CM. These data highlight the ability of PTH to phosphorylate β-catenin directly via PKA and demonstrate the ability of a Cox2-dependent inhibitory factor, secreted by Rankl-stimulated BMMs, to abrogate PTH stimulated β-catenin signaling. Our results suggest that PTH can stimulate a novel negative feedback of its anabolic actions by stimulating Rankl and Cox2 expression.
Aldosterone, Renin, and Diabetes Mellitus in African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study.

Context: Previous research has suggested that activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system may promote insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction, but the association with incident diabetes in African Americans is unknown. Objective: We examined the association of aldosterone and renin with insulin resistance, β-cell function, and incident diabetes in a large African American cohort. Design: The Jackson Heart Study is a prospective study of the development and progression of cardiovascular disease in African Americans. Setting: Participants were recruited from the tricounty area of metropolitan Jackson, Mississippi. Participants: A total of 5301 African American adults, aged 21–94 years, were assessed at baseline and through 12 years of follow-up. Data on aldosterone, renin, and risk factors were collected at baseline (2000–2004). Diabetes (fasting glucose ≥ 126 mg/dL, physician diagnosis, use of diabetes drugs, or glycated hemoglobin ≥ 6.5%) was assessed at baseline and through 12 years of follo...
Legal Issues: The Fences of a Patent

Now at the center of another patent fight is the Blackboard course-management software, in use at many colleges and universities. The software allows faculty members to post and organize course materials, generate discussion lists, and administer tests in a secure-online environment. Students can log into an institution’s Blackboard servers and arrange to access all of their courses from a single interface.A patent issued to Blackboard in 2006 for its course management system is at the center of this latest patent fight. A dispute over the patent was raised by a Desire2Learn, Inc. (D2L), a competitor to Blackboard, after Blackboard sued D2L for patent infringement. In responding to the lawsuit, D2L claimed that several of Blackboard’s individual patent claims were invalid.
Numerical Analysis of Clay Particle Assemblies

The current level of understanding of the role of fabric and compositional parameters of the microstructure of clays is inadequate for the development of physically meaningful mathematical models of the engineering behavior of soils. In this context, research was initiated several years ago, which seeks to develop methods for quantifying particle-level forces and use them to model behavior of an assembly consisting of many such particles. To date, methods have been developed for quantifying the double-layer repulsive force and the van der Waals attractive force between two nonparallel plate like particles as a function of the system variables. Two different numerical methods and an approximate analytical modeling method have thus far been pursued in analysing assemblies. The numerical methods are based on the discrete element method (DEM) and an energy minimization method. The progress made in these areas are summarized in this paper.
Children’s Cognitive and Behavioral Reactions to an Autonomous Versus Controlled Social Robot Dog

ABSTRACTResearch Findings: Interactive technology has become ubiquitous in young children’s lives, but little is known about how children incorporate such technologies into their intuitive biological theories. Here we explore how the manner in which technology is introduced to young children impacts their biological reasoning, moral regard, and prosocial behavior toward it. We asked 5- and 7-year-old children to interact with a robot dog that was described either as moving autonomously or as remote controlled. Compared with a controlled robot, the autonomous robot caused children to ascribe higher emotional and physical sentience to the robot, to reference the robot as having desires and physiological states, and to reference moral concerns as applying to the robot. Children who owned a dog at home were more likely to behave prosocially toward the autonomous robot than those who did not. Practice or Policy: Recent work has begun to use robots as learning tools. Our results suggest that the manner in which...
Contribution of Information Seeking to Organizational Newcomer's Leader- member Exchange

A four-wave longitudinal study was conducted to examine the development of LMX and its subsequent outcomes among organizational newcomers. Information seeking, instigated by organizational socialization tactics and anticipated perceived organizational support appears to contribute to newcomers’ formation of high quality LMX relationships with supervisors. In turn, consequences of high-quality LMX among new employees include reduced strain and turnover intentions and increased extra-role behaviors. Our study suggests that employee experiences prior to, and during the early stages of, employment contribute to information seeking and, consequently, LMX and its consequences.
Autoimmune pancreatitis in the context of IgG4-related disease: review of imaging findings.

Current understanding of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) recognizes a histopathological subtype of the disease to fall within the spectrum of IgG4-related disease. Along with clinical, laboratory, and histopathological data, imaging plays an important role in the diagnosis and management of AIP, and more broadly, within the spectrum of IgG4-related disease. In addition to the defined role of imaging in consensus diagnostic protocols, an array of imaging modalities can provide complementary data to address specific clinical concerns. These include contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for pancreatic parenchymal lesion localization and characterization, endoscopic retrograde and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (ERCP and MRCP) to assess for duct involvement, and more recently, positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to assess for extra-pancreatic sites of involvement. While the imaging appearance of AIP varies widely, certain imaging features are more likely to represent AIP than alternate diagnoses, such as pancreatic cancer. While nonspecific, imaging findings which favor a diagnosis of AIP rather than pancreatic cancer include: delayed enhancement of affected pancreas, mild dilatation of the main pancreatic duct over a long segment, the “capsule” and “penetrating duct” signs, and responsiveness to corticosteroid therapy. Systemic, extra-pancreatic sites of involvement are also often seen in AIP and IgG4-related disease, and typically respond to corticosteroid therapy. Imaging by CT, MR, and PET also play a role in the diagnosis and monitoring after treatment of involved sites.
Introduction: Religions and Their God-Men

Religion has always supplied mankind with a way of aspiring toward the most profound possibilities of life. Starting from a deeply felt division between human limitations and God’s omnipotence and impelled by the desire to annul that division, religion attempts to form a bond between God and mankind which will bring them closer to each other. People know that they are finite and mortal yet they yearn for transcendence and infinitude, to eat from the trees of life and knowledge and be like the gods. The Nietzschean lament can still be heard upon the lips of the divinely intoxicated, that ‘if there were gods, how could I bear not to be one!’2 Perhaps Bertrand Russell said it best: ‘Every man would like to be God, if it were possible; some few find it difficult to admit the impossibility.’3
Stryker frame gantry modification for extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy to circumvent positioning problems.

AbstractFrom July 1986 through December 1989, 45 patients with renal or biliary calculi were treated on a Dornier HM3* lithotriptor using a Stryker frame gantry modification. The modification was necessary due to inability to position the patients in the standard gantry. The situations that required nonstandard positioning techniques included stones in the distal or mid ureter, renal transplant, gallbladder or common bile duct, and unusual body habitus, such as myelomeningocele, bilateral lower extremity amputations and children with stones. Positioning with adequate focus of the shock wave was achieved in 87% of the patients and fragmentation was achieved in 89%. The Stryker frame gantry modification is an excellent method to circumvent positioning problems with the Dornier HM3 lithotriptor, extending lithotripsy capability to patients who might otherwise not be candidates.
Post-lymphangiographic computed tomography in chylothorax after esophagogastrectomy: a case report.

Chylothorax is a rare complication ofthoracic surgery. Lymphangiography haslong been considered to be the standard ofreference for diagnosis and post-treatmentevaluation while the role of post-lymangiographicCT is debated. We report a case ofchylothorax in a 68-year-old male followingesophagogastrectomy for which conservativetreatment and thoracic duct ligation failed.Lymphangiography performed after theseattempts revealed persistent thoracic ductleakage into the right pleural space. Subsequentnon-contrast CT and reformattedimages clearly depicted the sources of leakage,and this documentation targeted directpercutaneous treatment. Unfortunately, thelack of access precluded the planned percutaneousCT-guided embolization of the thoracicduct. Nevertheless, this case suggests thatpost- lymphangiographic CT can serve as avalue-added modality in the evaluation andpotential treatment of chylothorax.
Extending Empirical Analysis of Usability and Playability to Multimodal Computer Games

The published research examining usability and playability of games is largely theoretical. A prior empirical study of a game with an embodied conversational agent found that most frustration episodes could be understood in terms of both usability and playability, but this study was based on a game in which the interaction by both player and agent were limited to verbal communication. To explore whether these results would hold for a game in which the player and agent communicated with both speech and gesture, we conducted an empirical formative user-experience evaluation of a multimodal game. Our findings strongly confirmed that frustration episodes can be understood as issues of both usability and playability. However, the relative frequencies of the categories of usability and playability issues differed between the speech-only and the speech-and-gesture games. Much of this difference likely arose because higher levels of engagement and rapport between player and agent in the speech-and-gesture game led to the players having greater, and in many cases unfulfilled, expectations for the capabilities of the agent.
Chapter 2 – Tolerances, Mechanical Properties, Physical Properties—A Review

This chapter discusses the tolerances, mechanical properties, and physical properties. It also describes the importance of the interchangeability of parts to modern manufacturing. A tolerance is a designer–specified allowed variation in a dimension or other geometric characteristic of a part. The limits of size are the two extreme permissible sizes of a part between which the actual size must lie. Tolerances can be applied bilaterally. The chapter also covers mechanical and physical properties. A part's size, shape, and geometry, and the material's mechanical and physical properties, affect the choice of material–process combination. The chapter focuses on how the physical and mechanical properties of materials can affect the choice of process to be used to manufacture a part and how these properties can affect the ease or difficulty of creating the part via a particular process.
Basal Turn Hair Cell Activity Dominates the Round Window Recorded Simple Difference Tone (F2-F1)

ABSTRACT In this study we show that the quadratic difference tone produced by the interaction of two high frequency tones has an unexpectedly large magnitude when measured at the round window (RW)in the normal guinea pig and represents the local component of the F 2 -F 1 distortion. In cochleas having normal compound action potential (CAP) audiograms, the quadratic combination tone had a level up to 50 times that of the cochlear microphonic evoked by the primaries. For example, two primaries of 19 and 20 kHz (at about 40 dB SPL) evoked 0.1 microvolt of cochlear microphonic (CM) while F 2 -F 1 was up to 5.0 microvolts. The magnitude of the distortion product was dependent on the level and frequency separation of the primaries. An optimal level was found when the primaries were separated by approximately 900 Hz. We show that this optimum (900 Hz) is not present in the extracellular receptor potentials of the organ of Corti. In the organ of Corti, a monotonically growing level of simple difference tone is produced as the primaries become closer in frequency.